Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Knit a Snowman by Hand or with a Circular Knitting Machine

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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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Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.