#FridayFavorites

It’s finally Friday! I got some pretty exciting ((baby!)) news from a very good friend of mine last week that is inspiring this Friday Favorites. I freaking love to knit baby things, which is a little odd because I find actual human babies to be slightly terrifying. I first started knitting baby sweaters because they’re a really great way to learn different construction methods and apply stitch patterns without a whole lot of commitment, but now instead of letting them sit in a pile, buttonless and sad, they get to be worn and loved and pooped on by tiny humans. So here’s a handful of some of my favorite baby patterns!

Gingersnap by Kristen Rettig

I just think this is such a fun little sweater. I love the colors of the sample, but really the possibilities are endless with this pattern. The construction looks very simple making it a perfect project to knit on the go or for the inevitable Netflix binge.

Baby Duck Booties by Maegan Anderson

These are one of my top favorites. They’re so charming and classic. I mean, shoes for babies is a pretty useless concept, but these are more like socks that look like shoes right? There’s a baby and a toddler version of this pattern and here’s hoping someone will figure out an adult version because I would 100% wear them.

Colorwork Baby Pullover by Susan Mills

This sweater is so striking to me. I love the contrast between the traditional fairisle pattern and the fun, modern color pallet. It does use a lot of different colors, but you’d definitely have a lot of left over yarn to play with (gifts are my favorite way to justify buying more yarn).

Seamless Baby Hooded Pullover by Maggie van Buiten

This is another one I would probably make for myself. It’s a casual classic and I can just imagine how cozy and snuggly a little one would be in this sweater. I love the seed stitch hem and cuff and the oversized buttons are so cute. There’s two sizes and the pattern is free!

Baby Sweater Buffet Supplement by Allyson Dykhuizen

This isn’t a full pattern but I just couldn’t resist a snowsuit. I’m a sucker for stripes and onesies, what can I say?

 

#FridayFavorites

We had about a day of random 60 degree weather the other day and wow, what a shock to the system. We were considering sitting out in lawn chairs with beers but it started raining. Running to the store in just a sweatshirt in the middle of January felt very weird and kind of naughty. But the reprise is over and it’s back to freezing in time to do anything.

My mittens are off to my tech editor, and I found a title I’m happy with in case anyone was worried.. and now I just have to be awake long enough in the daylight to take pictures. Too bad all the snow melted away and everything is muddy.

Anyways, it’s Fridayyyyy so you know what that means! Here are some shiny new patterns I found on Ravelry if you’re looking to fill up your queue for the year.

Scratch & Peck Shawl by: Ann Meyer

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a sucker for colorwork. This one is mosaic knit so you’re only working with one yarn at a time. I’m personally not a big shawl wearer but I always want to make them. This one has a pretty modern and graphic pattern but all wrapped up would actually be pretty subtle. It’s also currently on sale so get at it!

 

 

Big Stitch Beanie by: Nailya Plaskey

I’ve been seeing this one a whole bunch on the internet. It’s such a simple idea – it’s knitting that looks like bigger knitting! I’m kind of mad I didn’t think of it first, but IT’S SO CUTE! I’d totally wear one of these, I’d make them for everyone, I’d put ’em on a baby, I’d put one on a dog. I’m a big fan of giant pom-poms lately and that multi colored one is working hard.

 

19 Fishes on a Mitten by: Magdalena Svanberg

This is a free pattern. There’s something charming and silly about it that I just like. This is the designer’s premier pattern though the pattern is only in Swedish at this point. It’s fully charted so if you’re at all familiar with how mittens work I’m sure you could figure this guy out. I’ve been trying to figure out what to knit for K since I’m a scrub and haven’t knit him anything (sweater curse, duh) but this pattern might have to be adjusted for him. There’s a bit of an inside joke about fish with his friend group. Playing with marled yarn might be really nice for these.

Non-Traditional Kihnu Style Mittens by: Mary Germain

I knew the second I saw these that were were gauge sisters. I don’t know too many people who like to knit at 10 stitches per inch or use US 1 needles but there are some special people out there who do it. I’m not crazy about the cuffs on these but I also have never heard of kihnu style mittens so I be checking those out shortly.

Hearth and Snow by: Ninja Chickens

This is just a good solid hat, and hey one without colorwork! It looks warm and practical but also stylish and unisex. I never love the hats that I make but I also don’t have a cabled hat so that very well could be the problem. I also have a large head and a shit-ton of hair so that could be the real problem.

 

 

#Friday Favorites: Holiday Kitsch

Haven’t done one of these bad boys in a while but it’s Friday so let’s do it! It’s probably to late to make any of these for this year, but maybe I’ll remember next year to start early, or better yet make a bunch of holiday stuff in the summer slump and have them ready to go.

 

I’m a big fan of kitschy holiday decor. Not really sure why but there’s something nostalgic about it all that it just makes me smile. So here’s some of the kitschiest holiday knitting patterns I could find this morning. (I’m not intending to hurt feelings here, just celebrating the kitsch!).

Christmas Lights by Amelia Samios 

Actually, I don’t know how kitschy these are but I really like them. A small string would look cute or make enough to decorate you’re whole tree! This is also the kind of pattern that would work in any size yarn really, so you could make tiny little ones. Reminds me of Charlie Brown.

 

Christmas Holly Wreath by Hayfield

This one is so extra. It might actually be pretty hanging on a door, but can you even imagine how many fucking ends you would need to weave in. Plus all the sewing and arranging to get it into a wreath. It would really bother me to make a bunch of holly leaves over and over again, casting on and off and on and off forever… so much garter stitch… but ’tis the season to be extra.

Christmas Baskets by Jean Woods

I’m just going to leave this one here.

 

 

 

O Hanukkah! by My Savannah Cottage

No Holiday is safe. This dog sweater made me laugh so hard! While there doesn’t seem to be a lot to choose from on Ravelry as far as Hanukkah patterns go, this one is a winner. That dog knows sure well that he looks ridiculous, those baubles though… I do think with some finagling and careful editing this would make a really cute Hanukkah sweater for a kid. Ugly sweaters are still a thing right?

Yuletide Gnomes by Alan Dart

I can’t decide if these are super creepy or cute. This is the kind of thing my family would hide around the house to try and scare each other. Having lots of little ones sitting around in the corners and peering down from shelves might be fun if you’re hosting this year.

 

Not sure if I’ll find time to post over the weekend (we have FIVE Christmas gatherings to go to in the next three days…), but I hope everyone has a lovely holiday.

 

#FridayFavorites

Knitting Blog Challenge Day 10

Do you have a favorite pattern or designer?

This prompt conveniently lands on a Friday, so I think I’ll do a little Friday Favorites round up of a few of my favorite patterns I’ve personally knit.

Pine Bough Cowl by: Dianna Walla

Dianna Walla

Kristen McLaren

I made this a few years ago (mine is the image on the right) It took almost ten skeins of yarn but was really fun to knit. The pattern was easy to memorize and it had never occurred to me before this to knit a scarf in a tube so that all the WS would be hidden away. I don’t know how “in” infinity scarves are anymore but it’s something I will continue to wear regardless.

Water For Elephants by: Yvette Noel

Yvette Noel

Kristen McLaren

I’ve been a big fan of elephants for a while now and when I saw these socks I knew I had to make them. I believe these were the first pair of colorwork socks I’d ever made and if I’m being honest, probably spurred my obsession with making them. I had some cones of camel weaving yarn in my stash so I wound a big skein and dyed it black to have a contrasting color. I didn’t really check my gauge with these and they unfortunately are too small for my giant ass feet. But lucky enough for my mom, they fit her just fine. Less lucky for her – she has to hand wash them.

Dinosaur Jr. by: Katie Boyette

Katie Boyette

Kristen Mclaren

I’ve made this little cutie twice now. The first time was a gift for my best friend and her soon to be born little guy. It was so fun to see him take shape while I was knitting. He was so cute in fact that another friend of mine asked me to make one for his niece’s birthday. I added the purple foot pads and button eyes the second time around. I might even make this a third time because damnit it’s so cute I want one.

Salt by: Sylvia McFadden

Sylvia McFadden

Kristen McLaren

The second I saw this pattern on Instagram I went and bought it on Ravelry. I knit this thing obsessively. The stitch pattern is so addicting the whole thing just unfurled from my needles. I couldn’t wait for winter to get here so I could wear this shawl. Mine came out a bit smaller than the pattern indicates but that’s hardly a shock considering how tightly I knit. I was so excited about this pattern that I even splurged on some Wool of the Andes yarn from Knit Picks. It’s definitely already one of my go too scarves this winter.

#FridayFavorites Halloween

I love this time of year, and every year it sneaks up on me (so spooky haha). I never end up doing anything besides eating a bunch of cheap candy and then feeling sick. So in honor of that, here’s some cute spoopy hallowing patterns I forgot about knitting until it’s too late.

Spooksockular Halloween Socks by: Theresa Ehlers

Theresa Ehlers

Theresa Ehlers

These socks remind me of socks my sister and I had as kids. They were super cheap and scratchy and always made my feet sooo sweaty because they were basically just plastic. But they were cute to see peek out between our dumb Mary-Janes and our too short jeans. Anyways, this pattern is like the sophisticated, nostalgic feeling version of those socks.

Boo Pullover by: Rae Blackledge

Willow Yarns

Willow Yarns

It’s hard not to include children’s clothes in something like this. Most of the halloween knits are for kids and babies. If someone really wanted to do that math, this could probably be worn by an adult. It’s cute without being cutesy. Also almost every Halloween in my experience has been close to freezing, sometimes it snows so this would definitely be warm. On the other hand it seems really funny to me to knit a child’s garment that would be appropriately worn for like two weeks of the year. Still cute though!

Tiny Pumpkin by: Anna Hrachovec

Anna Hrachovec

Anna Hrachovec

If I had orange yarn I would cast on right now. I’m a big fan of everything Anna knits and these are just so fun. They probably take less than an hour to make. You could have handfuls after one good Netflix binge.

#FridayFavorites

Last weekend I made the coziest pair of sweater socks. I made both socks in like 36 hours which didn’t even seem real to me since I usually knit with needles no larger than US 2. They knit up so quick and easy that I made a hat the next day in practically one sitting (It could have been one sitting, but I woke up the next morning and didn’t like the crown decreases so I ripped that all out and made it better). I’ve got them all blocking in the kitchen right now and hope to have a pattern worked up sometime this weekend, but the weekend tends to get away from me.

Studland by: Clare Devine 

I’m really not even sure why I’m so drawn to these. Usually I’m interested in more textural pieces or crazy colorwork pieces but there’s something so simple about these that I just love. I do really just love the yarn color and I was drawn in by the ‘lifestyle’ photos. Lifestyle photos are something I’m not very good at when photographing my own work, granted it’s pretty difficult to take normal looking pictures of your own feet when you don’t have a tripod or an adorable apartment.

Ola Sokken by: Lill C. Schei

I’ve been kind of obsessed with gray and white and gray and yellow lately and these bring the best of those together. They’re geometric and fun and would certainly keep your toes warm all winter.

Keel by: Brenda York

I just love how classic these socks are. They would make a great gift for anyone and would look great in any color combo. They make me think about sitting a porch watching autumn leaves fall drinking a cup of hot cider.

 

#FridayFavorites

Since I’ve spent the week wishing I could wrap myself in as much warm shit as possible and it looks like its going to rain all weekend – tanking my very limited social engagement… here’s a few of my favorite warm and cozy looking things I wish I had the yarn and patience to knit.

Stornaway Throw by: Anita Grahn

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stornoway-throw

I think at one point I planned on knitting this for my mom. Theres just something about those cables and the drape of this fabric that makes me want to snuggle up under it. It’s intimidating to buy all that yarn though because theres always a solid chance I’d get bored half way through.

Yoga Shawl by Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry

I think this pattern is the perfect excuse to wear a giant blanket around all the time. I really like how many different ways this can be worn. I could probably get a lot of stuff done while also being wrapped in a blanket.

Persian Dreams by: Jenise Hope

Jenise Reid

liesbraam

HelenKnitsUK

I have been drooling over this pattern for a loooong time now. I don’t even have a good reason for not knitting it already. Stranded knitting is kind of my shit. I just don’t know what color way I would go with. I like the simplicity of two colors or the muted colors but the first image is just so striking and fun.

 

#FridayFavorites

Today I woke up to a day that belongs in November. Everything is gray; it’s so cold; all I want to do is cuddle up on the couch and binge on Netflix. So before I do that I thought I would share some of my Ravelry favorites.

The Bird by Karin Aida

Karin Aida

Karin Aida

@instanthuman

I think I found these socks around November of 2016 sooooo…. clearly they resonated with me. I never got around to knitting them though. November is always mad rush of Christmas knitting. Plus these have a drastically different stitch count for socks than what I tend to use and I never bothered to do the math or buy thicker yarn to make these. Maybe this year… I know The Boy would get a kick out of them.

Sunwalker by Melanie Berg

Melanie Berg

Melanie Berg

Melanie Berg

I’ve had two skeins of  Malabrigo sock yarn sitting in my stash for almost three years now. Part of the problem is that it feels too precious to knit with – I’ve been waiting and waiting to find the perfect project to use it for because I don’t want to waste it. The other part of the problem is that it’s variegated and I just don’t have any clue what to do with variegated yarns. They’re sooo beautiful in the skein but as soon as I start knitting I hate it. Long story short, this pattern might actually be perfect for this yarn.

Pomme de pin Cardigan by Amy Christoffers

Amy Christoffers

Amy Christoffers

Amy Christoffers

Theres just something about this pattern that I really like. It’s such a grandpa sweater shape and color but the lace makes it less frumpy and much more feminine. It could also be the way the woman holds her body in each photograph – the sweater seems like such a security blanket that it makes me want to knit one for myself.

 

If you’re perusing Ravelry this weekend, all of my sock patterns are currently on sale through Oct. 7 at midnight using the coupon code: hellofall