Step it Up Knits Winner

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Step it Up Knits giveaway! There were a whopping 118 entries, and it was a lot of fun for me to see what level of knitting you all are at and what you might be struggling with. Sometime after the holidays I’m sure I’ll reread these responses and share some resources to help those of you who aren’t winning the book to take your skills to the next level.

As for the lucky knitter who is going to get her skills stepped up, it’s number 82, who goes by the name BabeRuth, and says she avoids knitting socks because she doesn’t know how to graft. I’m happy to report there are a couple of sock patterns in here so I hope you try them!

It feels a bit redundant to say it, but I’m running a bit behind today so our next giveaway will start tomorrow. You won’t want to miss it if you’re a fan of geekcraft.

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out.

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs.

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make.

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color.

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash.

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail).

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs.

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]

Have you read?