Learn Shawl Shaping with this Mini-Shawl Ecourse

I have a lot of scarves, but lately I have been knitting more shawls to wear in the colder months. I like something that bunches up around my neck a little more (so all that knitting is keeping me warm instead of hanging on the ends of my scarf), and shawls are just prettier and more fun to knit than scarves.

There are a lot of different ways to put shawls together and techniques you can use in shawl knitting, and one great way to get a crash course in those techniques is by signing up for the 5 shawls, 5 days challenge from Aroha Knits. This free email series covers a triangular shawl with a Garter tab beginning, a 3/4 shawl (the triangle with an extra triangle), crescent, swirl and asymmetrical designs.

The idea is to work each of these little shawls for 30 minutes or less, making them just big enough so you can see the shape and get the idea of how it will look in a larger version without having to actually knit a full-size shawl.

This is a great way to learn different techniques and determine which sorts of designs you like to knit and like the look of. If you’re a fan of shawls you should check it out.

[Photo via Aroha Knits.]

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Looking for more amazing shawl patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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