Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Free Knitting Patterns: Ornaments for an Advent Calendar

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mitten ornament just crafty enoughKat at Just Crafty Enough had a really fun idea for an advent calendar that she’s sharing with the rest of us. Instead of the traditional candy or toys to be unwrapped with each day’s reveal, hers has knit Christmas ornaments to put on the tree. Because it takes a while to fill up 24 spaces, she’s already started working on her ornaments, and is posting a new pattern each week.

I just caught the series now, in week four, where she presented really cute mini mittens embellished with a bit of stranded knitting. You can catch up with the other patterns there, as well as learn how she made her advent calendar (which involves embroidery and sewing and will take a fair piece longer than a week to make, but is lovely).

This is a great idea for building Christmas anticipation without giving the kids a piece of candy every day for the better part of a month, but even if you don’t do the advent calendar part you’ll have a great collection of knit things for the tree in the end.

[Photo by Just Crafty Enough.]

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Knit Yourself Some Pockets

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag. 

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets. 

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets. 

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash. 

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic. 

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts. 

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around? 

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy. 

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]