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!

5 Clever Ideas to Use Up Leftover Yarn

Whether you're cleaning out your yarn stash, or just looking for ways to use up leftover bits of yarn while spending more time indoors, today's blog post shares 7 ways use up leftover yarn and make sure that no yarn goes to waste! 

Idea #1: Make Wool Dryer Balls

Many traditional dryer sheets contain chemicals and fragrance, which can irritate sensitive skin. Try making your own dyer balls with leftover bits of wool yarn to reduce drying time (wool fibers are able to absorb a surprising amount of moisture!) and also reduce static electricity. Knitwear designer Louise Tilbrook has a fabulous tutorial on making your own dryer balls with leftover yarn. 

Tip: Use our nostepinne to start winding your dryer ball to create a perfect round shape!

Image source: louisetilbrookdesigns.net

Idea #2: Use As Stuffing

The next time you're run low on poly-fil stuffing, mix in your leftover yarn snippets to fill your toy or pillow projects!

Idea #3: Decorate Gifts

Make pom poms, tassels, or simply wrap yarn around your package several times to add a bit of color to any gift!

Idea #4: Make a Magic Ball

Pick several coordinating colors of the same yarn weight to join together into a "magic ball" that changes colors and textures as you work! Find the free tutorial here from Shiny Happy World.

Image source: shinyhappyworld.com

Idea #5: Make Do and Mend

Repairing small holes in your knitted or crocheted garments doesn't require a full skein of yarn— typically just a yard or two will suffice. Choose a coordinating (but contrasting) color of yarn to visibly mend your next project; click here for tips from Spin-Off Magazine or watch a helpful video shared by @bookhou on Instagram.

Image source: Spin-Off Blog

Perfect Patterns for Leftover Yarn

There are so many patterns that are written for leftover bits of yarn, many of which are available for free. Here are a few of our favorites.

Free Knitting Patterns

Leftover KAL by Tina v/d Berg is an any-weight, any yardage pattern for a brioche scarf. For those who prefer cowls, check out I Love Trash by C.B. Williams for an in-the-round cowl that you can easily customize. If you have lots of leftover sock yarn, try Dr. Frankenscraps by Fran Singer to make a unique mismatched pair of socks. Keep hands warm with the Drops of Spring Mitts by Quinn Reverendo, which uses small amounts of Aran-weight yarn to create a pixelated design. Mash it Up by Babs Ausherman uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to create endless color combinations. 

Free Crochet Patterns

Magic Monday by Brenda Grobler uses fingering weight yarn and several crochet stitches to make a delightfully wearable cowl. Elizabeth Pardue's Scrapadelic Scarf coordinates with her Stripey Mitts pattern to put your leftover worsted weight yarns to good use. The Scrap Buster Beanie by Esther Thompson is a great way to practice a few new-to-you crochet stitches while also using up leftover yarn. Casapinka's Blanket of Calm can be easily adjustable depending on what yarn you have on hand and how big you'd like your blanket to be.

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Nupps and Bobbles: Adding Texture to Your Knits

Do you love textured knits? Projects full of different stitch patterns and and three dimensional textures have always been popular but recently knits with bobbles, those fun little balls integrated into your knitting, are making a comeback. Today we’ll talk about some of the ways to add texture to your knitting, including how to create nupps and bobbles, and the differences between the two techniques. Let’s dive in!

Nupps

Nupps originate from Estonian knitting where the word “nupp” translates to bud. These small buds, or nupps, are created in the space of a single stitch and are generally more delicate than bobbles. They are also worked within the knitting and tend to sit flush with your knitting, rather than on top of your knitting (as bobbles do, which we’ll discuss below).

To create a nupp, work your knitting to the stitch where you want to place it.

 

Work the nupp by creating knit stitches (abbreviated as a k) and yarnovers (abbreviated as yo) into the same stitch. Nupps can come in any size, but common sizes are 5 or 7 “loops.” In the swatch shown below, we have created a 7-stitch nupp by k-yo-k-yo-k-yo-k into the same stitch.

Hint: Take care to leave the loops loose enough that you can work them on the return row.

Next, slip the original stitch off of the needle and continue working to the end of your row.

 

On the following row, resolve the nupp by working all 7 loops as one stitch. In this case, we will purl the 7 stitches together into a single stitch.

Hint: If you find purling the nupp difficult with your knitting needles, many knitters use a crochet hook to help pull the working yarn through all 7 stitches.

Bobbles

Bobbles are similar to nupps in that they add texture to your knitting, but the difference is that they sit more prominently on top of your knitting. Bobbles are created within a single stitch, but they are worked back and forth a few times before resolving (as opposed to resolving these stitches on the next row as described above). Bobbles can be any size, and for comparison we’ll make ours using the same number of stitches as above.

To create a bobble, work to the stitch where you want to place it.

Then, knit into the front (abbreviated as f) and back (abbreviated as b) of the same stitch repeatedly. In this case, that means we will knit f-b-f-b-f-b-f, creating 7 loops on the needle.

 

Rather than continuing to work the current row, you will now turn your work and build up the bobble. Begin by purling all 7 stitches, then turn your work again. Knit the 7 bobble stitches, and turn the work. For the final row, purl all 7 stitches across, and then turn your work so that you are ready to resume work on the right side of your project. Resolve the bobble by knitting these 7 loops together.

Once you have finished knitting the bobble, you can work to the end of the row.

Knitting Patterns with Nupps & Bobbles

Now that you’re armed with two new techniques for adding texture to your knits, there’s a whole world of patterns you might enjoy! For your first bobble project, try the January Hat by Courtney Kelley, which is a free hat pattern that will give you a chance to test your newfound knowledge of bobbles, or try the Leni Hat by Isabell Kraemer. Love to knit shawls? Aeolian by Elizabeth Freeman is a free Knitty pattern that combines nupps with lace for a beautiful effect, or check out the Echo Flower Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen. Go big on yarn and texture with the Bobble Throw by Jen Geigley, or stitch some wearable bobbles with the Faded Neve sweater by Andrea Mowry. 

Note: These patterns links, except Aeolian, go to Ravelry . 

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Knitting, Crochet & Pop Culture: Free Pattern Round-Up (+ Giveaway!)

While winter lingers just a bit longer, get cozy and craft your way to spring! In our latest round-up of free pattern inspiration, we spotlight some of the latest pop culture phenomena to inspire clever knit and crochet patterns for crafty fans like you. We also have a special giveaway just for our blog readers this month - keep reading for more details!

Star Wars
The viral popularity of the Baby Yoda character (also called The Child) introduced in last year's The Mandalorian series has crossed over into the world of craft, with knitters and crocheters making their own patterns celebrating this cute addition to the Star Wars Universe. While you wait for season 2 to arrive, try the Baby Yoda knit hat pattern by Shinah Chang or the Wise One crochet beanie by Elizabeth Roggasch to make hats for the little ones in your life. We're also loving all of the cute stuffed toy patterns that are popping up, such as the Baby Yoda knit doll by Kim Konen, the Baby Yoda Amigurumi by LarissaMaced (@beefriendscrochet), and the Baby Yoda Space Pod by Ami Amour.

Superheroes
With a new Wonder Woman movie coming out this summer, there are lots of great knitting and crochet patterns inspired by the Amazon warrior princess. You may remember Carissa Browning's Wonder Woman Wrap,  available in your choice of a Knit or Crochet version, which came out when the first Wonder Woman movie arrived in theaters. But there are plenty more patterns to try, such as the Wonder Woman Amigurumi by Yazmina Nieblas, the Wonder Woman double knit scarf by Konchan le Me, and many more found here!

Another popular superhero in recent years, Captain Marvel, inspired the Higher, Further, Faster Hat by Sara Huntington Burch, Captain Marvel fingerless gloves by Maratini knits, and Taking Flight by Katherine Belisle.

For still more patterns inspired by superheroes, check out We Call Him Spidey Mittens by Kathleen Taylor, the Captain America Baby Beanie & Shield Blanket by The Geeky Hooker, the Batman Wristband by 8-Bit Nerd, or the Black Panther Amigurumi by Yazmina Nieblas. Last but not least, while you wait for the next volume of Guardians of the Galaxy, why not stitch your own Groot Amigurumi by Clare Heesh to keep you company?

Gaming
Pokémon Go is one of the most successful video game apps of all time, and Pokémon Day is February 27 - why not stitch your favorite Pokémon to celebrate? Crochet designer Strings Away has created cute amigurumi versions of several Pokémon - click here to see them all and get started on stitching your very own Pokédex! Featured below are a few of the most well-known Pokémon, Pikachu (by Strings Away) and Snorlax (by Cathrine Johansson). Delight a Pokémon trainer with a Pokéball Knit Hat by Vicki Mann or a crocheted Pokéball Hat by Bonnie Jacobs - you can even knit or crochet a Pokéball so they can catch 'em all!  Click here for even more free knit & crochet patterns inspired by Pokémon!

The Super Mario games - both old and new - have inspired lots of clever patterns such as the Super Mario Mushroom Knitted Toy by Emily Miller, Crocheted Mario Mushroom by Linda Potts, Vickie Howell's Mario Mushroom Mitts, or the Yoshi Amigurumi by Kerstin Brünnler. For more patterns inspired by Super Mario and other Nintendo games, click here!

Giveaway
One lucky blog reader will win a Knitter's Pride prize pack which includes a Large Navy Knitting Chart Keeper, a Reverie Stitch Marker Pouch, and a set of Midnight Beauty Stitch Markers! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us about a project you've made (or want to make) that was inspired by your favorite book, movie, video game or other pop culture phenomenon! Be sure to also include your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you've won. We'll announce the winner on our next blog post on Friday, February 28. Good luck!

Fall Crafting Inspiration

Fall is around the corner and we’re feeling the call of our needles and hooks! Today we’ve rounded up some new free patterns to jump start your fall crafting. We hope you’ll find something inspiring and cast on with abandon!

Sweaters

If you’re looking to cuddle up in a sweater we’ve got a ton of options for you! If you’re into colorwork knitting check out the bands on Maj by Rachel Søgaard. If you’d like to add a touch of lace to your fall knitting, try the Beechnut Pullover by Amy Gundersen. If you’d like an oversized fall cardigan that will become a wardrobe staple, we love Maria by Quail Studio. And if you’re still loving those fades, check out the Metamorphic Tee by Andrea Yetman. For our crocheters, check out the Everyday Cotton Cardigan by Ashleigh Kiser (which could be done in wool for a warmer, cozier sweater) or the Elevation Sweater by Grace forthefrills!

Accessories

If you’re looking for the perfect small project to use up those special skeins, but still keep you warm, we’ve got inspiration aplenty (we ran out of room!) Just one skein of DK and some linen stitch and you’ve got the Oddly Satisfying Cowl by Christine Long Derks. A soft skein of luscious fingering weight will make these pretty Alder Fingerless Mitts by Agnes Zombory. If you want to keep your toes toasty warm, check out the Sea Oats Socks by The Blue Mouse. If it’s a hat you’re after try the Gentle Waves Hat by Beatrice Alexander-Howden or step up your game with a bit of colorwork with the August Hat by Sara Solomon (and check out all the free patterns Year of Hats from Kelbourne Woolens has to offer - a new free hat pattern each month!) If you want a quick bulky knit with just a touch of lace try the Icy Waters Shawl by EweKnit Toronto. And if you want the perfect fall shawl, we love Siki Shawl by Dawn Henderson. For our crocheters we’ve got cowls and hats for you too! Check out Anemone by the Berroco Design Team and the Kyrie Slouch by Phanessa Fong!

Other

If you’re looking for a little something seasonal, we love the Little Rustic Pumpkin by Rebecca Langford. And if you want to try a bigger knit, how about a cozy blanket? You’re not too late to join the CAL (Crochet Along) for the Cactus Garden Blanket by Susan E. Kennedy. Or if you want to knit up a cozy blanket for game night check out Dance on the Breeze by Fifty Four Ten Studio (or any of their other free blanket patterns!)

Whatever you choose to craft this fall, we hope we’ve given you some inspiration to get started!

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Project Inspiration

Small projects are a great way to take a break between larger more involved projects. We like to think of these as little knit and crochet snacks--small, satisfying, quick and easy. A good small project will cleanse your palette and leave you feeling successful and ready to take on a bigger more challenging project.

Today we have rounded up some of our favorite quick and easy knit and crochet patterns. And better yet, all of these patterns are available for free on Ravelry!

Knit Patterns
A lovely simple shawl recipe perfect for using up stash!

Textured Shawl Recipe by Orlane

Hats for the whole family!

Barley by Tin Can Knits

A perfect gender neutral scarf in linen stitch. This pattern is great for variegated yarns.

Cerus Scarf by Hillary Callis Smith

If you're a spinner or have a skein of thick and thin knit up this quick and easy cowl.

Through Thick and Thin by Mari Chiba

Crochet Patterns
Washcloths are useful and also make great gifts.

Oh So Soft Baby Washcloths by Theresa Grant

While warmer weather is still yet to arrive in most places keep your hands warm with these lovely cabled hand warmers.

Cable Wrist Warmers by Julee Fort

This crochet hat is perfect for transitioning into spring. Get a head start on the warm weather with this hat.

Easy Peasy Women's Winter Hat by Mary Englar

Have you knit or crochet any of these patterns? Or do you have a favorite quick and easy pattern you'd like to share? Leave a comment telling us!

Giveaway
Congratulations to Cheryl G, you're our lucky winner! We'll be in touch to arrange delivery of your Karbonz Midi Interchangeable Needle Set. Thanks to everyone who participated.

New Year, New Projects!

With the holiday season behind us it’s that time again where we can refocus our crafting. So, what are your crafting goals for 2015? Did you get new tools and materials to help you reach your goals?

Here at Knitter's Pride we’re always looking forward and inspired by the many talented crafters we meet each day, and we love sharing this with all of you! The knitting and crochet community is magical, warm, and inviting, and we couldn’t be happier to sharing this with all of you!

Here are a few new patterns that have already been published this year by talented designers, we hope they will inspire you to dream and stitch big in 2015!

Quicksilver by Melanie Berg

Victorian Raffia by Kieran Foley & Alasdair Post-Quinn

Rainbow Magical by Elizabeth Brassard

Bring by Ilaria Caliri (crochet)

Giveaway
This month we're giving away a Nova Platina DPN Set and a PDF copy of the Slive pattern courtesy of Classic Elite. To enter the giveaway visit our previous post.