Knits for the Home for Spring

There’s something about the coming of spring that makes you want to change things up around the house, right? Whether you get the feeling you want to repaint a room (I’m thinking hard about upgrading my beige office) or you want to sew some new pillows for the couch, now is a great time to get going on projects for the home.

Of course there are a lot of great things you can knit to make your house a little more cozy and ready for spring. Here are a few projects that have crossed my radar lately to get you thinking.

The Cable Me Cozy Pillow Cover from Carla Smith for Knit Picks is a little heavy looking, but it’s fine knitting for these spring days when it’s still a little cool mornings and evenings. The yarn used is a cozy alpaca and wool blend that will take you through all the seasons, and bright colors like red, green and blue are perfect for jazzing up the couch any time of year.

I have always wanted to knit a curtain, and the cute little cafe curtain from Berroco called Christine’s Curtains (designed by Emily Nora O’Neil) would be a great one to try. It’s lacy so it lets some light in while still offering a bit of protection from the sun, and it’s a great way to show the world — or at least all your house guests — that you’re a knitter.

Of course spring is all about spring cleaning, too, and if you’re going to have to clean you might as well make it a little fun. I love knit dishcloths and washcloths for this very reason, and the Citrus Slice Dishcloth from Yarnspirations is a great way to bring a little cheer to any cleaning job. It’s worked in a spiral with a little contrasting yarn for the slices, and it’s sure to bring a smile to your face no matter what cleaning task you’re up against.

Do you ever knit projects for your home? I’d love to hear about it!

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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