Be Creative With Unique Knitting Patterns

By Donna Adams


Knitting used to be the domain of grannies, who would spend every free moment creating sweaters, bed socks and booties for their latest grandchild. These days, however, the craft is becoming extremely popular with fashion-conscious young people. Many knitters are also adding creative flair by creating unique knitting patterns for items you would never have imagined.

When you first learn to knit, you will probably start by making a scarf. It's an easy project that allows you to practice. The problem is that forming the same stitches over and over again can become boring. To keep things fun and interesting, use yarn of different colors. Make a sky scarf, for instance, by using yarn in the color of the sky outside and then changing it as the weather changes. A mood scarf is a similar concept where you change the color of the yarn to reflect your current mood.

Knitting is a great way to keep your hands busy while you're watching TV. Make things more interesting by turning the hobby into a game similar to the drinking game where you need to drink a shot of liquor every time someone says a certain word or phrase. Watch a tennis match, for example, and change your yarn every time a player disagrees with the umpire.

Another way to have fun with yarn and needles is the practice known as guerilla knitting or yarn bombing. This involves covering an object in something knitted and colorful. It can be a tree or a lamppost or a bicycle. Yarn bombers have even covered buses, tanks and mailboxes. If you want to do something a little more practical, make socks for your furniture so that their legs won't damage the floor.

There are millions of chic hat designs available but a silly hat will always bring smiles to the faces of everyone tired of the cold. Big bunny ears or a hat in the shape of a frog are always a good choice, as are fake braids or dreadlocks. Some knitters even make hats with fake beards that act as a mask to keep your face nice and warm.

It's not only people who need to keep warm. Animals and birds have fur or feathers to keep away the cold but sometimes they need a little extra help. This can come in the form of sweaters for baby animals, for newly shorn sheep or for birds that lost their feathers. Even penguins need sweaters when they've been washed after an oil spill and don't have their natural protective oils anymore.

Knit toys have always been a hit with children, especially if these toys come in the form of cuddly teddy bears or dolls. However, you don't need to stick to the traditional when making toys. Among the wonderful patterns you will find are instructions for making zombie dolls, a knit octopus and even toy cars.

A great place to look for patterns and ideas is online. You will even find step-by-step instructions for making unique knit items. As you get better at knitting, you'll soon be able to design your own pattern too.




About the Author: