Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Never Look A Knitted Gift Horse In The Needles?

by

Or something like that! A Knitted Hobby Horse, that’s what it is!

I recently came across a copy of this book that I’d like to giveaway. Not because I don’t want it, but because it’s an awesome book (yes, it really does have a knitted hobby horse in it, as well as cat toys…).

30 projects all packed up in this book, everything from bags, baby buntings and bookmarks to socks, scarves and sleeves.

Does your coffee need a coaster because it’s hot, and a cozy to keep it that way? This book has it (as well as dishrags to wipe up that coffee that spilled). Mittens, gloves and wrist warmers, toys, blankets, hats and pillows, there’s no end to the versatility. You got a persnickity person to knit for? There’s a project in this book that will save the day.

Want to learn a new technique? This book features projects in fair isle, stranding and felting. Embroidery, cables, lace, bobbles, and then it covers finishing techniques!

Knitted Gifts offers more than 30 projects for every gift-giving occasion. Designs include garments and accessories for the entire family as well as gifts for four-legged friends and the home.

What do you have to do to get this book? Tell me what your favorite, last minute, quick to knit idea is.

Giveaway ends Friday the 19th, hurry!

And.. just for a fun little kicker, I’m going to throw in another book featuring a popular gift item, hats! Hat Heads by Trond Afinnsen.

2 for the price of one…… GO!!

Comments

  1. Actually, if I won, this would be a gift for my generous knitting friend, because she is always knitting things for other people, including me! I can do nice things with tiny sewing needles, but big knitting needles just confound me!! Thanks for this opportunity!!

  2. My favorite & quick to knit gift is a pair of baby booties for a baby shower – always appreciated & oh so dainty!

  8. I am not yet a knitter, but my best friend Jordan is, and this book would be perfect for her. She made me the most beautiful purple scarf for my birthday last year, and I wear it every chance I get!

  9. Wow – thanks for the book gift! Not sure how to/ where to go to get it….But my favorite is an airy scarf with fringe. Another thing I do is make coasters and felt them, tie them up in a pretty ribbon and keep a couple sets around for last minute gifts.

  12. I taught myself to knit via books and Youtube just recently and am now obsessed (I already crochet)! My favorite quick gift to make is a cowl or circular scarf. They are versatile and can made wide or narrow, fine or chunky; and can be made with simple or more complex patterns. Judging from my family’s and friends’ reactions, they’re pretty popular gifts to receive too!

  13. Forgot to say that the circular scarves fit everybody too. BTW – Thanks for offering those books as giveaways.

  15. My favorite quick knit is scrubbies. They are so fast and people are always asking for more. You can work them up while watching tv or waiting in line at the store or at the doctor’s office. I put some in a small basket with homemade soap and have an instant gift for personal care or add a small bottle of dishwashing liquid and have an instant gift.

  19. A last minute gift idea would be just a narrow knitted single colour long scarf. Its easy to knit and moves very fast. And because its simple with no designs and border(so its easier to roll).

    I would love to be added in the giveaway.

    smiles
    Leena

  20. Hats. My mom likes the hats I make. I get a special sense of pride when I wear one. They don’t take to long to make.

    urbanviolet(at)yahoo(dot)com

  21. From this book, I’m most excited about potential house warming gifts I could keep on hand for when the occasion arises such as the napkin rings and potholders.

  23. I hope I’m still in under the wire – favorite quick knit is a hat. Everyone likes to have choices this winter with so much snow.

  24. toys! as tiny as I can make them. It doesn’t matter who they are – most people really enjoy them (especially if you can match an animal or theme to the person).

  25. My last minute gifts are usually scarves, they are fast and easy!
    Thanks for a wonderful giveaway 🙂

  26. Baby washclothes are my favorite go-to quick knit. They are soft and who can resist knitting for babies!!

  27. Ohh, I’ve been wanting Knitted Gifts!! My favorite last minute knit gift is usually a hat. I like knitting hats just because they are so quick and they don’t take a lot of yarn.

  28. My favorite last minute gift to knit has to be a hat – I make these so frequently, that I have the patterns memorized – could use the ‘last minute gift’ book just so my gift recipients have more variation in the gifts I give them hahaha. Thanks,
    Kathleen

  29. I can do a pair of socks pretty fast, but everyone seems to want a set (3) of my dish cloth/face towels in organic cotton. I do three shades of a color or three complimentary colors. My daughter says they are the BEST face towels. Also a favorite last minute knit up are matching set (4ea)of coasters and coffee cozies. Since I always have a traveling project in the works, gifts are easy and give me as much joy as the receiver.

  30. I can do a pair of socks pretty fast, but everyone seems to want a set (3) of my dish cloth/face towels in organic cotton. I do three shades of a color or three complimentary colors. My daughter says they are the BEST face towels. Also a favorite last minute knit up are matching set (4ea)of coasters and coffee cozies. Since I always have a traveling project in the works, gifts are easy and give me as much joy as the receiver.
    Something I love to do, but is never last minute, are hats for the local cancer clinic!

  32. I am a procrastinator and not a fast knitter. But I find knitting fever flounce scarves knit up at 8 inches per hour and have been extremely well received. In fact the recipients like them so much they ask for more, or for the pattern. I don’t love making them, but it’s the price I pay for procrastination and totally mindless knitting.

  33. All of my gifts are made at the last minute 🙂 But I really like knitting little itty bitty robots as last minute gifts– they’re cute, gender neutral, and make great additions to key rings.

  34. My quickest knitted gift is the rose brooch or the phone cover for a man.
    The books would provide a very welcome incentive to create something different for a change!

Have you read?

Knit a Leopard Print Shawl and Learn about Yarn Substitution

When I was looking around for free knitting patterns to share recently, I came across this fun leopard print wrap from Yarnspirations. 

This fun bulky wrap gives you tons of practice with instarsia and makes a bold statement while keeping you warm. It’s rated for intermediate knitters and the design is charted but pretty easy to follow. And it’s only 50 rows and worked in bulky yarn, so it wouldn’t even take that long to knit. (You can grab the free pattern from Yarnspirations.)

So what’s the problem? The yarn that the pattern calls for has been discontinued, and it’s not a yarn that a substitute for immediately springs to mind. 

The original yarn was Patons Alpaca Blend, a single ply bulky yarn that was a combination of acrylic, superwash wool, nylon and alpaca. 

My first thought was Lion Brand Hue + Me, which is an acrylic and wool blend, with two plies instead of a single. It looks like it has the colors you would need to make this fun shawl. 

But as I was thinking about it, I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce you to YarnSub if you don’t already know about it. This website is a giant database of yarn that can consider the qualities of the yarn you want to substitute and offer potential substitutions. 

It’s not only thinking about yarn weight, like I was, but also fiber content, number of plies, gauge and even the difference in yardage between one ball and another. It even looks at the price and can be filtered by your price range or preferences about fiber content (if, say, you’re sensitive or allergic to wool, for example, or don’t want to you acrylic). 

When I plugged in Alpaca Blend, it gave me a lot of different options, though many of them were self-striping or multicolored, which wouldn’t work for this project, and I don’t see a way to filter for solid colors only. 

Still, it’s a good tool to give you some ideas you might not know about or might have forgotten about, and it tells you how the new yarn is similar to the old one and how it differs, allowing you to make smarter choices when substituting yarns. 

[Photo: Yarnspirations]