Friday Fun: Hospice Yarn Bombing, Mr. Rogers’ Sweaters and More

It seems like I have a bunch of little things to talk about that have piled up from my vacation last week, so let’s do a bit of a lightning round, shall we?

The First Fall Knitty is out, which seems a little crazy when it’s not even officially summer yet, but I know we knitters need time to work on projects before the season hits. Lost of fun shawls and cowls, a knit tie, a really pretty hat and some sweaters and other good stuff, too. I like Bosco, and Romi’s gorgeous knit rainbow earrings. I might be making some today, even though I hardly ever wear earrings.

A tree and the lawn around Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court hospice in Gloucestershire were secretly decorated with knitting and crochet, apparently by someone who had used the hospice’s services. The tree was yarn bombed with flowers and little stitched people were set out beneath the tree having a tea party. What a lovely gesture of whimsy that brought lots of smiles to people’s faces.

All of us of a certain age probably love Mister Rogers, and as knitters we should love him even more for his cardigans (which his mom knit for him; cue the “awww”s). Owen Phillips at the Awl recently shared that Tim Lybarger at Neighborhood Archive has charted the colors of the cardigans worn by Mister Rogers in every episode of his show from 1979 to 2001. There were just three episodes in that time when he didn’t wear a sweater. His favorite colors? Green and red. I don’t know why we needed this information, but I’m still glad it’s available. Check it out!

[Photo: Gloucestershire Live.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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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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