Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Knitting for the Fair: Hearts and Dalas Mittens

by

heart dala mittensEver since I got out of 4-H nearly 20 years ago I have wanted to start making things for the fair again. I know a lot of adults who do it, and they make some beautiful things, and while being judged isn’t the greatest thing ever, it is fun to win ribbons for things you made.

Kat at Just Crafty Enough knit a fabulous pair of mittens to enter into the state fair where she lives, and she’s published the pattern for anyone who wants to try them. They’re worked in lace weight yarn, have colorwork everywhere, and are worked with size 000 needles (0000 on the cuffs!) to a gauge of 15 stitches per inch. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

But they are spectacular and I certainly hope she gets a ribbon.

Do you knit or do other crafts to enter in the fair? I’d love to hear what you’re doing this year.

[Photo via Just Crafty Enough.]

Jorid Linvik’s Big Book of Knitted Mittens: 45 Distinctive Scandinavian Designs is sure to inspire you to want to knit some fun mittens, whether embellished with classic motifs like birds, hearts, moose and classic colorwork designs or those with a more modern feel liks guitars and skulls, a giraffe, penguins or a turquoise lizard.

The book includes a lot of instructions on how to make your mittens come out right, including a discussion of how different gauges can give you different sizes of mittens (and which mittens can be worked to different sizes for kids and adults). The charts are a little different from others you might have seen in that they show how to divide the stitches on the needles and where to place the thumb.

Looking for more knitting patterns for Mittens? Check these out on Etsy. 

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. I’ve been a needlework judge for our local fair for more than a decade and have never seen anything as intricate as this entered. It would be awesome if there were projects of this caliber at my fair.

  2. I was in 4-H and my kids were also said n 4-H. We all had our different projects to enter and what fun when judging day arrived…couldn’t wait to see what color ribbon we got. My mom was a stickler for perfection and neatness. At the time I didn’t realize how important it was but now I am so glad she taught me that because without it I wouldn’t understand fair quality. I’m in my 60’s now (though I feel much younger.) I still enter projects into the county fair and every chance I get I encourage people to be creative and enter as the excitement is so fun. This year I am entering projects in knitting, crochet, cookies, and for the first time I am entering yarn I have spun. My niece, who I introduced to the exhibiting world when she was 10, has admitted that she had so much fun entering an exhitbit that year as to why she has introduced her children to and has continued to be a part of the fair. Each year we are excited to see each other’s projects and what we garnered for a ribbon. It is 2 weeks till fair entry day and I can hardly wait–but I still have the finishing touches to put on many of the projects.

  3. 4-H + adult entries for every craft, food, & animal category are very, very, very low at our county fair for years – ever since they made the decision to only book the fair info & booklets online only. As a fair goer, it’s pitiful when you see every project in the knit, crochet, & sewn categories win a first prize, regardless of highly visible flaws, because those were the only entries. (No, I never enter, because it’s way too much time & effort to keep checking to see if the booklet is online yet, then to scroll thru page after page to find the entry date, entry categories, etc.)

Have you read?

Knitting Patterns for Pride

It seems like every year there are more rainbow colored (and other flag hued) knitting projects out there to celebrate Pride. Whether you celebrate at a local event or just want to add some more color to your wardrobe, these Pride knitting patterns are a great place to start.

See also these Pride knitting patterns, tiny Pride flags, and more rainbow projects if you need more inspiration.

These Pride socks from Birger Berge are a free pattern on Ravelry. They feature a rainbow flag on the heel and toe, plus stripes on the cuff with the word Pride and a heart worked in. 

Or you can Put Some Pride in Your Step with these allover colorful socks from Oriahna WhimsyStitch. Using a self-striping fingering weight yarn, they have a spiral rib on the legs and come in three sizes. The pattern has suggestions for if you don’t have self-striping yarn to use. You can find it on Ravelry.

Amy Snell’s Pride Like the Wind is a triangular shawl that uses slipped stitches to add texture to the multicolored stripes. The pattern was made with a large skein of rainbow colored yarn and mini skeins in rainbow colors, but you can use stash or whatever you can find in theose colors for a different look. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Pride and Elegance is a pretty pair of rainbow striped arm warmers made by martaschmarta. They call for fingering weight yarn and have sparkly beads incorporated at each end for extra flair. This pattern is also on Ravelry. 

Pride in Parallelograms by Treena Evans is a mobius knit cowl worked in a multicolored ombre yarn. It calls for DK weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Stephen G. Krueger has designed a lovely kippah/yarmulke pattern that can be worked in the colors of any Pride flag you like. The pattern is free on Ravelry and uses fingering weight yarn.

And if you want to make a full progress flag in knitting, you’ll need the modular progressive Pride flag pattern from Kim Smith for Alterknit Universe. The pattern comes in two sizes using different weights of yarn to suit your needs, and the modular style of the project makes it seamless. You can purchase this pattern on Ravelry.

If you want to add a touch of Pride to a sweater, wall hanging or other project, the abstract waves chart from Hits Knit Patterns is a great place to start. It uses the colors of the lesbian flag, but you could change it to whatever colors you like (there are six colors used and the chart is 49 stitches by 80 rows).