Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

It Itches! So Knit A Snowflake!

by

It Itches, by Franklin Habit

Ingredients:
1 batch of humorous cartoons about knitting and everyday life.
3 shakes of the inevitable boo boos
and a generous helping of short essays.
Bake until it’s green and you’ll have the cutest little knitting book ever. One of the funniest knitting books I think I’ve ever read.

This particular cartoon, taken from the book, is entitled “Free Range Knitters”. Loved it!

And there are way more cartoons and essays in there that I can relate to than I’d like to admit. And it’s cute! And little! A perfect stocking stuffer! Hint!

Is your stash out of control? This book will tell you how to take it from behind the couch to where it belongs, occupying every inch of space available. If you haven’t been treated to Franklin’s blog, go here:
http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/

Interweave publishes his book and they say this:
Franklin Habit is known for his witty writing and his New Yorker-style cartoons about knitting and life. His cartoons address the undeniable urge to purchase yarn, the (mostly) friendly rivalry between knitters, the expression of love through yarn and needles, and more!
The book includes seventy-five cartoons, deftly rendered in pen and ink with watercolor wash, in addition to humorous short essays on various themes of the knitting life.

You’ll find yourself in this fun collection of essays and cartoons. It Itches is also a great gift idea for knitters who speak the same knitting language.

Go to page 20 to read about Monsters in the Closet
Man vs. Skein pg 40 (this was my personal favorite!)
Immortality pg 50
The Underpants Knitters of Great Fussing-on-the-Wold pg 58
Advice from a Poncho pg 68
The Knit Stitch: Theme and Variations pg 82
Knittin’ with a Whip pg 90
It’s a Guy Thing pg 102
And there are more!
Is your book pile already too big? Don’t fret, this one’s a quick read, and will definitely keep you laughing all the way through it. Go here to order this wonderful book, or second thought, order 6 or 7 for all your knitting peeps! http://www.interweave.com/knit/books/it-itches/toc.asp (remember the stocking stuffer thing?)

And now for your free snowflake pattern:

Ok, so technically this one is crocheted, but I loved it’s simplicity. It would be gorgeous with a strand of silvery stuff (technical term for the lame that I tore apart to spin in with some of my yarn).

Try it! The free pattern is here:

http://www.theknittingparlour.co.uk/doc/christmas%20snowflake%20pattern.pdf

 

Comments

  1. I actually DID knit a snowflake! It is on Holiday Mystery Gift Along (a yahoo group that’s growing by leaps and bounds).
    I love your beautiful crocheted snowflake and will grab it after submitting this here comment!
    Visiting your site kept me busy for an hour!

Have you read?

Double Knitting Hot Pad Patterns

Double knitting is a lot of fun to do, but if you’re new to the process it can be intimidating to start with a big project. That’s why I have a little set of double knit coasters on my website that takes you through the basics, but these double knit hot pads are also a great option when you’re learning double knitting or just looking for a small project. 

My love of quilt themed projects is well documented, so you can imagine how I feel about the Folksy Hot Pads from Shelli Can (Ravelry). These quilt block inspired hot pads use DK weight yarn and there are two pattern options and three size options for you to choose from. 

Nifty Knitter Designs has a ton of double knit potholder patterns, but I wanted to highlight this one with a maple leaf since we’re headed into fall where I live as I write this. This would be a great one to use on your Thanksgiving table or all through the season. It calls for worsted weight yarn. 

Interestingly, a lot of the potholder knitting patterns I found have animals on them, which is fun. Indian Love by Sonja Neukomm features an elephant decorated with flowers and is available on Ravelry. this one calls for sport weight yarn and the pattern is in English and German. The pattern also includes a lotus flower design so you can knit both. 

Cat’s all Folks by Susan U is a free pattern on Ravelry with a checkerboard cat design. This one is so cute and looks like a lot of fun to knit in sport weight yarn. 

As knitters we love our sheep, and there’s also a sheep themed double knit potholder from AMHIYU. This design calls for worsted weight yarn and looks great in black and white, but you can use any colors you like. 

Finally, there’s this lovely set of five double knit potholder patterns from Knitting Knicely. You’ll find a squirrel, rabbit, deer, bear catching a fish and a fox in this set. These call for super fine yarn which allows them to have more detail. 

Ready to take on a bigger project? Check out more double knitting patterns.