Hot Knits & Cool Crochet: Must-Make Gift Projects!

It's time to start gift knitting. It's never too early, right?  Whether you're staying home or cautiously spending some time outside of it, make sure to keep knitting and crocheting on your to-do list. Crafting is a great way to relieve stress.

Hair Accessories

Scrunchies are making a comeback, and there are tons of great free patterns to try, such as: Vickie Howell's Scrap Bin Scrunchies (knit & crochet options), Luxury Mohair Scrunchie [Ravelry Link] (knit), Back to School Scrunchie [Ravelry Link] (knit), Scrap Sock Yarn Hair Scrunchie [Ravelry Link] (crochet), or the Easy Crochet Scrunchie [Ravelry Link]. If scrunchies aren't your thing, a Knit Bow [Ravelry Link] can be attached to a bobby pin, barrette or hair tie to dress up your hairdo. Tame bad hair days with a Slip Stitch Headband [Ravelry Link] (knit) or Perfect Picnic Headband (crochet).

For the Home

Re-usable wash cloths and cleaning cloths are not just earth-friendly, they're also fun, instant-gratification projects that are great for gifting! Knit or crochet up a stash using your favorite stitch pattern, or one of these fabulous free patterns: Basketweave Scrubbie [Ravelry link] (crochet), Magnolia Springs Dishcloth [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Whispering Pines Wash Cloth [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Reusable Cotton Rounds [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Easy as Pie Dishcloth [Ravelry Link] (knit), Leafy Washcloth [Ravelry Link] or the Silver Sands Wash Cloth (knit) and Spa-Riffic Wash Cloth (knit) from our own blog archive!

Protect furniture with colorful coasters to knit or crochet! Use up leftover bits of yarn with the Brioche Fade Coaster [Ravelry Link] (knit), Linen Stitch Coasters [Ravelry Link] (knit), Aurora Coaster [Ravelry Link] (crochet) or  Fringy Boho Coasters [Ravelry Link] (crochet). If you want to add a whimsical touch to your decor, try the Cactus Coasters [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Sun's Out! Drink Coasters [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Egg or Avocado (knit), or Kitty Coasters [Ravelry Link] (knit).

Or, spruce up your walls with a trendy wall hanging! From funky to fun, these free patterns have you covered: Be Kind Mini C2C Wall Hanging [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Chase the Rainbow [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Brighton Wall Hanging [Ravelry Link] (crochet), Pineroot [Ravelry Link] (knit), Rainbows in the Windows [Ravelry Link] (knit),or Wall Hanging [Ravelry Link] (knit).

We hope you feel inspired to keep knitting and crocheting all season long—make sure to share what's on your Knitter's Pride needles and hooks by using #knitterspride in your posts!

Colorwork Knitting Resources

Do you want to learn how to knit colorwork patterns? We've got all the resources you need to get started! 

A great beginning pattern is A Precious Resource, a free pattern on our site. Designed by Michael Harrigan, this cowl is the perfect project to build your skills. Check out the photo below from carolmcq on Ravelry—it's her first colorwork project!

We'd like to inspire more of our wonderful fans to give color work knitting a try, so we've rounded up some of our favorite resources for learning and perfecting the art of knitting with more than one color of yarn. Enjoy!

Colorwork Knitting at Your Fingertips

If you're totally new to colorwork knitting, get your feet wet with Stranded Colorwork 101 from Brooklyn Tweed. This comprehensive introduction to Colorwork knitting covers chart reading, techniques for maintaining even tension, and guidelines for maintaining color dominance in your work.

Confused about the difference between stranded, fair isle, mosaic and intarsia? Our blog The Secrets of Colorwork Knitting introduces you to each technique. If you're new to both Colorwork knitting and working from charts, don't miss this fabulous blog tutorial from Kelbourne Woolens.

Visual learners will want to watch this video from Staci Perry of Very Pink Knits, which shows how to work with multiple colors of yarn in your knitting project. Staci draws on her many years of colorwork knitting to share tons of tips and tricks that even experienced knitters will find helpful.

Knitwear designers, especially those who specialize in colorwork knitting patterns, are great resources for tips and techniques. Vickie Howell shares her favorite colorwork knitting tips in this episode of Ask Me Monday. LaVisch designs helps you pick out colors, manage tension and fix mistakes in this helpful blog post. Miriam Felton also shares her top colorwork knitting tips in this blog post.

Once you're perfected stranded colorwork knitting, why not give Fair Isle a try? Check out this great blog post from Tin Can Knits to get you started.

You can also work on refining your skills with Andrea Rangel's 7 Tips to Improve Your Colorwork and this post from Handmade by Stefanie, which shares three tips for quicker colorwork knitting.

Got a colorwork knitting tip or favorite tutorial not listed here? Share it with us in the comments!

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