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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Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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