How does pi shawl shaping work? The geometry of pi shawls is only possible because of the stretchiness of knitting. That is, the ratio between the diameter and the circumference is constrained by math, but the ability to work large sections without increasing is only allowed because the knitting is malleable. Basic Pi Shawl: For a […]
Category Archives: Knitting
Grandpa’s Kitchen Find out more about the creative genius of my family members as we enter the kitchen of a tiny Queens apartment in the middle of the 20th century. To learn more about my family story, check out Stories In Stitches books 1 and 3. In book 1, I wrote about learning to […]
Before January ends, I want to tell you about a new book, Pattern Writing for Knit Designers, by one of the best knitting tech editors in the world, Kate Atherly. If you are a new designer and new at pattern writing, you absolutely need this book to make sure you start out with the best patterns […]
I’m writing an essay about DNA and sock techniques — how you can learn about history and culture from looking at the way a traditional sock has been made. I started this essay as an exploration of the history of cuff-down and toe-up socks and it has turned into so much more. It’s got bits […]
This KnitAlong is now complete. My Ravelry name is: Druchunas to find find out the next knitalong on ravelry.com. Welcome to 2015! Are you ready to start knitting a pi shawl with me? We’ll begin at the end of January and finish up somewhere between US Pi Day (3/14) and EU Pi Day (22/7). This […]
Stories In Stitches ebooks – 25% off today and Sunday. https://www.ravelry.com/stores/stories-in-stitches/ No coupon needed. Just check out and the discount will be applied. Once upon a time (some stories should begin that way, I am told) there were two friends who loved to research and write about their knitting. These friends, Donna Druchunas and Ava Coleman, […]
3.14159 shawls — a collection of pi shawls by Donna Druchunas. 25% off through Sunday! https://www.ravelry.com/patte…/sources/314159-shawls/patterns No coupon needed. Just check out and the discount will be applied. Do you love lace and circular shawls? Then this ebook is for you! It’s got six pi shawl patterns for knitters of all skill levels. I designed […]
War ends the values and traditions that produce [handmade] treasures. Nothing is maintained. Cultures that may seem as durable as stone can break like glass, leaving all the things that held them together unattended. I believe that the craftsman, the artist, the cook, and the silversmith are peacemakers. They install grace; they lull the world […]
The hand actually defines us in many ways. When you think about what makes our species unique and special, it’s having thoughts and being able to make those thoughts real. And the way our thoughts become real is through use of our hands to build things, to make things. — Neil Shubin, Your Inner Fish (PBS) When […]
Inescapably, we are beings for whom objects have spiritual weight. Once an object is made, it becomes a physical fact of the universe, essentially unchanging in the scale of human time. –Peter Korn, Why we Make things and Why it Matters I believe that the simple act of knitting can change thew world. Not just knitting, but […]