7 posts tagged “free patterns”
Every time I've tried to post to Vox since my last post, that Firefox 3 bug has eaten everything I've written... hence radio silence on this end.
However, I come bringing seasonal goodies!
I love the Japanese site Paper Museum. It's probably best-known for its printable room boxes, but what I wanted to bring to everyone's attention is actually a few pages of free pop-up cards that you can download and make.
- Christmas cards
- New Year's cards
- Letter sets
- Many more possible craft projects (vehicles, insects, boxes, etc.)
- If you check out the room boxes link, there are some winter and Christmas rooms there.
These are meant for A4 paper, which is a bit longer than American letter-size paper. I'd print on legal-size stock, I guess. You'll need the supplies you'd need for any other papercraft project -- craft knife, cutting mat, straight edge, gluestick or glue pen or both, etc. Skip any purple link buttons, which are just supply shopping links, but download the materials under the pink buttons (all in PDF form).
It's helpful to have the Perapera-kun (or Rikai-chan) Firefox extension for Japanese text translation installed -- hover over a word or phrase on a web page, and you'll get a popup with its meaning. To use Perapera-kun, you need to install Rikai-chan's dictionaries. This is useful for all Japanese sites, in my experience, though sometimes it can be a struggle to hash through to anything cohesive... it just depends on the site and how things are phrased there. For example, hovering over the room box links with Perapera-kun enabled will give you the name of each room.
I did this, and people like it, and I'm doing more, but I need to skip November and December (these take forever to write, I haven't had time to tackle them, and last year is kind of too long ago now). However, I already went through a week or two of November info, so here it is. Knitting patterns only, and it doesn't cover the whole month.
All of this stuff was posted to Knitting Pattern Central in November 2007; then I went through it, weeded out patterns I thought were on the cheesy or incomprehensible side, and wrote descriptions for what was left.
Sweaters
Easy Stripes Knit Jacket: Please ignore the absolutely blinding self-striping yarn (unless you like it, I guess -- it is cheerful) and concentrate on the shape of the jacket. You can make this in any plain wool yarn that knits up at 5.5 stitches per inch at its recommended needle sizes. (Though, keep in mind that the sweater itself is actually knit at 19 stitches per 4 inches; it's the yarn that has a recommended gauge of 22 stitches per 4 inches.)
Fitted Knit Jacket: Knit in a bulky weight yarn, this jacket continues the trend of large, deconstructed collars that were so popular in knitting patterns this past year.
Leaves Jacket: Really more of a cardigan. This pattern, with its leafy, trailing vines, is only available in one size. Unlike some similar freebies, the size is a relatively generous one (about an XL).
Red Summer Top: Light, lacy cables. I am not ordinarily a fan of this kind of square short tunic top, but it has been in fashion this past year.
Saddle Shoulder Pullover: From Unicorn Books. I think almost every man I know owns some version of this sweater. The ribbing on the side helps with the fit.
Seamless Baby Kimono: Available in versions for both regular and bulky yarns! Cute. Australian terms, but in this case that mostly just means metric.
Shawl Collar Short Sleeve Pullover: Something like a vest alternative, a very textured piece that's a bit more refined than the "Red Summer Top" above, though they are similar in shape.
Snowflower Cardie: Cardigan in two possible lengths with Norwegian motifs.
Southwestern Ornament Jacket: Again, more of a cardigan, with colorful panels on a solid ground. Fair Isle and some interesting cables.
White Cable Knit Sweater: A classic and feminine high-necked Aran design.
Headwear
Horseshoe Hat: Cables decrease in size as they climb this classic cap. (Ordinarily, I like to see cables that flow out of ribbing if the two are combined, but I cannot tell if that's the case in this hat without making it... the photos don't show enough.)
Jingle Bell Taos Hat: For babies, kids, and brave or carefree adults. A loose cap made with this stripey yarn becomes a jingling crown when judiciously stitched and embellished.
Oregon Rose Cloche: Picot edging and an interesting embellishment idea make this one extra-cute. Try different colors for spring!
R2-D2 Beanie: Should this be under "Whimsies"? Maybe. It's a beanie that looks like the dome of R2-D2's head, for all your favorite Star Wars fans (and for a very lazy costume, when necessary). Complete with protruding spokes. You need this.
Scarves and Shawls
Criss Cross: Basic scarf with interlaced panels, a motif that's been popular for the last couple of years.
Dragon Scales Shawl: Simple diamond lace. Try this after you've done a lace scarf.
Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks Scarf: "Simple and sweet, like holding hands and feeding ducks." Easy star-stitch scarf in a mottled yarn. Don't knit this one too tightly or use a yarn that's intensely colorful: you wouldn't want to distract from its quiet beauty.
Osiris Scarf: Lovely and intricate cabled scarf with a very high-end look.
Pink Ribbon Hat: Features the "pink ribbon" design related to breast cancer awareness. The designer, Carissa, suggests that you could represent many causes by changing the color. (And I suggest that, if you're adept at stranded knitting, you could change the colors of just the ribbons, or the ribbons and the small cables between the panels, for a two-color look. If not trying it in two colors, you might want to skip the suggestion that you use a rainbow variegated yarn: the cable design will not show up well in a variegated yarn with intense colors.)
Bags
Ballonnett: French for "Little Balloon" (I assume), this is a small, round, drawstring handbag with a ton of vintage charm and many possible uses.
Candy Striper: Glittery, stripey, happy candy-cane goodness, by Vickie Howell. Not just for winter, if you like to wear red and white like I do.
Socks
Pulsations Socks: Lacy ankle socks. The recommended yarn adds a fashionable jolt of color.
Sideways Socks: This design uses self-striping yarn and a provisional cast-on to create stripes that run up and down the leg. After the body has been knit, the sock is grafted into a tube and a toe is added to one end.
Whimsies
Baby Santa Suit: UK terms. This is terribly kitschy, but also cute, and I can imagine that some people will want one for their wee moppet.
Baked With Love washcloth: A shadow pattern of baking supplies. Make this one in light colors, so the motif will stand out.
Knitted Baby Set: A hat, blanket, and sweater. Hearts and dots and multiple pom-poms, for maximum adorability.
Loom-Knit Snowflakes: Well, why not? You can use these in ornaments, embellishments, jewelry, etc.
Poison Coffee Cozy: Yarr! Don't be stealin' me brew, ya scurvy dog! It's a skull-and-crossbone motif drink cozy knit with a stranded technique. That might mean poison, or it might mean pirates: you decide.
Ribbon of Hope Washcloth: In the same theme as the Pink Ribbon Hat above, this washcloth has a heart-shaped two-color Pink Ribbon motif.
Squiddy: This felted squid is not as small as you might think, but he is kind of cute.
Stewie Griffin Doll: As suggested in one comment, Stewie's dreams of world domination have finally come to fruition as he joins a select group of recognizable cartoon characters rendered into knit amigurumi form. Now, practice your best Sheridan Whiteside voice to go along with him.
I also chose a couple of mitten patterns, but I have no idea where to put them.
http://knitwithkt.blogspot.com:80/2007/11/basic-mens-mittens.html
Lady Moss Mittens: Thrummed mittens are extra-warm.
So, today we put up my first published pattern!
I've written patterns before, but didn't share them, either because I wanted to refine them or because I wanted to make the item to sell (then never, ever got around to it). Mostly, felted handbags.
I did this as a knit/crochet hybrid because I just thought that each one was the easier method for what I was trying to do. A crocheted medallion is a lot more thick and stable than a knit one; knit ribbing is easier than crochet; the two together gave the right shape (which is "a medallion with a tapering cylinder on top"). Also, I did a couple of test swatches, and KPP ribbing just worked the best. Originally I thought it would be K1P1 or K2P2, but they didn't look right in the swatches.
And yes, I am aware of this, and this, and this. All of them found last week, while I was working on the Amigurumirama, way after I conceived and started work on the pattern. None is made the same way, and all are nifty on their own. The scarf cracks me up. "American earthworm!"
(I added this to a few groups, so sorry if you see a duplicate post or two!)
I just found a few free knitting patterns, thought I'd pass them on. Maybe you've seen these already?
Small Dolls - Jezze's pattern for "small dolls," which in this case are more like monster-creatures. This pattern is technically written for the "magic loop" (a circular knitting needle, generally used by people who are afraid of DPNs), but I don't think that's necessary... it looks like you could just as easily use it with DPNs, if you put 10 stitches on each needle. The dolls look a little odd, and therefore, of course, are adorable. (via CRAFT.)
Yeah, DPNs can be a pain to cast onto. I usually cast onto one DPN and distribute the stitches, or else cast onto a long, non-DPN and distribute the stitches from there. But other than that, if you get the needles arranged properly, they're not that hard to knit with. It frustrates me that certain designers say, "I made this a non-DPN project so it would be a little easier!" (not the case with Jezze here, just something I saw the other day).
Well, DPNs aren't hard, and if you fear them, you should give them a try, rather than taking a designer's word for it, or the word of people on some board somewhere online. I used to knit socks on a 12" circular needle, using DPNs only for the heel and toe, but I don't do that anymore - it's DPNs all the way now, and DPNs for hats and other things knit in the round. There's a way to hold DPNs that makes knitting with them easier, something I'll try to post about the next time I'm working on something in the round.
Still, I wouldn't blame you for using a circular needle to knit a sweater in the round! And circs do help avoid the "ladders" that can happen between needles.
Mead Scarf - downloadable pattern for a lace scarf, from a blog called Stash Amassed Beyond Life Expectancy. The blogger/designer, Elizabeth Morrison, may be familiar to a few people from her patterns that have been published in Knitty over the last few years. (via Knitting Pattern Central.)
Also - just a quick thing - I am SO THRILLED that Eunny Jang is the new editor of Interweave Knits! I've long thought that Eunny is the best knitblogger out there... lots of focus on the craft itself, from someone who has good technique, great ideas, and a wonderful sense of design. There are other knitting bloggers who have at least two out of three of these attributes, but sometimes the lack of the third can be a problem for me, and sometimes the bloggers lose focus and go from knit-blogging to just... blogging. Like, pictures of pets and kids, descriptions of trips to the lake with the sister-in-law, not that much knitting content past an occasional picture of what they're making. And some of the knitting bloggers I loved a few years ago essentially abandoned their blogs.
The publishing industry has been cherry-picking bloggers for the last few years, and for a while I thought, "Why hasn't anyone snatched Eunny up? If she wrote a book, I'd definitely buy it." Then I saw her design and article in this past winter's IK, and I thought, ah, it's nice to see that they're publishing her stuff, I hope they keep publishing more. And then... boom, they put her in charge! How wonderful. (I think I have a bit of a knitting-crush on her, if you can't tell. :)
A few weeks ago, those Envirosax bag sets, large polyester fabric shopping bags in a variety of prints, were being pimped on half the blogs I read. They also make hemp bags, which might be less objectionable. One of the blogs had been discovered by someone from the company that makes the bags, and I wound up getting into it with him a little bit, because I really didn't appreciate his attitude. Here's why, and here's what I think you can do about it.
I don't think anyone can disagree that reusable shopping bags are a good thing, and I think that can be extended to most basic eco-friendly measures. However, the way that "green living" is being pushed these days... it's an issue of privilege, to a large degree, and an issue of trendiness and consumerism, and that bothers me. That is, being or at least appearing eco-friendly is a trend these days, one that also surfaced in the early 1970s and early 1990s. That seems antithetical to the spirit of green living... cognitive dissonance ahoy! I don't want, as it seemed in this instance, for someone to preach environmentalism to me primarily because they want to sell me something.
My friend Maggie points out that in localities that ban plastic bags, people who don't have enough extra money to invest in reusable shopping bags all at once, and who have to walk or bike their groceries home, or choose to do so because of the environmental impact of driving, are kind of screwed when they're stuck using paper bags, particularly if it rains. Paper bags are even less eco-friendly than plastic, though they biodegrade more easily. Sometimes while you're using them. I would link to Maggie's Livejournal post about this, but it's friends-only.
On a similar note, I live in a notoriously wealthy district that has free recycling, but charges residents by volume for trash collection. We pay by purchasing special stickers at local grocery stores and putting one sticker on each of our (33 gallons or less, 50 lbs or less) trash bags. These stickers now cost over $3 and have gone up $1 in the three years since I moved here. Sometimes the collectors behave in a discretionary manner, refusing to pick up a bag that's "too heavy," but taking its stickers, even multiple ones meant to cover for its weight.
The end effect is to force recycling on the lower-income residents of the area. This plan is overwhelmingly favored by wealthier residents, who never have to choose between having a house filled with garbage and eating or going to the doctor, and who presumably can afford to "throw money away" if they choose not to recycle. (In my house, this plan is resented on principal, although we recycle a lot regardless, and usually only throw away 2 to 3 bags of trash per month, making it way cheaper for us than flat-rate municipal trash collection would be. Mostly we miss having helpful trash collectors.)
Anyway, it distresses me that the eco-friendly message that is filtering down to the masses is mostly consumerist: you can buy this and this and this to be eco-friendly, and for a while, it won't be fashionable to be without these things. What happens when being eco-friendly goes out of fashion again? Is it only in fashion because Bush has such a low approval rating? Because some celebrities are doing it... not just the wacky pothead ones?
In England, Sainsbury's, a retail chain, sold a cloth bag designed by Anya Hindmarch for a few dollars each; there were lines around the block when it was introduced, and some of the bags went for hundreds of dollars on ebay. There is a move to issue a slightly different version of the same bag in the US, because the launch was so successful. The punchline? It was made in a Chinese sweatshop, and the materials used weren't organic.
That's why I went at it with the Envirosax guy... I explained several ways in which plastic shopping bags are useful (example: most dog owners find them incredibly handy*; they are used in my house for that, and in place of other plastic trash bags that would be thrown out anyway) and that many supermarkets have recycling bins for them, and he replied that "they all end up in a landfill anyway, and recycling is hard on developing countries" (the latter might have been his only really valid point, and there are a couple of other good arguments against plastic bags: for one thing, free-roaming plastic bags are bad news for wildlife). But when I mentioned both that my family already has a pile of plain canvas bags and that Whole Foods sells great, cheaper fabric shopping bags, he called canvas bags unfashionable and claimed you wouldn't want to use them for anything but shopping. (As if you don't probably already have three bags you can take to the beach.)
That's the point where I got really ticked off, and thought I'd rather eat my own hat than buy one of Envirosax's bag sets. There is nothing particularly eco-friendly about having a manufactured product shipped to you, particularly if you slip from using it for its intended purpose after a few weeks or months. He also never (at least, not before I did the virtual equivalent of storming off in a huff) addressed my point that a bag that holds at least twice as much as a regular plastic shopping bag and is carried on the shoulder might not be the best thing for people's backs. Regardless: using what you have or making something yourself is almost certainly much more green and much less consumerist than buying "fashionable" shopping bags online just because they're cute and you can.
So, in response to all this consumerism and greenwashing, here are a few patterns for shopping bags. Some of which recycle plastic shopping bags, so they won't end up in a landfill for a long time, if ever. Plain tote bags are a pretty simple thing to sew, so I'm not going to try to include sewing patterns.
- Reduce Reuse Recycle in Magknits, May 2007 - Knit from "yarn" made of plastic shopping bags.
- There's a similar crocheted bag, "Bag O' Bags" by Diane Bromberg, in Tsia Carson's book Craftivity. (Which I really mean to get around to reviewing one of these days.)
- Love To Shop Shopping Bag, at SpunMag, seems relatively large. Another bag made from plastic shopping bags, carefully melted to "block" it into shape. (Can those fumes possibly be healthy?)
- Knit Net Shopping Bag by YarnDemon.
- Reduction Tote in CrochetMe, Spring 2007 - a string mesh tote with a relatively solid bottom panel. This bag is designed to fold into the pocket on the front, for easy carrying.
- Also worth looking at: CrochetMe's Sack Dress Sack, a bag crocheted with "yarn" that was recycled from an old dress by cutting it into strips. You could adapt this into a basic tote and use sheets bought at thrift stores to make the yarn.
- Check out the "Bags, Totes, and Purses" category at both Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central; make a point of looking at anything labelled "Shopping Bag" or "Tote Bag," since many bag styles are represented in this category. "Mesh" isn't a bad keyword either, and there are a bunch of linked patterns for large felted solid "market" totes, too, if you'd prefer that. (Here's another meshy Shopping Bag.)
- One of the companies known for linen yarns, probably Louet, has a free mesh shopping bag pattern on the yarn label. This is usually advertised in the back of magazines like Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting.
As to which yarns you use... well, hm. There was an eco-friendly yarn post on Treehugger recently. The trouble is, once you add in shipping (to yourself or a local store), and the manufacturing process even on organic yarns, it can be hard to decide what's actually eco-friendly. For example, a ceramic mug would seem to be the better choice than a throwaway cup, but studies have shown that given what it takes to manufacture each (and keep the mug clean), the mug doesn't begin to be a better choice until you've used it to replace 300 cups, and doesn't actually outstrip the cups until the 600+ mark. So if you drop the mug in the sink and break it after you've had 30 cups of tea out of it, you haven't been as eco-friendly as you thought. The numbers vary based on whether the cup is paper or styrofoam, but not that much, and there are, unbelievably, some respects in which styrofoam is the most eco-friendly up to over 1000 uses. Ceramic is still better - and when it breaks, you can still use it in other ways, like as a pencil holder (if it has a hairline crack) or in a mosaic (if it's really shattered). But it takes a long time to realize the actual benefits, and it works best if you only own the one mug and use it all the time.
(A few of these links originally came from CRAFT. Some of the environmental information came from replies to Maggie's LJ post about banning plastic bags, which is friends-only. I am particularly indebted to "chaotic_heat"'s well-researched comments on that entry. Also, anyone who uses plastic shopping bags for dog business ahem ahem might want to look into the Doggie Dooley, an enzymatic breakdown system for dog waste. If you have a 2'x2' square of yard available to you, you can use it. It costs around $40 and has the side effect of fertilizing any plants around it.)
Oh, as far as me? No, I'm not an environmentalist or fair-trade guru or someone who manages to completely sidestep consumerism. I try to do what I can when I can do it, and sometimes that isn't much. I try not to use animal-tested cosmetics of any kind, and I'm trying to use non-toxic cleaning products in my house, eat organic foods when possible, look for fair trade goods. I'm also trying to at least question and fend off the worst of my own consumerist impulses and to DIY (DIM?) when I can.
If you're really in need of shopping bags, have money to burn, and don't resent the statements made by the company's rep, you could probably do worse than to buy the Envirosax, particularly the hemp ones. But you'll note that I'm not linking to them. I've been told that Trader Joe's also has inexpensive fabric shopping bags that last a long time. I'm not stumping for the eco-friendliness or fair-tradeitude of the Trader Joe's or Whole Foods bags, only their accessibility and the fact that nobody involved with either company has ever tried to shame me on the basis of fashion into buying their bags.
OK, so, I wrote this long post about the cabled armwarmers I knitted, and haven't posted it yet because I wanted to add a picture, but I'm having picture problems. It has since occurred to me that I don't have a userpic on this blog. Bad, bad me!
I finished the earwarmer headband, and am working on a pattern. I don't know whether to include a pic, or to make a second headband: the headband that I finished was kind of experimental. I didn't have enough yarn to wash the gauge swatch to see if it would bloom... it did. So, the headband is wider than I'd like, and I had to pull it out half a dozen times to get it to the right length. I'm pleased with the final product, in that I've been wearing it all the time, but if I had it to do again, I would almost certainly make it a little bit narrower... it sticks out at the back of my head.
So I can post a photo, but only with the caveat that nobody else's will look exactly like mine, because the instructions are to produce something slightly different. If I make a second example, I'm not sure which bulky-gauge yarn to work with this time, maybe just Lamb's Pride Bulky. Something variegated would be nicer, more fashion-forward. But these are one-ball stash-killer projects. I have some Berroco Chinchilla I want to use up, but I am afraid it would be way too slippery to work as a headband.
Also, I have been talking about knitting too much lately, because that's what I've mostly been doing. Rest assured, I have other, non-knitting things to talk about. Perhaps tomorrow, even. We can talk about DIY decorating projects, right? Hint hint.
Among other bad girls: Nikol Lohr, of Thrifty Knitter, who wrote the book Naughty Needles. I'm waiting for the library to get it to me - I usually review books that come from the library, and as such, I have to wait until they actually decide to add them to the system, then I have to wait until the book arrives from the reserve list. I could get this particular book any time in the next month, as they didn't have it a few weeks ago and do have it now, and I am next in line for a copy, but the check-out period is three weeks.
I'm sure the review will be generally positive: I liked what I saw in the bookstore, and I particularly appreciated the array of models, all of whom are pretty, but most of whom are also curvy.* I've always liked Nikol's site Disgruntled Housewife, as well as the others she's worked on. At any rate, Naughty Needles has a website, and there are a few extra patterns there... some are even pretty innocent, like a technique-teaching purse pattern, or a pony hat for kids (cute, and way less costumey than the adorable unicorn getup in Vickie Howell's New Knits on the Block.) Nikol also wrote that trippy Katamari Damacy earmuff pattern that ShojoBeat offered for free this winter, & that I went on about at length.
* Lots of knitting books feature models who are very thin or very, very, young. For example, the photos I've seen from Pretty In Punk, an upcoming book, mostly feature garments that won't work on figures that have much in the way of curves: a tiny ruffled tube skirt, a sweater with big horizontal stripes. These are cute, but unflattering for most people. I love Teva Durham's Loop-D-Loop book, but it's another that seems limiting in flatterability (most of the stuff that looks good on boobtastic people like me is not actually offered in boobtastic sizes). It's not fair to say, "These patterns shouldn't exist, because they're only for stick figures!" - some people are that thin, and they need patterns too! But for sure, the patterns won't work for me. The majority of the patterns in Naughty Needles do indeed appear to have been designed for an array of body types.
Because it's almost Talk Like A Pirate Day (19 September), here are some pirate-themed craft links for you.
Hello Yarn might be your one-stop Jolly Roger-themed free pattern shop. There are some great patterns here, with Norwegian-style pirate mittens and cap taking the cake, but don't miss the squirrel mittens, the many other skull chart items, the anime character bonnet, the great sweaters, or anything else.
Moth Heaven provides this pattern (PDF) for an "arrrgyle" sock enhanced with a skull-and-crossbones motif. (via BoingBoing.) She also has a pattern for a felted pirate hat for kids. (How much more awesome could this lady be?)
In the Arrrgyle pattern, she references this excellent pattern from Katydid Knits: Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks, which references and sends us back to...
the We Call Them Pirates hat at Hello Yarn.
(the reinterpretation of the chart at Katydid Knits suggests that the same chart might be useful for the cuff of an otherwise plain mitten, or for a wrist-warmer. Also, the Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks pattern looks like an excellent first project for someone wanting to do stranded knitting. Katydid Knits mentions that this pattern is now linked from Knitting Pattern Central, which is where I found Hello Yarn to begin with. It's getting to be the time of year when a girl wants some wrist warmers....)
You can try knitting this great Skull and Crossbones Lace, which could have many applications. A scarf or shawl? Edging for linens? It's up to you! Be as creative as you want to. In colors other than white, it would be perfect for some Mexicana-style crafting for Day of the Dead.
Maybe you would prefer to crochet a little skull motif?
How about a pretty little pirate dress for your Blythe or Pullip doll, courtesy of MagKnits?
This post was initially titled "Knit Like A Pirate." As it turns out, the official site for Talk Like A Pirate Day actually has a Knit Like A Pirate page, with a free downloadable pattern for a cool bag, "The Pirate Queen's Booty Bag." They link to a page by like-minded folk, KnitLikeAPirate.com. Not much there yet, but so far it looks like they're planning to put up several hat patterns and a pattern for a "yarn galleon"!
Here are a few skull charts for general purposes: basic shaded skull chart from Flickr user "notanartist", skull and crossbones chart in two sizes from supermitten.com, another skull and crossbones chart from BrainyLady, and a skull chart for many uses from domiKNITrix.
Glampyre Stefanie uses her own skull and crossbones chart in a felted fair isle bag.
Street Legal Designs offers a most excellent item for your trusty first mate: a Skull and Bones Dog Sweatshirt. There's even a glow-in-the-dark yarn for the skull motif! Removes all traces of scurvy from your dog.
Here's Rhonda K. White's skull and crossbones washcloth or dishcloth. The simple knit-and-purl pattern could be adapted to other projects. It's subtle, and you can't be too careful on the high seas.
Strange But Trewe has a Lacy Skull Shrug, and promises a pattern in the future. (The question is: is bubblegum pink a properly piratical colour?)
AndSheKnitsToo offers a fabulous skull scarf, featuring both jolly roger motifs AND black and white stripes. Possibly the most buccaneer-friendly scarf on all the internets.
Ysolda has a skull and crossbones illusion scarf. Confound your friends, perplex your enemies, and pass safely under the eye of the Royal Navy!
Yorick, a felted, skull-ended scarf by Kate Kuckro, made its debut last fall in Knitty. The suggested white yarn not only felts properly, but is also snuggly soft.
Getting away from the skull motif, there are these cute striped and ruffled armwarmers designed by Vickie Howell. I suppose if you wanted, you could intarsia-in a skull pattern, too. =/
If you don't knit or crochet, perhaps you'd like to sew yourself up an eyepatch?
Hobbyists can tackle this plastic "Jolly Roger" ship model, one of several pirate ship models that are widely available (see also Captain Kidd).
A search on "beads", "pirate", or "skull" at Century Novelty will turn up lots of crafting possibilities. Especially of the bead variety. Old Fashion Halloween sells a skull pan in both cake and cupcake sizes.
Looking for something for kids? How about a pirate ship or Spanish galleon made from a milk carton? Or a "pirate playdate" inspiration site, complete with craft ideas and fun recipes? (I stole one of their cute pics for this post!)
And all pirates should beware of the giant squid! Squid-shaped phone case by Winged Kamui, squid hat (PDF) by Strange But Trewe. Perhaps these squids are haunted by skeletal fish... they don't look upset, though, do they? However, this squiddy is, supposedly, naughty.
Edited to add:
Skully Purse and iPod/Cellphone Cozy for machine knitters.
Kpixie (formerly KnitPixie) also designed a skull chart. Nicely detailed, with cartoonishly uneven teeth. Love it!
(Stripey!) Skinny Skully Scarf from one of my Craftgrrl crewmates on Livejournal.
How could a pirate function with no place to keep their booty?
Pieced Paper Treasure Chest pattern for papercrafters.
Treasure Chest Pattern for woodworkers. This one looks more complicated than it is. (Mirror site of sorts.)
Another Treasure Chest Pattern for woodworkers. This one is more difficult than the previous one.
For kids, a Pirate Treasure Chest to make from a tissue box. Also, a pirate themed Enchanted Learning page with crafts like a treasure box and a little boat. At HearthSong, you can buy this treasure box kit for older kids who are just learning woodworking.
Kids of all ages can enjoy this Treasure Chest Cake... complete with edible booty! Here's another Treasure Chest Cake, filled with M&Ms and other candies.
Here's some booty that almost anyone can make. It's a series of jewelry photos from magazines like W, glued to cardboard, cut out carefully, and joined into a necklace with wire rings. A kid could easily do this with paper clips, cereal boxes, and a couple of magazines.
Beyond that, you might be interested to see this pirate-themed embroidered diorama.
Or you might like to sew this handsome young cartoony skull bag.
And don't forget that Sublime Stitching has a pirate-themed set of embroidery transfer patterns, for the low price of US$3. (I don't know about you, but I've paid more for a cup of coffee.)
Don't like crafts? Do like puzzles? Check out The Treasure Hunt at The Problem Site.
*
I don't think I linked the following above, but it's possible it might be a double link: Zombies Need Not Apply, a skull fair-isle wristwarmer pattern from MagKnits.
Check out Spirals Free Patterns for several cool things, including a diagonally-striped scarf (photo 1, photo 2) and lace-up skull armwarmers (chart, photo 1, photo 2).
Published since Talk Like A Pirate Day:
I may come back in the next few weeks and tidy this post up by category: skulls, sea creatures, treasure, etc. I will also be adding a parrot pattern or two, though they are thin on the ground. (As parrots often are.)
Also, thanks to Talk Like A Pirate (yes, the official site of the day!) for the link!
4 October - Edited to add some parrots! For knitters, a Painted Parrot Cloth. For beaders, a chart for a colorful parrot (along rainbow macaw lines), and another for a cockatiel amulet bag. Several free parrot designs are featured on the bird page at Dawn's Cross Stitch. Not free, but very dramatic, is this 3D Parrot necklace or kit for beaders.
And Vickie Howell's book New Knits on the Block, which features fun and funky patterns to make for kids, has a whole pirate set in it, which includes a knitted parrot. (I think. Also, a mermaid costume for little girls.)
