The World of Knitting

The World of Knitting: A Knitted Globe Toy by Sara Hall

What is Being Made

The World of Knitting is a knitted globe toy that covers over 30,000 square miles of geographical detail. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a complete three-dimensional sphere by knitting flat segments that are shaped and assembled together. The finished globe is designed as a canvas for personalization—knitters can embroider their own round-the-world sailing trips, mark cities, trace air routes, or add any other meaningful details onto the completed sphere.

Design and Construction Approach

Designer Sara Hall created the globe segments in a specific shape to simplify the shaping process. All shaping is worked on the knit rows only, which means shaping occurs consistently on one side of the fabric throughout construction. This methodical approach makes the project more manageable for intermediate knitters. The pattern consists of two charts that together make up the whole globe. These charts are followed row by row from bottom to top, and the knitting builds into a complete sphere. It is recommended to print off the two sheets and cut and stick them together before beginning to knit, creating one continuous reference guide for the entire project.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches Used

This project employs multiple advanced colorwork techniques to create the geographical detail across the globe's surface.

• Intarsia: Used for some patches of the globe, allowing for larger blocks of solid color to represent land masses and geographical features
• Stranded colorwork: Applied to other areas as appropriate, creating detailed patterns through the traditional method of carrying unused yarn across the back of the work
• Multi-color rows: The globe features rows with up to six different colors, requiring significant color management and yarn handling throughout the knitting process

Yarn Management and Materials

Working with multiple colors simultaneously requires careful yarn organization. For the intarsia sections, colors are split into separate balls to prevent tangling. Sara Hall recommends using manageable lengths of yarn for the land masses—no more than about 2 metres in one go. This practical approach helps minimize the untangling required after each row, as managing six colors on a single row can create complex yarn paths. The use of multiple yarn lengths and the frequent color changes mean patience is essential for this project, as untangling will be necessary after many rows of knitting.

Skill Level and Considerations

Rated as an intermediate knitting project, The World of Knitting requires solid foundational knitting skills combined with experience in colorwork techniques. Knitters should be comfortable reading charts, managing multiple colors in a single row, and understanding both intarsia and stranded colorwork methods. The complexity of tracking six colors simultaneously and maintaining tension across different colorwork techniques makes this project suitable for knitters who have completed several colorwork projects previously.