Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Twist Collective Winter 2014

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Check out the beauties in Twist Collective's winter 2014 collection.While I was away from my computer over Thanksgiving break the latest issue of Twist Collective went live, and if you haven’t seen it yet you’re going to want to head over there and look at the pretties.

Three knitting stories present more than 30 patterns full of woodsy warmth, shapes of gray and classic country styles. Articles include a drinking game for watching Elizabeth Zimmermann DVDs from Franklin Habit, a lesson on swatching brioche with Clara Parkes and a defense of mosaic knitting from Barbara Gregory. There’s also a profile of glass knitting artist Carol Milne by Lela Nargi and an update on raising goats from Amy King.

There are lots of great patterns here, but some of my favorites include Paramo by Wendy Neal, a pretty three-quarter sleeved pullover with triangular sections worked in a contrasting color; the delicate cable and lace V-neck Hyssop by Renee Callahan; Helene Rush’s Mad Dash, a jacket that uses multicolored brick stitch worked in different directions to set off the design; Radius by Julie Blauw, a close-fitting pullover with curvy, colored accents and a great little pocket; Kate Gilbert’s pretty two-color Masonry socks; Ashley Rao’s gorgeous two-color brioche cowl neck pullover, Epicenter; and the relatively simple but pretty cardigan Skyscraper by Nancy Vandivert.

Check out all the patterns on Ravelry. Individual patterns run $6 or $7 and you can buy them on Ravelry or direct from the Twist Collective site.

See anything you like? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Twist Collective.]

Looking for more Thanksgiving patterns check these out on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

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Textured Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

There are so many baby blanket knitting patterns out there I could probably do a post a month full of them and not run out for a very long time. This time I thought I’d look specifically at single color baby blankets that are interesting because of the inclusion of textured stitching. This makes them easy enough for new knitters but engaging for knitters of all skill levels. 

Take the Textured Checks Baby Blanket from Janet Dubbelman for example. This project is mostly stockinette stitch, with some what looks like reverse stockinette and garter stitch thrown in to make the ridges. You can use whatever yarn weight you like to make blankets of different sizes. Find the pattern on Ravelry. 

The Seedling from Modern Made Shop is just about as easy as it comes, combining seed stitch with a garter stitch border. It calls for worsted weight yarn and is perfect for beginners. 

The Julie Baby Blanket by Elisabeth Kristiansen is another one with an easy allover stitch pattern that you can knit up in a flash in whatever size you want. (The pattern notes say any gauge but it also says 28 stitches per 4 inches, which would be a superfine or fine weight yarn. Learn more on Ravelry. 

The Oscar Baby Blanket from Snufflebean is another one with an easy repeating stitch pattern that has a really fun, graphic effect. This is also great worked in a bright color, reminding us that babies don’t have to be in pastels! This one uses DK weight yarn. 

If you want to get a little fancier, check out Sammy Bristow’s Georges Blanket. This one alternates blocks of stockinette stitch with boats and anchors made by purling on the right side of the blanket. It calls for DK weight yarn and has multiple sizes for dolls through toddlers. Check it out on Ravelry.

Another cute texture is this heart blanket with diamonds that are a little reminiscent of argyle. Yarn Sonata Patterns has this one, which is worked in DK weight yarn and comes in four sizes. It includes a chart and row by row instructions. 

Or try the pretty Seton Portage baby blanket from Knitted Wishes, which has a border of trees and textured stitches that look like snow falling. The pattern includes different options for snowflakes and doing a mirror image of the trees on each end of the blanket. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn. This one includes charts, written instructions and video tutorials for special stitches.