The art of slow-knitting

Blanket from purlbee.com

Cosy knit chair from Hans Sapperlot

I am completely smitten with knitting, to be truthful I haven't actually tried it since I was a child and I knit a very wonky but colourful scarf for one of my dolls. But my sister creates some wonderful items and I am tempted to revisit this craft for myself. She has knitted with plastic bags, made lace jewellery and the essential gloves. 

Scarf patterns from purlbee.com

I am though a fan of the product. Few things excite me more in the long, long winter months than a cosy sweeter or hunky chunky socks. There is of course Pinterest for any such stitch-gazing. Are you a fan? This site is so addictive and what can be achieved with a ball of yarn knows no limit.

Pattern from melimeloo.blogspot.de

By artist Kate Jenkins

The reason my thoughts have turned to knitting today is because I read an article on NYC blog A Cup of Jo. It seems Norway has bucked the trend of fast, fast television, a blur before your eyes, and instead produced some 'slow-tv'. Norway's public broadcaster aired in November the process from sheep to completed garment, as Rune Moekleburst the producer put it "We'll watch the arm of a sweater get longer and longer, it will be fascinating...but pretty strange TV" (the Telegraph website)

This is not the first slow experience the network has done:

"'Slow TV' has proved successful for Norway's NRK, a veteran in quirky programming, since 2009 when the broadcaster showed the view from the roof of a seven-hour train ride from Bergen to Oslo. Millions watched. In 2011, it broadcast 134 hours non-stop of a cruise ship going up the Norwegian coast to the Arctic, bagging the world record for the longest continuous TV program. Millions tuned in. In February, it aired a 12-hour show on firewood, featuring discussions about stacking and chopping, and a debate on whether the bark should face up or down. One in five Norwegians watched the show at one point."

Image of the World Wide Knit in Public Day 2007

I know knitters report the act to be very relaxing, but just watching? Maybe. Perhaps it is the comfort of having something going on in the background that slows the pace of life. Understanding the process of made things I think can give purpose in a confusing consumer world.

Image from amimono.dk

All images from Pinterest.