Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway – Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin

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boutiqueWhat’s funky, trendsetting, head turning, styling and just flat-out fun? Boutique Knits, 20 Must Have Accessories by Laura Irwin from Interweave Press.

You can get it from Interweave, here: http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Books/Boutique-Knits.html

Or, leave me a comment telling me about your knitting blog (or your favorite blog if you don’t have your own) and maybe win this book free! As usual, I’ll try to get my puppy to wake up long enough to pick the winner!

Boutique Knits includes:

  • Patterns that cover a variety of knitting techniques in varying degrees, including felting, intarsia, Fair Isle, lacework, and cables
  • Advice on incorporating non-knitting tools and techniques to transform your knitting to achieve that one-of-a-kind boutique feel: pliers, hammers, a sewing machine, use of millinery techniques, and handsewing techniques.
  • Unique adornment inspiration, such as buckles and bolts borrowed from leatherwork close an intricately cabled belt, a chain handle finishes a felted bag with circle pockets, leather lacing dresses up a knitted bag, and grommets finish a half-felted handbag.
  • Inspiration from vintage lace, beads, ribbon, and fabric-covered buttons!
  • Knitting and felting techniques to create effects like ruffles, shibori-style pleats, and clever shaping.
  • And more!

This collection of modern, stylish patterns will inspire beginning and intermediate knitters with its uncommon techniques and materials. Transform your knitting with Boutique Knits!

Comments

  2. Hello there
    I must admit that I am soooo new to blogs!
    My sister (bless her) just introduced me to the mania!! I am sooo hooked I don’t have a fav at this time so I will start with yours
    Cheers
    Catie

  3. Don’t have a blog, but love the read and listen to Never Not Knitting. So many interesting patterns and her little girl is darling.

  4. I don’t have a blog.. but read many.. I especially love Spud and Chloe and natural suburbia, as well as Helene Rush from Knit one Crochet two.. Hope I win this book

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.]