Thursday, July 11, 2013

Pintester Movement V. 2.0: Arm Knitting

I knit.
There I said it.
I knit like a grandma.
I'm good at it, I enjoy it, the employees at a local yarn shop know my name and I have a stash of yarn that my husband once described as "shocking". 
Here are some examples of things I have actually created with yarn and sticks.
Yes, I made all of these and yes, those reindeer are humping.

http://pintester.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/pintester-movement-500-plain.jpg

So when Sonja over at Pintester.com declared another "Pintester Movement" I scoured through her craft attempts and thought "Arm Knitting" might be right up my alley, even though her results may have been less-than-stellar. See her post here

Here is the original "Arm Knitting" post from simplymaggie.com

I already know my knitting basics and I have arms... How hard could it be?

First of all, the updated instructional video is almost 10 1/2 minutes long. That should have been my first warning. I watched it 3 or 4 times with my head cocked to the side thinking "huh???... shouldn't I understand this?!?" But I decided to press on and figure it out as I went.

The yarn I used is "Yarn Bee- Debut" in Smoke which I found at Hobby Lobby.
Usually I only buy yarn from my local yarn store, but time was a factor and I just couldn't get there.

Bear with me, as taking photos with your hands tied together is as difficult as you'd suspect so my husband had to take a few.
I "Cast On" 6 loops onto my right arm.

Trying to follow the instructional video as closely as possible, I started grabbing yarn and pulling loops thinking there was no way in hell this was going to amount to anything.


  I totally felt like I should've be doing some sort of grand Houdini-esq escape trick.

Notice there are too many stitches? This was actually from my first attempt but it was one of the better pictures we got.


I would definitely suggest using the softest yarn you can find. I have super sensitive skin and even with this bamboo & acrylic blend (which is nice and squishy) my arms were getting a bit irritated from dragging the yarn across them so much. Friction can be a bitch.


At this point I said to my husband
 "I'll be damned... It's actually working"

After I bound off, I used a crochet hook and used the loose yarn ends to "sew" the scarf ends together to make a circle.

I was honestly prepared to end up with my arms tied together in a mass of twisted fiber. I even had my scissors waiting nearby in case my husband had to come to my rescue and free me.
But once I got the rhythm down it all came together.
Frankly, I was quite surprised.

It took about a 30 min. and while it might not be the nicest thing I've ever knit, I think I just might actually wear it.


*Update: I am not quite ready for the responsibility of an Etsy shop, but because of the interest I am willing to make and sell the reindeer hat through my blog.
Please email me for pricing and a time estimate.
Thank you all!

15 comments :

  1. Cray. That's really cool and I need a humping reindeer hat.

    Your friend,

    Matt Grebe

    P.S. Your blog is amazing.

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    Replies
    1. I'll add you to the reindeer hat list :) It's a long list and as the kiddo is mobile I have a lot less time to knit. So... hopefully sometime this decade?

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  2. Very cute! I think yours came out the best out of the like, five people who tried it for this Pintester Movement, hehe.

    PS. your "real" knitted creations are ADORBS. I want that reindeer hat, really badly. Do you have an etsy shop?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ashley! I do not have an Etsy shop as knitting is merely a hobby. I think actually selling would take all the joy out of it. But never say never I guess.
      But we may be able to work something out if you realllllyyyy want one. Email me :)

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  3. Holy shit I LOVE YOUR KNITTING PROJECTS. I am now stalking your blog. Did you feel that this was a waste of yarn?? Arm knitting, hrmph!

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    1. Thank you! More knitting posts to come!
      My 9 month old is crawling now so my knitting has taken a back seat to trying to avoid baby head-trauma but it's coming!

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  4. Wow! That does look good. After reading Sonja's attempt, I figured all was lost, but you pulled it out! But then, a woman who knits humping reindeer must have some sort of magical qualities. ;-)

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    1. Well, Thank you. I don't know about magical, but I did have the video tutorial playing on my phone on my lap whilst attempting it. :)

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  5. Amazing, and scary. I would never try this in a million years. I would need paramedics or firemen.

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    1. Thanks! I was definitely concerned for my safety so I had my husband standing by to rescue me. haha!

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  6. Oh wow! That looks AMAZING! Great job! And also, I am super envious of your beautiful manicure.

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    1. Thanks Sonja. I'd give you the name of my nail lady but she's here in WA and it would result in the loss of "Cock-nails" which I will not be responsible for.

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  7. Hey! We tried the same one! I like yours and I hear you on the need for soft yarn. :)

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  8. I love the stuff you've actually knit lol, and am jealous. Also, I think your pin scarf turned out pretty nicely!

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  9. Very nice, and actually wearable!

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