Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Add Interest to Your Knitting with Knit Pleats

by

knitting pleats book
The winner is spierssusan.

Knitting Pleats is an older knitting book that I reviewed quite a while ago, but I hung onto it because the concept is so fun and intriguing.

The book explores how to make permanent folds — aka pleats — in knit fabric by knitting for a while, picking up some stitches and working them together with the live stitches to fold the fabric.

It’s a really interesting technique to play with, and it can be used in all sorts of ways, from making a bag that folds to shaping a shawl or adding interest to a top. (Check out the patterns on Ravelry.)

If you’d like to win this book, leave a comment on this post by the end of the day Sunday, March 26. I’d love to know if you’ve ever worked with knit pleats before (I haven’t!) and what you might use them for. If I were keeping the book, I’d knit the Concertina Bag and Silver Darts, for sure.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  1. So many of the patterns are very interesting! I would love to win a copy!
    Thank you for sharing.

  2. If I were to win this book, I would definitely make the Ribbons and Ties sweater. It can be old fashioned or new age. I really love that one and also the Silver Darts.

  6. Never thought to knit pleats, what a new and brilliant concept! I would knit the Lipstick Glamour, sharpen my skills and then design some more tops for my daughter. She is a Double D and so it is often very hard to find something that either does not look stretched to death round the top and fits the rest of her or fits around the top and hangs like a sack around the rest of her body. Pleats may be the answer to give that extra room.

  7. So creative. I love the Wings Butterfly shawl. I am always trying to stretch my imagination when I knit a garment by either adding embellishments such as. beads, fringe or flowers. Pleats would be so cool and original in a creation. Would love to share this with my fellow knitters.

  8. I love knitting and this is very interesting. I think I may try to do this for my granddaughter for graduation. I think she would love it. I don’t do to much pattern work for I have had many operations on my eyes, I lost all sight but now have a limited amount back, but I think I will still have to try this and see if it comes out for me. Thank you for the chance in winning this book.

  9. I think elements of architecture (building in ridges, folds) is fascinating. It turns fabric into a sort of origami.

  10. How serendipitous. I just saw a wicked cool pattern for a pleated hat and I’ve never worked pleats before. Now seeing this, I see there is so many more fun things to do with them.

  12. Oh my gosh I. Would live to work these up. The are so elegant and I’ve never seen pleats bit definitely sparks one’s imagination.

  13. I haven’t knitted pleats, but it looks such a fun technique! I love the Silver Darts T.

  14. Very cool! I haven’t tried this technique yet, but I’m up for it! Thank you for sharing.

  15. I’ve never seen this technique before, and it has me absolutely fascinated!! The main project I fell in love with was the Borderline Pleated Trim Jacket, but would also love to try the Eve’s Ribs Sweater in a solid yarn or two solid colors, and the Butterfly Shawl was really quite unique, since I love making shawls!! The shawl on the cover is quite different, too, but I would have to tweak that pattern slightly, if I got good enough with the pleating technique, since I don’t care much for bobbles!! Thank you for offering such a wonderful, new and unique giveaway, that not many people will have in their collection!!

Have you read?

Knit a Glasses Holder for Your Bedside Table

knit glasses holder

Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]