Knitting

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Giveaway: A Couple of Quick Knitting Books

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quick knitting books giveaway

The winner is Lillian!

It’s too late for these to help you with this year’s holiday knitting, but I have been wanting to do this giveaway for a while and it seems appropriate for this time of year.

The winner this week will get a copy of 60 Quick Knits and 60 More Quick Knits from Sixth & Spring Books. The books both have 20 patterns each for hats, scarves and mittens. The first book uses Cascade 220 and the second Cascade 220 Sport.

There books have a great variety of projects, some solid color things as well as fun colorwork, and lots of techniques worked in. Because most of the projects are small, they work up pretty fast for gifts, or when you just want a new knit accessory for yourself.

If you’d like a chance to win these, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, December 20. I’d love to know which is your favorite to knit: hats, scarves or mittens? I’m usually a scarf girl but I’ve been getting into mittens (and gloves) lately.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing and good luck!

Comments

  3. blankies! my family considers my blankies a legacy and i love to make them. i am learning to knit socks and curse. not necesarily at the same time

  6. I love to both knit& crochet. I especially like to do fingerless gloves, they are becoming so popular as of late. I also am excited about how knitting & crocheting is no longer just for “older women”????.

  9. I used to knit a lot of cowls but have recently started on fingerless mitts. Both are well received as gifts at this time of year!

  11. I like to knit scarves, and so I don’t feel bad about knitting only straight things, I like different stitches!! I’d love to knit hats and mittens, I’ve never done mittens!

  12. I absolutely love to make scarves; I’m turning every one I knit into infinity scarves; so fun!

  13. I like to knit hats because they can be quick, but almost prefer to knit fingerless and fingered mitts because they seem to span the seasons longer in Texas.

  19. I love knitting hats and children’s mittens. But, I think I going to get started on learning how to knit socks. Looks like so much fun.

Have you read?

Knit Little Fish to Use Your Yarn Scraps

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out. 

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs. 

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make. 

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color. 

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash. 

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail). 

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs. 

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]