Coming soon Good Day, a sun and rainbow shawl!
Good Day: Sun and Rainbow Shawl Knitting Pattern
DIY Tassel Stitch Markers Tutorial
Gather Supplies
Do you have a craft night coming up? These DIY tassel stitch markers make a fun little project with an adorable and useful end result. There’s a good chance you have everything you need on hand already! You’ll need “lightbulb” pins, embroidery floss (you could probably use lace weight yarn, too), scissors, and something to wrap the yarn around – I used a lip balm tube.
Create a Bundle of Loops
First, wrap the floss around your lip balm about 5 times.
Next,cut the thread and slide it off the lip balm. Be sure to pinch the whole bundle to keep all the loops intact.
Attach to Pin
Then slide an open pin through the center of your thread bundle. Position the thread at the small end of the closed pin, with the cut ends of the thread at the bottom (away from the pin).
Now, use a short piece of thread to tie a double knot around the bundle, make it nice and tight and right up against the end of the pin. Make sure to use a long enough thread that the tails will be the same length as your tassel when you’re done.
I didn’t like the way one tail from my knot stuck up insead of hanging down with the rest of the tassel. Here’s the fix if it bothers you, too. Push a needle through the knot from top to bottom.
Thread the offending tail through the eye of the needle and pull the needle down through the knot. Now all the threads are neatly in the direction of the tassel.
Trim the Tassel
Finally, cut the loops of your thread bundle so it finally looks like a tassel.
The ends won’t necessarily look nice at this point. Take your scissors and give it a trim.
Now you have an adorable stitch marker for your collection!
Why not make a whole set!?!
If you’re looking for more quick projects, check out my knit hair ties or knit scrunchie tutorials.
Knit Lampshade Trim: Makeover for a Boring Ikea Lampshade
Have you ever had the solution to one problem cause another? This knit lampshade trim is the last (hopefully!) in a long line of problems caused by previous solutions.
It all started when I decided to have 5 kids… 🤣 Just kidding! But seriously, I have a tiny house for a family of seven and my monstera was taking up way too much space in front of the only available window.
Solution 1: move the giant plant into a dark corner. Now the poor baby gets no light. Unfortunately, she really enjoys photosynthesis.
Solution 2: dig out an ugly Ikea lampshade and hanging cord that no one is using and slap a plant bulb in it. Now I have an ugly lampshade hanging in my living room! 😫
Solution 3: knit colorful trim and give the lampshade some personality!
So here we are. It was super easy, I’ll tell you what I did.
Measure the Lampshade
First, I didn’t even bother taking down the shade to measure it. I just semi-carefully measured around the bottom edge of the shade. It was 52 inches.
Knit the Trim
Second, I looked online for a knit trim pattern that I liked. I chose this one, and bookmaked a handful of others so I can create my own motley collection of lampshades in the future.
Next, it didn’t take me too long to knit the trim. I purposely chose leftover yarn that was a heavy worsted and used US9 needles. This was definitely meant to be a quick and easy project! (If you don’t have cute little sheets to keep track of your projects, you can get the one in the picture in my free Merry Knitter’s Bundle of Fun here. It also includes an exclusive shawl pattern and 2 phone wallpapers.)
I did take the time to block my trim, I’m not a total slacker. A nice straight edge elevates the whole project.
Glue on the Lampshade Trim
Finally, armed with a 53-inch length of knit trim, I was ready to make over my boring lampshade! I did take it down for this part so I wouldn’t have to fight gravity as much. It only took about 5 minutes and a hot glue gun. I started on the front of the lampshade, with the middle of the trim, so the seam in the trim would line up with the seam in the back of the lampshade. If you own a hot glue gun, I don’t have to tell you to glue a couple inches at a time while the glue is hot. You could also use fabric glue – and probably good old craft glue – but you’ll have to wait for the glue to dry before you can hang it back up. I don’t have that kind of patience.
Overall, I’m very happy with this project. I may even put in 5 more minutes of effort one of these days to spot-clean the lampshade! 🤣
If you’re looking for a good yarn for your lampshade trim, I recommend Knit Picks Swish. It’s not as heavy as the scrap yarn I chose, but it has just a tiny bit of sheen to it that I think would look nice. Are you inspired to add knit trim to everything? You can see how to knit trim directly on to a knitting project here.
The 5 Essential Knitting Tools
Here are my 5 essential knitting tools, a minimalist knitting kit if you will. These are the items I absolutely must have in my project bag if I’m not at home knitting.
1. Foldable scissors. Obviously we need to be able to cut our yarn. I’ve used other tools in the past, but now that I have these I’ll never go back. When I used small scissors with a little protective cover on the end it would fall of in my bag. Not helpful. Then I tried a pendant yarn cutter. I was worried that my WIP would get caught on it and get cut when I pulled it out. Yarn cutting pendants are super cool for wearing, but I don’t keep one in my bag anymore. (The adorable clippy charm on my scissors is from Yank Your Yarn.)
2. A darning needle. You may know that I don’t always weave in my ends 😬, but I always keep a yarn needle with me. If I seriously mess something up and need to put stitches on waste yarn, the darning needle is a must. Sometimes I’ll finish a project on the go and the only thing left to occupy my time is to weave in the ends. And, finally, if a loose end starts showing on the knit I’m wearing, I can grab the yarn needle from my project bag and weave it in! 🤣
3. Removable stitch markers. These can be lifesavers. If I notice a dropped stitch, I’ll catch it with a stitch marker until I get back to it on the next row. I use them to mark rows so it’s easier to go back and count later. When fixing a mistake a few rows down, I’ll hold the live stitches on either side with stitch markers so I don’t drop them. Which brings us to…
4. A stitch fixing tool. This little tool has a hook on one end and a point on the other. I use it frequently. You could just keep a crochet hook in your kit, but it’s kind of nice to have a smaller tool to keep your essential kit compact.
5. A retractable tape measure. Trust me. You don’t want to spend a whole road trip knitting and then get home and find that your sleeve is 5 inches too long. All that glorious car knitting time gone to waste!
That’s it! My absolute must-haves for my project bag. I promise I have a million more notions than this, but these 5 essential knitting tools are all I really need.
If you’re looking for good take-along knitting patterns, I recommend Downtime or Inanna. Both give beautiful results with minimal counting and the knitting is easy to read if you forget where you left off.
Everyday: Triangle Shawl Free Knitting Pattern
About the Everyday Shawl Pattern
Everyday is easy to knit with enough texture to keep you interested from start to finish. It’s a fingering weight shawl in three colors, featuring textured stripes and garter stitch ribbing. This is the fourth knit shawl in a series exploring this particular stripe pattern. The first three shawls are Everywhen, Everyone, and Everywear. Everyday is available exclusively in the free digital Merry Knitters’ Bundle of Fun. You’ll get the Everyday pattern, a set of 4 printable knitting project tracking sheets, and 2 phone wallpapers illustrated by me.
Get the Free Everyday Shawl Pattern Now
Skills
knit, purl, m1R, m1L, knit 2 together through the back loops
Materials
● Yarn: Color A (solid brown): 228 yd, Elevate Fibers Deluxe Sock in Devil’s
Food (85/15 SW Merino/Nylon, 400yd/100g). Color B (variegated): 241 yd,
Bigfoot Yarn Co Wendigo Sock in The Bonnie Prince (75/25 SW Merino/Nylon,
463 yd/100g). Color C (solid yellow): 252 yd, Elevate Fibers Deluxe Sock in
Strike Gold (85/15 SW Merino/Nylon, 400yd/100g).
● Needles: US6 (4 mm) 40-in (100-cm) circular needles, or size needed to
obtain gauge
● Notions: 2 stitch markers, yarn needle
Gauge
22 sts and 40 rows in 4 in (10 cm) square in stripe pattern (knit 3 rows,
purl 1 row, repeat these 4 rows for swatch)
Block Your Knits With Moon Water
Do you want to combine a little witchcraft with your knitting? Here’s a fun way to start. Infuse your knits with the energy of the moon by using moon water to wash or block items. You don’t need an entire tub of moon water, just add a little to your regular wash water. Since I’m more focused on the knitting, I found you this great article all about moon water. It even breaks down what kinds of energy to expect in each moon phase.
Make Moon Water For Blocking
First, you’ll need to make some moon water. Fill a clean container with fresh water. Use distilled or bottled water if you have it. I just use tap water, but I boil it first, which is probably unnecessary. 🤪 Next, set your intentions for the moon water. Think of what you’ll be blocking or washing with it. You could put intentions of love and happiness into an afghan you knit as a wedding gift. Did you make your kid a new hat to take with them to college? How about intentions of success and wisdom? You could knit yourself a self-confidence shawl and wear it when you need a boost. Now that you’ve put your intentions into the water, set it in the moonlight over night.
Block Knits With Your Moon Water
Your moon water is now ready to use. Soak your knit item as you normally would when you’re washing or blocking, but add some of your moon water to the mix. For this shawl, I filled my sink with cool water and Eucalan, then I added about half a jar of moon water. From there, you just continue as you normally would. Don’t forget to put a layer of plastic under your item when you lay it out if you want it to dry a little faster. I have a trash bag that I cut open and use it over and over.
The shawl pictured in this post isn’t available as a pattern yet, but you may like my Everyone pattern which uses some of the same stitches.
Disney Knitting Pattern Bundle
This bundle is not for the casual Disney fan! I put this bundle together for the knitters who LOVE Disney. This is for the knitters who want to put in some serious knitting time making sure they have the most amazing and unique outfits for their Disney trips. If you and your friends are into Disneybounding, you need this Disney knitting pattern bundle.
You can find the bundle deal on Ravelry.
Why do I have SO MANY Disney patterns? I’ll tell you. When my family was RVing full-time, we always stayed in SoCal for extended periods because once we got to Disneyland, we didn’t want to leave! I started designing knits to wear on our weekly trips — because I’m nothing if not unique. It was so much fun to have something different than everyone else. In the summer I’d have to take my hat or shawl off for a few hours, but I could manage it for most of the day. Now you know what level I’m at — as a Disney fan and a knit-wearer. 🤣
The Disney Patterns
The Disney knitting pattern bundle includes 8 patterns, including 5 hats and 3 shawls. Check out the detail pages for each pattern at the following links.
Hat patterns: Sea Witch, Cat Hat, Chipmunks Acorn, Haunted Wallpaper, Pineapple Whip. Shawl patterns: Ariel, Warrior, Evil Mistress.
The Yarns
Most of these patterns use Knit Picks yarn. Knit picks is one of my favorite places to get big-box yarn because the balance of quality and value can’t be beat. To see the details of the yarns I used in these Disney patterns, use the links below.
Knit Picks yarns: Palette, Wool of the Andes Worsted, Swish Worsted, and Stroll Tonal.
How to Buy
On Ravelry, you’ll add all the patterns to your cart and the discount applies automatically at checkout. I’ve tried to make it easy for you by linking directly to the bundle so you have the correct 8 patterns right there.
Knitting HIgh-Jinks Issue 1, Featuring Playtime Shawl Pattern
Introducing Knitting High-Jinks, issue 1. My new quarterly zine! I wanted to present a knitting pattern to you in a fun and unique format. What I’ve created is a playful zine with a new comic, some puzzles, and a brand-new exclusive shawl pattern. You might even go as far as to say it’s like a kid’s menu, but for knitters!
Knitting High-Jinks is meant to be fun and whimsical. But, one place where I insist on being as perfect as I can is my pattern writing. I know you don’t like to get halfway through a project and then find an error in the pattern. Rest assured, even though this is a super-fun handmade zine, the featured pattern, Playtime, has been professionally tech-edited.
Playtime is a top-down triangle shawl, knit in fingering weight. This pattern is only available in Knitting High-Jinks issue 1. I used Knit Picks Palette in Mineral Heather, Abyss Heather, Spruce, Sagebrush, and Semolina.
It’s my goal to be your fun and clever knitting friend. If you love amusing and unique knitting stuff and you want to support me, you can order your copy of Knitting High-Jinks issue 1 here. You will get a printed copy in the mail. If there is demand, I may add a download and print-at-home option in the future. You can also download my free Basic Stocking Cap pattern in a fun little cut and fold booklet here. If you want to keep up with what I’m doing, the best way is to join my email list here.
Pocket Hat Knitting Pattern
About the Pattern
Go wallet free! This knit hat has a card pocket! This slouchy hat features a simple-yet-striking color pattern and a pocket sized just right to fit cards, cash, or a key. The simple 2-stitch color pattern is easy to memorize.
You don’t need any special skills to add the pocket, just sewing on a button. I like to pick my buttons after I knit because I don’t like the pressure of making my button holes an exact size.
Two of my favorite DK yarns that are soft against the skin and would work well in this pattern are Swish DK 100% fine superwash merino and Capra DK 85% fine merino wool, 15% cashmere.
If you’re looking for hat patterns, check out my Cat Hat and Eight Tiny Reindeer hats.
Buy Pocket Hat Pattern Now
Skills
knit, knit front and back, knit 2 together, two-color stranded knitting, sew a button
Materials
- Yarn: dk weight yarn. 115 yd (105 m) main color (pink), 105 yd (96 m) contrast color (green).
- Needles: US8 16 in (40 cm) circular and dpns, or size needed to obtain gauge, US7 16 in (40 cm) circular needle or one size smaller than gauge needles
- Notions: stitch marker, 2 stitch holders or waste yarn, yarn needle, button, needle & thread to sew button
Gauge
22.5 sts and 29 rows in 4 in (10 cm) in stockinette in color pattern
Tutorials
coming soon
Warm Hugs Arm Warmers Knitting Pattern
About the Pattern
These Warm Hugs arm warmers are a quick and easy knit. And they’re so fun to wear! They look equally good with the top cuff up or folded down. When I bought these Unicorn Tails in colors that reminded me of Anna from Frozen I had no plan for them. This is what I came up with. They always seem to spark conversations when I wear them. I hope you love them as much as I do!
The Warm Hugs arm warmers pattern was designed to use six full Madelinetosh Unicorn Tails. You will need 2 each of colors A & D, and one each of colors B & C. (My yardage includes unravelling my gauge swatch to use in the project.) If you aren’t a fan of yarn chicken, Knit Picks Stroll would be a nice, soft substitute yarn with plenty of yardage.
Some more Disney-inspired knitting patterns you may be interested in are Sea Witch and Haunted Wallpaper. I also have another pair of striped arm warmers with more texture, called We’re All Mad Here.
Buy Now
Skills
knit, purl, knit in the round
Materials
- Yarn: Fingering weight, colors A and D: 104 yards (95 meters) each, colors B and C: 52 yards (48 meters) each.
- Needles: US3 double pointed needles
- Notions: yarn needle
Gauge
6.5 sts & 11 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch (lightly stretched)
Tutorials
coming soon
