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Stitch & Craft Show Logo
20100114 Thursday January 14, 2010

Extreme Christmas knitting – nine adult jumpers

Screengrab of Mail Online site showing family of nine adults in brightly coloured and highly patterned jumpers

We've found proof that if you find out what your family want, the answers – and the resulting stash aquisitions – might surprise you. If you haven't seen it already, check out this Mail Online article: Thanks to Granny's Christmas jumpers, it's Britain's most colourful clan.

According to the article, Norma Bousfield knitted a brightly coloured jumper for her grandson last year, and it was such a hit that she's knit eight more for the rest of her family.

The Mail Online is treating it as a light, festive story – which it is, of course – but knitters, we know that there's a lot of work – and a lot of yarn – in nine adult-size sweaters, so we appreciate how much effort Norma has put in.

We love this story because it showcases knits that many people would disparage but which are clearly being enjoyed and because it shows off Norma's skills. While most Mail Online readers will probably focus on the colours, we've been focusing on the colourwork trying to figure out how many different techniques she used – she's clearly a very talented knitter!

It's also a great lesson to take to Knit Night – whatever your personal tastes, there's always something to admire in a well-knit sweater.

New year, new yarn diet

 Miriam McDonald Simply Knitting's Production Editor
Miriam McDonald
Simply Knitting's
Production Editor

When I first started knitting, I had a basket, the sort you store logs in. The idea was that all the yarn I needed was going to fit in the basket. For a while, that was true, but discovering bargains online and at shows, learning to knit socks (and telling myself that one skein of sock yarn couldn't possibly count as 'more yarn') and even getting given the odd ball of discontinued yarn from work has expanded the stash massively. Now it takes up the basket, a box and a couple of plastic bags, so my new year's resolution is to go on a yarn diet. I am not buying any more yarn for six months.

I have plenty of sock yarn in the stash that I'm really keen on, and that's going to be easy to use, as are the three bags, each containing enough yarn to knit a specific garment. (All sale purchases – who can resist a bargain?) The garment designs are all still ones I like, so that yarn will get used. However, I learned to knit during the big 'novelty yarn' craze a few years back, though, and my tastes have shifted a little so that when I look at some of the stash I wonder how I'll use it now. Likewise, some of the limited amounts of unusual yarns might prove tricky to use, such as the three balls of Louisa Harding Castello. If you have any ideas what to do with that, please share them! Currently a lacy scarf looks the most likely option.

Have you tried a yarn diet? Did it work? Did you learn to love the strange oddments at the bottom of your yarn basket? It's going to be an interesting six months...

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