All Tied up in Knots: Learning Arm-Knitting and Beyond!

Both of my grandmothers were master knitters. My mom and I always had matching knit sweaters or vests to wear with adorable buttons and bright colors, and she cried the day I finally grew out of them. Later, my mom learned to knit in her own right, and my dresser became full of handmade scarves and headbands. During the Superbowl, my mom and sister-in-law sit with their knitting and make incredible blankets and gifts. In short, I have always been surrounded by knitters, and while I have tried many times to learn, I have not yet succeeded. For this reason, I have decided to use online resources to finally learn to knit. I will begin by learning to make a relatively new internet DIY creation: the arm knit scarf. Hours on Pinterest and dozens of saved pins and videos have inspired me to try this innovative knitting technique which will hopefully serve as an introduction and gateway to traditional knitting.

The scarf that started it all!
Photo, creation and Information by Simply Maggie
http://www.simplymaggie.com/how-to-arm-knit

As a Pinterest addict, it is usually my first stop for a DIY project. After re-visiting my many saved pins on arm scarves (see link below!), I connected to a few videos and online tutorials on YouTube. There seems to be quite the authority out there which will be incredibly helpful in my (likely) moments of struggle.

While my long-term goal is to learn traditional knitting and to be able to knit a scarf, I will begin by learning to arm knit. I feel that this will allow my to learn gradually and practice the basic concepts of knitting before moving on to more advanced projects.

Resources

• Pinterest Board (modified for this project): https://www.pinterest.com/rachelmatz/maet-pln-project/
• YouTube Videos/Channels:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBlzVCaX7HU This video posted by Michael’s crafts is a great introduction to arm knitting. My goal is to make a chunky cowl scarf, and this will walk me through the appropriate steps! Also, because it is linked to a craft store, there will be ample opportunity to visit help forums.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eClB0RpGBlo This is the scarf that started it all for me! I saw this on Pinterest a year ago and have been itching to knit ever since. I was excited to find a tutorial for this particular design.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7HOIzQT1k4 This is a tutorial for a blanket, but the strategies will likely come in handy. I do not want to limit myself to one item, so looking for commonalities between scarf-knitting and blanket-knitting is a must!
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzEUh7RJ2H8 Arm Knitting for the Clueless: the name says it all!

I am looking forward to the trip to the knit shop to pick out yarn!

Cover Photo: “Yarn” by Susbany, licensed Under CC0 Public Domain

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