Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

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.

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Knit Yourself Some Pockets

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag. 

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets. 

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets. 

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash. 

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic. 

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts. 

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around? 

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy. 

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]