Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Rowenta Steam Iron – Steam Kicks it for Blocking!

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Just got my hands on this beauty and I couldn’t wait to try it out. Course, being a knitter, I needed something “knitty” to use it on. And this one really came through.

I love the cord reel. Very handy, nix the messy cord tangles. It’s easy to hold, and while a bit heavy, it’s very well balanced, even with my old arthritic hands and arms.

It has multiple temperature settings, as you would expect, but what really rocks is the burst of steam. And this is perfect for blocking. The fine tip point makes smoothing out those lace edges super easy. Of course you don’t want to directly iron your knits, I never do anyway, seems to crush them, but the burst of steam makes it so you don’t have to. There are multiple steam settings also, from a bit of steam to a full blown explosion. Startled me at first but I love that feature.

I didn’t like the 8 minute shut off feature, but I suppose that’s necessary, for safety. Heats up quickly too. We’ll see how fast it cools down.  Oh, it has an auto clean feature, important when you run over bits and pieces of interfacing, not speaking from experience or anything….

I’d highly recommend this iron to any crafter or even just for ironing shirts I suppose. And we’re doing a giveaway!

Check it out here: http://craftgossip.com/blog/giveaway-celebrate-national-craft-month-by-winning-the-rowenta-focus/2011/03/22/

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

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.