Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Book Review: Quick Knit Baby Toys

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Babies like the simple things, including when it comes to toys. While it’s lots of fun to knit elaborate projects for babies (and others!), it’s also totally fine to knit simple things. Baby might just end up liking the more basic toys more because they’re not so precious they can’t be played with. 

Designer Juliette Michelet has designed 20 beginner-friendly doll projects for babies she shares in her book Quick Knit Baby Toys: 20 Beginner-Friendly Patterns for Knitted Baby Comforters. 

The patterns all call for the same materials: fingering weight yarn for knitting the bodies, plus lace weight for embroidery; size 0 US/2 mm knitting needles in straight and circular configurations; thread for embroidering; scissors and a tapestry needle. 

The book covers the basics of knitting and embroidery that are needed to finish the projects, but it’s all pretty basic and the bodies of the dolls are worked flat in rectangles with minimal shaping (ears are worked in the round). There’s more to explain for finishing than there is for knitting, as how you sew up the pieces makes them look like little dolls. 

The creations are as follows:

  • little man with blue hat 
  • apple baby
  • mum with an embroidered skirt
  • little man with a bird sweater
  • sailor
  • sweetheart
  • explorer
  • bear in a ruff
  • bear with hearts
  • deer
  • bird
  • cat
  • rabbit
  • mouse
  • sheep
  • lion
  • elf
  • fox 
  • king
  • witch

The patterns all have fun details such as gold embroidery and a crown on the king, or a little hat with a pompom on top for the bird. The photography is whimsical, showing the characters in different scenes that could inspire creative play if your older kiddos look at the pictures. 

The back of the book includes charts and instructions for embroidery so you can make your dolls look just like the ones in the book or you can go your own way to make different designs on sweaters and skirts, for example. These projects would be great little stash busters, and you can always make them bigger by using heavier yarn if you like. (The patterns don’t say how big these are.) 

These dolls would be a lot of fun to knit and are pretty quick projects so you can make a basket full for a little one in your life. 

About the book: 80 pages, paperback, 20 patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $17.99.

 

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.