Don’t Let the Pigeon Knit the Sweater!

Michelle Tsai is a Jeopardy! champ known for wearing her handknits when she competed in games. She wore a Weasley-style sweater vest with a giant M, a tank top with a heart shaped cutout, and a sweater that looks like a pigeon.

Really.

I mean, her Instagram handle is michellelikesbirds, so I guess it makes sense, though the birds she’s referring to are her cockatiels, who also have their own Instagram.

She wore the sweater on Jeopardy! back in December and she said at the time she was working on a pattern, and the excitement among knitters was huge.

The pattern has now been released so you can knit your own sweater to make you look like a pigeon. Because the world needs a little more weird.

The pattern is worked in worsted weight yarn, in the round from the top down. It has options to do a crew neck or turtleneck, and has a circular yoke for the pigeony pattern that really does look like the coloring on a pigeon’s neck.

The sweater uses six colors of yarn, and the ones at the beginning don’t need a lot, so you might have something in your stash that would work. She used Plymouth Encore worsted and lists the color names in the pattern notes if you want to use the same ones.

There are 10 sizes available, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 31 inches to 67 inches, or 79 to 170 cm. Recommended ease is 4-6 inches, or 10-15 cm.

There are a lot of projects on the go on Ravelry so you can see different yarns that people have used, though of course they’re sticking to the same general colors so that it will still look like a pigeon.

I think this sweater is adorable and hilarious and brilliant and I’m a little sad I’ve decided I have quite enough sweaters for now (other than the couple still on my needles LOL) or I would probably be knitting one too.

Check it out and grab a copy on Ravelry.

[Photo: Michelle Tsai]

When my daughter was in early elementary school we were at Joann together (RIP) and she picked out some variegated pink and white blanket yarn for me to knit a blanket for her bed. Now probably 10 years later, it’s one of her favorite possessions. I note this because the blankets we give to little ones might seem simple on the surface, like something they need to keep warm, but they can turn into so much more.

Take the Pocketful of Love Blanket from Purl Soho. On the surface this is a pretty but also easy to knit blanket for a little one. It’s worked in garter stitch stripes using sport weight yarn (the sample is a superwash wool, but this would also be nice in cotton or a blend) and available in a crib or small throw size. Though of course because it’s garter stitch, it’s pretty easy to make it any size you want.

But what makes this blanket extra special is the little details. The slip stitch selvedges and I-cord bind off give it a crisp look that’s perfect with the garter stitch of the body.

And then there’s the pocket.

This is a big pocket. At 10 inches wide and 12.25 inches tall (that’s 25.4 by 31 cm) for the crib size and 12.75 by 14.25 inches (32.4 by 36 cm) for the throw, you can easily fit a favorite stuffed animal, toy or book into the pocket.

I love how even though it uses the same striped garter stitch pattern as the blanket, it’s stitched down so the stripes run the opposite way (horizontal when the blanket stripes are vertical), though of course you can match stripes if you’d rather.

I think this blanket has the potential to be greatly loved by the little one its given to, and by the knitter look for an easy, pretty baby blanket with a little extra useful twist.

Grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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