The Knitting Needle and the Damage Done

November 15, 2012 10:10 PM

The Knitting Needle and the Damage Done
I've launched a knitting blog, on which I intend to critique and ridicule patterns from knitting magazines (both print and online) and post items about interesting and varied knitting-related stuff. I set up The Knitting Needle and the Damage Done one week ago, and so far I've posted about a couple of vintage patterns and some knitted science projects, linked to patterns for knitting your own Remembrance Day poppy and a turkey hat for your baby, told stories about knitting on the TTC, and commented on some of the knitting patterns from the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2012 Issue and the Creative Knitting Winter 2012/13 issue. My aim is for the blog is that it should have enough general interest and entertainment value that a non-knitter could read it without pain.;-)

Role: Blogger

posted by orange swan (9 comments total)

As a non-knitter, I think you're on track!

Your thoughts on fingerless gloves made me laugh. (I wanted to leave them on the blog, but I'm really not interested in jumping through Google's profile hoops right now, sorry.) I used to feel the same way until I started working in places that were reliably cold enough that I wanted some kind of hand covering, and full gloves are really not suitable for typing and paper-handling. My mother made my fingerless gloves for me and had the bright idea to make them extra-long in the wrists, so for severely cold days, I can layer them over my leather gloves and the couple inches of extra wrist coverage really does help.
posted by EvaDestruction at 8:30 AM on November 16, 2012

As an all-season sailor, fingerless gloves are absolutely essential. You need your fingertips exposed to handle small twine and tie knots, but you can't let your whole hands get cold because you won't be able to move your fingers. They may seem silly for some, but for those who are working outdoors in all weathers, they have a lot of practicality.
posted by Miko at 9:12 PM on November 16, 2012

Oh wow, this is really entertaining reading! I am a knitter of half-finished projects, haha, and I really enjoy your blog. (Also, my piano teacher has fingerless gloves from the days when she studied at a school which didn't have heating in its practice rooms.) But I will be following your blog, thank you.
posted by undue influence at 4:55 AM on November 17, 2012

I really, really like the title of the blog!
posted by onlyconnect at 10:06 AM on November 17, 2012

this is great fun to read, even for a non-knitter.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:49 AM on November 21, 2012

Thanks everyone!
posted by orange swan at 10:53 AM on November 24, 2012

I'm one entry in and loving it. This part from the skirts entry

This one isn't all that successful either. I love the interesting lines and the interesting stitchwork, but you can see through this model's white top that this skirt is so bulky around the waist and hips that it's creating major bulges. Knitted skirts need to lie smoothly around the waist and pick up whatever width and texture they're going to have somewhere south of the hips.

reminded me of the first chapter in Maggie Righetti's Knitting in Plain English, which is titled "You Can Always Tell What's Wrong with the Garment by the Way the Model Is Posed, or, Slender Five-Foot-Ten-Inch Models Look Good in Anything".

Looking forward to reading my way back through the past entries!
posted by Lexica at 1:22 PM on November 27, 2012

I forgot to comment on this because I clicked on it and then immediately added it to my RSS reader! I've been knitting for the past few years, so I'm at the intermediate stage where I know of most of the concepts and techniques you write about, but also where I still get caught up in "oooh! pretty!" when looking at patterns instead of analyzing for practicality, flattering fit, etc. That means that I'm learning a ton from your blog, and I am always excited when I see you've written a new post. Great job, orange swan! Looking forward to reading more!!
posted by estlin at 11:55 AM on December 19, 2012

Ha, now I've stayed up far too late reading your excellent pattern reviews. Amusing and educational, all in one.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:48 AM on March 27, 2013