radiosaturday

I'm obsessed with these Joan of Arc filet crochet patterns from this 1913 book.

Seconding all of this. Esp yarn weight, anything above aran makes my hands hurt.

For reference I have scoliosis and osteoarthritis. So a bit part of comfortable knitting for me is posture/back alignment. I personally have to have my elbows resting on something to comfortably knit and I’ve seen pillows specifically marketed to rest your arms on while knitting (which sadly don’t help me but could easily help someone with a less picky spine lmao). Hobbii sells a version here for an example of what they look like but you could probably find something similar for cheaper, maybe a body pillow?

A good option is to play around with different styles of knitting. I first started knitting continental for speed but once I got used to it I found it hurt my hands significantly less than what I was doing before. Norwegian purling for ribbing or swapping to Portuguese style knitting for long purl sections could be helpful if you’re having problems with moving between knit stitch and purl stitch.

Types of needle also can play a part, at least for me. Straight needles are hell on my wrists and wood/plastic needles make my tension too tight which hurts my joints. It’s worth experimenting with different needles if you can, when I first started knitting I spent a lot of time in thrift stores looking for a bunch of different needles just to try them.

Also don’t be afraid to picked seamed projects. Knitting a whole blanket or even a sweater seamlessly might be easier, but having to lift and turn a whole queen sized blanket is Not Great. Having to mattress stitch for 4 hours isn’t my idea of fun but I find it’s a lot easier on my body long term than the alternative.

Now I Lay Me Down, Ashley Blalock

Math is really tiring, im so glad i finally get to relax and do some knitting and crochet and i oh god oh my what the fuck

stardust the isopod!! 🌌⭐️🪲

gift for @nekochan700 and pattern by TumAnnArt!

Caitlin McCormack - Crocheted Skeletal Remains

Crochet Your Next Big Catch with Free Patterns from the National Park Service

I can’t remember who amongst my friends crochets vs knits vs both and I don’t want to cause mortal pain by tagging a knitter accidentally so just like. Stringwitches, enjoy. 

feather wings shawl commission! 🪶 🪶 🪶

i have been working on this project on-and-off since May. finally finished, and i’m so proud of how it turned out!

another beautiful pattern by Crafty Intentions!

insane how many people just have these incredible artists in their families who get no recognition outside of crocheting circles because this art form is devalued for its association with women

Crocheted baby vegetables

Dying to find a source for these…the intricacy blows my mind

So recently on a Zoom call, I, a knitter, was calling crocheting impossible and painful. A crocheter happened to be on the call as well and was saying that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the hang of knitting.

Apparently, most of the people she knows who work with yarn can only do one or the other, and meeting someone who both knits and crochets is like meeting an ambidextrous person

So knitters and crocheters, reblog/reply to this with which one you are, if you can do both or not, and/or your thoughts on this “can only do one” phenomenon

I actually do both!

I do both! BUT! I learned crochet first and am much better at crochet, so I can see only being able to do one.

Both, tho more crochet tha knitting.

Both! Learned crochet first though, and picked up knitting years later

I also feel like how you try to learn matters. I could not learn to knit on straights for ANYTHING but circs were perfect.

I can do both and am self taught in both as well. I think my knitting skills are a touch better than crochet, but not by much. I do prefer knitting, but that comes solely from an aesthetics point.

I CAN do both but I prefer knitting. Crochet is too freeform for me; too hard to visualize, probably because I don't spend enough time practicing it. Knitting is more structured because it's basically a giant grid that gets bigger or smaller when you increase or decrease. Also, while crochet typically works up faster, I have to concentrate on it/look at it more, whereas I can knit while watching TV. I also generally like the quality - look and feel - of knitted fabric better than crochet fabric.

I can do both, and they’re about equally easy in different ways, by which I mean I can do simple stuff in both of them without looking.

crochet, knitting, sewing... any kind of fiber art given to another person is just so indescribably filled with love. and i think part of that is bc it is a process. the gradual nature of creation. the stitches you create with yarn and your hands is replicated in your heartstrings. every stitch was made with consideration, counted and recounted. by the time the gift is complete it is heavy with love. it says: this is the part of my heart that you reside in, please handle it with care.

people on tumblr tend to be pretty good about the whole “you should pay artists thing” but i just want to put out there: that includes fibre artists

i can’t count the number of times i’ve been knitting or embroidering something and someone is like “oh can you make me one?” and then they get offended when i tell them they’d have to pay me.

real talk: nice yarn/wool is expensive. sewing machines are expensive. for every handmade skirt or stuffed animal you see online there are at least a half-dozen prototypes in the creator’s closet that can’t be sold.

and that’s not even getting into the time spent on these projects. i have some things i’ve probably spent in excess of 100 hours on. i can’t even fathom making a living wage knitting stuff, because nobody would ever pay that much.

tl:dr; fibre artists deserve to be paid for their time and skill just like visual artists and if you can “buy something just like that at walmart for $5″ please just do that and stop wasting our time

Hand Knitted Fingerless Gloves by nbGlovesAndMittens

inktober 12