New Petite Purls is Live!

It’s been a big week for online knitting magazines, and with all the excitement about Knitty’s 10 anniversary issue I missed the fact that a new Petite Purls is out, too.

If you don’t know Petite Purls, this is a really cute magazine devoted to knitting (and sewing, and crochet) for kids. The latest issues includes cute projects for summer and fall, including two dresses that are part fabric, part knitting, a knit polo-style shirt, a baby’s shirt with a pocket for a sewn owl friend and a cardigan with OX cables running down the sleeves, to name a few.

The project that first caught my eye when I was scanning Ravelry this morning was Aisling the Elf, a cute little knit doll with fabric fairy wings and a tulle skirt.

There are also patterns here for sewn aprons, patchwork shorts, a summery skirt and a felt playhouse built on a set of bunkbeds, among other projects. So much fun!

[Photo by Rachel Borello Carroll via Petite Purls.]

If you take a look at the issue I’d love to know what catches your eye. Spill it!

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

Have you read?