Arm knitting. It's a real thing. If you've been around Pinterest much, there's a good chance you've seen it. All those super chunky blankets you can make in under an hour look pretty impressive. So I figured I'd give it a shot. Some of the instructions have you use just plain old wool roving, which would be super cool but not something I have sitting around. Other instructions use various materials like cut up shirts or rope, but some just have you use plain old yarn. Oddly, I have plenty of that sitting around ;)
So, here's what I learned in the process:
1. "Knit a blanket in 45 minutes!" False. Ok, maybe if you had 45 minutes of undisturbed silence you could pull it off. The rest of us might want to plan for a bit more time.
2. Three strands of yarn is just not thick enough. Unless you use super chunky yarn, then it might work. I used 5 strands of worsted weight and felt like it could have used more.
3. Make sure all of your yarn is center pull. You don't want to be dealing with balls of yarn rolling around into a giant tangle.
4. On a similar note, make sure your yarn is close together to make it easier to grab all of them at once as you're "knitting". Trust the advice from one who had to rip back stitches several time after discovering she forgot a strand of yarn.
5. Keep a curtain rod handy. Or maybe a broom. Unless you are lucky enough to have an hour to yourself, you are essentially knitting yourself handcuffs. A curtain rod is a convenient way of storing your arm knitting.
7. Unless your arm is the circumference of a 4 year old, you blanket will likely resemble a fishing net more than a blanket. Ok, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think my arms are too big around for what I was attempting to do.
8. Don't plan on actually using said blanket. While you might be able to arrange it nicely on your couch, it won't work well to keep you warm.
So, I guess you could say I'm not a fan. I think it has potential, so I might play around with the concept again...only with a lot more yarn. And a babysitter. What do you think? Have you tried arm knitting?
*Update: Someone on my Facebook page mentioned that it would be perfect for a nautical/beach themed room. Great idea!
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