Knitting Needles

What is Knitting?

Knitting is an old yarn craft that creates a fabric by pulling yarn through open loops called stitches. These stitches are interconnected with the "active" stitches kept on two long pointed needles that do not have eyes. Until the stitches have been cast off or closed, the fabric is easily undone, either intentionally or unintentionally, by removing one or both needles and pulling on the yarn. Dropping stitches and needing to pick them back up is a problem that frequently plagues knitters.     A variety of items can be created via knitting, from blankets to sweaters to socks to hats and scarves and cowls and gloves. Knitted fabrics tend to have better drape than those constructed via other fiber arts, such as nålbinding and crochet.  

The Needles

Some of the oldest knitting needles that have been found to date were made of copper and had hooked ends. Historically, knitting needles have also been made of ivory, tortoiseshell, and walrus tusks, but these materials are no longer used. Most knitting needles are now made of wood, bamboo, plastic, carbon fiber, or metal, such as aluminum or steel. Knitting needles are available in many formations other than the commonly seen single-pointed needles. Sets of four to six double-pointed needles are used to make smaller items, such as socks or hats, in the round by knitting with both ends of each needle. Circular needles have a flexible cable, typically made of nylon or wire, connecting the non-tapered ends of the two single-pointed needles so that active stitches can easily slide between the needles while working on larger projects in the round, such as sweaters or skirts. These are also a popular choice for some blankets because the cable can greatly increase the width available for active stitches and thus increase the width of the finished project.  

Notable Uses of Knitting and Literomancy

• Prince Jean has been known to weave his healing magic into knitted items, such as blankets and clothing. The clothing has been of great use as armour, especially so for his mother Queen Sable Aradia, as it can provide protection without the bulky additional weight of traditional armor.
• Dame/Sir Denver Grant, WRS, created their Transformer's Toque in 2015 through double knitting. Though it was created before Denver entered the GoTverse, it's possible she has imbued it with literomantic energy in the time since, but any rumors of their work on it are purely speculation.
• During House Ailurus' celebrations of Walpurgisnacht in 2026, Thunder gave knitted hats (and a crocheted flower crown) to the members of the group led by Seneschal HappyHappySad to lift everyone's spirits.