Our technical editor, Kirstie, sparked the whole conversation off,
because we quite often see her sitting at her desk, pins clicking as
she tries out a new stitch or works on a design. “At home I knit
sitting on my sofa with the telly on to have a bit of noise in the
background,” she says. "It's more comfortable."
A quick poll of the office shows we tend to sit on the sofa to knit – and not just because it's handy for the telly! "I like to sit on the sofa and knit," says editor Debora, "I do sometimes watch the telly but I've got a bit of a mountain of yarn and works in progress building up next to it, so I quite like to just sit and concentrate!"
“I tend to sit in a chair to knit," says Miriam, "because if I sit on the sofa my husband puts his feet in my lap! I still haven’t figured out how to escape the cat though – she doesn’t fight the yarn, but she does like to chew needles – the more expensive the better!”
Although we mostly knit at home, we do like to get our pins out in public. We have a regular Knit and Natter at work – sometimes in the canteen, sometimes in a pub or cafe. “That's the only place I knit,” says our new starter, Jess. “I’m worried about doing it wrong so I like to have someone to help.”
Elizabeth is a bit more adventurous, sometimes even knitting while walking around town, and Miriam regularly knits on the train in the morning. "People give you more space when you've got pointy sticks in your hands," she says.
The ideal knitting spot- Are you sitting comfortably? If you're going to be knitting for a while, it's important to make sure your back is well supported and you're not putting any undue strain on your joints or craning your neck to look at the TV or your pattern.
- Make sure you've got everything to hand. Start a dedicated knitting basket to keep all your tools in. As an added bonus, it makes it easy to put everything away when it's time to tidy up.
- You might only need one tape measure, but if you have more than one project on the go you'll need several sets of point protectors, row counters and stitch markers. Find a type you like and stock up!
- Keep your next project nearby. Find a box and fill it with reminders of things you'd like to knit – patterns, sketches, balls of yarn. When you're knitting endless stocking stitch, it'll help you look forward to what you'll knit next.
- Decorate your space. Knit yourself a cushion or a throw for your favourite chair or start an inspiration board.
- A small bookshelf or chest of drawers is a great way to store the projects you want to have on hand, and keep your favourite bits of stash nearby.
