Monkeys to Knit for the Year of the Monkey

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and we’re about to begin the Year of the Monkey.

I found so many cute monkey knitting patterns I actually had to stop looking for fear of overwhelming you all with the cuteness, but here are a bunch to get you started, whether you’re knitting to celebrate the new year or just to make a gift for a monkey-loving kiddo.

Elaine Fitzpatrick has an adorable Imp Cloth that can be made as a washcloth or a baby bib. It’s decorated with a monkey in textured stitches and is so cute I just might have to make one even though we’re beyond the bib stage.

Looking for more knitting patterns for a Monkey? Check out these knitting patterns on Etsy and these free monkey knitting patterns from our sister site Craftbits.com

Nett Hulse has adorable little baby mittens with monkey motifs, among other designs.

Tommy Smith has a Monkey Finger Puppet, or check out the Tiny Monkey by Katie Startzman, Monkey Moo from the Knitted Toy Box, Mary Kate Long’s Tiny Sock Monkey, or Aine Marriott’s Mini Monkey. So cute!

If you like your monkeys bigger, there are many, many options, including:

The ITV Digital Monkey from Sirdar
Tucker the Monkey by Tracy Chapman
Monkee Maker’s Monkee
Monty the Monkey from Sullivans International
Patons’ Monkey Around Sock Monkey
Linda Cyr’s Sock Monkey from Red Heart
The Sock Yarn Sock Monkey by Linda Cartlidge

There’s even a Curious George chart (from Justyna Lorkowska) and a Boots the Monkey from Jennifer Wilson-Parkes (though it should be noted those characters are licensed, so don’t try to sell anything using these patterns!).

Have you ever knit a monkey? I’d love to know what you made or if any of these designs catch your eye.

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.

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