Knit a Snowman by Hand or with a Circular Knitting Machine

A little while back I got a 40 peg Sentro circular knitting machine, and while I haven’t used it that much, I am trying to use it more often and learn a bit more about what it can do.

One thing that seems to be really popular to make with it this time of year is a knitted snowman, so I decided to give it a try.

The snowman’s body is a tube, which you close at the bottom, stuff, then cinch in for the “neck” and stuff the head and close it up at the top. It takes just a few minutes to make and is really cute.

I couldn’t resist accessorizing mine, so I hand knit a little garter stitch scarf and a beanie.

You could, of course, knit the snowman itself by hand, too, if you don’t happen to have a circular knitting machine (they are really fun, though, and it seems like they’re on sale a lot, or you could ask for one for Christmas). I have vague instructions for that in the post as well, but it’s just knitting a tube of whatever size you like and then finishing it in the same way.

For accessories, you can add buttons to the stomach area, knit a scarf and a hat like I did, use the knitting machine to make a hat, make a scarf out of felt or fleece…there are really a lot of options and it’s hard to resist making your snowman a whole wardrobe. Maybe that just means I need to knit more snowmen to accessorize!

If you’re looking for an even easier (in terms of finishing, anyway) knitting project to try for a circular knitting machine, you’ll want to check out my loop knit scarf, too. This is a project you can make in a few hours, and either one of them would be great for gifting!

Knitting Pattern Snowman Hat

Knit Little Snowman Holiday Ornaments

Super Sweet Christmas Ornaments to Knit

Pom Pom Snowman – How To

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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