Practice Short Rows with This Colorful Knit Blanket

I feel like there are a lot of things in knitting that seem hard until you do them. Everything from cable knitting to lace to knitting socks just sounds hard and weird until you try it. Once you understand what’s happening and learn to trust the process, you’ll probably wonder why you hadn’t tried that technique before.

Short rows are one of those things in knitting that gives some knitters pause (and it’s part of why socks seem hard because shaping the heel just sounds weird in words).

If you want to learn how to do short rows and master them in a short amount of time, try the Cozy Claws Knit Blanket from Yarnspirations.

Designed by Erin Black, in is made in blocks of two colors worked in wedges that are shaped with short rows. Because the project is worked in garter stitch this is about as easy as short rows get, and you’ll get a ton of practice making them as you work this blanket.

The pattern calls for five colors of bulky weight yarn (specifically Patons Inspired, which I had never heard of before, but it’s a bulky acrylic and wool blend that’s great for fall and winter knits and is machine washable) and comes out to about 43 inches or 109 cm square. It’s a great size for a little kid or a blanket for tummy time for a baby.

But because the blocks are worked separately you can make your blanket any size you want. And of course you can make it a stash busting project and use even more colors if you have leftover bits of bulky yarn from other projects. Just make sure if you plan to machine wash this blanket and are mixing yarns that all of them can be washed.

You can grab the free pattern for the Cozy Claws Knit Blanket from Yarnspirations.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

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The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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