Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Review: Cozy Knits

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Knitting has long been a textile art in use in most of the world, with different traditions, techniques and colors used in different places. The book Cozy Knits: 30 Hat, Mitten, Scarf, and Sock Patterns from Around the World (edited by Kari Cornell) aims to gather together as many of these styles as possible in little projects sure to inspire.

The book draws inspiration from knits and other objects from around the world, including the knitwear traditions of Iceland, Scandinavia and Peru; one designer’s wedding ring; Chinese characters for good luck; Maori symbols; and a barbed wire collection from a cowboy museum in Wyoming. There’s lots of colorwork and some cables and lace as well. The patterns don’t indicate skill levels but I would say more are for intermediate and beyond knitters because of the techniques used and the heavy reliance on charts.

Some of my favorite scarves include the Icelandic Yoke Scarf by Gretchen Funk, which has flared ends to mimic the decreasing size of a yoke sweater’s motifs as you work toward the neck; the European Cowl by Donna Druchunas, a big, rectangular loop featuring an Estonian-inspired leaf lace motif; and Lucy Neatby’s Pendleton Scarf, inspired by Native American blankets and stained glass.

In the hat and mitten category, I like the Icelandic Leaf Pattern Tam and Mittens from Helene Magnusson, which features colorful, traditional leaf colorwork motifs and Janel Laidman’s Japanese Sashiko Hat and Mittens, inspired by the embroidery technique of the same name and worked in classic blue and white.

For socks, I like the Uppsala Socks by Chrissy Garner, which use traditional Bohus methods including purling as a design element and Anna Zilboorg’s Poppy Socks: Turkish Socks, which have a traditional Turkish hook design commonly found on rugs and other Turkish textiles.

You can see a few of the patterns on the publisher’s website, but the book doesn’t appear to be on Ravelry.

Cozy Knits is a fun book if you like to think about how knitting has been a part of the textile tradition around the world and if you want to play with different motifs and techniques on a relatively small project. It might inspire you to delve deeper into a knitting tradition that you didn’t know much about or might not have known existed.

About the book: 192 pages, originally issued in paperback, now available as an ebook, 30 patterns, published 2021 by Voyageur Press. Suggested retail for the ebook is $24.99.

Have you read?

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.