Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Teddy Bear Knitter Works to Take Business to the Next Level

by

mad man knittingTwo years ago, Gregory Patrick was homeless and jobless, living in the woods of south Georgia. He turned his life around, remarkably enough, by knitting teddy bears, and now he wants to go from being a man who can just survive by knitting teddy bears to an inspiring entrepreneur who can help others who have big dreams but no resources.

He set up a campaign on indiegogo to allow him to buy supplies to keep his business going and to give him time to figure out how to make his business bigger than it is right now. With eight days to go as of this writing, he’d raised $3,346 when his goal had been $1,000. That’s such a great testament to the knitting community and how we pull together to help each other (and, I imagine, how we’re all a little touched by the novelty of a redneck who knits bears for a living).

If you’re interested in helping you can click the ling above; donors get thank you gifts including a PDF copy of his book, knitting patterns and recognition on his site. Or visit his blog to learn more and check out the adorable bears.

[Photo via Mad Man Knitting.]

Looking for more Knitting patterns for Teddy Bears? Check it out here.

Comments

  2. Thank you so much for this! This was AWFULLY kind of you and I cannot thank you enough!
    Gregory Patrick

Have you read?

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.