Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Play with Cables and Lace in this Wrap Knitting Pattern

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You already know I have cables on the brain from my post the other day about making cables without a cable needle. It’s funny that when you start thinking about a particular genre of knitting you start to see it everywhere, so it makes sense that the little braided cables on the edge of the Twisting Vines wrap caught my eye.

You can tell by the name of the pattern, which was designed by A. Palmatier, that the lace is really the star of the show, but I do love the combination of a sort of intricate lace with a simple cable as a frame. And honestly the lace isn’t difficult, either, but it might take you a couple of repeats to get the logic of it. 

The pattern includes written instructions and a chart if you’d rather (which is a great way to practice reading a chart if you’re new to it because you can always check your work if you aren’t sure what a symbol means or your project isn’t looking quite right).

This wrap uses DK weight yarn and is a big rectangle, so it’s easy to adjust the size if you want yours to be bigger or smaller, or if you’re using yarn from your stash and don’t have the same yardage as the pattern calls for.

The Twisting Vines wrap is available as a free download from Ravelry, or if you don’t do Ravelry you can get it on the designer’s website.

Looking for more shawl patterns? I recently collected a bunch of sock yarn shawl knitting patterns, which are great because they each only use about a skein of yarn, so you can pull that special skein out of your collection and actually use it for a lightweight shawl you can wear throughout the year.

[Photo: A. Palmatier]

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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.