Arm knitting: Library crafting idea for teens

For the Wall Street Journal, Rachel Dodes reports that “Millennial Craft-Makers Embrace Arm Knitting,” an activity that makes use of the crafter’s forearms instead of knitting needles.

“The resulting scarves and blankets feature rows of loops that are 2.5 [inches] to 4 [inches] wide, depending on the diameter of a given knitter’s arm. Owing to the large, holey rows, an entire project can be completed in less than 30 minutes—a fraction of the time needed to whip up a scarf using knitting needles.”

According to Dodes, the rise of arm knitting can be traced to designer Andrea Berlin.

“Last year, the 25-year-old student turned arm knitting into performance art for a project, called ‘Knitted Army,’ that he presented at a design festival in Berlin. In a sort of reverse Edward Scissorhands routine, he used strips of high-end fabric coiled around the length of his arm to create beanbag chairs, pillows and rugs.”

Dodes added, many knitters said they picked up the technique from a video tutorial shot by Amanda Bassetti in Connecticut (embedded above).

I found a link to the article at a library group on Facebook, with the poster’s recommendation that it could be an easy workshop for teens or young adults: “No supplies other than yarn, which they could bring themselves.”