How to Clean Your House by Knitting

There is such a thing as knitting disguised as cleaning up. Here’s how.

KonMari knitting is knitting that you do just to clear up some unfinished knitting that is cluttering up your space.

Consider, for example, this denim version of the Mitered Crosses Blanket. I knit nine squares, oh, three years ago? The blue is Rowan Denim that I had unraveled from a naff old sweater that I bought on eBay ages ago, for the purpose of harvesting the pre-faded yarn. I’m joining the squares into strips, and the strips into a baby blanket, using the three-needle bindoff. It’s very satisfying.

After the light faded, I joined two of the three long strips. One more long seam, an I-cord edge, and it can stop sitting on the windowsill in a pile, and start sparking joy for a California toddler I know. Rowan Denim is so hardwearing and washable that I imagine this little blankie living in the bottom of Emilio’s stroller, and coming out for plein air picnics and naps.

I don’t think Marie Kondo recommends this as a way of getting abandoned knitting projects and supplies out of your home. But I recommend it. It feels exactly like sitting on the sofa knitting all day, but in fact you are spring cleaning.

Duty Knitting

“Duty Knitting” sounds like something not fun. But in fact, all knitting is fun for me, so I’ve been enjoying knitting a baby blanket in pale gray, for the newborn son of someone who started babysitting for us on Thursday nights 15 years ago (and stopped babysitting for us 10 years ago). Those were some epic Thursday nights. Peter and I ate a lot of good meals and talked a lot of things over, all thanks to Alex. Who now needs his own Thursday night babysitter. The circle of life!

I’m using Loopy Mango’s Merino No. 5, which is truly beautiful stuff. Knits up quickly and neatly—for such a chunky yarn. I was knitting on this Thursday evening while getting my natural hair color attended to in a totally natural way, and everybody in the beauty parlor was oohing and ahhing over it. I need to get back to String Yarns to pick up some more gray.

I also made a hat. A friend recently posted a picture on the Internet of her husband wearing a polar fleece hat, bright yellow. I cast on immediately for a 911 emergency hat to address the situation. The yarn is Berocco Ultra Alpaca, which is such a lovely workhorse of a yarn. (72 shades!) The pattern is the Regular Guy Beanie, which is one of the most straightforward, pleasant little knits you will ever meet.

State of house? Much improved.