Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Patterns are Stash Too!

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I am a pattern collector. I’ve downloaded every free pattern on the internet at least 3 times. I’ve classified them, filed them, drooled over them, and promised all of them that they’d be next. All of them. Yeah, you heard that right! Because I have 75 hours every day that I can devote to knitting. (what? You don’t?)

And, with the seasonal changes, my knitting mojo has returned. This is a good thing. It’s probably the impending fall weather. (i say impending with a grain of salt because the other morning when I rode my bike to work it was just barely not frosty. The actual temp registered was 35. Yup. 35! But we’re used to that up here, and its just a stark reminder that the white stuff is right around the corner.

So what do I have on my list for fall and winter knitting? A Trendsetter sweater that’s due the 3rd weekend of Sept. And since it will be on display and not just on me I might frog it and re-knit. Just to get a closer to gauge fabric. Then there’s a really cool jumper from reynolds.
Oh, and since we’ve already established my addiction to the Red Wings, and hockey season is albeit 6 weeks away, there’s got to be a hockey project……

I’ve always kind of used my patterns as a guide, rather than a standard and just figure it out as I go. Seat of my pants kind of gal! The kids say I do that with recipes too.

For example, on the almost done, really cool hoodie, it was supposed to be a pullover but I wanted it to be a cardi. No problem! I’ll do a bit of math (which I’m allergic to by the way) and split the front. I don’t want to be bothered with knitting a band later, so I’ll add the extra stitches on each front. Originally (after I changed it) it should have been knit in 3 pieces (2 fronts and the back) but I don’t like seaming so I started to knit it in one piece. Oops, this will need the stability of a side seam so we’re back to 3 pieces. The recipient is a tall girl so I knit it in a small women’s size and go down a size in the needles.

There is a point to my rambling…
Don’t be afraid to change things up a bit. If it doesn’t work out, chances are you’ll know why and how to fix it next time.

What’s on your winter knitting list? Leave me a comment here at knitting.craftgossip.com and let me know!

T.

Looking for knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking for pullover and sweater patterns? Check these books out.

Comments

  1. Since I knit this year’s Christmas Ornaments in January (I’m weird like that), I’m scarfing up dishcloth patterns. So far I’ve completed 3 different designs and have another half-dozen to knit through. Since I’m the only one in the family who knits/crochets/tats, handmade items are highly fought over during the family White Elephant Gift Exchange. I can’t wait!

  3. oh my gosh it’s like you climbed into my head and wrote down what i go through on a daily basis!

    my fall/winter knitting will consist of like ten sweaters. all for little kidlets, so don’t panic and think i’m the greatest american hero at knitting. i am not. i want to do something vaguely February Baby Sweater, but sized up to fit gals anywhere from one year to nine years old.

    all by christmas.

    while i write for Recycled Crafts here, my personal blog, and try to work full time and take college classes.

    so by november, can you please send someone to pull me out of the fetal position i will most likely be in?!

  4. My knitting list will probably have fingerless mittens and some headbands to make with destashed yarn. A couple of baby hats for gifts. Actually, it’s all gifts I think.

    I’ll check my ravelry list to see what I noted there and my huge list of patterns saved on my harddrive, too.

    Since I started crocheting, I’ll add amigurumi animals and some ornaments to my list, too.

    I always have to have a project in my bag in case I’m left waiting for my kids during their afterschool activities.

  5. I thought I was the only one!!!!
    My daughters make fun of me and my 8 superlarge binders of free patterns for knitting and crochet.
    But when they are looking for something to make, say a hat, and they go to mom’s hat pattern binder it’s not funny right!

Have you read?

Knit a Log Cabin Blanket with All Your Scraps

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn. 

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small. 

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches. 

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come. 

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you. 

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?). 

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry. 

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns. 

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]