Showing posts with label theme patterns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theme patterns. Show all posts

Monday 3 August 2015

Baby Blanket Bonanza: A Selection of Baby Blanket Designs


Some months ago I got an email from a reader who asked me to recommend some baby blanket patterns for her. I was remiss in getting back to her, but my belated response is a post of selected baby blanket designs. This was a fun one to put together because Ravelry had 95 pages of English-language baby blanket listing goodness to choose from, and browsing through them all was a whole new experience in cute overload. However, I did manage to narrow it down to 30 patterns, and here they are. The photo above is of the Octopus Garden Blanket, designed by Georgia Vincent. The pattern is unfortunately no longer available, but it should be possible for a good knitter to recreate it using this photo. Try not to sing the eponymous Beatles song the entire time you're working on it.





This is the Olympic Forest Blanket, designed by Very Busy Monkey. The pattern is available for $4.50(USD). I love the "enchanted forest" feel of this one.





The ABC Baby Blanket, designed by Jenny Williams, is a nice simple, educational baby blanket. It's a free pattern.





If you've always admired the Duchess of Cambridge's taste for vintage baby wear and accoutrements, the very traditional Shetland lace-style The Entire Kingdom blanket, designed by Marianne Knorborg, may be for you. This pattern is available for free.





Then again, you might have a much more modern aesthetic, in which case I recommend the Fly Away baby blanket, designed by Tin Can Knits. The pattern is available for $5(USD).





The Dogwood Pattern, also by Tin Can Knits, is available individually for $5(USD) and was also published in 9 Months of Knitting: Exquisite Knits for Baby and Family.





The Dahlia Blanket, by Daniel Yuhas. I've knitted this one myself and am looking forward to making it again sometime. It's really a lovely piece of design and interesting to knit. The Dahlia pattern was published in Knitting from the Center Out: An Introduction to Revolutionary Knitting with 28 Modern Projects.





The Googly-Eyed Gator blanket, designed by Ashley Rao. For the tiny future herpetologist in your life! This pattern was published in 60 Quick Baby Blankets: Cute & Cuddly Knits in 220 Superwash® and 128 Superwash® from Cascade Yarns.





If you'd rather treat your child like royalty than like a future devotee of the science of reptiles, the Sleeping Baby's Castle Blanket, designed by Sally Dian Rainey, may be more to your liking. This pattern is available for $5(USD).





The Dreams of Granada Blanket, designed by Triona Murphy. This handsome design is one you might wind up knitting in a larger version for the couch or your own bed. The pattern is available for $5(USD).





The Pembroke Cottages Blanket, designed by Elanor King. I love this one's simple yet punchy graphic appeal. The colours used here really make it sing. This pattern is available for £3.00(GBP).





This is the simple and pretty Amore blanket, designed by Véronique Vieljeux and Nancy Waille. This pattern is available for €4.00(EUR).





If you aren't the kind of knitter who wants to fuss around with colour changes, the beautifully stitched Arrowroot blanket, by Sali Morris, might be for you. This pattern is available for £2.00(GBP).





The Beep Beep Blanket, designed by Lucinda Guy. This one really pops, visually. This pattern was published in Handknits for Kids: 25 Original Designs for Girls and Boys.





Here's another one for the traditionalists, the Dreamland Adventures Baby Blanket, designed by Mary Triplett. This pattern is available for $6(USD).





How cute is the Counting Sheep Blanket by Patons. This pattern is available for free.





The lovely and simple Tulips & Rosebuds Baby Blanket, by Eugen Beugler. This pattern is available for $6.95(USD).





For baby with a Harry Potter-themed nursery, the Professor McGonagall blanket, designed by Kristen Fanning, might hit the spot. This pattern is available for $3.50(USD).





Here's another contemporary style design, the Hip to Be Square blanket, by Stacey Gerbman. This pattern was published in 60 Quick Baby Blankets: Cute & Cuddly Knits in 220 Superwash® and 128 Superwash® from Cascade Yarns.





The Kittens and Butterflies Blanket, by Judy Lamb. My cat is never this sedate when he sees a butterfly. Fortunately despite all his leaping and pouncing, he's never been able to catch one. This is a free pattern.





The very snappy Picture-Perfect Plaid blanket, by Theresa Schabe. This pattern is another that appears in 60 Quick Baby Blankets: Cute & Cuddly Knits in 220 Superwash® and 128 Superwash® from Cascade Yarns.





The Rainbow Chain Carriage Blanket, by Erika Flory. This one could be a great way to use up some odds and ends of yarn. And it's a free pattern.





The Puzzle-Block Blanket, by Wilma Peers, looks like a another great way to use up some odd balls of yarn. This one appeared in the spring/summer 2014 issue of Knit Simple magazine, but if it isn't possible to track down a back issue of the magazine you can probably recreate the design from the picture.





The Norwegian Alphabet Blanket, by Jorid Linvik. This one must be the Cadillac of alphabet blankets. I mean.... holy cow is that a lot of work. The pattern is available for $10(USD).





This is the Such is the Quality of Bees blanket. For the Tolstoy reference-loving knitter! This pattern is available for $6.50(USD).





The Baby Dragon Blanket, designed by Sharon Winsauer. Perfect for the baby named George (or Georgette). This pattern is available for $7.50(USD).





For the knitter who's looking for an alphabet sampler pattern, but is simply not tackling the Norwegian Sampler Blanket listed above, this is the Debbie Bliss alphabet sampler blanket. This pattern was published in How to Knit: The Definitive Knitting Course Complete with Step-by-step Techniques, Stitch Libraries and Projects for Your Home and Family.





Here's a pattern that has both stitchwork and some simple colourwork. The Gingham Baby Blanket, by Hélène Rush, is available for $6.25(USD).





Very Owls in the Family, isn't it? The Owls Baby Blanket, by Simone Rees. This pattern is available for free.





And we wind up with The Giraffe Family baby blanket, designed by Vikki Bird as a reference to her very tall family. This pattern is available for $4.99(USD).

Monday 1 June 2015

Gaze Upon My Glorious Plumage: A Selection of Peacock-Themed Designs


This past weekend west end Toronto was enlivened and ornamented by sightings of an escaped peacock that had somehow managed to free itself from its pen at the High Park zoo and roam about Roncesvalles Avenue, where it was spotted leaping from rooftop and rooftop and peeking in windows. Attempts on the part of the authorities to capture the bird with nets and blankets availed them naught, and as of this writing the peacock is still at large. There was definitely something irresistibly appealing about this fugitive peacock, whose attitude was very much, "I care not for your irrelevant restrictions, petty humans! Gaze upon my glorious plumage, and don't you dare run me over with your noxious automobiles." Social media was quick to jump aboard the peacock train, and the High Park Peacock soon had its own Twitter account. I live quite near Roncy and was in hopes that the peacock would visit Swan's End. As I tweeted, I even had the perfect shoes for the occasion. Alas, there was no such luck for me. At least, not yet. At any rate, being in a peacock kind of mood, I have decided to do a special post of selected peacock-themed knitting patterns.

The first pattern, shown above, is the Peacock Tam, designed by Celeste Young, which was published in Knits of a Feather: 20 Stylish Knits Inspired by Birds in Nature. This pattern is near the top of my to do list. I've bought some peacock-coloured yarn for it and also intend to whip up a matching scarf.





There are two approaches to a peacock-inspired design: rendering the peacock in colour, or evoking a peacock's plumage through stitchwork. This gorgeous piece of lacework uses the latter approach. This is the Pretty as a Peacock Shawl, designed by Jae Koscierzynski. The pattern is available for $10(USD).





Love these pretty little beaded peacock socks. The Franconian Beadwork socks pattern, designed by Stephanie van der Linden, was published in Around the World in Knitted Socks: 26 Inspired Designs.
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This is the Almanac pattern, designed by Martin Storey and published in the Rowan Pattern Book Pioneer. The feather pattern on the back is beautifully rendered, but I think I would want to do this pattern in more peacockian colours.





This is the Peacock Jumper, designed by Twisted Angle. The pattern is available for ₤3(UK). Again, I would do this in more peacockian colours, but if you'd rather imagine that the High Park Peacock got into a club this weekend and danced up a storm under the black light, and you want to commemorate his wild night out, then you have to knit what you have to knit.





I love this Peacock Feathers Pullover, designed by Diane Zangl, which has a Cowichan-like quality item to it, as though a native North American design aesthetic met Fair Isle. This pattern was published in Debbie Macomber: Blossom Street Collection, Book 1 (Leisure Arts #5268).





The Peacock Plumes Top, designed by Ravelry user Lankakomero. Very much like the pretty stitchwork on this one. It's a free pattern.





Fabulous texture on these Peacock Tail Socks, designed by Kathy Stearns. It's a free pattern.





The Peacock E-Reader Cosy, designed by Vikki Bird. Again, pretty as this gray and blue are together, this one calls for more peacock-like colours. The pattern is available for ₤2(UK).





A too-literal rendering of a peacock can look too busy, but this Peacock Cowl, designed by Stephannie Tallent, is just stylized enough that the design is vivid and eye-catching. This pattern is available individually for $6(USD) and was also published in California Revival Knits.