What images spring to mind when someone mentions “knitting”? Wrinkled old grannies tucked into a corner working away with their needles? Or maybe a more youthful group chattering away as they work their needles over a cuppa in a “Knit and Stitch Group”  at the local cafe? ‘Knitting’ generates such extreme reactions in people, more often negative than not. Yet “knitting” – the art of working with yarn and a couple of needles to produce  practical pieces to wear or to create colourful works of art – has been around for generations. When I was at Infant School, aged five or six, we used cotton yarn and Garter Stitch to produce dish cloths. I recall sitting near the stovepipe heater in the classroom trying to help the child next to me, but it was an uphill struggle because she could not get her tension right. And we were only five years old! My Gran had taught me to knit, although I favoured sewing over knitting until I picked up my needles again to knit for my babies back in the Sixties. Today I am working on “fingerless gloves”. They are a bit more intricate than the simple”wristwarmers” but both are great to give away as gifts.

Knitting is so versatile. There is no end to the possibilities – as may be seen below.

This baby jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman was knitted in one piece and was a great way to use up small balls of DK yarn.

This baby jacket makes me think of water melon.

I am so proud of this waistcoat! After discovering “domino knitting” I drafted out the waistcoat pattern so it is all my own work! Tragically, last week I accidentally put it on a “hot” wash. Now it no longer fits me but all is not lost: I gave it to my neighbour’s daughter.

The gorgeous poppy pattern was in one of my knitting magazines. I knitted the bag from pure wool using “domino knitting” then felted  it deliberately. Of course when you want wool to shrink it takes much longer!

Variegated yarn was such fun to work with for this baby blanket. Each square was striped differently.

“To have fingers” or not “to have fingers” that is the question. Am still uncertain which I prefer: the basic wristwarmers or the fingerless gloves. Both do the job of keeping hands warm but fingers free, but the wristwarmers are so much easier and quicker to knit.

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