Showing posts with label accessories to knit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessories to knit. Show all posts

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Pencil in Some Knitting


Today is the first Tuesday in September, and that means it's the first day of the school year for most students in Canada and the United States. So I thought I'd do a back-to-school type post, and soon settled on the idea of picking out a selection of pencil case knitting patterns for you all. I can hardly think of a more classic going-back-to-school purchase. My father still has the pencil case that was bought for him when he began first grade back in 1944, although his pencil case was not the zippered fabric or plastic envelope that is used today but a narrow wooden box with two compartments and a sliding top. He tells me the cool kids in his class had a three-decker wooden pencil boxes, and that in his day schoolchildren didn't have backpacks to carry their books in but fastened a strap around them and carried them by the end of the strap.

The pencil case above is, of course, quite literally a Pencil Case, and is designed by Katie Startzman. I'd almost feel like making a book-shaped backpack to go with it. The pattern is available as a $4(USD) download, or as part of an eBook.





This Abacus Pouch pattern by Derya Davenport harkens back to an even older educational tradition than wooden pencil boxes and book straps. It's a free pattern.





This plaid pencil case pattern by Debbie Bliss appears in her book, The Knitter's Year: 52 Make-in-a-Week Projects-Quick Gifts and Seasonal Knits.





This Bright Pencil Case, designed by the Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn company designers, seems perfect for holding a selection of coloured pencils. It's a free pattern.





The Daisy Dachshund pencil case might be perfect for a small child who doesn't like leaving the family dog or his or her stuffed toys behind at home during the school day. The pattern is by Mel Clark and appears in Knitting Everyday Finery: Practical Designs for Dressing Up in Little Ways.





Here's a simple yet eye-catching striped pencil case, designed by Stephanie Mrse, from the book 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving: Designs for Every Season and Occasion Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted.





The Cabled Pencil Case pattern, by Dissolved Girl, is a free pattern.





The Sanquhar Pencil Case pattern, by Tom of Holland, is available as a £2.50 download.





The pattern for this flowered pencil case, made by Ravelry member Cassidy Clark, is not available but would be easy to copy.

For that matter a pencil case would be an easy beginner design project and a good way to use up some odds and ends of yarn. If you're making it for a child, it's a good idea to involve the child in the design process. There's always a schoolyarn social dictum as to what's in or out, and as an adult, you may not have any idea as to what the equivalent of today's three-decker pencil box is.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Knitting down the Gauntlet: Gloves and Purses for a Bride


This post is the third in my series of posts on knitting for weddings, and features a selection of patterns for purses and gloves for the bride. (You can see the other posts on knitting for weddings here.)
Let's look at the purses first. It may take some planning to manage both a bouquet and a purse on your wedding day, but you may want to do it anyway, because you will likely want to freshen your makeup and to have some tissues handy. (Or, if you have second thoughts, bus fare.) The purses here may be used as an evening bag after the wedding, or perhaps as a handy sachet for the bride's dresser drawer. The purse above is the Heirloom Bridal Bag, and the pattern is available for £3.00(GBP).





The pattern for this simple little beaded bag is available for free. There will be a lot of ways in which a bride's purse can be made to go with her dress and/or the wedding decorations: by using similar beading or other notions or a similar lace pattern, or lining the bag with fabric that is in the wedding colours or is left over from some other item or garment that has been made for the wedding.





Here's another beaded bag, the pattern for which appeared in Knitting the Easy Way by Terry Kimbrough.





This Valentine's Day Wedding Bag uses beading and also an elegant silver frame. The pattern is available as a $6 download.





I would want to use a more polished-looking yarn than the one employed in this Bridal Clutch, but it has a cute shape and I love the frame. You can also add beading if you like. The pattern is from the November 2011 Crafty Ever After.






Here's a felted Bridal Rose Bag that may make you decide you don't need to carry a bouquet. The pattern is available for $7.50(USD).





There are so many beautiful glove patterns on Ravelry that you'd be much better off looking for yourself than just looking at the few I can feature here. But, since we are here, I've picked out a half dozen or so I think are lovely. The Terzetto Lace Mitts are quite something. I'd put these with a fairly simple dress that didn't have much lace on it. The pattern is a $7(USD) download.





The Lillyana Fingerless Gloves are simpler and, if knitted in cashmere as shown here, perhaps more suitable for a winter wedding. I did try to find fingered gloves for this post but didn't like any of those I saw and had to settle for a selection of fingerless ones, which after all are better for the ring ceremony. This pattern is available as a £3.00(GBP).





The Armstulpe wrist warmer pattern, with its falling ruffle, might appeal to the bride who doesn't want a full glove. This pattern is available as a $2.90 download.





These beaded wristlets are a little more dramatic and arty. This pattern is available as a €3.90(EUR) download.





The Water Lilies Gloves are a simple pattern that would probably suit the most brides of any of those in this post. This pattern is available as a $4.75 download.





Another pair of beaded lace wristlets. This pattern is available as a download for $2.90.





I don't think a bride will want to wear these Wedding Mittens for her wedding unless there are skis, snowboarding, snowshoes, ice skates, rubber tubing, or snowmobiles involved in the ceremony, but they were too cute not to include. They'd be nice for a honeymoon at a ski chalet. The pattern for these mittens is available for $6(USD).

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Something Knitted


Last week I published a post of selected bridal gown knitting patterns, and I've decided that post will be the first in a series on knitting patterns for weddings. I can't say how many posts there will be in this series, but I do have quite a few ideas in mind, so I'll just try to do one a week until I'm done. (You can see the other posts on knitting for weddings here.) This is the second post, and it features selected patterns for garters and hand-knitted bridal stockings. I'm trying to write this series of posts in such a way that they can also be of value to those who aren't planning a wedding. I've no intention of ever getting married myself, but I'd just love to knit myself a fancy pair of thigh-high stockings at some point.

Let's look at the garters first. They're a purely decorative item for most bridal outfits, and though garters are normally not an item for public display, bridal garters are commonly tossed to the male guests by the groom at the end of the wedding (as the bride's bouquet is tossed to the single female guests by the bride), with the catcher being supposed to be the next person to get married. Brides often consequently supply themselves with a second, simpler and/or less expensive bouquet and garter specifically for tossing so that they may keep the more elaborate bouquet and garter that saw actual use during the wedding. If you're knitting a garter for a wedding that will feature a garter toss, you may want to make one special garter to be worn and buy or make a simpler version for tossing.

Garters are probably one of the items a knitter might be most likely to make for a wedding, because it can be done so quickly and inexpensively. As I found when I looked for garter patterns, they are very likely to be the standard white lace with a blue ribbon threaded through it, and so be the "something blue" the bride wears for luck. I've tried to find some different styles, but even then they were pretty much all in blue and white or ivory. There's really no reason why a bride can't wear a garter made in her favourite colours or wedding colours.

The garter above is knitted of ribbon, and of course it's possible to use a variety of ribbon types or colours. The pattern is designed by Julianne Smith and is available for free.





This Angora Mohair Garter pattern appears in Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences, edited by Judith Durant. I'd say this one is for a winter wedding, because if I had to wear anything angora all one hot summer day, I'd be taking it off and chucking it at someone long before the end of the wedding.





Pretty garter with a ruffle and a bow. I'd be inclined to make this one in a higher-end or more delicate fibre than is used here to give it a lacier, more lingerie-like look. This garter is designed by Deby Lake and is a free pattern.





A classic lace garter with two shades of green ribbon run through it to give it a bit of a different look. This garter was designed by Diane Willett and is a free pattern.





This garter pattern is actually a slightly altered version of the one above, and uses a single ribbon and a different fibre for a softer, more ruffled look. This garter was made by Christy Wall and is a free pattern.





Gina's Wedding Garter plays with the usual proportions and the result looks like something different. I also like the idea of adding a little charm to the garter, though you'll need to make sure whatever you add doesn't catch on the bride's dress. This pattern was designed by Lara Neel and is a free pattern.





Now let's have a look at some knitted stockings. Some of these stocking patterns won't be compatible with wearing any of the garters above, so you may have to choose which item you'd like most to wear. Fortunately you won't need to wear garters with these stockings because they're designed to stay up on their own. Some have garters built right into the pattern. This pair of lace stockings have a different view front and back. They were designed by Mari Muinonen and are available as a $5 download.





Susie's Long Stockings are one of the stocking patterns with built-in garters. This pattern was designed by Elizabeth Wolden and is available as a $6 download.





The Agnes's Silk Stocking pattern is probably the most traditional of the stocking patterns I've picked out, and I should think it would be impossible not to feel like a princess while wearing them. As long as you can keep from yelling at the caterer. These stockings were designed by Karen E. Hooten for the September/October 2011 issue of Piece Work.





These ribbed stockings would be for the more informal winter wedding and perhaps one for which one was wearing traditional Scottish dress. This pattern was designed for A Handknit Romance: 22 Vintage Designs with Lovely Details by Jennie Atkinson.





The Haapsalu Lace Socks pattern looks quite racy in black, but of course they could be made in any colour and would have a completely different effect in the traditional white or ivory. This pattern was designed by Tiina Kaarela and is available for €5.00(EUR).





The Delphyne is another lacy stocking pattern, this time less openwork than the previous. This pattern was designed by Stephanie Mason and is a $7(USD) download.

Monday 22 July 2013

Make Your Mark


Since I did a knitted book cover post on July 19, I felt I had to do a companion post on knitted bookmarks. Knitting your own bookmarks is actually a much more practical idea than knitting book covers. They'll be quicker to knit and more practical to use. They can be personalized by adding a favourite short quote or slogan or a name. They'd be a great way to try out a knitting technique that's new to you or to try your hand at design, because knitting a bookmark is like swatching with an intrinsic purpose. And the finished item will make a nice extra something to add to a book you're giving to someone or to put in a Christmas stocking. Here's a selection of eleven suggested patterns for you.

The first pattern, shown above, is the simple and elegant Flourish Bookmark, designed by Nina Casey. It's a free pattern.





If you are, or are knitting for, someone with a very classic literary and aesthetic tastes, Judy's Seashell Bookmark, designed by Judy Gibson, might be perfect. It has a very Edwardian look to me. It's a free pattern.





Those whose literary tastes are specifically geared to Jane Austen might prefer Marianne's Romantic Bookmark, designed by Carolyn Joan, which appeared in Jane Austen Knits' Summer 2012 issue.





If you're just looking for a pattern that will be perfect for a small amount of hand-dyed yarn that you want to use up, the Twisted Eyelet Bookmark, designed by Blythe Quelin, would suit that purpose. It's a free pattern.





If you'd like a cute and whimsical pattern, or are knitting for a small child, the Crayon Bookmark, designed by Ala Ela, might hit (and mark) the spot. It's a free pattern.





I love this beautifully crafted Squash Blossom Bookmark, designed by Bonnie Sennott, which got around the whole "bookmarks need to be flat but I want to include a three-dimensional element" dilemma by having the bloom peep from the top of the book. This pattern is a $4.50(USD) download.





If you want a flora or fauna-themed bookmark, but don't want anything sticking out of your book, the Magnolia Leaf Bookmark, designed by Evelyn Uyemura, might do. This pattern is a $1(USD) download.





If you have a little (or not so little) Harry Potter fan in your life, one of these House Bookscarves, which appeared in Laura K. Miller's Charmed Knits, might be the perfect gift. You can even knit a scarf in the Hogwarth house colours to which your Harry Potter fan feels more akin, be that Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff.





Maybe you'd just like to make the "bookworm" metaphor literal by making yourself a Slithers Bookmark, designed by Sunny Cannon. Of course Sliters is a snake, not a worm, but we'll humour you. This pattern is a $2.75 download.





If your sense of humour has a turn for the macabre, the Squashed Bear Bookmark, as designed by Amalia Samios, is a possibility. The attached pool of blood is optional. This pattern is a $3.50(USD) download. Samios has also designed a Squashed Rat Bookmark, but I found it just too gruesome to include.





The F--- Off, I'm Trying to Read Bookmark, designed by Edith Cummings, is for people who really hate to be interrupted when they're trying to read. I'd be inclined to do this bookmark in a yarn that's as close to a natural skin tone as possible, and to include fingernails in red or hot pink or what have you. This pattern is free.

If you haven't seen a bookmark pattern that strikes your fancy, you can always browse Ravelry's 262 English-language bookmark patterns, or just design your own.