Leather Knitting Belt hand-crafted sheath stick; horsehair stuffed saddle-stitched heritage gift Organic, Sustainable & Earth Friendly #85

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CURRENT PANDEMIC IS CAUSING DELAYS IN POSTAL SYSTEMS. I am therefore going to send all deliveries of knitting belts by Recorded Delivery service or international equivalent. I aim to post within 2 days, but if busy I may take several days to create your belt ready for posting.

These leather knitting belts, known as makkin belts in Shetland, are 99% organic and hand-made to a traditional pattern in Dorset on the South Coast of England, by a craftswoman in response to the demand for these aids to speedy, relaxed and neat knitting.

DELIVERY: Tracked service wherever available in your country.

I am pleased to tell you that I now use non-plastic packaging for my knitting belts (no sellotape!) and all the packaging is paper-based and recyclable.

I make the belts to varying lengths and I measure to one of the centre holes on the leather belt and add generous allowance for ease. I am always willing to punch more holes to accommodate smaller waists - just ask! Belts can be finished with a length of up to around 48" - 122cm. I can make belts to up a length of around 60 inches to special order. I will finish to your personalisation requirements and I will make your belt several centimetres (inches) bigger than your normal waistline or upper hipline, as a slightly looser belt is easier to use. If you need a non-standarTo fit your own measurement please just ask in the customisation box. For international sizing requivalents see below.

The belts are backed by suede (which helps them to grip your clothing).

My methods are sustainable - no power tools! The belts are cut from the small pieces of leather left over from larger leather items such as bags and clothing, and then handstitched in traditional saddle-stitch using waxed linen or polyester thread. I am trialling linen thread (when I use up my current stock the whole product will be 100% organic). The belt is stuffed with horsehair (including some hoghair) from a professional supplier and assembled using metal rivets and buckles. Every stage of the process is hand-crafted by myself to a pattern very close to the original Shetland belts. Handling the belt while stitching and stuffing is likely to make slight marks, this is a natural effect of hand-making, It is very difficult to completely avoid them.

A knitting belt allows the knitting process to be speeded up as the right hand is freed from holding the weight of the knitting, especially when working on heavier garments such as ganseys, jerseys, sweaters and shawls, etc. Push the right needle in until it is roughly horizontal while being firmly held. Most knitting belt users knit with their work around waist level as this is more relaxing. Others swear that sat on the hip-line is the most useful and visible place to place it! Hold your hand OVER the right needle, holding your thumb against the needle as a fulcrum. This allows the remaining fingers to wrap the wool and adjust the tension. Bring the pad of the belt towards centre front for short needles, and push it round towards the back for very long needles. You will soon discover your own favourite way of wearing it.

Your left hand does the moving, with the right-hand needle held firm. You will discover that the time taken to adjust to using the belt will usually be only a few minutes. I watched my 9-year old grand-daughter use a knitting belt for the first time, and and in no time at all she had relaxed her right hand grip and was knitting away faster than before. It is not essential to do round knitting either - you can work on 'flat' knitting. Thin needles fit in any hole and will 'jam' nicely - larger needles can be forced into any hole and will spread the leather - keep a couple of holes specially for big needles - I punch a few bigger holes on every belt - there could be up to a week's waiting time for further customised belts.

A knitting belt helps those with a tendancy to cramp as the need to grasp the needle tightly is removed. Other difficulties such as arthritis and missing/damaged digits will be helped by using this belt. If you use the English method of knitting (holding the yarn in your right hand) the movement of your wrist is greatly reduced and you will be able to knit for many hours just like the old professional knitters. A belt takes the weight of the completed fabric off your hand. The needle is held firmly in the horsehair stuffing, which does not pack down, or break up over time. Savvy knitters gather the hems of their work with strong thread and loop it up to the belt, taking the weight off the needles.

Your left hand works as normal, but you will notice that it 'takes over' the backwards and forwards / up and down movements that the right-hand usually manages in 'freehand' knitting. This just happens without any need to work out how to do it!

If your left hand is handicapped by such debilating accidents as stroke or amputation, you could move the knitting belt to your left-hand side and let your right-hand take over all the manipulation.

Finally, your finished knitting will be neater as the tension is evened out. When purling I find that I no longer produce those annoying looser purl rows which spoil so much stocking-stitch fabric; my purling is tightened up - I hope it helps your purling too!

If you watch my Youtube videos ( Woollywoodlanders Channel) you will notice that I am using a knitting belt. My original Shetland knitting belt has been in almost daily use for over 15 years, has softened and shows no signs of becoming worn out. I hope my 21st century knitting belts will last your knitting lifetime too. I read recently that the knitting-belt maker of the long-established Shetland workshop had sadly passed away, and I decided to make my own belts available to knitters worldwide.

SORRY - these knitting belts do not work for circular needles or single knob pins or needles. You need to use double-pointed needles and I offer these elsewhere on my site.

Help on ordering sizes:
UK & AU 10 , US 6, EU 38 28 inch/71 cm waist; I deliver a belt approx. 35 inches to last hole
12, 8, 40, 30 inch/ 76 cm 37 inches
14, 10 42, 32 inch/ 81 cm 39 inches
16, 12, 44, 34 inch/ 86 cm 41 inches
18, 14, 46, 36 inch/ 91.5 cm 43 inches
20, 16, 48, 38 inch/ 96.5 cm 45 inches and so on.

For a knitter smaller than UK 10, US 6, I recommend ordering a 34 inch belt and asking me to add additional holes to fit the smaller waist.

If you wish to order specifically for a child please think ahead and order an appropriate size. As long as the 'smallest' hole fits the child currently, any excess will tuck into the belt loop until the child grows.

Measure your waist over clothing, not tight (!) to allow for cardigans etc. For a gift, if in doubt, order a generous waist size and ask me to add additional 'smaller' holes. I don't mind how many holes you want me to punch. I post by Tracked and/or Recorded delivery where available.

I had a lovely review earlier this year: "! just wanted you to know I received my belt today. It is lovely! I can not wait for my quiet time to try it out. We are expecting snow tonight and tomorrow which will be perfect for staying at home and learning the ways of knitting with a belt. Thank you for the care you took in making it. I will let you know how I get on with using it! "