Alt Fiber and Free Felted Stocking Pattern

Alt Fiber, by Shannon Okey takes knitting with cotton and bamboo clear into another universe to experiment with the likes of corn, soy, hemp, even seaweed, and many more unusual fibers.

The different qualities of each of these fibers is discussed as well as suggestions for patterns based on each type of fiber’s uniqueness.

Nettles, pineapple and silk are explored as is milkweek, ramie and banana.

Got access to a cattail swamp? You guessed it. Spin it with a longer staple fiber and you have a most unique product.

The book also includes a section on natural dyes, plant based dyes and overdying.

On to the patterns; 25 of them including sweaters, coats and jackets, stoles, scarves and wraps, mittens, hats and socks. So the next time your dig out the pesticides to deal with those unmanageable dandelions, grab your wheel instead and watch a whole new world open up!

And, I found the cutest, rustic style Christmas Stockings. A free pattern from Knitting At Knoon, here:

http://www.knittingatknoon.com/stockingpatt.html

Enjoy!!

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The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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