Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway: The Encyclopedia of Knitting

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encyclopedia of knitting giveaway

Eunice is the winner!

I’m doing a major cleanout in my office (again), so I’m uncovering some great books that are older but still super useful that I don’t need but I’m sure someone will want.

A lot of books are going to my local library, but when I see one I think you all will like I set it aside for a giveaway, and that pile is getting pretty large, too.

The Encyclopedia of Knitting by Lesley Stanfield and Melody Griffiths came out back in 2000, but the information on techniques is of course all still valid.

And this book covers a lot, including:

  • materials
  • basic skills like how to hold the yarn and needles, cast on, knit, purl and bind off
  • increases and decreases
  • reading charts and other essentials of getting started knitting from a pattern
  • finishing skills
  • hems, facings and fastenings

A lot of the book is taken up by a stitch collection that includes swatches with charted instructions for knit and purl patterns, ribs, cables, twists, lace, bobbles and leaves, stranded color knitting, intarsia color knitting and special effects like entrelace, circular knitting, tucks and pleats, loops, slip stitch colorwork, beading and embroidery.

An inspiration section offers a quick overview of how to design a garment as well as more swatches to give you ideas of how to design a sweater for yourself.

If you’d like a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, July 24. I’d love to know what you’re knitting right now. (I’m still trying to finish the last repeat of a baby blanket I’ve been working on for my cousin’s little boy.)

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

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Comments

  1. I’ve always got some project on the go. It would be great to win this book because I am self taught and am certain it could teach me a lot. Thank you for this chance to win it. xx

  3. Scarf, that’s pretty much all I do, lol. I’m new to knitting and could REALLY use this book!

  4. This is a great book! I’m currently tinking back 26 rows on a sweater in laceweight, because I wasn’t paying attention to the pattern. Oops.

  5. Yesterday, I just finished the last of 3 projects for a baby shower that’s this weekend so I don’t currently have anything started right now. But I think my next project will be a pair of winter hats for my dad.

  7. I am knitting a square for a love blanket fore a young teen who comes to my LYS teen group. She had been told her leukemia is back.

  9. Hello Sarah,

    If I’m not too late, I’m interested in any book you’re willing to pass along. Forced into early retirement, I’m utilizing my time crocheting basic hats/scarfs for the homeless. Yes, I’m re-learning both knitting and crocheting all over again. Thank you.

  12. Trying some very simple tube socks out of string–sounds weird but they are just a practice thing until I’m comfortable with it.

  13. I’m sitting here knitting a wool bag that I think I’m going to felt. But all this stockinette makes me want to get distracted by the internet 🙂

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.