Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

Today's post is about how I made a grief blanket. The overall design is modular. I printed and cut out 1-inch squares with the design on them, then moved them around on a table. It was much like designing a quilt block, but using texture rather than color and value. The most common block has a two triangle pattern, with half the block in moss stitch and half the block in welts. The "joining" block is a double-moss stitch, essentially a 2×2 checkerboard. I could have played with other block patterns. Indeed, I generated multiple options. I ended up with three innovations on this project: a refinement of a Mondragon loop block join, a continuous chain selvedge, and an improved way to add a perpendicular border to a chain-stitch edging. The blocks are knit both vertically and horizontally. While normally I would have picked up blocks as for a modular project, the joins in this project are Mondragon loops. Because the welts are narrow str...

Elizabeth Zimmermann advised us to, "Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises." While this is primarily a blog about knitting, grief and loss have popped up as a recurring theme. In the time I've had this blog, I've lost a friend, a grandparent, a parent, multiple pets, zoo animals, and even a fiber festival. We all deal with loss in our own way. The important thing is to deal with it. Figure out what works for you. Then do that. In that sense, grieving is as individual as we are. It reveals who we are, too. Some cultures have a tradition of setting a time limit or completing a ritual. You grieve for a certain number of days or months or you do a thing. Then you declare yourself done. More and more, I find I need activity when I am unhappy. If I am upset, I go for a walk or pace up and down my cul-de-sac or spend a whole day doing active household chores. If I am anxious, I need to fix something or craft something. I am a do...