Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit a Cowl to Show Your Love of Potatoes

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This was meant to be an April Fool’s Day joke, but it’s just like knitters to take something funny and make it into a reality.

I’ve told you before about Jamie Lomax’s doodle cowls and other projects (see also: arctic cowl, holiday doodle hat in this roundup of Christmas knitting patterns), and she, along with the designers behind Fangirl Fibers and Yarnaceous Fibers, decided it would be funny to do an April Fool’s Day set of doodles that can be used on one of her projects.

And what better symbol of pranks and follies than potatoes?

(Actually, I have no idea why potatoes, but I’m going with it. Potatoes are delicious.)

So while the idea was a bit of a prank, the potato doodle charts are very much real, and you can grab the charts to make your own cowl decked out in spuds.

Lest you think there’s just a chart of potatoes here, let me tell you, there are 10 different potato motifs for stitching up russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, French fries, crinkle fries, waffle fries, potato chips, hashbrowns and tater tots. It’s truly a design to make Sam Gamgee proud.

The cowl itself comes in three sizes and you can knit it using sport, DK or light worsted yarn. The charts are mix and match, so you can use all of them in your project or pick your favorites. Make an ode to fries in knit form, or pick the potatoes that best go with your yarn stash.

You can even get a kit from Fangirl Fibers and Yarnaceous Fibers to make your very own potato cowl if you don’t have the yarn on hand.

You can get the free pattern on Ravelry. And don’t miss the great guide to doodle patterns over at the Pacific Knit Co. website, which is a great place to start if you haven’t worked with patterns like this before.

[Photo: Jamie Lomax]

Have you read?

Free Knitted Crown Pattern for Kids and Adults: A Sweet Handmade Dress-Up Idea

There’s something wonderfully charming about a knitted crown. It’s playful, useful for the dress-up basket, and just the sort of small project that gives a leftover ball of yarn a proper purpose. Much better than letting it roll around the cupboard for another three years.

This free knitted crown pattern for kids and adults combines a simple garter-stitch band with shaped triangular points. The mustard-gold colour gives it that storybook crown look, although pink, purple or woodland green would be equally lovely.

A Manageable Next Step for Beginner Knitters

The construction is the appealing part of this design. Everything is knitted flat, so you won’t need double-pointed needles or experience joining stitches in the round.

You knit the band first, then work each crown point separately over a group of 12 stitches. Paired decreases gradually narrow each triangle, giving you a small, repeatable section to concentrate on.

I’d describe this as a confident beginner knitting project. You’ll need to know how to knit, work two types of decreases, hold unused stitches and sew a simple seam. There are several yarn tails to weave in, so a little patience with finishing will help.

Three Sizes With Room to Personalise

The pattern includes three sizes, with seven, eight or nine crown points. Choose by the wearer’s head measurement rather than age, and check your gauge carefully. Yarn stretch will make a noticeable difference to the fit.

For birthdays, an embroidered initial would be a sweet finishing touch. Contrasting yarn diamonds could suggest little jewels without adding hard embellishments.

What to Know Before Casting On

This is a soft knitted crown, so expect gentle points rather than a rigid costume accessory. A springy wool or wool-blend yarn should give the shaping more support than a very drapey yarn.

The stitch calculations have been checked, but the design has not yet been sample-knitted. The accompanying image is an illustrative mockup, so the finished texture and proportions may vary with your yarn and tension.

For a small handmade birthday accessory or a cheerful addition to the dress-up box, this is an appealing idea. And if an adult needs a matching crown for supervising the royal household, the larger size has that covered too.