Quick Knitting Throws and Afghans

It may not quite be the season for snuggling up under a big blanket in the Northern Hemisphere, but let’s be honest, it’s going to be air conditioning season soon and then you’ll need blankets all over again.

Leisure Arts recently released two little booklets that will help you knit afghans and throws (is there really a difference?) in a jiffy.

Quick Throws to Knit by Rena V. Stevens has four patterns, one for each season. They’re all sampler projects, worked in panels or strips in different colors and types of yarn and in different stitch patterns. This would be a great book to work from if you have a large stash of yarn in similar colors that you’re looking to knit up into one fantastic project.

Rita Weiss’ Make in a Weekend Afghans to Knit has 10 projects, including baby blankets and larger designs for the whole family. They all use the same stitch pattern all over, though some include stripes or are worked in panels of different colors to make it a little more interesting. They’re mostly easy patterns worked on bigger needles so they go pretty quickly.

Either of these books would offer good inspiration if you are ready for a quick and easy stash-busting project or you need to make a blanket for a gift.

Don’t forget to join our Exclusive Knitting Group on Facebook. With over 25 Vintage knitting patterns available to download immediately. Subscription to this group is the cost of a single vintage pattern.

Specifically for knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get the latest knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next in our online community.

Looking for more Baby Knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]

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