Free Knitting Patterns, Instructions, Projects & Designs.

I love being in Ohio for the fall colors.

Gates Mills Bridge

 St Christopher’s church

 ”Hey, what’s this human doing in my woods?”

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To celebrate fall, I’m using Rowan Felted Tweed to make the Bold Stripes pattern from my book, swapping the book’s bright spring palette for muted fall colors

My newest patterns explore texture.

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Featuring twisted stitches and winding cables, Emmalina provides plenty of variety to keep the knitting interesting. The pattern uses sport weight yarn, shown here in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Baby.

Knitters will appreciate little details like cables that grow out of the ribbing, and the flower design formed by the crown’s clever decreases.

Emmalina Hat – $3.99

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Snuggling up in a hand-knit throw is one of the best things about winter. How do you like to use a throw? Maybe to wrap around your shoulders as you fumble for that first cup of coffee in the morning? Maybe as a lap robe while watching TV or posting something funny online? Me, I love books and use my Page Turner Throw to complete my favorite nesting spot where I cozy up to read. When winter wears out its welcome, the pretty calla lily motif is there to remind me that spring is not so far off.

The finished piece measures approximately 44″ x 54″, just right for warming a lap or pulling around the shoulders. The throw is worked across the width and finished with an attached I-cord border. The pattern calls for worsted weight, shown here in Quince & Co.‘s gorgeous Lark.

Page Turner Throw – $4.99

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Do you love Knit Picks? Both Emmalina and Page Turner Throw are availble throught the Knit Picks Independent Designers Program, using Knit Picks yarns, of course! I’ll be blogging about these versions of the patterns in a future post, but in the meantime you can find them here

and here

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Photos by Colleen Rosenthal and John Kieger

I adore the book Coastal Knits by the incredibly talented duo of Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig. I couldn’t wait to make Alana’s design, “Sand and Sea Shawlette”. For one thing, its gorgeous. For another, its inspired by an area here in California’s Central Coast I know and love well – Morro Bay.

I made the shawlette from Madelinetosh’s Tosh Lace and Tosh Sock. The Tosh Lace makes for a feather-light shawlette body; I’d like to try my next shawlette in the slightly heavier Prairie, which is what’s called for in the pattern.

Sand and Sea is easy to make, and I love the super-feminine look.

I never tire of  Madelinetosh’s color Amber Trinket; different lighting picks up a whole range of subtle colors, from purple to rust to taupe and more.

I wouldn’t want to admit to being obsessed with this pattern or anything. But I already have the yarn to make another.

Er, make that two more.

You may remember my post showing a bit of the design process for a pattern in my upcoming book, Reversible Scarves: Curing the Wrong Side Blues. When you get my book, you’ll see that one of the chapters offers designs using double-knitting. Each pattern uses the slip-stitch technique, so knitters don’t have to learn any new skills – they can just jump right in and start knitting. My friends of course saw the bits of test knitting I worked on as I developed the patterns. They were always amazed at how simple the slip-stitch method is.

Here is one of my favorites from the book. May I present “Sprouts” in it’s final form, made pretty by the fantastic photographer, Caro Sheridan!

Don’t you just love patterns that look all difficult and fancy-shmancy, but are really easy to make? That’s how it was with the Classic Elite Yarn pattern called the Seedling Wrap, designed by Tonia Barry. The pattern calls for Verde cotton yarn, but I substituted Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. With its merino wool and touch of cashmere, I think it will be a warmer choice for chilly California evenings (I know it sounds crazy, but even in summer it can be 100 in the day, and really cold at night!).

The lovely curves motif reminds me of waves and sand. A perfect gift my friend who adores outings to the beach!

This is a free pattern, which is all the better!

As I worked on my upcoming book, Reversible Scarves: Curing the Wrong Side Blues, I tried desperately to stay organized. I have papers pinned all over my bulletin board (sort of like the reality version of Pinterest). “Sprouts” was a really fun pattern to develop. An early bit of test swatching takes a place of honor in the mayhem:

The wonderful sample of “Sprouts” for the book was created by Susan Claudino, of NoKnitSherlock fame on Ravelry. (You’ll see it in a Sneak Peek posting soon.) Since she knit it, she’ll get to post it to her Projects page.  I’ve been itching to knit one myself, partly because it’s a fun knit, and also so I can post my own  in my AudKnits Projects.

Early in the morning, I happily got started:

Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca is a dream to knit with!

People have been asking me about the scarf I used in my new Binding Off in Pattern YouTube video. “Mixer” is one of the many patterns from my upcoming book Reversible Scarves: Curing the Wrong Side Blues.

Don’t you hate it when you lovingly knit a scarf, only to have it worn with the wrong side showing? My book will be a resource for reversible scarves, using a variety of techniques. “Mixer” comes from the chapter showcasing simple knit/purl patterns. I love the jaunty scalloped ends (if I do say so myself) and the great Cascade 220 Citron color.

My book is available for pre-order (see the sidebar at right). If you order the printed book, you’ll also receive the digital version. The digital version alone is also available.

Photo by Caro Sheridan

I’m finally getting the chance to start a pattern I’ve been wanting to try for the longest time. Ishbel is a beautiful shawl design by Ysolda Teague. I’m making the smaller version, out of Swans Island fingering weight yarn.

Every so often I get inquiries about how to work lace and/or charts. As a reminder, you can find an excellent (if I do say so myself) blurb in the Tips & Techniques section of my web site about how to work with charts. I like to use Post-It Notes to keep track of my place on a chart, but Ishbel’s chart is too wide. Highlighter tape comes to the rescue! I know some people like to put the tape right over the line they’re working on, but I’m so set in my ways, I put it just above the line just like I do when using the sticky notes.

Next comes the use of markers. Here’s my philosophy – either I can use markers, counting stitches as I go and fixing mistakes early on, or I can skip them, make mistakes way back in the work, then have to rip back to fix them when eventually I find my count is off, and be grumpy for an extended period of time. No thanks! I put markers every three repeats in Ishbel, giving me a manageable number of stitches to count. The pattern makes it so I have to shift the markers frequently, but that’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. The coffee bean marker tells me, “Wake up – you’re coming to the center section!” The center is worked differently than the repeats.

Another anxiety reliever is the life line. That’s the contrasting color you can see in the photo. I’ve already had to rip back to the life line, and was very glad it was there! I’ll move it up at the end of the section I’m working on, so it’ll be ready to save the day again if needed.

If you’re new to lace and charts, or just needed a refresher, I hope you found this helpful!

During ten days of knitting madness, I made the February Lady Sweater, designed by the talented Pamela Wynne. I’d wanted to make it for the longest time, and decided it simply had to be worn at TNNA. I used 6 skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in the beautiful Island Blue color.

 I found some cute buttons.

I love the sweater’s swingy nature.

Resources:

February Lady Sweater pattern on Ravelry

Pam Wynne’s web page of  FLS modifications

Buttons were bought at the delightful Yarns at the Adobe in San Luis Obispo

I love patterns that offer interesting construction. With its intriguing cables weaving in and out, Jared Flood’s Fenimore tam fits the bill nicely. I couldn’t wait to use the beautiful Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn calling to me from my stash.  Subtle flecks of color give the yarn depth without distracting from the texture of the cables.

I adore this yarn. It’s well behaved – easy to knit, and nicely spun. The heathered colors are so gorgeous – I can’t wait to make another project in another color!

I finished the tam just in time for the second snowfall of the season!

Jared’s written an amazing account of how he manufactures his yarns in historic Harrisville, New Hampshire. His posts are great, and illustrated with his beautiful photography.

Dubbed the Cushy Chroma Socks due to their warmth and thickness, these socks make for perfect winter knitting.  I don’t know about you, but as the hectic holidays wind down, I’m always in the mood for some easy, quick knits. The Cushy Chroma Socks fit the bill. No teeny needles or thin sock yarn here – Knit Pick’s Chroma Worsted works up quickly on US #5 and #6 needles. The end result? Soft, warm socks that are perfect for padding around the house on frigid winter days, wearing to bed  to keep tootsies toasty at night, or even to wear out in your roomier shoes or boots.

The Cushy Chroma Socks pattern is available for free from Knit Picks. Sizes are Women’s small (shoe size US 5-6), medium (7-8), and large (9-10), ranging in circumference from 6.5″ to 8″. Chroma Worsted comes in vibrant colors ranging from blended stripes to bold. I love wearing these cheerful colors when the weather is dreary!

I’ve been privileged to be part of the Knit Picks Independent Designer Program since April 2010. I thank Stacey and the rest of the Knit Picks team for the opportunity to include another pattern!

Just in time for holiday and cold weather knitting, I give you my Tonalita Socks pattern… for free! Made of Trendsetter’s lovely, soft Tonalita yarn, the socks are just right for lounging around the fire, giving as gifts, and even wearing to bed on those chilly nights when your feet just can’t get warm enough. Tonalita comes in lots of gorgeous colors. If you’re like me, you’ll end up making several pairs - they’re quick to knit, and its a pleasure to watch the colorways reveal themselves.

Here are the details:

Women’s’ sizes: S (shoe size US 5-6), M (shoe size US 7-8) and L (shoe size US 9-10)
Finished Measurements: 
Leg Length: 6 inches/15.25 cm for all sizes
Circumference:
6.5 (7.25,8) inches/16.5 (18.5, 20.3) cm
Foot Length, Approx.: 8.75 (9.5, 10.5) inches/22.25 (24.2, 26.7) cm
Yarn:
Trendsetter Tonalita (52% wool, 48% acrylic, 100 yds/50g/1.75 oz) (for substitution purposes:18 sts = 4” on US9 per ball band); 2*(2*, 3) balls
*Note: If you want a longer leg (such as 8”) you will need an additional ball of yarn
Needles: 1 set of 5 US#4/3.5mm double-pointed needles
1 set of 5 US#5/3.75mm double-pointed needles

You can download the pattern for free here: http://audknits.com/products/tonalita-sock/

Happy knitting!