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Red Heart Launches New Website

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red heart revamps websiteRed Heart recently launched a redesigned website that is prettier and aims to make it easier for you to find the knitting and crochet patterns (and yarn information) you want.

RedHeart.com provides more than 2,300 free knitting and crochet patterns for both the beginner and experienced knitter or crocheter, so everyone can find inspiration.  There are also hundreds of video tutorials to help learn different stitches. You can browse patterns by most popular or recently added, as well as searching key words.

The company’s blog is also more prominent, which is nice. It’s a good place to learn about knitalongs, charity projects and other fun stuff. You can also see the items recently pinned on Pinterest, which is fun.

“The re-launch of RedHeart.com is a project we worked on passionately,” Alyson Bell, marketing director for Coats Crafts North America, said in a news release. “We wanted to make it easy for our consumers to navigate the site and find inspiration, as well as being able to shop for everything needed to get started.”

I’d say it’s a big improvement and will certainly keep visitors engaged and browsing through the patterns.

See anything you like? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Red Heart.]

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Knit a Spiky Balaclava

Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]