It seems that knitting really is everywhere these days. Being Scottish, I am certainly no stranger to the warmth and practicality of knitted apparel – an essential part of any Scottish wardrobe! So I thought I was pretty clued-up on the many types of knitted garments available – the woolly jumper, cosy scarf, ever-popular beanie hat… to name but a few.
But it turns out that I have been missing out on a new type of knitwear – the knitted trainer! Now I have seen patterns for knitted slippers and comfy house-socks, but trainers? Not something I had come across… until last weekend. Mr D and I took a trip into the Nike store in Glasgow so that he could show me his latest ‘wish-list’ item – the Nike FlyKnit. Yes, Nike have joined the world of knitting and produced a knitted shoe!
I’ll be honest, when Mr D told me he would like a knitted trainer the image in my mind was fairly comical – anyone else picturing a chunky knit, cosy, woolly sponge for your feet? That’s the image I had in my mind, until I was introduced to these…
How fabulous are these? Nike’s FlyKnit can claim the ‘knit’ name based on the knitted construction of the shoe.
Nike’s website explains that the knit construction is used for its stretch, support and ability to create an exact fit. Basically all the same reasons we knitters love creating snug woolly garments (sort of)! The material Nike uses is a polyester yarn, tightly woven across the upper of the shoe. So not a chunky knit sponge then!
I simply love the idea that knitting is creeping into so many aspects of our daily lives – even the highly technical area of sportswear! Nike tells us that the ultra-light FlyKnit gives us “the perfect run – every stitch, every stride”. Not being a runner, I cannot test this claim. Mr D, on the other hand, is very keen to try out Nike’s knitted trainers and is angling for a pair for his birthday. Now perhaps this could be the encouragement I need to tackle my first pair of knitted socks – that would be a pretty good match for a birthday gift of knitted trainers, don’t you think?
Mrs D xx
All photographs in this post were taken from here.
by Mrs D 