Stitch Along with Yarnspirations on a Summer’s Worth of Bags

Yarnspirations is hosting a three-week, three-project knit and crochet along (three patterns for each craft), with Vickie Howell providing the knit patterns and Mikey of the Crochet Crowd sharing the crochet projects.

Starting June 29, you’ll be able to pick up one free pattern a week for a different beach bag, with videos to help you with the techniques. Stitchers who join the stitch along formally have until August 15 to finish their bags and share pictures for a chance to win prizes. There will be a prize for each weekly bag and a grand prize for someone who makes all the bags (I assume just all the knit or crochet bags, not all six).

Winners will be chosen at random from entrants who meet the requirements. Weekly prizes will be 20 balls of Lily Sugar’n Cream, while the grand prize winner will receive one ball in every color that’s produced.

Bags can be made in any color but must follow the instructions, and photos must be submitted via email in order to be in the running for the prizes.

The knit bags that will be part of the stitch along are: the Market Bag, Poolside Tote Bag and Sea Breeze Bag. My favorite is the Sea Breeze Bag, which looks really simple and quick to knit with all those elongated stitches, which also makes it perfect for the beach because sand can get out.

I’d love to know if you plan to participate or if any of the patterns caught your eye!

[Photo via Yarnspirations.] Looking for more patterns? Check these market bag patterns out on Etsy.

A few years ago I wrote a post that was full of patterns for knit mushrooms, but I don’t think I ever did a post that was knitting patterns with mushrooms on them, so today’s the day.

I love the Fungi Beanie from Jacki Bean, which calls for worsted weight yarn and uses duplicate stitch to add the mushrooms and other details. I think the colors she used for the design are tonal/multicolor so it doesn’t use as many colors as it looks like, but you can use whatever red, green, brown and white yarn you have in your stash for those details.

How about some mushroom socks? The Magic Toadstool sock form Stone Knits includes a ring of mushrooms around the leg, contrasting heel and toe and a little more colorwork at the toe for extra cuteness. As shown it uses four colors and comes in three sizes.

Or there’s the Fairy Ring Socks from Katie Green, which have mushrooms of two sizes on the legs, plus a bit of wavy grass. They have a contrasting cuff, heel and toe and some colorwork flecks in the body of the sock as well. This one is available in eight sizes to fit everyone from a baby to an XL adult.

This trippy cowl from Hunt Hand Knits looks like a lot of fun to knit. The Fungus Among Us Cowl is shown using four colors of DK weight yarn, though you can do it with as few as two if you’d rather.

Stitch some mushroom mittens with this cute pattern from Holly C Watson. This design uses three colors, and it’s shown with a self-striping yarn on the mushroom caps, which makes the colors change without you having to do any work. The pattern is charted but it’s a pretty easy repeat. The mittens are one size.

If you don’t feel like knitting mushrooms but still want to give your project a touch of the forest, the Toadstools Cardigan from Julie Taylor may be what you’re looking for. It’s stitched as a plain cardigan worked in DK weight yarn and sized for newborns up to 4 years old. The mushrooms are added with embroidery and the pattern includes the design, which you can trace onto water soluble stabilizer to stitch the mushrooms onto your sweater. Or anything else you want. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

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