Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Waffle Stitch Blanket Knitting Pattern

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I recently did some playing around with crochet waffle stitch, and I was reminded that there’s a waffle stitch in knitting, too. It’s not quite the same bold texture (that looks decidedly waffley) that the crochet stitch has, but it’s still a fun knitting stitch pattern that even beginners can do.

Waffle stitch is a knit purl pattern built on multiples of 3 plus 1 stitches and it involves a four-row repeat. The first row is knit 1, purl 1 across, ending with a knit 1. Row two is the opposite: purl 1, knit 1 across and end with a purl 1.

Then you just knit the third row and purl the fourth and you’re all set to repeat the pattern! This design has a lot of texture and is super easy to memorize.

Ready to try waffle stitch on a project? Lion Brand Yarn has a fun and free knitting pattern for a waffle stitch blanket. This one uses a super bulky yarn, so you can stitch it up in no time.

The pattern as written makes a throw that is about 42 by 60 inches, or 106.5 by 152.5 cm, but now that you know that waffle stitch is a multiple of 3 stitches plus 1, you can make a blanket any size you want, though you may need to adjust the amount of yarn you buy depending on the size of blanket you want to make.

As it is, this blanket looks super cozy to throw on the back of the couch and just the thing to knit in the warm days (if you have air conditioning, anyway) as you look forward to cooler days to come. And of course if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere as I write this, now is the perfect time to make a cozy throw, enjoy working on it as you snuggle under it, and have it ready to use on your couch right away.

You can grab the free pattern, as well as yarn to make your own cozy waffle stitch blanket, on the Lion Brand website.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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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.