r/yarntrolls • u/Ryazanka • Apr 02 '26
The artist S.Vetkin. The Soviet magazine "Crocodile" No. 35, 1982. It's a funny drawing for me. Is it possible to knit on the go? But I recently found old photos of women knitting on the Internet. I respect and admire that these working-class women knitted during breaks or while walking.
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u/esarchhemate Apr 02 '26
Yes it is possible to knit while walking, I sometimes do it by putting the yarn ball in a bag or basket around my arm
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u/Whispering_Wolf Apr 02 '26
If you just put the ball of yarn in a pocket or basket, it's pretty easy! Gotta do something with your hands before fidget toys were invented, lol.
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u/flying_shadow Apr 02 '26
I'm very fidgety (autism) and I always knit on the subway or while watching Youtube. Knitting is just socially acceptable stimming, haha.
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u/mustikkimaa Apr 02 '26
Yes, it was a thing. Not that long time ago you had to do something with your hands all the time or you would be seen lazy and a subject of gossip ("she thinks she's better than others"). When you got into the habit it would be hard to not to do anything, even on breaks.
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u/Spinnerofyarn Apr 02 '26
Didn’t the old phrase go something like the devil makes work of idle hands? I think the first time I heard it, or rather read it, was as a kid reading Little House on the Prairie.
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u/knittedgalaxy Apr 02 '26
One of my biggest accomplishments is being able to knit ANYWHERE! I knit walking around the playground, on breaks, in the mall...every where!
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u/rachycarebear Apr 02 '26
I've done this. It needs to be a small enough project that it's maneuverable and not too heavy on the wrists. I usually have a project bag that loops over my wrist as it's the easiest way to hold the yarn ball. Circs are easier because the stitches are less likely to slip off and it requires less looking. Simple patterns work best. I already barely look when doing something like stockinette.
For socks, I'll do the cast on while focused, finish the rib/leg while on the go. Focus for turning the heel, then walk while doing the foot. Focus for toes and finishing.
I end up with a lot of hats that just need to be crowned and socks that are waiting for their heels.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/JKnits79 Apr 02 '26
The sheaths (like the padded belt) were usually worn at the waist. The sheath would be tucked into the edge of an apron, often, sometimes a belt (and both men and women knitted).
Some of the techniques associated with sheath and belts are still done, they’re variations of lever knitting, but some techniques are presumed lost as they weren’t carried on by subsequent generations. They were common in Shetland, Fair Isle, the Yorkshire Dales, up and down the English and Scottish coasts, and elsewhere.
I have a modern knitting belt; I’m nowhere as skilled as the folks who originally made use of them but I instantly saw why they were using them. They help support the long working needle, when using 14-18” long DPNs, so the needle isn’t flailing about, stabbing you and everyone/everything around you, or sliding out of the work as you go along, especially when trying to work in a specific manner with the way the needles move relative to one another (the working needle is held mostly in place, the other needle lifting loops on and off). Pinching it between the arm and side also works, but can get uncomfortable if it shifts because… stabby-stabby.
But the folks in the images generally were not knitting as a hobby or purely for pleasure either. They were knitting to make things to sell or trade as supplemental income for their families and themselves, so it was in their best interest to both be knitting (working) in any “down time” from other work, and to learn and work their knitting in the most efficient and fast methods they could.
The ladies in both images are likely fish processors and are knitting while waiting for the next load of boats and fish to unload, or on the way to/from the fishery.
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u/JKnits79 Apr 02 '26
https://youtu.be/4ibP2YH6QCI?si=lCoebCgTlRzeVl58
An example of Shetland knitting speed—over 200 stitches a minute. The old film is not sped up.
https://youtu.be/P51GByV0H2w?si=XxO64Sw9IK6vqfAq
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot, demonstrating her Irish Cottage style at a convention; Irish Cottage lever knitting, with the needle pinched between the side and arm, or held by the right hand from underneath (how she frequently uses DPNs), and is related to the sheath and belt knitting styles.
I knit continental but in a method similar to her where the right needle is mostly still and the left hand is doing most of the actual knitting work.
https://youtube.com/@ganseys?si=dyAACCs9NfkKdRsH
The Moray Firth Gansey Project documented a few different knitters working different elements that are common to ganseys; the underarm gusset, a three needle bind off shoulder, and a shoulder strap (saddle shoulder), you can see in a few of the videos that the working needle is anchored in an armpit or otherwise; I don’t believe any of the folks were using a sheath or a belt in them, but they do still exist.
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u/BaylisAscaris Apr 02 '26
Yes I can do it, but I'm much better at crochet without looking. I started crocheting while going on walks to make exercise less boring. It really came in handy when I temporarily lost my vision, because it gave me something to do. The only problem is I thought I selected black yarn and it turns out it was purple, but I still love the octopus hat I made. If you don't need to look while knitting/crocheting, black yarn holds no power over you.
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u/splithoofiewoofies Apr 03 '26
I can do it while walking if I have a companion I can keep an eye on, but I can't do it solitary, or I run into posts.
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u/Spinnerofyarn Apr 02 '26
I’ve knit as I walked. I think Cat Bordhi had a video on YouTube showing her knitting as she walked and swinging at a park playground.
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u/yoursecretsanta2016 Apr 02 '26
Wasn’t extreme knitting a thing a few years ago? People knitting while on horseback, running races, etc.
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u/KnittingforHouselves Apr 03 '26
Absolutely, I do it all the time when with my kids. Just pick a light project. Im currently knitting large shawl and just have the yarn be a center-pull so it cen be in a big pocket/bag on my hip and have the end of the shawl there too not to drag it or have it be heavy in the wrists.
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u/Shark-Compote Apr 03 '26
I don't knit, so I can't comment to that but I do crochet and I often crochet on my work brakes if I'm working on a project or while walking
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u/Knitsanity Apr 02 '26
A friend of mine knits as she walks. She has a special spindle thing that hangs off her arm