Knitting Patterns for Mushrooms

I recently crocheted a mushroom for my daughter because I came across a pattern I thought was cute and why not? (You can see the finished product on Instagram.)

But I knew there had to be a lot of cute mushroom knitting patterns, too, so I went looking and of course there are. This roundup is sticking to patterns for actual mushrooms rather than knit items with mushrooms on them; maybe we’ll take a look at those soon.

Several of these are the classic red and white “toadstool” style mushroom (more accurately a fly agaric) but you could of course knit them in whatever colors you like.

And indeed we’re going to start with some that aren’t red and white. The chestnut mushroom from Amanda Berry (free on Ravelry) is a little brown mushroom that looks good enough to eat. They’re worked in one piece in DK weight yarn.

The Porcini Mushrooms from Norman Schwarze are very life like as well, and perfect for your neutral sock yarn leftovers. Grab this free pattern on Ravelry.

Tatyana Grigoryan’s Magic Mushroom (also free on Ravelry) is a sweet little ‘shroom worked in worsted weight yarn from the top down. When I first looked at it, I thought the dots on the top were beads, which would be a cute way to embellish it.

Cute Knit Toy on Etsy has another sweet mushroom you can make any color you like with your DK weight scraps.

The Mushroom or Fairy House? pattern from Natasha Hanson (free on Ravelry) can go either way. Stitch it up as a regular brown (or red and white) mushroom, or add a little embroidered door to make it into a fairy house. This one calls for worsted-weight yarn.

This classic fly agaric mushroom comes in two sizes in a pattern from Nimble Needlez on Etsy.

How about mushroom Christmas ornaments? These get to be shared here because of course they don’t have to be ornaments, they could just be mushrooms. Amy Gaines has a cute collection you can grab on Ravelry, or check out this pattern from DROPS Design.

This mushroom can also be a rattle, which is super cute for a baby with a woodland-themed nursery. This pattern is from Ravelry and was designed by Say Little Hen and worked in DK weight yarn.

Knits from a Fairy Tale in Enchanted Knits

Knit Your Own Gnome

Gift Idea: Yarn Bowls

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Craft retailer Michaels has acquired the intellectual property and private label brands of now-defunct retailer Joann, according to a media release, and the Joann website now forwards to Michaels.

The releases states that Michaels will be developing the “beloved Big Twist® brands as part of the Michaels portfolio.” It also notes plans to expand its offerings in the fabric, sewing and yarn categories, with more than 600 new products being added.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels,” David Boone, CEO of Michaels, said in the release.

Specific to yarn, the company notes it has plans to expand its yarn selection by 25 percent this year, including releasing more than 60 new private-label Loops & Threads products beginning this month, expanding offerings of Lion Brand and the Yarnspirations family of brands, and welcoming Big Twist yarns.

The release specifically mentions Big Twist Value Plus, Big Twist Twinkle, Big Twist Posh and Big Twist Baby Bear, and notes that the offerings are “now being developed as part of Michaels portfolio of brands and will be available in-stores and online later this year.”

No word on what this means for Herrschners, which previously announced it would carry Big Twist. Its page announcing the news still says “at this time we are not able to release details on specific Big Twist varieties or colors, or the exact date the yarn will be available to order” and encourages signing up for email updates.

This news comes just days after the final closing of the last Joann locations and the appearance of a message on their website talking about “stitching up something new.” The Joann website now forwards to a landing page for craft retailer Michaels.

“Welcome Joann customers,” it says at the top. “We’ve got your go-to essentials and so much more.” The page also notes “everyone is welcome at our craft table” and says the website is a source for “fabrics, yarn, notions & more.”

Further down the page it says “With JOANN stores closing, Michaels is excited to welcome new makers, crafters, and sewing enthusiasts into our community” and has a string of links to product categories these shoppers might be looking for. It says Michaels carries “many of the favorites that Joann customers love” including patterned fabric, yarn, ribbons and notions.

The release calls this a “dedicated landing page” with a “curated assortment of products” they think are relevant to the Joann shopper.

If you go directly to Micheaels.com, you see their regular website but there is a link at the top of the page for Joann customers that leads to the same page linked above.

The release doesn’t mention opening any new stores in towns left without a craft store thanks to the Joann closure. It does note they have 1,300 stores in 49 states and in Canada, and they have both US and Canada-facing websites.

What do you think of this news? It’s not the exciting future I’d hoped for with Joanns cryptic announcement, but I know legions of knitters and crocheters will be happy to know Big Twist will live on, and other crafters will probably be happy about expanded selection at Michaels.

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