βTomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.β
β Brad Paisley
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Hello there fellow knitter!
This is The Yarnist. The daily newsletter that makes you love knitting the same way Masahiro Kikuno loves making watches.
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ποΈ 7 Blanket Patterns That Take 365 Days To Knit
In the fall of 2010 I found myself sitting in the back room of a yarn store in Downtown Chicago. I can't remember the name but I think it's been closed for years now.
I was working on my sampler scarf, minding my own business, when a black woman wearing a police uniform walked into the room.
She seemed as surprised to see a big Mexican guy knitting as I did seeing a cop in a yarn store.
"What are you working on?" she asked.
I showed her my project and she seemed impressed. Probably more by the fact that a guy had managed to knit something decent than with the quality of my work. I had only been knitting a few months by that time.
"It's crazy how many different knitting stitches there are." I commented.
"Yeah." She agreed, "You know what would be cool? Is to knit one of these stitches every day, and then at the end of the year, sew them all into a blanket."
I had never even considered such a thing, but that planted the seed of an idea that eventually became New Stitch a Day.
Ever since then I've been fascinated by the idea of year long projects.
Today, we're going to look into why working on long term projects is good for your brain, how it can improve your knitting, and some inspiration to get you started.
By improving 1 percent every day you may not even notice much progress, but over time you'll see major growth.
The same is true of your knitting.
Knitting one or two rows of a blanket every day might not seem like much, but over a year it's A LOT.
And you'll see other benefits in your knitting as well.
Building a daily knitting habit
Not all year long knitting projects need to be worked on daily. We'll cover some monthly and weekly projects as well.
But getting in the habit of knitting even a little bit each day can have big benefits.
Mental Health
Knitting has been proven to be a calming activity which reduces stress. Unless of course you're trying to wrap your head around 2-color brioche for the first time. π« But knitting can even be an effective form of meditation. If you find it hard to sit still for 10 minutes meditating, try doing it with needle and yarn in hand.
Speed and Efficiency
While knitting fast may not be a priority, the more you practice the more you will improve. This is even more true if you're taking the time to learn a new knitting style.
Mindfulness
Many of the projects below focus on paying attention to your mood or your environment. Taking a moment to be mindful of your knitting and appreciate the process can help reset and reorient your day. Where meditation is about clearing your thoughts, mindfulness is about being intentional with them.
In her book The Mindfulness of Knitting, Rachel Matthews has some tips for creating a space for mindful knitting.
Choose a spot you can place your year long project. Ideally in a comfortable place for you to sit and knit.
Create a mood; dim the lights, light a candle, put on some music.
As you begin knitting notice your breathe; inhale and exhale
Listen to the rhythm of your needles
Find inner peace
Ok I added that last part, and it might feel a bit silly to treat knitting like a yoga retreat.
You don't have to create a knitting oasis in your home in order to benefit from a daily knitting habit. Just paying more attention to your knitting from time to time is enough.
If you want to knit one block per week this might be the book for you. It includes 50 blocks that will improve your knitting. You'll have to add two blocks for a blanket, but you'll learn a lot!
Want an ambitious project? Try knitting a 3x3 square of every stitch in this perpetual knitting calendar. You'll need 360 squares to make a decent sized blanket!
Based on an idea by Elizabeth Zimmermann in The Opinionated Knitter, this simple blanket is knit entirely in garter stitch only 10 stitches at a time. Knitting 20 rows a day will make you a nice sized blanket after a year!
This project is knit in garter stitch or stockinette, two rows at a time. Look at the average temperature for that day and knit the corresponding color. By the end of the year you'll have a beautiful blanket with colors randomized by the weather.
This year long club takes you on an exploration of knitting stitches. Available in two colorways, you'll receive a new package every month with the next section of the blanket.
This project was all the rage when it was released in 2011, but it's still a great one for using up scraps of yarn. If you're looking to use up your stash this year this is a great project for you. A hexipuff a day will leave you with a lovely blanket in a year!
Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:
Here's some ways to take our relationship to the next level:
βοΈ Buy us a coffee (Now accepting PayPal!)β Each of our emails is the culmination of many hours of research and lots of cups of coffee. If you want a simple way to show your appreciation you can buy us a coffee here.β β
π₯Ύ Get on the Sweater Knitting Bootcamp Wait List βOur next session of the Sweater Knitting Bootcamp starts soon, but spots are extremely limited and will fill up fast. If you want to be the first to join, get on the wait list by clicking HERE. β
π Take a Yarnist Academy class βThere are more than 50 classes to explore with topics like 2-Color Brioche, Mosaic colorwork, Entrelac. New classes are added every month! Explore our classesβ
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