Posted on 2-11-2020 by Elianne van Steenis
Are you keen to try something new or looking for a super chunky stitch? ‘Arm knitting’ is back in fashion and is a speedy way to knit yourself a cozy winter accessory. By using your arms as knitting needles, you create extra-large loops which give your knitted fabric that extra cool look. Perfect for a knitted cowl! So, pack those fiddly needles away and let’s get knitting. Yes, that includes you knitting novices! We’ll guide you step-by-step through how to arm knit a cowl. Ready? Read on!
With arm knitting, you can be as creative as you want. Use super-duper chunky yarn or knit with double (or even triple!) strands of yarn. Mix up fibers. Play around with color combinations to create an item that’s completely to your taste! The range of projects you can made is just as extensive, from scarves to blankets. We think a cowl is a great first project. Simple to make and fun to experiment with. How will you make yours truly unique?
For the best effect, choose a thick yarn for arm knitting. The two yarns we’ve suggested for this tutorial are ideal: Yarn and Colors Urban and Katia Love Wool. Katia Love Wool is a 100% natural yarn made from wool (85%) and alpaca (15%). The thick roving yarn, Yarn and Colors Urban, is mostly made from acrylic (85%) with a small amount of wool (15%). Both options are available in a range of colors, including both cool wintery hues and bright trend colors.
Requirements:
4 balls Katia Love Wool color 118 (or one of the other 22 colors) OR - 4 balls Yarn and Colors Urban color 069 (or one of the other 29 colors)
Long tail cast on
1. Tie a slip knot with a large loop and place the loop on your right arm. Make sure that your tail yarn has plenty of length to it. Hold both the tail yarn and the working yarn (attached to the ball) in your left hand, as you would when casting on with needles. Wrap the tail yarn up over to the front of your thumb and wrap the working yarn up over your index finger to the back.
2. Move your right hand from front to back under the closest strand of the loop wrapped over your thumb. Once you have part of your hand through, move on to step 3.
3. Pass your right hand over the furthest strand of the loop over your index finger, moving from back to front under it. Pull this strand up to make a loop.
4. Slide the loop up your arm and tighten the yarn evenly. Make sure it isn’t too tight; you still need to be able to get it over your wrist! That’s your second stitch cast on (the slip knot counts as the first stitch). Repeat steps 2 – 4 until you have a total of 14 stitches.
Arm knitting
5. Hold the working yarn in your right hand.
6. Using your left hand, pass the first stitch from your right arm over your right hand.
7. Now insert your left hand through the loop in your right hand. This loop is your first knitted stitch, which now sits on your left arm. Repeat steps 5 – 7 until you have knitted all the stitches from your right arm. Then repeat the process in steps 5 – 7, this time holding the working yarn in your left hand. Work all the stitches from your left back onto your right arm.
Cast off
Once your fabric is long enough, it’s time to cast off.
8. Knit 2 stitches onto the other arm as usual.
9. Drop the working yarn and pass the first stitch you just knitted over the second one. You now have 1 stitch left on your arm.
10. Knit another stitch as usual. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until you have just one stitch left. Cut the yarn from the ball and pull it through the last stitch. All that’s left to do is sew the short sides of your knitted fabric together and weave in the ends. Et voilà, your cowl is finished!
Would you rather use knitting needles instead of your arms to knit a scarf or cowl? No problem! You’ll find no fewer than 13 scarf and cowl knitting patterns here. That way everyone can enjoy a warm, stylish winter!
Have you arm-knitted yourself a cowl, scarf or blanket? Inspire everyone by sharing your creation with us via Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #yarnplaza.
