Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway: Faux Taxidermy Knits

by

faux taxidermy knits giveaway

Patricia is the winner.

I recently shared a story about Louise Walker, a British knitter who has turned knitting faux taxidermy animals into a booming business, and it just happens that I found my copy of her book, Faux Taxidermy Knits, in my donate pile so I thought it was the right time to do a giveaway.

The book is a lot of fun, with both wearable projects and home decor inspired by animals. Check out all the projects on Raverly.

I have a friend who covets the wolf headdress, and I have to say it is pretty amazing.

If you’d like a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, Sept. 11. I’d love to know what your favorite wild animal is, if you can narrow it down to just one (I’ve always been partial to cheetahs, but I’m not sure I’d want to knit cheetah print!).

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

Save

Comments

  1. I would have to say my favorite wild animal is a leopard. That should be easier then a Cheetah. LOL

  2. With my grandchildren in the south (read that as hot climate) my usual gifts of hats, scarfs and mittens are no longer wanted or needed. Your book of Fayx Taxiderny Knits could give me a way to still gift with knitted items.

  3. I’ve already made an anatomically correct shark hat as well as an anaconda hat scarf in crochet. Guess I’m obsessed with animal weirdness and also new to knitting. please help me move beyond scarves and dishcloths (yawn).

  4. My favorite wild animal is a deer. But I have to say I want to make that fox it’s so cool and winter is right around the corner.

  8. I just love those hedgehog slippers!!! They look so happy that I think I would smile every time I looked at my feet.

  9. I wonder if my husband would notice if I knit something from this book and hung it up with his other deer heads in the house??

  12. Love to knit unique unusual projects. Smile thinking of how
    delighted a child would be to receive an animal themed item.
    The Panda Bear would be one of my favorite wild animal.

  14. the theme for our county fair next year is “party with the animals” this would be perfect!

  17. How cute!!! the fox scarf would make a wonderful gift for my grandchildren. I feel just positive my husband would tell them some outrageous story about how he found a fox skin. they would then want to find more!!!!

  20. I love this book… My favorite local wild animals are deer, squirrels & rabbits (all wild in my yard). Favorites that I don’t see in my yard have to be elephants & tigers.

  22. I’m partial to the whole cat family, but leopards are my most favorite. I’ve already knit leopard print and it’s not so bad! Cheetah should be easier 😛

  29. I have I have a collection of hippos but that badger is pretty fun too! You’re right, lots of great projects in this book

  36. We have many critters in our woods. I would have to choose between the little fox I see from time to time or the white tail deer or the cute little black squirrels or the wild turkeys or the family of rabbits that live here too! Tough choice but I would have to go with the little black squirrels.

  37. My favorite wild critters are Squirrels and Crows. I feed them both in my backyard, but haven’t thought of knitting their likeness before!

Have you read?

Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.