Knitting

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50+ Sock Patterns From 50+ States

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This came to me from Tina Sanders of the Phoenix Knitting and Crochet Examiner. And how cool is this! Available from Crystal Palace Yarns, a DVD featuring sock patterns from the 50 states, plus Canadian Provinces as well as some US Territories.

Here’s what Crystal Palace says: 

50 Socks – 50 States plus Canada, Mexico and Territories (58 sock patterns)

A Sock Book on a CD! (both PC and Mac versions)
Suggested retail is $24.95 for 58 sock patterns and special pages of Fun Facts for each state plus Canada, Mexico and several US Territories. Knit and Learn at the same time.

Check at your local knitting shops or favorite online shops in early January 2010.

Dr. Laura Andersson and editors have put together this collection from sock designers gleaned from all over the internet. A monumental task and a wonderful collection of sock designs for all levels and gauges.

The photos show the states and areas in alphabetical order (click to make bigger).

All socks are knit in Crystal Palace Yarns. All socks are photographed by Susan Druding showing several views and close-ups of each sock. http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns2/socks/50SocksBook.html

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.