Pom-Poms for Peace

The police in Leicester, England have taken to yarn bombing in an effort to prevent crime. They've hung pom-poms in the trees in Bede Park and Great Central Way, Leicester, and hope that by making the area look more pleasant and fun that they can encourage more residents to feel safer, take more pride, and participate more actively in these areas.

Some residents are saying they don't understand how woollen balls are going to fix anything, but it seems to me that tactics like this are quite worth trying. For one thing, a project like this requires a very small investment of time and money, and certainly can't make matters worse, so why not try it? And there is some precedent and social science research that supports the belief that it might work, such as that associated with the broken windows theory.

In a real life example of the broken windows theory, after the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, Mayor-Commissioner Walter Washington ordered Washington, D.C. city maintenance crews to clean up the damage immediately on the theory that people who wake up to clean, cared-for neighbourhoods are more likely to leave them that way. There's no way to know whether or how much this helped the situation. It certainly wasn't a magical solution. The riots in Washington continued for four days and devastated the inner city area. However, Walter Washington went on to become the city's first elected mayor, which suggests that his methods of dealing with the violence at least earned him widespread respect and trust in the city he governed.

Another possible argument in favour of the pom-poms is that I think people tend to underestimate the cumulative power of small, purposeful, and intelligently made changes. Just hanging up pom-poms in some trees is not going to revolutionize Leicester. But I doubt those who are working to make Leicester safer are planning to stop there. There are other small, inexpensive measures that can be used to prevent crime. In Mansfield, England, the Layton Burroughs Residents Association installed bright pink lighting in an underpass to discourage loiterers. It seems to have helped. The teenagers who formerly hung out there saw the lighting as uncool and didn't care at all for the way it highlighted their acne. Some public transit stations, including Toronto's Kennedy subway station, have tried playing classical music over their PA systems to deter gangbangers from gathering there. Again, it's no cure-all, but it is considered effective.

I don't mean to suggest that aesthetic changes to an environment will solve all society's ills. They will be next to useless if not supported by other, more far-reaching measures. The idea of an aesthetic-only approach makes me think of a former friend of mine who was in an abusive relationship and a dead-end job she hated and who in her late thirties had no savings to speak of. She was making no progress at all in dealing with these issues, but she would spend a lot of time talking about how she wanted to get breast implants, or cut off half her hair and dye it blond, or about how much she needed to go shopping in a way that seemed to equate such actions with major life changes. She'd, say, buy a top with a wild print, because it "looked rebellious and she felt rebellious!" Given that this was a woman who was already very well-groomed and attractive, I wanted to snap at her that if she didn't like her life, why the hell didn't she make some meaningful changes instead of taking things out on her hair or buying more clothes she'd only stuff into her already packed closets and hardly ever wear? In her case focusing more on her appearance than she already did was a misdirection and waste of resources.

It is very important to maintain appearances at the societal as well as the individual level, but other measures such as sound fiscal management, effective policing and regulation, and improving access to social programs, medical care, education, and good housing, are even more important, and will go a long way towards improving the conditions that lead to crime. A holistic and balanced approach to problem-solving is best.

But for now, there are bright fluffy pom-poms in the trees in Leicester, and it will be interesting to see what effect they have, and what Leicester does next to improve itself.

One Thousand Strands, One Knitter

Ever get frustrated with, say, a Kaffe Fassett project that involves twenty different skeins of yarn? Here's a knitting project that will put your struggles in perspective. Rachel John, a textile artist and the inventor and creator of Extreme Textiles, is a proponent of using multi-strand knitting to make décor items such as rugs and throws. And when John talks about multi-strand, she really means a multitude. She says "up to 300 [strands] is possible, but we think up to 100 should be about right". The items can be made in a matter of hours and it's a good way to use up your stash. And how.

In the video above Rachel John takes multi-strand knitting nearly as far as it can go by knitting an item as thick as a mattress with 1,000 strands of yarn. It's not exactly a take-along-for-your-commute project, but I have to admit the process is fascinating to watch and the result is a painterly blending of colours. Pro tip: do not try this project with a cat around.

Knit n' Style Summer 2013: A Review

It's time once again to review Knit n' Style's latest issue. It's March, which in the Knit n' Style calendar means it's time for the summer issue, the April/Spring 2013 issue having come out in January. There's our time, and then there's Knit n' Style time.

With the whole synchronization of calendars thing gotten out of the way, shall we have a look at Knit n' Style's Summer 2013 issue?






A simple summer top. I have no particular fault to find with this one. The cut is good, the texture is interesting, if perhaps a little bulky for a summer top or for general flattery.





Here we have basically the same top, only crocheted. I actually like this one a little more, because the texture looks lighter, more summery and more flattering.





Knitted bags tend not to hold their shape without some kind of reinforcement. This bag obviously hasn't gotten the help it needs and so presents as a shapeless beginner project that will make you look like a country cousin. It's a shame the designer didn't take this project all the way to the finish line because I do quite like the yarn used here.





This isn't bad though that colourway does not say "summer" to me. Nor fall, winter, or spring for that matter.





Pretty summer top. It's simple and yet it has all the detail it needs: the lace eyelets around the neckline and a good shape. As you may be aware from reading this blog, I can get quite snippy (okay, vicious) about dropped shoulders, but I do like an extended shoulder on a fitted, sleeveless top. You get a cap sleeve without any seams, and it's clean-lined, flattering look.





Another pretty little lace shawl. Though I have never in my life seen a woman tie one on in this particular way. It might show off the texture of the shawl in a photo shoot but it's not going to stay put in real life.





Nice lace scarf. Which you will not want to combine with either this outfit or with these colours. Why on earth didn't the stylist put this scarf with a pretty summer dress that actually went with it?





I like everything about this top — the shaping, the yarn, the lace pattern — except for the front fastenings. This top is going to gape between every button, and that's never a good look.





Another pretty and oddly fastened lace shawl.





This isn't terrible, but it's not a great design either. The shaping is a little on the boxy side. It's going to be somewhat bulky, especially when you're always going to have to wear a top under that low neckline. And I don't know why the designer thought letting the ribbon ends hang down to the wearer's crotch was going to be a good idea.





I actually don't mind this lace tunic. I'm no fan of the single button fastening, but this design has enough shaping in front that it looks styled rather than too small. I don't think I can get on board with the lace scarf and tunic combo, though. It'll look too costume-y on most women. If you want to make them both, I recommend that you wear them separately.





Another design that, while it isn't terrible, lacks the hallmarks of really good design. The tied front is going to make many women feel as though their stomach is hanging out, the rolled edges just look unfinished rather than deliberate, and the colour combination is less than successful.





A basic top that you'll probably get lots of wear out of. I'd make the sleeves a few inches shorter to give this a bit more style.





You know how I complain a lot in reviews about shawls that look like afghans? In this case someone decided to avoid that pitfall by going with a bedskirt look.





This idea had potential but the designer didn't put enough effort into it. A knitted halter top shouldn't look like a scarf randomly sewn to a tube top. I'd have taken this design steps farther, such as crossing the halter in front, cutting away the bodice, adding a bit of detail or texture here and there, and probably either making the whole design in one colour or taking steps to pull the two colours together better.





Very pretty shawl (the tiered effect is both eye-catching and delicate), and it's actually worn in a realistic way.





Another very pretty and serviceable summer top.





Euh. I don't know about this one. That yarn is just so unappealing in a visceral way (like it was tie-dyed using vomit) that I can hardly look past it to the design. Usually a drape front shell is a classic, wearable piece, but I don't think this one is all that well designed. It sags rather than drapes in front and just looks badly made.





Knit n' Style, you're not going to convince me that an afghan is a shawl simply by making a matching hat for it. I didn't learn to knit yesterday. Cute hat, and nice afghan, but it belongs on a couch, not on a model.





Okay, now you're not even trying. This is totally an afghan.





This isn't bad, but I would shorten these sleeves a good three inches. As I said above, I do like a extended shoulder cap sleeve, but the length must be kept short or we get into the very unflattering and frumpy dropped shoulder territory.





Knit n' Style, a bunch of toilet paper cosies sewn together does not a scarf make.





A weirdly shaped shawl that will not stay in place. Notice how the model is having to clutch one corner of it. I'd like to see this reworked into a better shape, as the texture is interesting and the colours sharp. Not every shawl should be pastel lace.





Novelty yarns always look chintzy unless they're employed with real skill and care. That hasn't happened here. This design is imitating garments of the past that were trimmed with real fur and that looked expensive and luxurious, and it just looks like a cheap imitation of them.

It's Curtains for Your Latest Knitting Project

I've sewn many a set of curtains, but I never thought of knitting window treatments. Now that I have, it actually seems like a sound idea for sheer-type window treatments: they can be knitted in any size, colour, and texture you wish, and it will drape beautifully. The pattern for the picture above is available on KnitPicks.





Here's another knitted curtain pattern from Joanne Seiff on Ravelry. There's no need for a knitted curtain to be white lace. It can be any colour you like, and have a modern and minimalist yet interesting texture.





Here's another window treatment idea from Lion Brand. This one doesn't involve actual knitting, and just requires a novelty yarn, beads, and a lot of knotting and tying.





This, of course, is filet crochet, not knitting, but if you want a sheer with any kind of image in it, filet crochet allows for endless possibilities.

Coming up: Look for a review of the Knit n' Style Summer 2013 issue tomorrow!

Now You Knit It, Now You Don't

Shadow knitting, or illusion knitting, is a knitting technique for making knitted pieces that appear to be only striped when viewed straight on but contain a hidden image only viewable from an angle. The effect is created by alternating rows of two coloured yarns so that the raised stitches from one row hide the flat stitches of another row when seen from certain aspects. The "Girl With a Pearl Earring" piece above is an example of illusion knitting.






There's no way to convey the total impact of such a piece in a photograph or in a written description, so please see the video above for a better demonstration of how the image appears and disappears depending on one's vantage point. This piece is from Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer of Woolly Thoughts. You can view a gallery of their extraordinary illusion designs here. All of the Woolly Thoughts patterns are for sale on their website or via their Ravelry page.





If you're interested in trying your hand at illusion knitting, you can begin by checking out Wikihow's illusion knitting tutorial, or browsing the hundreds of illusion knitting projects on Ravelry, many of the patterns for which are available for free. The best of the patterns are from the Woolly Thoughts designers and are quite large and elaborate, but there are a number of smaller, simpler projects, such as scarves and dishcloths. If you have enough scarves and hate knitted dishcloths like I do, I recommend the very striking tulip cushion pattern shown above, which is available gratis from All Free Knitting. You might also join one of the several Ravelry illusion knitting groups.

Go For the Gold... Yarn

Next in the "they can make yarn out of anything" category, we have... gold yarn. This Buffalo Gold yarn, brought to us by The Buffalo Wool Co. which specializes in bison yarn, is 3-ply fingering-weight made from 100% pure bison down twisted with pure gold wrapped around silk. This is a special edition yarn that may be gone before this piece on it even posts. Buffalo Wool Co. promises us that this yarn is "ready for scarves and shawls that will become a heirloom in the making". At $175(USD) per 2oz/57g hank, it had better be an heirloom lovely enough to pacify your children for the correspondingly smaller size of their college funds. I'm not tempted to buy this yarn as I look terrible in gray and don't care for the colour combination of gray and gold anyway, but I would like to touch it. I can't help wondering how those glints of gold would feel against the face. Mightn't they be a bit stiff and scratchy?

Knitting Under Duress

This woman is receiving a permanent wave at the beauty salon. This is what the perm process looked like in 1937. It was an arduous matter, and from what I've read even if all went well and the hairdresser didn't misjudge or forget the time and leave her client under the machine so long that her hair got scorched, women went home from the salon with scalps so sore they could hardly bear the prospect of ever combing their hair again. But this woman looks very serene. It must be the fact that she's able to knit meanwhile.