WTF Arm Knitting

posted by Diana

When I first learned about arm-knitting, I was skeptical. Knitting on your arms? What's the point when I know how to knit with needles? It took me a whole year to even consider giving it a try. Pinterest sparked my interest, of course. I'd found a scarf I liked the look of and thought would work nicely with my Malabrigo Rasta yarn I was trying to find the right project for. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of being physically trapped in one of my yarn projects--willingly, intentionally stuck for however long it took me to create a finished product. But I wanted that scarf, by golly. I picked up a neutral skein in bulky gray and was ready to get to making.

The cast on

What it looks like on--still attached.

Ready to be finished...

View from above.

I followed Simply Maggie's tutorial almost exactly. Her video was incredibly easy to follow--I think this project would even be good for older children... if I can sit for half an hour and make this, maybe they can too... the active stitches can also be transferred to a stitch holder, if one loses patience--something I didn't consider until this moment.

After I sewed the two scarf ends together to create an infinity scarf, I didn't weave the tails of my yarn in like I normally would. Instead, I braided the yarn and left the excess to wrap around the scarf to keep the ends in place. Since my scarf  is wool, the ends will stay in place with a simple weave-through and hidden knot.

The wrap-around braid.

And here it is! The finished product.

I love how it turned out!

And a closer look at the tassels--my favorite part!

I used this tutorial here for the tassels.

Even though I love my scarf, I'm not a complete convert... but I think arm-knitting is a great way to show off art and other specialty yarns.

Happy making!