Review: Knitting Pleats

There are all sorts of fun ways to add texture to your knitting, and one really cool way to do it that a lot of knitters don’t play with much is knitting pleats.

Pleats are usually worked by knitting some length of knitting, picking up stitches somewhere down from the knitting needle and working the picked up stitches along with the live stitches to make a permanent fold in the knitting.

It’s a fun technique to play with, and Olga Pobedinskaya shares a lot of different ways to use it in her book Knitting Pleats: Stunning Garments and Accessories.

The book begins with general instructions on how to knit pleats and the different kinds of pleats that are possible. It covers some other special techniques before delving into the 17 projects (4 rated easy, 11 intermediate and 2 advanced).

There’s some really interesting stuff in here. Some of the projects that caught my eye include the Puffy Pleats Scarf, which uses mohair yarn and extra large pleats for fluffy texture; the fun shaped Concertina Bag, which folds like an accordion and offers lots of room for all your necessities; the Sectional Pleats T-Shirt, which actually comes off looking pretty simple with its pleats that work almost like darts; the Pleated-Trim Jacket, which uses pleats at the edges and down the center back for an architectural statement; and the Elongated-Back Pullover, a bulky high-low project that’s great for layering.

If you like knitting projects that are just a little different and that make a big fashion statement without too much work, this is a book well worth checking out.

Have you knit from it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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