What Are You Knitting for New Year’s Eve?

New Year’s Eve doesn’t get the crafty build up that Christmas does, probably because frankly we’re all kind of tired after the big event and no one can quite handle another holiday exactly a week later.

But if you’re going to — or hosting — a New Year’s Eve party, it can be fun to knit up a little bling to wear as you ring in the new year.

Here are some projects I found that can help you settle into some selfish knitting and bring a little extra sparkle to your year-end events.

The Cotton Sparkle Infinity Scarf from Knitting Fever uses a shiny yarn and a simple elongated stitch pattern to make quick work of the design, sized to be a cowl, scarf or wrap.

Red Heart’s Diamond Girl Top is a lovely, sparkly little number that’s not all that difficult to knit (it’s rated intermediate) but it also uses pretty big needles so you’ve got plenty of time to finish it.

Looking for a sparkly chevron shrug? (Say that 10 times fast.) Lion Brand has a pretty one that calls for yarns that have been discontinued, but anything sparkly and bulky would look great in this funky pattern.

My beaded necklace from About was originally designed for Mardi Gras, but it would be fun in a shiny or sparkly yarn (or even just a bright color) for New Year’s, too. Or try the simple Adele Triple Strand Necklace from Tahki Stacy Charles. For that matter, pick up any fun yarn you like, knit a long I-cord, sew the ends together and you’ve got a super fun necklace in no time.

Paula Schramm has a pretty sparkly cowl pattern that costs €2, but it looks to be a Stockinette cowl, so you could do something similar with whatever fun yarn you have on hand (I have a pattern for a Multi-Yarn Cowl that was actually made with a purchased magic ball, but you can make your own out of odd balls for a really cool look).

These sparkling fingerless gloves from Mary Garing will run you $5, but they’re a lovely pattern that would also be great for gifts (maybe for next year).

I found a couple of Iris Schreier patterns that I really love, too. Her Sparking Wrap is another pretty simple pattern that’s made stunning by the yarn choice (it’s also $5) and the Sparkling Chevron Scarf and Mitts ($6) are a great addition to an otherwise plain outfit that will make it look really special.

Knitting anything special for New Year’s? I’d love to hear about it!

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

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