Welcome Winter with Knitty

It’s new Knitty day! The winter issue is full of delights you’ll want to snuggle up with, not the least of which is the Hibernate Blanket that graces the “cover” of the issue. This giant intarsia snowflake blanket is worked in merino wool, so it will keep you warm even on the coldest of winter nights.

Other patterns that stand out to me include the Idunn Cardigan, a pretty yoked cardi worked from the top down in Lopi yarn; the cabled Kittiwake Cardigan that has an almost cowl-like neckline; the Chinmaera Socks, which use slip stitches to show off a pretty hand-painted yarn and have a cool cable pattern that runs down the side of the leg and foot; and the Sallah Cowl, another project for hand-painted sock yarn, it uses twisted stitches to show off the colors to full effect and is actually a pretty quick and easy project.

Remember that because this issue was just released, these pages may be loading slowly. Check it out and let me know what you’re itching to cast on. Oh, and don’t forget to check out Franklin Habit’s Templeton Square project — it involves a design contest.

[Photo via Knitty.com.]

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out.

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs.

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make.

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color.

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash.

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail).

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs.

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]

Comments

Have you read?