Holla Knits Accessories is Here

You probably know by now that I’m a pretty big fan of Holla Knits, a web-based collection of cool knits that are shown worked in an indie yarn as well as a yarn by Knit Picks. You can buy the patterns individually or purchase the whole collection.

The newest installment, Holla Knits Accessories 2012, recently hit the web and, as usual, there’s some really cute stuff here. There are two shrugs, a double-knit purse, a scallop-covered clutch big enough to fit your iPad, a cowl inspired by wallpaper and a loopy hat with long, not quite scarf-like ties that end in pom-poms (it really is kind of freakishly cute).

The patterns run $4 individually or $12 for the bunch. I think my favorite this time around is Black Swan by Tara Shade, a chunky shrug-like pullover with a little split collar and cap sleeves. It’s the perfect thing to knit right now and make all your summer dresses last a little longer.

[Photo via Holla Knits.]

Looking for knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking for pullover and sweater patterns? Check these books out.

For the past few years I’ve taken part in a Christmas in July blog hop that encourages people to get a jump on their making for holiday gifts.

I love to use yarn I already have for these projects in the hope that people will consider what they already have that they can use to make projects for themselves or to give as gifts.

This year it was a couple of knit baskets made using partial balls of yarn left in my stash from other projects.

They use the same basic pattern but the first one is made with two colors of bulky yarn, and the second used two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, which made the gauge about the same, but I cast on fewer stitches to make a smaller version.

The bottom of the basket is square, though you can make them rectangular if you’d rather. Then I just knit up the sides in rounds until I was about to run out of yarn. This gave both baskets rather short sides — maybe more like a tray than a basket — but you can keep knitting as long as you like to make the sides of your basket as tall as you want.

They’re worked in seed stitch, which keeps the edges from curling and adds a nice texture to the baskets.

Of course this also allows you to use even more odd balls from your stash. I’d love to make a big one someday combining lots of different yarn. I mean, I’d probably use it to store more yarn, but that’s a fine thing to do.

As it is, these little trays are great for sitting on your desk or bedside table to hold little things that always seem to appear there. I like to use one to hold the supplies for whatever project I’m working on, things like little scissors, my tape measure, a crochet hook, etc.

And they would make good gifts on their own or as a container to hold some other goodies if you like.

You can find the free pattern for these stash busting baskets over at Our Daily Craft.

Have you read?