KnitBits: Mum Knits Her Son, Jessica Jones Knits, Charities for Knitters and More

It’s hard for parents when their kids get past the cuddling and talking to us stage, so one mom of a tween boy took the matter into her own hands and knit a suit that looks like her son.

She says she and her son worked on it together, and it actually has attributes of both her sons, though it’s sized such that only the younger one can wear it. The suit consists of a knit head with cap, a sweater with hands, knit pants with sneakers and a knit iPod.

She said they decided to take pictures of the project in action, and said it would also be fun to knit one for mothers whose kids don’t want to cuddle anymore.

The world lost several greats this week, and Ravelry celebrated the life of David Bowie with a roundup of Bowie-inspired knit and crochet projects. I love the Labyrinth mitts!

Krysten Ritter, the actress who plays Jessica Jones, recently talked about her knitting obsession with Vulture. She says she’s been “knitting like crazy” because with all the travel she’s been doing she needs something that’s just for her. She says she learned to knit from her grandmother and picked it up again on the set of Mona Lisa Smile, where “everybody” was knitting, including, of course, Julia Roberts.

If you’re into charity knitting or would like to start, Mental Floss recently published a list of 10 places looking for donations of yarn craft. From blankets for babies to bowl-nests for baby birds, knitted knockers to afghans for Afghans, it’s a great list.

And finally, in a move I would have thought happened a long time ago, yarn craft pro Vickie Howell has launched a YouTube channel. As of this writing there are seven videos covering some of the basics of knitting, including a couple of cast ons, knitting, purling, a couple of decrease methods, how to join a new ball of yarn and binding off. It’s a great go-to if you or someone you know is in need of instruction in the basics.

[Photo via Club Geluk.]

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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