Knit Socks and a Cozy with Jazz

I like to come up with themes for different days of the week to amuse myself and make it a little easier to plan out content for the month, so I’ve decided that from now until I get tired of it Wednesdays will be “Whimsy Wednesdays,” where I share some kind of fun, maybe a little wacky, knitting pattern that has tickled me in some way and I hope will do the same for you.

If you’re a child of the 1990s, you probably immediately recognize the graphic on this sock and cup cozy combo. The iconic design is called Jazz, and it was used on disposable cups through 2015 and has been seen copied onto all sorts of things, including cars, shoes and now, socks.

The Paint Brush socks and cup cozy pattern from Etsy seller Lost Socks Knits features a woolly variation of the classic teal and purple strokes, with a bit of extra colorwork around the foot near the toe.

The pattern comes in three sizes, which are made by adjusting the needle sizes, and they are worked from the top down using three colors of sock yarn. The colorwork sections are charted, and the sock includes a heel flap and gusset. Of course you could work them in other colors but the ones shown here really are classic and will make it easier for people to understand the reference.

The coordinating cup cozy comes in one size and is a fun addition to the ensemble (and of course it’s fitting to have the design on something cup related). Stitch these up to wear and use at your next yoga class or as a gift for a friend who loves all things late 2th century.

You can grab the pattern from Etsy. Lost Socks Knits has a small but cute collection of sock knitting patterns including flowers, axolotls, owls and hearts.

[Photo: Stephanie Maz]

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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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