The weather may not be hot, but the patterns are...
It's a Friday Pattern Roundup!
Here in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Juneuary is a thing. And it’s taken a while to adapt to the idea that summer doesn’t really start (at least in terms of weather) until after July 4th. We’re certainly in the throes of one of the longer Juneuary periods in recent memory, but… coming from the Midwest and temperatures that flirt with triple digits starting in May, I’m never going to complain about it.
However, it does kind of feel like we’re all biding time trying to figure out what project to grab next while the weather sorts itself out. This edition of the Friday Pattern Roundup is going to focus on some palate-cleanser projects - things you can pick up and work from stash, or scraps, or just as the whims of summer schedules take you.
Crochet:
Geodes by Megan Lapp of Crafty Intentions. (Below: her preview video)
You’ve come to know and love her crochet patterns for impkins, monsters, and even Baba Yaga’s hut… but sometimes you just need a weird little project with unusual embellishments to take the edge off. As usual, Lapp provides extensive materials lists to help you make your own geodes as close as possible to what she’s made and shown in photos. (CraftyIntentions.com pattern // Ravelry pattern)
Market totes and bags are one of our most-requested pattern searches this season! I recently made one for the shop using one of our new yarns, Eco Bag from KFI - it’s the Huntington Carryall by Two of Wands. It used about 425 yards / 390 meters of this bulky cotton/polyester blend. Here’s the pattern on the designer’s website, and here it is on Ravelry.
I have a compelling need for ridiculously adorable crocheted animals in my life right now. I ran into a designer called Crocheted By Bogusia - she’s located in Poland, and her designs are AMAZING. No matter which animal you make the outfits are interchangeable… I’m particularly fond of the Wizard Crow and the Archaeologist Dinosaur. Her patterns are for sale on Etsy but have listings on Ravelry. Here’s Bogusia’s reel about her postal carrier pigeon:
Knitting:
I look forward to Ysolda Teague’s Knitworthy collection each year - she starts releasing a collection of quick, giftable patterns early each autumn so that you can work through them in time for the winter holidays. One of my favorite recent patterns is from Knitworthy 7 - the Roddin Mitts. Grab the mitts as an individual pattern on Ysolda’s website or on Ravelry; if you love the other patterns in the collection, you can grab the entire thing as an e-book on those same platforms. Here’s one of the release photos by Ysolda:
One of my shoulders has been giving me grief this year, and I’ve had to rethink the way that I carry bags for any kind of extended period of time and distance. At a recent Valley Made Market, I visited Seattle Stitchery’s booth and got an adjustable-strap cross-body bag that looks an awful lot like the fanny packs that we loved in the 1990s, but way more functional and less weird-belt-ish. Patrícia Lima of Limaknits Designs has designed one as a knitted bag using a DK-weight cotton, and it’s called Sirens Crossbody. Find it on Patrícia’s Etsy shop or on Ravelry.
Lastly, how about a simple and striking scarf? Bitstream by Alina Appasova might be what you’re looking for if you’re trying to work through some of your recent LYS Tour haul (or perhaps older yarn? or handspun?). It’s a simple mosaic knit pattern using 2 contrasting fingering-weight yarns. Check it out on Ravelry! Here’s one of Alina’s release photos:
That’s it for this week! Hope you are all doing well and finding ways to make your favorite fiber pursuits part of your summer plans!
-Lindsey
The penguin is soo cute I almost want to learn to crochet 😍