Knitting

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Knitting for Dogs, Cats, and Yarnbombing

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yarn bomb canadaJacksonville, Fla., resident Jane Cottrel has been busy knitting scarves for unlikely customers: pugs. She sells wee warmers for pups at $25 a pop and donates the money to pug rescue organizations. She’s made $1,00 so far and has orders that will bring in $1,000 more.

Meanwhile, knitters at a Scottish senior center have been knitting for cats. The home has a weekly knitting class and so far a dozen blankets have been donated to a feline welfare charity.

Knit graffiti has popped up in a local park in Vaudreuil-Dorion (that’s in Quebec). The yarnbombing was developed by members of the local Cercles des fermières, a women’s organization celebrating its 100th year. Members said they are trying to raise awareness of the group among younger women, and they covered about 75 trees in knitting and crochet. About 25 of the Cercles des fermières groups are planning yarnbombing projects this year.

A group of churches in Norfolk, UK, are planning a celebration of knitting to take place this summer, and part of the scene will include a knit wedding, complete with a knit bishop based on the real-life bishop in the area. The fiber Bishop Graham was stitched up in about 50 days using 16 balls of wool. When meeting his knit double the real bishop said perhaps there should be more knitted bishops so that way he could “keep an eye on everyone.” How’s that for a great stash-busting project!

[Photo via Montreal Gazette.]

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Comments

  1. Would love to see a pic and a pattern…would start making for Italian greyhound and whippet group

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Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.