Tips for Changing Seasons & Spring Pattern Round-Up

As the seasons change in the northern hemisphere, it's time to pack away warm winter woolens in favor of lightweight, breathable garments and accessories. But before you store your handmade projects for the season, make sure to wash everything first!

There are many specially-made wool washes on the market that condition fibers while removing dirt and grime which can attract unwanted pests. Your nearest Knitter's Pride retailer should be able to recommend a wool wash, along with any other supplies you may need - we always recommend keeping a set of Blocking Mats and Knit Blockers handy, and if you knit a lot of lace, you may want to add a set of Blocking Wires to your toolbox as well. We have a free tutorial on washing and blocking handmade projects here our blog archive for anyone who needs a refresher on the washing and blocking process.

Moths, in particular, are something that every wool lover dreads; for tips on mothproofing your woolen wear, check out this post on the Martha Stewart website. Should you discover an infestation at any point, don't panic! Click here to tips on managing the situation on the Red Handled Scissors blog.

Warmer weather may also mean changes in the kinds of projects you like to knit and crochet! While many of our fans craft year-round (and some will even keep making sweaters no matter how hot it gets!), some folks set their needles and hooks aside for the season. But with all of the extra time at home this spring, why not keep your hands busy with a project that fits the season?

Smaller projects like socks, fingerless mitts and hats are quick to make and won't make you hot by resting in your lap the way a larger project would. That doesn't mean that shawls and sweaters are out of the question, though! Look for patterns which use lighter weights of yarn (think lace and fingering) and incorporate more breathable fibers such as cotton, bamboo, and flax, into your wool routine (even blending these fibers with wool will help!).

Let us inspire your next project with one of these fabulous free patterns!

Free Knitting Patterns

Brighten up your living space or home office with a Mini Rainbow by Amanda Davies! If you have any loved ones who must wear a face mask for prolonged periods of time,  use up leftover bits of yarn to knit a few of Lady C's Ear Savers to reduce irritation caused by the elastic loops which hold the mask in place. The Fadewalker Fingerless Mitts by Elizabeth Abiate is perfect for gradient or self-striping yarns in your stash, or rounding up several coordinating colors if you prefer. Practice your intarsia skills with The Ombis by Amy Singer, which appears in the Spring + Summer issue of Knitty. The Twilight Cowl by Sara Anthony-Boon has an interesting construction and is inspired by the Aurora Borealis. Sock knitters will enjoy the bold geometric design found on the Mitsuuroko Socks by Raeli Masina. Or, join our current charity craft-along, which has a color work theme and a fabulous free cowl pattern, A Precious Resource by Michael Harrigan!

Free Crochet Patterns

The Easiest Ear Savers by Jessica Underwood is a beginner-friendly pattern that's also great for using up scrap yarn. Scrunchies are making a comeback, and you can quickly whip up an entire rainbow of with the Ruffled Scrunchie by Crochet n' Create. The Crochet Rainbow by Crafting Happiness can be made with scrap yarn in your stash and proudly displayed in your window or used as a wall hanging.  Whip up a pair of lightweight, lacy fingerless mitts with the Evies Eternities Gloves by Heidi Eisner. Vickie Howell's Singles Summer Scarf is a beautiful project designed especially for the fingering weight singles lurking in your stash. Keep cool with the Off The Shoulder Crop Top by Designs by Key, which comes in sizes ranging from XS-5X. For our fans who love both Star Wars and crochet, check out Amilyn by Rebecca Velasquez, which is inspired by a special-occasion dress worn by Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo that is translated into a lacy open-work top.

Wishing you a safe & happy spring - make sure to share what's on your Knitter's Pride needles and hooks by using #knitterspride in your posts!

Free Knitting Pattern & KCAL: A Precious Resource Colorwork Cowl

Our next Charity Craft-along for 2020 is here! Many of us are spending more time at home, and we invite all of our fans to give color work knitting a try using this new free pattern from designer Michael Harrigan!

About Our Featured Designer

Michael Harrigan is a knitwear accessory designer based in Bangkok, Thailand. He enjoys traveling the world for inspiration for his designs and specializes in lace knitting and stranded colorwork.

Over the past several years he has designed patterns for accessories, such as scarves and cowls, shawls, other types of wraps, and hats. Many have been self-published, several have been produced for major yarn companies, and others have featured in online and print magazines.

Michael has been certified by The Knitting Guild Association as a Master Knitter, Knitting Technical Editor, and Knitting Judge.  If you'd like to learn more about Michael and his designs, visit his website or view his Ravelry page here.

Explore more of Michael's designs during this KCAL with coupon code Rainforest150, giving you $1.50 off any single pattern until June 30, 2020 - click here to shop Michael's Ravelry store.

Free Knitting Pattern: A Precious Resource by Michael Harrigan

A Precious Resource is knit in the round and is suitable for anyone with basic colorwork knitting skills – as only two colors are involved on any round. This cowl / neck warmer features stranded colorwork patterns inspired by the world’s endangered rainforests - in fact, one of Michael's favorite charities is The Coalition for Rainforest Nations, which is dedicated to helping tropical governments and communities responsibly manage their rainforests to combat climate change and incentivize conservation. 

Click here for a free PDF download of Michael's new colorwork cowl pattern, A Precious Resource.

Please note, you will be subscribed to the Knitter's Pride newsletter; if you already get our emails, simply enter your address to confirm and download the pattern.

How to Participate

• Knit ANY of Michael's colorwork patterns or Crochet a colorwork design of your choosing during the course of this KCAL, which takes place Friday, May 8 through Friday, June 26, 2020. 

• Share your finished photos here in our Ravelry group, or post them on Facebook or Instagram using the #knitterspride and #KPCharityKCAL hashtags to be entered in our prize drawing (more on that in a moment!).

• Donate your finished project to someone in need! If you need a few suggestions, try checking with local organizations such as hospitals, shelters or hospices, or you can send your donations to Wool Aid, where they will be given to those who need them most. 

Colorwork Charity Craft-Along: Prizes

We have 3 great prizes up for grabs: a Deluxe SmartStix Interchangeable Set, a Size 12 Rainbow Row Counter Ring, and a set of Nirvana Pom Pom Makers. 

All projects meeting the requirements above which are finished between May 8, 2020 - June 26, 2020 will be eligible in our prize drawing. We will randomly select our 3 lucky winners from those who have shared their finished sock projects here in our Ravelry group, or on Facebook or Instagram using the #KPCharityKCAL hashtag. We will notify the winners via direct message after June 26. 

We can't wait to see what you make!

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Eco-Friendly Crafting: Resources for Creative Re-Use & Upcycling

Today, we share a few of our favorite tutorials to help you re-use and repurpose what you have on hand. Also known as "upcycling," these creative ideas are a great way to give new life to everyday items. We hope this inspires you to try something new.

Take a look through your WIPs—you might have a few unworn sweaters destined for the thrift store. But what if you could unravel them to re-use the yarn for another project? Hint: A ball winder or nostepinne is very handy for winding the yarns you unravel into balls!

If you have a lot of old t-shirts that also found their way onto the donate pile, why not turn some of them into yarn? T-shirt yarn is great for making rugs, pillows, baskets, bags and more. Click here or watch the free tutorial below to get started!

Fabric scraps can also be used for knit and crochet projects, and Vickie Howell shows 3 ways to join fabric scraps into "yarn" in this episode of Ask Me Monday.

After you've joined your fabric scraps together, check out Vickie's free pattern for a crocheted fabric basket, found here.

Plastic bags have been banned in many cities and states, but if you have a lot of them on hand, keep them out of the landfill by turning them into plarn (a combination of plastic + yarn)! This tutorial shows 3 different ways to upcycle plastic bags into a hardy, waterproof option for knitting and crocheting.

Although newspapers aren't as prevalent as they used to be, this is a fun idea for anyone who has a stack of newsprint lying around that would otherwise just get recycled. This free tutorial shows the step-by-step process for hand spinning yarn from newsprint, or you can watch the video tutorial below (you will need to have a spindle or spinning wheel for this one!).

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Thank you for everyone who shared their tips for using up leftover bits of yarn with us—we got a lot of great suggestions! Our lucky winners are:

1. "I tie my scraps into a mystery ball and crochet catnip mice for local shelters." - shared by Orangerussian

2. "I keep a stash of smaller bits for provisional cast-ons and to make stitch markers as needed. Longer pieces go to felting bags for walking the dog." - shared by caffeine72

3.  "I use scraps to tie off sections of a hank when I'm dying yarn with long color repeats." -shared by KittenWhiplash

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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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How to Weave in Yarn Ends Like a Pro

Crafting is a labor of love. We spend lots of time choosing the perfect pattern and then knitting, crocheting or even weaving a project. Once we’ve finished crafting, all that’s left is the “finishing work” which includes weaving in ends and blocking. Some crafters dread weaving in ends, but today we’ll give you our top tips and tricks for weaving in ends and putting the perfect finish on all your projects!

To weave in ends, you will need a wool needle (sometimes called a yarn or tapestry needle) of appropriate size for your yarn, and a pair of sharp scissors. Good lighting helps, too!

 

For the purposes of today’s tutorial, we’re using a contrasting color of yarn so you can follow the steps easily—obviously, you’ll be using the same yarn as in your project so your finishes will blend into your piece. In general, we like to weave our ends in before blocking, but we wait to trim the ends until after the piece is blocked. This allows you to do your finishing work as you finish your crafting, but also allows the fabric to stretch and adjust during blocking. If you trim your ends before you block, be sure that you have woven in your ends through enough stitches, and allowed enough give that your ends won’t pull out when the garment is stretched.

Knitting: Garter Stitch Finishes

To weave in ends in a garter stitch project, use the following steps.

Step 1: Thread your needle with your tail. On the wrong side of your work, insert the needle up through the first stitch. Pull yarn through so the stitch is snug, but not too tight, allowing for some stretch.

 

Step 2: Now you will follow the loop on top of the stitch and insert the needle down through the next stitch in the same row.

Step 3: Now comes the tricky part: even though your garter ridges look like they could be woven together, there is actually a row of knit stitches in between.

Separate the ridges so you can see the channel in between, and insert your needle under both legs of the next stitch. If you look closely, you will see that you’re following a single strand of yarn through the stitches on the current row.

Repeat Steps 1-3 several more times; we like to do this sequence a minimum of 4-6 times to ensure a secure finish. When you are done, your project will look like this:

 

Again, you want to be sure that your yarn is pulled through securely, without a lot of slack. However, be sure that you haven’t pulled too tightly and that your work can lay flat and relaxed.

Now, if you look at the right side of your work, you will see that despite the obvious duplicate stitches on the wrong side of your work, there is only a little glimpse of the blue on the front of the work:

When you are using matching yarn in your projects, this little line will fade into the channel between garter ridges!

Knitting: Stockinette Stitch Finishes

To weave in ends on a stockinette stitch project, you will use the following steps.

Step 1: Thread your needle with your tail. On the wrong side of your work, insert the needle diagonally up through two stitches. Pull yarn through so the stitch is snug, but not too tight, allowing for some stretch.

Step 2: Now you will follow the loop on top of the top most stitch and insert the needle diagonally down through the next two stitches in the same row.

Now you will follow the loop under the bottom most stitch, and repeat Step 1 again. Continue repeating Steps 1 and 2 several more times; we like to do this a minimum 4 to 6 times to ensure a secure finish. When you are finished, the wrong side of your project will look like this:

 

On the right side, the duplicate stitch finish is completely invisible—just like magic!

And that’s all there is to weaving in ends using duplicate stitch!

Crochet: Two Methods to Weave in Ends

The two easiest ways to weave in yarn ends on a crochet project are weaving in the ends through the stitches, or using whipstitch. You may even want to use a combination of these techniques, depending on the stitch pattern you've used! For either technique, you will want to use the same color of yarn as used in your project (we're using a contrast color so that you can better see the techniques) and work on the wrong side of the fabric.

To weave in yarn ends through the stitches, you will work in multiple directions to best secure the ends. That means that you can work diagonally and vertically, running your needle through groups of stitches at a time.

To whip stitch your yarn ends, use the darning needle to loop around one half of the chain stitch that each stitch is worked in like so:

In our example, we have combined both of these techniques to secure the yarn:

We hope these tips help you achieve the perfect finish to every project. We also recommend bookmarking or saving this post on Pinterest to save it for later. We look forward to seeing your finished projects—please share them on social media using the #knitterspride hashtag!

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Spring Charity KCAL & Warm Feet, Warm Heart Socks by Mone Dräger [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Our first Charity Craft-along for 2020 is here! This spring, we invite all of our fans to make socks for those in need. These portable projects are perfect for changing seasons, and we've teamed up with designer Mone Dräger to bring you a new FREE pattern to knit during our Spring Charity Craft-along!

About Our Featured Designer

Mone lives in a village in Germany and loves to craft and be creative. She can’t imagine a day without knitting and enjoys playing around with colors and stitch patterns. She has a special fancy for knitted accessories, above all socks.  If you'd like to learn more about Mone and her designs, follow her blog or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram or Ravelry.

Free Knitting Pattern: Warm Feet, Warm Heart Socks by Mone Dräger 

A couple of years back, with her sock drawer constantly overflowing, she started to donate socks to various charities and was baffled to learn how big the need for socks is. Her sock design ‘Warm Feet, Warm Heart’ was designed especially for charity knitting, having unknown recipients in mind. Knitted almost entirely in ribbing patterns with an integrated heel, the socks have sufficient elasticity to fit differently shaped feet and even accommodate to the needs of people with swollen ankles.

Click here for a free PDF download of Mone's new sock pattern, Warm Feet, Warm Heart.

Please note, you will be subscribed to the Knitter's Pride newsletter; if you already get our emails, simply enter your address to confirm and download the pattern.

More Sock Patterns

Mone has many more sock patterns for you to enjoy, and has created a special deal for our blog readers this spring! Get 25% off all individual sock patterns* by entering Warm Feet KAL (three words with spaces between and in capital letters as written here) at checkout. This coupon code is valid now through Friday, March 27, 2020.

*sock pattern collections not eligible for this discount

How to Participate

• Knit or crochet ANY sock pattern during the course of this KCAL, which takes place Friday, March 13, 2020 through Friday, May 1, 2020. 

• Share your finished sock photos here in our Ravelry group, or post them on Facebook or Instagram using the #knitterspride and #KPCharityKCAL hashtags to be entered in our prize drawing (more on that in a moment!).

• Donate your socks to someone in need! If you need a few suggestions, try checking with local organizations such as hospitals, shelters or hospices, or you can send your donations to Wool Aid, where they will be given to those who need them most. 

Spring Charity KCAL Prizes

We have 3 great prizes up for grabs: a Ginger DPN Set, a Waves Crochet Set, and a Large Navy Pattern Holder! 

ANY pair of socks finished between March 13, 2020 - May 1, 2020 will be eligible in our prize drawing. We will randomly select our 3 lucky winners from those who have shared their finished sock projects here in our Ravelry group, or on Facebook or Instagram using the #KPCharityKCAL hashtag. We will notify the winners via direct message after May 1. 

We can't wait to see all of your knitted and crocheted socks! 

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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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