Help Knitters Produce a Book Inspired by the Midwest

Knitters Allyson Dykhuizen and Carina Spencer are lifelong residents of the midwestern United States, and they know there’s a lot special about that part of the world (as do I, being born as I was in Iowa).

They’re working on a project with a bunch of other midwestern designers called, appropriately enough, Midwestern Knits. The book will feature 12 or 13 designs inspired by the history and culture of the midwest and using yarn from local producers.

Essays will be included in the book to explore the inspiration behind each design as well.

The project is being funded by a Kickstarter, and there’s about a week left to contribute if you’d like to see this book become a reality. There are all sorts of great thank yous involved, from free pattern downloads to kits, or even having a sweater knit for you. All pledges of $25 or more include a copy of the book when it comes out, which is expected to happen next fall.

I hope you’ll check the project out and give if it moves you.

[Photo via Kickstarter.]

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Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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