On Handwork

Renate Hiller, co-director of the Fiber Craft Studio at the Threefold Educational Center in Chestnut Ridge, New York, explains beautifully and eloquently why working with our hands is so necessary and so satisfying.

How to Knit a Popular History of Media

At an event held at the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine & Society at the University of California, Berkeley, in October 2011, Kristen Haring of Auburn University gave a presentation called "How to Knit a Popular History of Media".

From the YouTube page for this video: "As part of a study of the cultural history of binary systems, Kristen Haring undertook an unusual hands-on project. Her talk will explain how her knitting of Morse code serves to engage a general audience in discussion of communications theory, binary systems, and the history of media. She will also recount the surprising ways that physical production deepened her historical understanding. The talk will highlight the rich answers that can come from explorations that are at once artistic and technical, popular and scholarly, historical and contemporary."

Jeff Pony

Jeff Pony is an animated short about a knitted horse and his secret talent. This short was written, directed and animated by Erica Akerlund, with sound and compositing by Matt Law.

Knitting McGyver-Style

Here's how to make your own circular knitting loom with PVC pipe, duct tape, cottar pins, and a glue gun.

Go Agnes Go

Agnes Roboknit is a humanoid robot, created by Andy Noyes, that can operate a circular knitting loom. In this timelapse video, Agnes is shown making a scarf and coming across as a creepy mix of knitting machine and loving hands at home.

Yankel's Gift

Here's a hand knitted and hand sewn stop animation video called Yankel's Gift, which is about a little boy and his books. This video was made and edited by Emily Peterson Dunne, written by Molly Auerbach, and voiced by Molly Auerbach and Grace Pak, with music by Elliott Smith. The production was filmed at Sarah Lawrence College in 2009.

Where the Nodding Violets Grow

A stop animation video about the process of getting wool from sheep to sweater. As you will see, the process depicted here isn't exactly accurate, but it's kind of fun to see wool production and knitting acted out by Lego people anyway.

Knitting Strength

Scott, Shaheen, and Rob of California Strength put down their 300 lb weights in order to take a lesson in knitting. My favourite moment of the whole video begins at 1:30.

Cirkus Cirkör's "Knitting Peace"

Cirkus Cirkör, a contemporary Swedish circus company, brings you "Knitting Peace", a stunning ensemble performance that combines acrobatics, dance, music, and yes, knitting, to explore the theme of working through complex and tangled realities to bring about peace. I chose this video as the subject of my Christmas Day post because it seemed to me to be a perfect viewing experience for everyone, regardless of whether one does or does not celebrate Christmas.

Britain's Got Finger Knitting

In this 2009 audition piece from Britain's Got Talent, three women show a tough room how to finger knit. Alas, the judges and audience were unappreciative of their craft, and in any case it looks like the three finger knitting ladies had the bad luck to audition on the same night as Susan Boyle, but it was a valiant effort.

Box O' Cosies

FedEx's idea of what knitters are like and what kind of things they knit (or say they knit but that they actually crochet).

Jimmy Kimmel Fast Forwards Through the Norwegian Knitting Show

If you're into knitting to the point that you're interested in reading this blog, you probably have heard about the Norwegian TV show, aired in early November, that live streamed an attempt to break the world record on the fastest production of a sweater. The show, which was 12.5 hours long in total, featured a sheep being sheared, its wool being carded and spun, and five hours of knitting. A third of Norwegian's population tuned in to watch the show, perhaps finding it an exciting change of pace from the 12-hour show on firewood that aired in Norway in February 2013, and which featured discussions about stacking and chopping, a debate on whether the bark should face up or down, and eight straight hours of watching a fire burn in a fireplace.

If you haven't got time to watch the show, or simply can't bear to, Jimmy Kimmel has a 2-minute, 18-second rundown on what the show was about (and a video preview of the proposed Norwegian National Knitting Evening) that you may find to be more your speed.

Knitting Dreams

A 2010 animated video, "Knitting Dreams", made by Andrea Markart and Julia Laggner, about all the hopes, dreams, and fantasies one works into one's knitting.

Knitting at Breakfast

Aneeta Patel of knittingsos.co.uk joins Lauren O'Farrell of whodunnknit.com to talk knitting on BBC Breakfast on February 11, 2012. My favourite part of the program has to be when they go out on the street with a camera and ask passersby if they can knit, accompanied by Bill Oddie's knitting song.

Knit Face

Knit Face, a short animation by Janet Merewether's Go Girl Productions, which "toys with the idea of the 'portrait' in a pluralist society" and in which a collection of knitted and crocheted toys strike a pose and give good face.

Garment Construction Man

In the 1993 film Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone suddenly discovers he has an affinity for needlework. Please be warned this clip from the movie contains coarse language and (very brief) nudity.

The Sweater Curse: Superstition or Reality?

Rocketboom's Mememolly (AKA Molly Templeton) discusses the possible root causes of the phenomenon known as "the sweater curse".

Ball of Yarn

Klubok, or Ball of Yarn, made in 1968, is a short animated film based on a Russian folk tale about a poor old woman and the magic ball of yarn she finds one cold winter night. The movie was directed by Nikolai Serebryakov and the music was created by Eduard Artemiev.

Pingu and the Knitting Machine

Pingu and the Knitting Machine is a stop animation short about a little penguin and his mother's new knitting machine.

A Romance Without Too Fine a Point

A commercial for Knit Lite knitting needles. In which two single knitting needles find their sole mate.