Hey everyone,
So being sick last week caused me to neglect writing, but I'm excited to be feeling better (finally!) And to make up for it I'm going to be sharing an extra post with you all this week, in which I'll be doing an unboxing comparison of October's beauty and lifestyle subscription boxes. My new format for reviewing them will be all together in one post, in a more simplified form. That way if you like hearing about beauty it'll be together in one place, and if it's not your thing it'll be easier to avoid.
Announcement!
Another more exciting development this week, that you may have already noticed, is that my blog now has it's own domain! So you can find me just by typing in
LydiaDickson.com into your toolbar! I'm very excited for this development because it will open new doors for partnerships, since it's seen as a signifier of a serious blogger versus someone who blogs as a hobby. I hope you all will enjoy the journey with me as I make Lydia's Designs, soon to be Love, Lydia Dickson my full time job. If you're wondering what to expect, know that it will be more of the same great content with graphics and overall quality that I'm dedicating to constantly improving. Now, on to today's subject:
16 Knits For Geeks
I've picked 8 categories and and am sharing both an easy and a hard pattern in each. For those of you thinking ahead, you should be able to complete any of these knits in time for Christmas! There're no blankets or other huge projects in this post, though if you're set on one scroll all the way down.
Hats
1. Jayne Hat
|
image from Firefly Wiki |
Everyone who loves Firefly knows and loves this iconic hat. And what's great is it's a fairly easy one to knit. What you need to know:
knitting in the round, basic colorwork
Find the pattern
here on Ravelry.
2. Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit - Gimli Inspired Dwarven Helmet and Beard
This hearty dwarven covering will make your look battle ready, or just keep your face warm during the winter. Either way you'll look awesome. This pattern isn't free, but it's too beautifully detailed for me not to include. It's a little more complex requiring:
knitting in the round, snap closures, tapestry crochet, and what looks like either color work or double knitting.
You can see more information
here on Ravelry.
Stuffed Animals Creations
3. Pocket Sized BMO
This guy is adorable. This pattern only costs $3, or if you feel adventurous you could even try making your own pattern since BMO is essentially a box with noodle limbs. Techniques required:
i-cord, seaming, cutting and gluing felt, and maybe a touch of colorwork.
Found
here on Ravelry.
4. Little Cthulhu
This little guy is crocheted, so it's perfect for branching out from knitting to something new. He's adorably scary and while complex, not that difficult overall. Making him requires:
crocheting in the round, single crochet stitch, increasing single crochet stitch, decreasing single crochet stitch, double crochet stitch, and chain stitch.
Found
here on Ravelry.
Scarves
5. Doctor Who
Another great iconic piece of knitwear, and one that's perfect for the beginner with a bit of patience. The scarf manages to keep a tediously long strip on knitting interesting with changing colors and widths as you work each stripe. Requires:
changing colors, fringe.
Find it
here on Ravelry.
6. Katniss' Cowl
I've been eyeballing this beautiful cowl for a long time, but I think I need to practice more before I'm ready to tackle it. It's not terribly hard though, and could be modified for a beginner fairly easily so long as close attention is paid to the various sections. Requires:
crochet details, learning interesting stitches like herringbone, and seaming.
Here's a
link to the Ravelry page.
Cosplay Items
7. Companion Cube
This little companion cube is perfect for cosplay or your desk. You could easily size it up too. The pattern is very simple, but does take:
some sewing and seaming by hand to finish.
Find it
here on Ravelry.
8. Walking Dead Inspired Zombie Head
I know this pattern isn't intended to be specific to The Walking Dead, but is would work great as a decapitated zombie head, just make the skin green and add blood. There are lots of different versions of this shown on the pattern page including one modeled after Jack Sparrow. And the head doubles as a bag, so it's perfect for conventions. To make this you'll want to know:
knitting in the round, i-cord, a bit of hand sewing, and felting.
Take a peek at the pictures
here on Ravelry.
Bags
9. D4 Dice Bag
If you play tabletop games or card games like Magic the Gathering having dice is essential. This bag is the perfect storage solution that's easy to make. It requires:
hand sewing, seaming, and recommends a zipper closure.
Details
here on Ravelry.
10. Space Invaders Tote
This fun bag takes you back to arcade fun. You could even alter the pattern a bit to make the bag wider so it could be used for groceries. Requires:
colorwork, reading a chart, and stranding.
It's
here on Ravelry.
Kids Items
11. Ninja Turtle Mittens
Wear your favorite Ninja Turtles on your hands, or make them for your friend's kids. Either way they're perfect for cold weather! Requires:
shaping, hand sewing, and knitting in the round.
Pattern
found on Ravelry.
12. Star Wars Knitsabers
These lightsabers are perfect for kids (or grownups) who love to swordfight, but don't want to get in trouble for getting too rough about it. I love how detailed this pattern is, showing you how to make 4 different authentic lightsabers. The pattern as written makes 10" lightsabers but you could easily make a longer version to suit your tastes. Requires:
knitting in the round, sewn details, and decreasing.
Find it
on Ravelry.
Accessories
13. Iron Man Gauntlets
I love these gauntlets, I'm sure if I had a pair I'd be pretending I could fly all the time! Perfect for a Tony Stark or Pepper Potts cosplay, or just cooler weather. Requires: stranding, embroidered details, and seaming.
Find it
here on Ravelry.
14. Star Trek Socks
These socks are a more complex project, but perfect for keeping your toes toasty. It looks like the creator has put a lot of love into making sure everyone can understand their pattern too. Requires:
shaping, stranding, and probably working in the round.
Found
on Ravelry.
Sweaters
15. Weasley Monogram Sweater
After reading Harry Potter if you were like me you wanted to wake up to one of these sweaters at the foot of your bed Christmas morning. It may be a bit more work, but if you get started now you can make this dream a reality for someone you love. It's not too hard either, I promise! Requires:
intarsia, seaming, duplicate stitch, taking body measurements.
Find it
on Ravelry.
16. Wonder Woman Sweater
This pattern takes some dedication to chartwork, but the end product is beautiful. If you want to feel like an Amazonian warrior just put on this sweater. Requires:
taking body measurements, seaming, colorwork, stranding, and reading charts.
Found
here on Ravelry.
Honorary Mention
Afghan Squares
So you really want to make a blanket? Ok then try this Geek-A-Long with science, math, and many more fandom themed squares too. Requires:
seaming and colorwork.
Science patterns can be found
through Ravelry, click through for other patterns.
If you read through this post and don't know what Ravelry is, it's a site to keep track of your past, current, and future knitting projects. It's been around for quite a while and had built up a great database of patterns found on the internet as well as from books. They also allow you to give feedback if a project was difficult and in some cases you can even get help from a pattern's creator if you get stumped. It's a great resource for a beginning or advanced knitter.
If you have a hankering for projects that are less involved or need to get rid of some small bits of yarn you may want to check out my
post from last year featuring 70 different no knit/crochet yarn crafts. There are some great little gifts plus ideas for holiday decor!
That's all for this post, I'll see you again soon.
Love,
Lydia