Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Ukraine Sunflower Hat Knitting Pattern

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I feel like I haven’t shared any Ukraine knitting patterns in a long time, but that’s not because things are better there or there’s any end in sight to the conflict. If you want to show your support to the people of Ukraine through the winter, knit yourself a Sunflower Hat from yellowcosmo.

This two-color knitting pattern is worked in sport weight yarn (I love how the colors switch as you work the hat!) from the bottom up in the round. The colorwork pattern is charted, but it’s pretty easy to work because it repeats around the head and is symmetrical. In addition to knitting in the round and reading a chart, you will need to be able to make simple increases and decreases to complete this project.

The pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry, but the designer suggests making a donation to a relief organization if you are able to in lieu of payment. You could also make these to sell and donate the proceeds to a group that is helping Ukrainians.

Speaking of knitting for Ukraine, back when the war first started I shared a lot of knitting patterns in blue and yellow. Here’s a quick roundup if you’re looking for other Ukraine knitting projects:

And there’s this great roundup of Ukraine inspired knitting patterns, which is titled more knitting patterns for Ukraine, but I don’t know now if there was an original roundup that I can’t find or if “more” just means “in addition to all the other ones I listed above.” Either way this is a lot of different patterns to get you thinking about the Ukrainian people who have been fighting and struggling for so long.

Next Pattern:

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Practice Colorwork on a Cute Knit Bunny

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]