Aran sweater knit by Lucile Swallow for her daughter in 1963.
There is an intimacy in learning a handcraft such as knitting from a real, breathing person sitting beside you, that is impossible to get from a video. If that person is someone whom you’ve had some differences with, well all the better. It’s what you share in between the stitches you are learning to put on your needles that enriches you both.
I hope you’ll take your mother-in-law up on her offer and learn to knit the differences between you. Life can take some interesting twists and turns. Who knows, one day you may have a daughter-in-law who shows up looking for all the world like the wrong girl for the job. Perhaps you can sit down with her and teach her to knit. Perhaps she can teach you a few things as well.
Some Aran Fisherman Sweater Tidbits
Off the west coast of Ireland and at the mouth of Galway Bay are a set of islands known as the Aran Islands. It was here on this windswept land that jutted out into the Atlantic that the Aran sweater was born.
There is some debate as to exactly when the women on the islands began to knit what we know today as the Aran sweater. Some believe that it was about 1900, when the first knitters of the Aran took the original Gansey sweater pattern that had been popular all through the British Isles for centuries and modified it. Using a thicker yarn and different construction methods, the women were able to create a sweater that was quicker to knit and so provided them with an additional livelihood. The original Aran sweaters were made from unwashed cream-colored báinín, a yarn made from sheep’s wool. The natural lanolin in the wool acted as a water repellent.
Legend has it that when a fisherman drowned at sea and his body washed up on shore, it was the pattern of his sweater that was used to identify him. Whether this is folklore or not, we don’t know, but we do know that most women knitted their husband’s initials into their sweaters and this certainly would have helped in identification, should such a sad day come.
There is even some debate as to whether the fishermen of the Aran Islands ever even wore the famed Aran sweaters. Some argue that the thickness of the sweaters would have restricted the fisherman’s movements so much that they would have been hard to work in. The traditional Gansey sweaters that had been worn by fishermen for centuries would probably have made a better choice.
The Diamond Stitch in an Aran sweater depicts the small fields on the islands. When the knitter filled the diamonds with a moss stitch, it represented the seaweed that was strewn over the fields to improve the harvest. Thus the Diamond stitch is often used to represent a wish for good luck.
DEAR MRS. WICKS,
I hope you can help solve the disagreement my sister and I are having over swatching. My sister says that knitting a swatch is a waste of time. She knits mostly baby blankets and scarves. I think getting proper gauge is an important step that you shouldn’t leave out. I knit mostly sweaters. What do you think? Who is right and who is wrong?
Sincerely,
To Swatch or Not? in Vermont
“To the last I grapple with thee: From Hell’s heart, I stab at thee; for hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.” Herman Melville (1819–1891)
DEAR TO SWATCH OR NOT,
This swatch debate is one that I have heard quite often. While some knitters take swatching in their stride and wouldn’t think of starting a project without one, others are as vehement in their distaste of swatching as Ahab in Mr. Melville’s epic novel, Moby-Dick . . .
For some knitters, making a swatch is as hateful an exercise as a mad sea captain facing down a ferocious sperm whale who has bitten off his leg (or so I’ve been told).
I would have to say that you and your sister are both right. While swatching to get the correct gauge is paramount for success on some projects, such as the sweaters you are knitting, on other projects such as the blankets and scarves that your sister is making, gauge is not as crucial and you may be able to get away without swatching.
But for most clothing projects that require proper fitting, it is imperative that you swatch to get the correct gauge as specified in your pattern’s directions. I think of swatching as the beginning of my project and that way I don’t regret spending the small amount of extra time to do it.
I always recommend buying extra yarn for swatching as well. If you are going to invest time and money in knitting a sweater, an extra skein of yarn is worth the expense to insure a proper fit. While some knitters rip out their swatches to use the yarn, others keep their swatches and make notes about the needle size and yarn for future projects.
Gauge refers to the number of stitches and rows a knitter makes per inch of fabric. Gauge varies from person to person, so it is very important to make sure you are achieving the gauge of your pattern. Your gauge determines the size of your finished piece. Always check the gauge before selecting yarn and needles for a project.
If you are knitting with a thick yarn, you will make bigger stitches and have very few stitches and rows per inch. If you are knitting with a finer yarn, you will make smaller stitches and have more stitches and rows per inch.
To make an accurate gauge swatch, cast on 28 stitches for fingering weight, 24 stitches for dk, 16 stitches for worsted, or 12 stitches for a bulky weight.
The tongue of a blue whale can weigh up to 6,000 pounds, as much as an African elephant or thirty American sheep (in case you were wondering).
Begin with 4 rows of garter stitch. Then work in garter.
Stitch for the first and last four stitches, while knitting in pattern for the middle stitches. End with 4 rows in garter stitch (the garter stitch borders eliminate curling). The bigger the swatch the more accurate your gauge will be. Next, wash your swatch and block it. Once dried, measure with a ruler and count your stitches. Do not use a tape measure, which can stretch and vary in accuracy. Don’t cheat by pulling your fabric to make it fit. Make sure to count even a half or quarter of a stitch and include that into your gauge.
If you do not get the proper gauge, your garment will not come out to the intended size. Nothing is more discouraging than finishing a project that looks small enough to fit a mouse or large enough to clothe a whale. Either way it breaks your heart and need not happen if you just take the time to swatch.
Mrs. Melville’s Knitting
In the parlor of Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s house, now a museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, you can see the rocking chair that belonged to Melville’s wife, Lizzy. On the chair’s seat are a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles, as if Lizzy Melville, who was an avid knitter, had just left them there, to check the fire or tend to a child. A pair of hand-knit white socks hangs over the chair’s back. One can just imagine Lizzy knitting them for Herman whilst he sat at his desk upstairs, spinning his tale about Ahab and that nasty old whale.
Mrs. Melville’s chair at Arrowhead, in Pittsfield, MA.
DEAR MRS. WICKS,
I am so depressed. I used to love to knit for my family when my children were young. But now that they are grown, they don’t seem to appreciate my knitting and some have even hinted that I should stop making them things. Problem is I still love to knit. It’s hard not to feel blue. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Depressed in South Dakota
DEAR DEPRESSED,
If knitting for family members is neither appreciated nor needed, then by all means, stop knitting for them. However, there is no reason that you cannot knit for someone else. Charitable knitting has a long and valued history in American culture. American’s first First Lady, Martha Washington, implored her sisters in the Revolution to knit for the soldiers who were facing the bitter cold winters of the war. Not only was her husband George’s rag-tag army running out of weapons and ammunition, they were in desperate need of socks! Martha understood how easily the ups and downs of life can affect our well-being. Her advice on happiness is still useful today.
Martha Washington, by Rembrandt Peale 1858
“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in w
hatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”
Martha Washington (1731–1797)
The good thing about charity knitting is that you rarely get to meet the recipient of your knitting. While this may seem a negative, it is actually a benefit. The idea is not to be attached to the recipient’s reactions. To give without needing something given in return is truly giving.
An observation of Martha’s charity and industry comes to us from a Mrs. Westlake, who as a young girl of sixteen, accompanied Mrs. Washington on her rounds at Valley Forge.
“I never in my life knew a woman so busy from early morning until late at night as was Lady Washington, providing comforts for the sick soldiers. Every day, excepting Sundays, the wives of officers in camp, and sometimes other women, were invited to Mr. Pott’s Vally Forge Headquarters—to assist her in knitting socks, patching garments, and making shirts for the poor soldiers . . .”
Mrs. Thorpe of Morristown, New Jersey, was in a group of ladies who paid a visit to Mrs. Washington during the Revolution when she was encamped with George and his army.
“Several of us thought we would visit Lady Washington, as she was said to be so grand a lady we thought we must put on our best bibs and bands. So we dressed ourselves in our most elegant ruffles and silks, and were introduced to her ladyship. And don’t you think! We found her knitting and with her apron on! She received us very graciously and easily, but after the compliments were over she resumed her knitting. There we were without a stitch of work, and sitting in state, but General Washington’s lady with her own hands was knitting stockings for herself and her husband.”
It should be noted that while Martha Washington encouraged others to knit for her husband’s army, her own family’s knitting was mostly done at Mount Vernon where 317 slaves worked the family plantation. In the roster of “Mansion House Negroes,” Martha’s personal knitter was listed as “Peter . . . lame knitter.”
The Little Knitter, Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1724–1805)
Years later, after the war, President Washington himself kept records of the household accounts in which he mentioned the knitting he expected to be done:
“Doll at the Ferry must be taught to Knit, and MADE to do a sufficient day’s work of it, otherwise (if suffered to be idle) many more will walk in her steps. Lame Peter, if nobody else will, must teach her, and she must be brought the house for that purpose . . .”
From these records, we can see the importance of knitting to a household’s well-being in the eighteenth century. The records also give us a glimpse into the controlling personality of the “Master of Mt. Vernon,” and the tight grip he had on the many slaves who labored to keep his great house running.
Mount Vernon, by Francis Jukes (1800)
DEAR MRS. WICKS,
I’d like to teach my seven-year-old son how to knit. Do you have any pointers for teaching knitting to young children? Do you also have any words of wisdom for my husband who doesn’t see the benefits of a young boy learning to knit? How do I enlighten him?
Sincerely,
In Need of Enlightenment in Connecticut
DEAR IN NEED,
Tell your husband that knitting can be an important first step in empowering your son to be independent by the use of his own hands. Learning to knit gives children a sense of accomplishment and, thus, joy. As the poet Walt Whitman said, “Do anything, but let it produce joy.”
“Do anything, but let it produce joy.” Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
Remind your husband that knitting has not always been solely a woman’s industry. In times past, if he were living on the coast of Maine, he would have learned to knit at his father’s knee. Many a New England boy first learned to knit fishing nets and went on to knit their own mittens and hats.
However, Maine was not the only place that boys were learning to knit in America. I was recently sitting at an outdoor concert, with my knitting in my lap, when an older man in his eighties sat down beside me. He asked what I was working on, and when I told him a baby blanket, he smiled.
“I know something about knitting blankets,” he told me. “I learned to knit a long time ago, when I was a boy in public school in Boston. It was during the war and our class learned to knit squares to send over to Great Britain, where they were sewn into blankets for the soldiers. At night in my bed, I would stay awake imagining some heroic soldier somewhere over in Europe sleeping under my square and I would puff up with pride.”
Knitting in Waldorf Schools
While teaching children to knit has dropped off in our public schools since then, the tradition continues in private Waldorf schools across the country. There they successfully use knitting as an important piece of curricula. Waldorf teachers believe that learning to knit can be the first step in a child’s ability to assert his will with a positive outcome. All first graders at Waldorf schools learn to knit before they learn to read.
What are the benefits of learning to knit so young? Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between mathematical ability and the use of small motor skills. Hand/eye coordination is strengthened and deeper levels of concentration are reached as young knitters focus on the work in their hands. Attentiveness to numbers is achieved through counting stitches and rows. Hyperactivity is also addressed in the silent and slow repetitive process of slipping stitches onto needles. Besides these cognitive skills, there is also the sense of contentment and well-being that comes with a child making something with his own hands.
The ideal model of a Waldorf school incorporates as much of the natural world as possible, often in the form of a small farm. It is a riveting experience for a child to feel the wool in its raw state, on the back of a sheep, before it eventually ends up on their needles. The children learn to card and wash the wool before it is spun. From these experiences, they learn that with care and great effort, human hands can transform the raw, often mud and manure caked wool into a clean, soft, uniform yarn.
Once the students have learned these hands-on lessons, they are ready to explore the larger role of wool in human history, which is taught in the upper grades. How did the Romans dole out their woolen goods to their soldiers? How did the wool trade alter the power struggle in sixteenth century Europe? Why did colonial women in America refuse to buy wool from England and organize spinning parties of their own? Through these studies, children learn about geography, economics, and history. There is a wealth of knowledge to explore, all beginning with that first knitting lesson.
Cary Grant learning to knit in Mr. Lucky.
Prepare to be amazed at how fast your young pupils can pick up their needles and soon be knitting with ease. Some agree that it is easier to teach children to knit than it is to teach adults.
Learning to Knit, by Albert Anker (1831–1910)
Developed by Rudolph Steiner in 1919, Waldorf Education is based on a profound understanding of human development that addresses the needs of the growing child. Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child—the heart and the hands, as well as the head. From the Assoc. of Waldorf Schools of North America
Mrs. Wicks’s Helpful Hints for Teaching Young Children to Knit
1. Choose a yarn that has good stitch definition and a light color, so the stitches stand out. A natural fiber such as wool is preferred, since it is most forgiving and feels good on the hands. Worsted weight works best.
2. Begin by teaching simple finger knitting which is just crocheting a chain using the fingers. This allows children to get used to the feel of the yarn without having to worry about manipulating any tools.
3. Move on to a crochet hook and simple crochet or directly to knitting needles. Use wooden needles, which are warmer and easiest for little hands to hold on to. US size 7–8 are the best sizes to use with a worsted yarn. Or you can have the child make his own needles (instructions below).
4. Cast on t
he first row and begin with the knit stitch. A good first project is a garter stitch swatch. You can add interest by letting the child choose different colors for stripes. When completed, these swatches can be used as coasters to be given as gifts or doll blankets and rugs.
5. Patience is key for the teacher as well as the student. Don’t fret over mistakes and simply explain that a stitch dropped happens to all knitters. Many teachers use simple rhymes to help the child understand the process, such as: In, Around, Through, Off, In Around, Through, Off. Or the rhyme used in the Waldorf schools:
In through the front door,
Around the back,
Out through the window
And off jumps Jack.
6. Make it fun. Make up a story to accompany stitches and help guide young hands. You can call the stitches little fish that need to swim, horses that need to gallop, or frogs that need to hop off of their needles. Take clues from your child. They will help you unlock your storytelling talents.
7. Learning to knit is a worthy accomplishment. Teaching someone to knit is a lifelong gift. At the end of each lesson, give yourselves a pat on the back!
Making Knitting Needles with Children
For ages 6 and up
Needles made by Ben Wicks, age 7.
Doll knit by Ben’s grandmother using Lucinda Guy’s Annelli Doll pattern.
1. You can use bamboo chopsticks or wooden dowels. If using dowels: 3/16 in x 11 7/8 in work best.