Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

KnitBits: Spring Break Edition

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knit bunny from a sqaureIt’s spring break here in Arkansas, so I’ve got a super-short KnitBits for you this week as I get ready to go out on a little hike with my family.

If you need one more quick Easter project to make, or plan to spend some of the weekend teaching a child how to knit, here’s how you make a bunny from a square of Garter Stitch. It’s a perfect first project and a way to keep that first wonky swatch that you’ll actually enjoy looking at. This roundup of square bunny patterns is from BeesDIY.

One reason so many people love knitting in the round is because there aren’t seams to sew up at the end, but the Fringe Association makes a good argument for why you might still want to knit your sleeves flat, even on a top-down sweater worked in the round. The short answer to why is because it’s easier than knitting a small circumference in the round and it adds structure to the sleeves; click through for the how you actually do it.

Finally, OK, this one is crochet, but it’s still awesome. Meet Yolanda Soto-Lopez, a 55-year-old crocheting abuela and YouTube sensation in the crochet crowd. She’s making six figures on her tutorial videos, which can take up to 30 hours to shoot, and she’s racked up more than 70 million page views. Amazing.

Looking for more Easter themed Knitting patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found over on Etsy.

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Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.