Fun Knits for Thanksgiving

I’m not much of a Thanksgiving decorator, but every time I look at the adorable fall-themed knitting patterns out there I wonder why that is. There are so many cute little turkeys, acorns, leaves and other great things for the table that it makes me want to pull out some orange and brown yarn and get stitching.

Last year I brought you a roundup of lots of great Thanksgiving knitting patterns, but I wanted to add a few new ones to the list if you’re looking for something to knit over the next couple of weeks.

This Pilgrim Bonnet is a great choice if you’re looking for a historically appropriate outfit for Thanksgiving or just need to yarnbomb a statue, as the original version from the tangle blog was made for.

Sassy Skein’s Thanksgiving Tea Towel could be for any holiday — or any day — depending on what color you made it. Her’s is a lovely orange cotton yarn with a great nubby stitch pattern perfect for drying the post-Thanksgiving meal dishes.

Elaine from Down Cloverlaine has a cute turkey bib for a little one that could easily be worked as a washcloth, just don’t do the shaping at the top.

Also make sure you check out the Thanksgiving knitting patterns roundup from Stitch and Unwind (love the little pumpkin napkin rings!) for some more great ideas.

Do you knit for Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear what you’ve made in the past or what you’re working on this year.

Looking for more Thanksgiving patterns check these out on Etsy.

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I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks.

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks.

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more.

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel.

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options.

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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