Free “Shrowl” Pattern from Stephen West

Thanks to the WEBS Facebook page, my attention was called to this fun new pattern with a funny name. The Shrowl by Stephen West is so named because it’s a shrug and a cowl.

The piece is worked flat, then you sew the cast on and bind off edges together and sew another little seam to make arm holes (if you want to wear it as a shrug; it would be lovely just as a giant cowl).

The project is available as a free download from Ravelry; it’s also part of West’s pattern ebook, WestKnits Book 4: Made for Movement. The 10 pattern collection is full of hats and shawls, and you can buy the whole thing for $20 (or download and printed versions for $22).

Incidentally, West is in the running for the About.com Knitting Readers’ Choice Award for favorite knitwear designer. If you like his stuff, go give him a vote. There are also categories for favorite knitting blog, favorite knitting book of 2012, favorite yarn company and favorite needle brand.

[Photo via Ravelry.]

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Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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