Knit a Sock Weight Balaclava

I usually think of balaclavas as being for the coldest part of winter. I knit my husband one (one of the rare things I’ve knit for him because I knew he would actually use it) and he wears it for shoveling snow from the driveway or other needed outdoor things when it’s super cold outside.

But you might want a similar head-hugging design even when it’s not the dead of winter.

In that case, you’ll need Nick Davis’ Socklaclava (let’s not talk about how much time I spent playing with pronouncing that work, OK?). As you can probably guess from the name, this is a balaclava style knit hat that’s made with sock yarn.

And much like the little garter stitch shawl I shared earlier this week, it’s actually intended to be made with leftovers from other projects, giving it a scrappy, color blocked look. But go ahead and use a whole skein of the same yarn if you want. I won’t tell. It calls for 330 to 400 yards, or 302 to 366 meters, of yarn, so you can play with your stash to make a unique topper or two.

The pattern is more like a hood than a face mask style balaclava, which is also probably better when the temperature is a little warmer. The ribbed section at the bottom can cover the neck or it can be folded up to look like the brim of a hat. The top of the hood is worked in garter stitch with some stockinette stitch stripes for contrast, so it’s a fun knit in terms of giving you lots of different things to do, and a fun way to bust a little bit of stash.

It comes in two sizes so it should fit teens, women and men.

You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Nick Davis]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern

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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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