Knitting

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Vogue Knitting Teams with Debbie Macomber to Knit for Charity

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knit for kidsVogue Knitting LIVE has announced a partnership with Debbie Macomber and World Vision’s Knit for Kids to encourage more knitters to knit for charity, particularly at the upcoming VK LIVE event in Chicago this October.

Macomber — the bestselling author of romance novels and knitting-themed fiction — is now serving as the international spokesperson for Knit for Kids, and she’ll be hosting a Knit for Kids Knitter’s Lounge at the event where knitters can take a break and knit a hat or scarf for charity (she’ll be in the lounge at announced times for knitting fun, too).

The VK Live website has a PDF of basic hat and scarf patterns (courtesy of Knit Simple) that can be used for the donations and they’re encouraging people to start knitting now (and of course you can contribute even if you aren’t going to the event).

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that distributed more than 66,000 handknit and crocheted items last year to children living in poverty in the United States and around the world. Knit for Kids typically focuses on sweaters, and you can find patterns for those on the World Vision site linked above.

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Apple Knitting Patterns for Fall and Back to School

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects. 

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor. 

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf. 

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn. 

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn. 

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too. 

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.