Austin Public Library Blog

Craft series: Knitting

It seems like everywhere you look, everyone is knitting, or talking about crocheting, or buying something embroidered…what’s the deal? What’s all the hubbub? It seems like everyone is crazy about knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or any of those wonderful DIY crafty type things.

This week, I’ll chat about knitting. I want to start with knitting because we (the downtown central Library) have just started a knitting circle. You can bring your new or continuing projects every Friday to the 2nd floor from 11-12 and sit around and knit.

Beginnings: Wikipedia states that “[o]ne of the earliest known examples of knitting was finely decorated cotton socks found in Egypt in the beginning of the first millennium AD”.

Books: Do a simple subject keyword search for knitting in our Library catalog. You will find hundreds of books on patterns, how-to, and history, including 2007’s Men who knit & the dogs who love them : 30 great-looking designs for man & his best friend. You can also scan the bookshelves in any of our Libraries in the call number area 746s.

Who’s doing it: If you’re in Austin, you’re in good company when it comes to knitting! The Internet has had a hand in bringing crafts such as knitting, crocheting and embroidery back in a big way. There are tons of blogs, websites, guilds, and other fun stuff online. Here are a couple for the locals:
Austin Knitter’s and Crocheter’s Guild
Austin Knitting and Crocheting Meetup Group