2 posts tagged “scarves”

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.

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. :)