Fashion Trends You Can Use in Your Knitting

This time of year knits, if not exactly knitting, are in the news a lot. Everyone wants to don a knit sweater, hat or accessory to stay warm and look fashionable through the season.

I’ve written before about knitting related fashion trends (giant scarves and cowls, and in general anything bulky) but today I’ve got a few more for you.

The Guardian has declared 2015 the year of the pom-pom beanie, which it describes as “one part library geek, one part glamour,” and saying “this hat channels that adorbs Instamodel thing where they go out for casual pizza nights and take squad photos looking gorgeous pulling silly faces. And you don’t even have to wash your hair.”

The examples shown in the story are mostly furry not yarn pom-poms, but of course we can make our own and add them to our own handknit hats.

Another stylish accessory of the moment we can make ourselves is the knit headband. PopSugar recently put together a slideshow of options, most of which we could easily knit ourselves. Look above to see the crazy simple knit headband from Barney’s that costs, I kid you not, $125. One case in which you can easily knit it yourself for less, even if you use cashmere. Get started with my collection of headband knitting patterns.

One knitting-related trend you might not want to DIY is sweater nails. Using gel polish and a dotting tool, you (or a trained professional, let’s be honest) can make textures on your nails that look like cabled sweaters. They’re really cute but I’m guessing I don’t have patience for such a thing. How about you? Would you do it?

Looking for more Knitted Beanie patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Next Pattern:

There are so many baby blanket knitting patterns out there I could probably do a post a month full of them and not run out for a very long time. This time I thought I’d look specifically at single color baby blankets that are interesting because of the inclusion of textured stitching. This makes them easy enough for new knitters but engaging for knitters of all skill levels.

Take the Textured Checks Baby Blanket from Janet Dubbelman for example. This project is mostly stockinette stitch, with some what looks like reverse stockinette and garter stitch thrown in to make the ridges. You can use whatever yarn weight you like to make blankets of different sizes. Find the pattern on Ravelry.

The Seedling from Modern Made Shop is just about as easy as it comes, combining seed stitch with a garter stitch border. It calls for worsted weight yarn and is perfect for beginners.

The Julie Baby Blanket by Elisabeth Kristiansen is another one with an easy allover stitch pattern that you can knit up in a flash in whatever size you want. (The pattern notes say any gauge but it also says 28 stitches per 4 inches, which would be a superfine or fine weight yarn. Learn more on Ravelry.

The Oscar Baby Blanket from Snufflebean is another one with an easy repeating stitch pattern that has a really fun, graphic effect. This is also great worked in a bright color, reminding us that babies don’t have to be in pastels! This one uses DK weight yarn.

If you want to get a little fancier, check out Sammy Bristow’s Georges Blanket. This one alternates blocks of stockinette stitch with boats and anchors made by purling on the right side of the blanket. It calls for DK weight yarn and has multiple sizes for dolls through toddlers. Check it out on Ravelry.

Another cute texture is this heart blanket with diamonds that are a little reminiscent of argyle. Yarn Sonata Patterns has this one, which is worked in DK weight yarn and comes in four sizes. It includes a chart and row by row instructions.

Or try the pretty Seton Portage baby blanket from Knitted Wishes, which has a border of trees and textured stitches that look like snow falling. The pattern includes different options for snowflakes and doing a mirror image of the trees on each end of the blanket. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn. This one includes charts, written instructions and video tutorials for special stitches.

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