Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway: Knit Yourself In X2

by

knit yourself in hen knitting book review

Anne and Ellie are our winners!

The other day I shared a review of Knit Yourself In: Inventive Patterns to Tell Your Story in the Danish “Hen Knitting” Tradition by Cecilie Kaurin and Linn Bryhn Jacobsen. It’s a fun and colorful book full of somewhat improvisational patterns meant to use up stash and show your personality.

Today I’m giving away two copies so a couple of you can explore this fun knitting style. Check out the review for more information, but the book includes more than 20 patterns using lots of colorful little motifs, mostly from nature, on garments for kids, men and women.

There is one thing that annoyed me about this book — and I totally get that it’s part of the style, but it’s not at all my style — is that motifs are left unfinished if there’s not room for a whole one. So you could be decreasing for a neckline and end up with a headless giraffe at the center front of your garment.

So my question for those of you who want a chance to win this book is: would something like that drive you crazy? If you were making a pattern where the stitches didn’t correspond to the motifs, would you fix it, or would you knit it the more whimsical hen knitting way?

As always, leave a comment before the end of the day Sunday, February 1, if you’d like a chance to win, and there will be two winners this week.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing and good luck!

Comments

  1. I’m like you. Motifs are left unfinished if there’s not room for a whole one drive me crazy.

  5. I’d find a motif that blended well with the pattern. A “headless” giraffe is not a pretty sight!

  11. Maybe it is because I sew, there are times when motifs don’t match, it would not bother me. It (headless giraffe), only adds to the uniqueness and individually of the work.

  12. I don’t think that would bother me. I don’t think that people looking at your garment would notice.

  13. Oooh. Would drive me crazy, but I’m very interested in this book since my dad was Danish and I’ve not learned a lot about the knitting traditions of the Danes.

  14. it depends on what I’m knitting and for whom- I do like to wing it, though. I’ve never heard of hen knitting, but it sounds fun- what a wonderful way to tell a story!

  15. I’m usually very precise, but Hen Kntting sounds like fun, and I’d probably let it go. My Mom was Danish, and taught me to knit; I’d love to win this book.

  18. No question, I would fix it. That headless giraffe would drive me crazy and haunt my dreams. I always make changes in what I knit, even when I don’t think I will.

  19. It would bother me, but I would leave it as an exercise in wabi sabi. But I’d try to choose a motif that wouldn’t matter as much as a giraffe. If I win the book, I’ll give it a try and let you know!

  27. It would definitely drive me crazy and I would have to fix it. I am a perfectionist and I cannot help it!

  30. A headless giraffe on my chest would bother me! Along with everyone pointing at my chest! I would have to move him up to my shoulder or put a different motif in to even up the number of stitches.

Have you read?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.