Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Review and Giveaway: Faerie Knitting

by

faerie knitting review and giveaway
Alice Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman are creative cousins whose chosen outlets are on the surface rather different. Alice is a writer and Lisa a knitwear designer.

But they combined their talents to spin tales and knit stories in their book Faerie Knitting.

The book includes 14 original fairy tales along with 14 knitting patterns that go with the stories. For example a woman in one story knits while she waits for her husband to return from war; the pattern is the shawl she worked.

The stories tell of the power of women and power of knitting, the magic of making and storytelling in ways that many knitters — and writers who knit, and knitters who write — will find familiar.

It’s an interesting concept and the stories and knitting patterns are enjoyable alone and in combination.

My favorite is Blue Heron, a large triangular lace shawl with picot edges for a feathery look like the shawl of the heroine in the accompanying story. Other patterns include mitts and fingerless gloves, a vest, a cowl, leg warmers, shawls and cowls.

Two patterns are rated for beginners (an amulet necklace and charm bags), three are for advanced beginners, six are intermediate and two rated for advanced knitters. Check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of Faerie Knitting, you don’t need a special enchantment. Just use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. We have four copies to give away (and another giveaway will be happening on our knitting Facebook page, so go visit).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  3. love that these 2 cousins put their talents together to come up with a knitting story book for us. great idea.

Have you read?

Knits for the Table for Thanksgiving and Beyond

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long. 

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders. 

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well. 

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn. 

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions. 

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table. 

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter. 

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.