Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Pom-Poms are Still a Big Thing — Here are Three Ways to Make Them

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ideas for making and using pom-poms on knitting projects.I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff about pom-poms lately, and they are a really fun way to jazz up knitting projects or just about anything else (and often a great way to use up yarn, as well). Here are some tutorials that have caught my eye recently.

The Crafty Crusader was inspired by tutorials she saw online to try her hand at a two-color pom-pom designed to look like a golden snitch from Harry Potter. The effect is pretty cool, and once you understand the basics you can design all sorts of creatures and other fun stuff.

Wronek is a Polish blog, and she has a basic tutorial for the classic way to make pom-poms, but this page also shows an image from Pinterest (no idea the original source) that shows how to turn a hank of yarn into a bunch of pom-poms. This is a great idea when you’re using them for decorative purposes and you want a bunch that are consistent in size and color.

And if you love a giant pom-pom but what something a little different from the usual yarn-wrapped ball, check out this great, super simple tutorial for a faux-fur pom-pom from Sew 4 Bub. These faux-fur pom-poms are super popular on knit hats, and this is a great way to make them.

Do you like using pom-poms on your projects? I’d love to hear how you make them or if you have any special tricks.

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Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.