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The Skein Almanac

Knitting and crochet, written down and dated

Almanac / period

2025

Four entries, written between the fifteenth of September and the third of December. The year starts with the method note that set out how the almanac would be kept, then turns outward: how a yarn shop is arranged, how to teach a child, and how to work out before casting on whether a gift will be ready. The technique entries, on needles rather than around them, all belong to 2026.

December 20251 entry

  1. Knitted gifts you can actually finish in time

    Count the stitches instead of guessing the hours, then measure your own rate over two minutes. Three worked examples, the three things that eat the calendar, and a two week rescue plan.

    Gifts 9 min read

November 20251 entry

  1. Teaching a child to knit: what works, and at what age

    Readiness signs rather than birthdays, thick yarn on short wooden needles, garter stitch only, the rhyme that works, and the two frustrations to head off before they arrive.

    Teaching 9 min read

October 20251 entry

  1. A walk down the yarn aisle: how a yarn shop is arranged

    Shelves run by weight before colour. Balls, skeins, hanks and cakes explained, the four notions actually needed at the start, and the three checks that make a yarn substitution safe.

    Tools 10 min read

September 20251 entry

  1. Why this almanac is dated, and how it is written

    The entry that opened the record: how it is organised, what is checked before publication, what is never printed here, and the conventions used for gauge, needle sizes and dates.

    Method 6 min read

What 2025 covered

Entries of 2025, by month
Month Entries Subject Needles required
December1Planning and estimatingNo
November1TeachingYes
October1Yarn and toolsNo
September1MethodNo