KnitBits: Yarn Bombing, Using Scraps and Adorable Ducklings

If you’ve been around the knitting world long, you’ve probably heard the name Magda Sayeg, and if you haven’t, you’ve probably seen some of her work. She’s the person who made yarnbombing into a thing, and is known for her large-scale knit and crochet coverings from city buses, motorcycles and more. She gave a TED talk about how she got started in yarnbombing, the power of putting down your cell phone and making something, and the notion that “hidden power can be found in the most unassuming places.” It’s worth five minutes to watch.

We all have yarn scraps if our stashes, and it’s a great feeling to use up all those little bits. Yarnbombing is one way to do it, but there are lots of others that may or may not include knitting or crochet. This is an old list of 50 projects to make with yarn scraps, but it turned up on Facebook again recently and is definitely worth revisiting. I still want to wrap my office clock in yarn.

If you have any brown scrap yarn in your stash, you can knit yourself a bunch of Hot Cross Buns for Easter. This pattern from My Poppet is super easy and cute, and I missed putting it in my Easter knitting roundup the other day so I wanted to make sure you saw it.

And finally, the Boston Globe reports that the ducks in the Public Garden have been yarnbombed in the most adorable way. The ducks, which honor the story Make Way for Ducklings, have been decked out in tiny scarves and hats thanks to knitwear company STIK (aka S**t That I Knit). Make way for cuteness!

[Photo from STIK, via Instagram.]

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

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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