Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Inca Knits

by

 The Incas, a culture and a people, have roots in small provincial towns, each with a unique language and history that is fascinating to outsiders. They were a democratic people who never allowed their Indian culture to be destroyed by conquerors. Their social and work cultures are as strong today as when they built astounding stone structures that cannot be replicated with today’s advanced technology. Llamas, cats, birds and many other animals as well as labyrinth motifs are often found in Latin American textiles and pottery.

This is the basis of Inca Knits. All of these geometrics and colors are combined to give this style a very unique signature.

But this isn’t just a project book. Techniques include stranded two-color knitting, double knitting, intarsia knitting and short row shaping. You will also learn new and innnovative uses of color and patterns, interesting construction and texture techniques and discover how to find inspiration in various landscapes, wildlife, textiles and even the pottery of the high Andes. Evey project in Inca Knits has a striking feature, be it an interesting combination of yarn and pattern, a clever use of stitch pattern, or an unusual form of construction. All patterns are knitter-friendly and contain detailed instructions.

This book is available from Interweave, here.

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.