Yes, You Could Still Knit a Blanket for a Holiday Gift

The name of the game when it comes to knitting big, impressive items this late in the holiday season is bulky. Big yarn and simple stitches combine to great effect in projects you can knit in a hurry that don’t look like rush jobs.

Example: my Bulky Stockinette Stitch Throw works up in no time because you’re holding three strands of yarn together. I also feel like it goes a little faster because it’s worked in panels, so you don’t have to work across a huge long row all at once. There’s more finishing this way but it’s really not that bad.

If you prefer Garter Stitch, check out Stephen West’s Garter Squish, which uses two strands held together and is a great stash-busting project. The I-cord edging is excellent, too.

Have you ever knit a throw in a hurry? I’d love to hear about it!

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There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background.

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design.

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs.

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs.

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28.

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