What’s What Wednesdays

A school in Bracknell U.K. has been working on a project to bring mathematics to life: a blanket with 100 squares, one square for each number between 1 and 100, each square showing how many factors the number has. A prime number (that is, a number that cannot be divided up evenly, e.g. 17) has a two-colored square, representing that it can be divided only by one and itself; a number that can be divided up more (e.g. 18, which can by divided by 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 18) has a square with 6 colors. B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, hosted an knit-in event this week aiming to help calm stressed parents ...

Big congratulations to our friends at Ravelry, which recently hit the milestone of 1 million registered users. Bolton UK’s Knitting Noras – also known as the Naked Knitters, thanks to their fundraising cheeky postcards – are at it again.  They will be yarnbombing the International Centre in Harrogate, the site of the upcoming Knitting and Stitching show, November 25-28th. Have you heard about The North Circular? Although they sell finished goods, they are running a unique and wonderful company in the UK. They make and sell products from a flock of rescued Wensleydale Longwool sheep. It’s all ...

This year marks the 100th issue of Knitter’s Magazine, and the 26th anniversary of XRX the company that publishes the magazine and many terrific books.  As of this issue, the magazine is being distributed both in physical copies and in digital format through the Zinio service. To celebrate the anniversary, Knitter’s has a special double issue with 50 patterns, and a digital version being distributed for free. More info here. Arthur learns to knit! In a new episode of the popular and long-running kids’ TV series, “Arthur Unravels“, Arthur’s grandma Thora teaches him to knit. In the ...

A very big Happy Birthday to Amy, our Editor-in-Chief. Lift a cupcake in her honor today! This knitted skeleton is an absolute masterpiece.   Ben Cuevas, an artist based in California, created it as part of a mixed media piece for Wassaic Project (an arts collective and residency program located in New York state).  The skeleton sits in the lotus position atop a stack of cans of  condensed milk, with a cloud of screen prints on Flexi glass suspended above it. look and be amazed. The artist uses a lot of fiber – specifically  knitting and crochet – in his work.  In his bio, he states that he enjoys ...

This week is the kickoff of HRH The Prince of Wales’ Campaign for Wool, which aims to educate the world about the versatility and sustainability of wool in fashion and household uses. Many events are scheduled – lots of opportunities to ‘meet the sheep’ all around the UK. Even if you’re not in the UK, or a sheepy knitter, the website is worth a visit for its beautiful photography. The Guardian hosts a slide show and free Jack Russell pattern preview for the book “Best in Show: Knit Your Own Dog”, by Sally Muir and Jo Osborne. The designs are all great, but the Old English ...

The second annual NYC Yarn Crawl is scheduled for October 9, 10, 11th. More info here. Each of the 14+ stores participating will have prize draws, special offers and other goodies. Each store visit entitles a participant to a raffle ticket for one of the many great prizes donated by the stores and participating yarn companies. And to add to the fun, there’s a scavenger hunt… themed for the Big Apple, of course. Find the knitted apples hidden on the crawl route to win more prizes. If you’re interested in the environment impact and origins of the yarn you’re working with, check out Green ...

Congratulations to the winner of Monday’s Ninja-bonus contest: Monica E! The yarn for Mythos will soon be on its way to her! Make sure to share a picture of the finished sweater when you’re done, Monica! The fabulous Habu Textiles has just announced a trunk show for three very lucky west-coast stores… In addition to a showing of their designs and yarns, Takako will be running a workshop on how to read Japanese patterns. September 23 they will be at Little Knits, Seattle, WA; September 27 at Knotty by Nature, Victoria, Canada, and September 28 & 29 Urban Yarns, in Vancouver, Canada.  Contact the ...

Save the Children has just launched the Caps for Good initiative. They are collecting small handmade hats to help keep low-birthweight babies warm during their first few weeks of life. These caps will be delivered through Save the Children’s newborn health programs in Indonesia, Mali and Guatemala. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the US.  Ronda’s Closet, a clothing store in San Diego, California is hosting an event on September 22nd to raise funds for Tête-à-Tête Hats.  Tête-à-Tête Hats was founded by students of a local school with the goal of providing handmade hats to ...

Live today, the new Knitty Surprise patterns include the Crosswaves sock, perfect for hand-dyed yarns, the Brunello cardigan, named after a full-bodied Tuscan artisanal wine, short-sleeved, lace trimmed, and just the thing to ease you into cooler days and nights. By the way: when we launch a new issue or surprise, the server gets bogged down (despite our best efforts to keep it zippy). If you can’t get through, maybe go get a coffee or knit a few rows and try it again later! Happy knitting! Artfiibers in San Francisco proudly announces their reopening in their new location, less than a block away from their old ...