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

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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