Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Lots of Charity Knitting News

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mad hatters knittingSomehow I missed doing a knitting in the news roundup last week, and now I’ve got a bunch, so we’re going to do it lightning round style. Knitters are doing awesome things all over the place!

Like the Mad Hatters of Suffolk, New York, who have been knitting hats for cancer patients for 12 years and have donated more than 2,700 to the offices of Eastern Long Island Hematology and Oncology.

Knitters on Cape Cod have been stitching up nests that are used by various animals in wildlife rescues until animals are big enough to be released into the wild, while Florida knitters and crocheters are making teddy bears for kids affected by HIV/AIDS through the Mother Bear Project.

A Scottish knitter who has been selling scarves, pillows and other knit items has raised more than £12,000 for an autism charity founded by her daughter, which helps get early intervention therapies for kids with autism and developmental delays.

A group of British knitters have been making hats and wrist warmers that will be distributed to kids in Nepal, while a group in California has knit more than 30 blankets for babies.

Hooray for knitters!

[Photo by Barbaraellen Koch via the Suffolk Times.]

Looking for more Knitting patterns for Teddy Bears? Check it out here.

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

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.