Last week I talked about finger knitting and thumb knitting, a super-fast way to make a fun, chunky scarf or infinity cowl. But this week a knitter friend did me one better: she tipped me off to "arm knitting," which is a popular new trend among millennials. (Popular according to the Wall Street Journal, which one must admit is hardly the definitive source for information on hot crafting trends. But still.)
Arm knitting simply sizes up the game, just as you might expect. You can use any yarn, although a super bulky yarn (like Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick & Quick or Cascade Magnum) is probably your best option. A super bulky yarn will look more proportional to the gauge, but a worsted or even DK weight yarn will result in a scarf with a fun, loose, lacy, open look.
If you are using a thinner yarn, you will probably want to make your scarf long enough that you can loop it around your neck several times to get the right bulk. Luckily, arm knitting goes by so quickly that length is hardly even an issue.
You could even use pencil roving, if you wanted to make a particularly cuddly piece.
To get started with arm knitting, just cast on the desired number of stitches onto your left arm. Then knit the stitches by pulling the working yarn through the loops and transferring the stitches onto your right arm. When you hit the end of the row, carefully slip the stitches back onto your left arm and continue knitting.
Of course, one down side to arm knitting is that the length of your "needles" is limited. I am reminded of The Giganto Blanket, which was knit on the same scale, but uses PVC pipe as knitting needles. Using PVC pipe capped with duct tape, you can make an entire blanket in just a few hours!
Image courtesy Flickr/craftapalooza
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