Happy New Year everyone! I’m very happy to kick off 2016 with a free pattern – mittens! They’re very cute and very easy to make, the hardest part being picking your yarn colours :)
You can find this free pattern on molliemakes.com.
If these mittens look familiar, it’s because they first appeared in their e-zine a couple of years ago. Let me know in the comments if you give this pattern a go!
Click here for more patterns!
Just a quick post to let you all know that my Book Cover pattern is now available for free on molliemakes.com!
You may have seen this book cover before – it was first published in Mollie Makes’ e-zine Gathered a couple of years ago. If, like me, you love pretty stationery, then this is the perfect project for you! Happy knitting :)
Click here for more patterns!
Well, it’s been really REALLY hard to keep this to myself. Back in August, the lovely Mollie Makes team asked me to create a tutorial for one of their Christmas issues. The brief: 4 gem-themed bauble cosies knitted using a variety of simple techniques and some sparkle! I have to say this was one of the most original and fun projects I have worked on. Now it also instantly became my favourite creation when I saw the cover of Mollie Makes a few days ago!!!!
It’s time for you to give your plain baubles a glitzy Christmas makeover! Forget about double pointed needles, all you need to knit these cosies is a pair of straight needles, colourful yarn and a few sequins. I never used sequins before but they are so easy and fun to work with! Whether you’re a beginner or advanced knitter, enjoy good old Fair Isle or prefer intarsia, I hope you enjoy these patterns.
Mollie Makes issue 46 is out today (20th October) – it’s packed with amazing DIY projects as well as freebies (stickers yay!). I’d love to know which cosy is your favourite!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you already know that I am a regular contributor for Mollie Makes (one of my proudest life achievements!). I’ve designed various projects for their app Gathered in the past, but this time I am lucky enough to have made it to print!!! Seeing my work published in a magazine for the first time is just an incredible feeling and I have to thank the lovely Mollie Makes team for making this happen. Lara, Charlie, Nina & co. are an amazing bunch of ladies to work with, and I can only hope there will be many more moments like this one <3
You will find my project – a pretty tea cosy – in the subscriber issue of Mollie Makes (45), out now with a brand new-look cover! It’s a super easy pattern so if you’re a beginner, this is an ideal one to start with!
I’m planning on getting my brother and his girlfriend a tea set for Christmas (can you believe that French people don’t really own tea sets these days?) so I will definitely be knitting one of these again to dress up the teapot – i will have to go for sober colours though as, unlike myself, not everyone wants their house to look like a rainbow. WHY NOT?!
If you are a Mollie Makes subscriber, I hope you like my tea cosy pattern (if you’re not a subscriber, you’re obviously missing out so subscribe here)! And if you give it a go, I would love to see pictures!
It all started on Instagram on a cold December evening. As I was going through my feed, I came across one of these ‘one photo a day’-type challenges, something I never take part in, but this one was different. The wonderful Lindsay from Em & Sprout (who I interviewed before, read the post here) came up with a fun challenge to draw one different animal a day throughout the month of January. I LOVE animals, but I can’t draw, so instead I thought this project would be a great way to develop my chart design skills. For those of you who are not familiar with chart design, this is what we knitters use to create a pattern. This was also a great opportunity to discipline myself in a month where I would probably get a bit lazy.
So every day, I ‘doodled’ the animal on graph paper, then knitted it as a square and posted the image on IG. Not only was I amazed at how much people liked them, but I discovered many talented drawers/illustrators. You can see all the photos from the challenge by searching for the hashtag #animaldoodleaday on Instagram.
Here are my animal squares:
This challenge turned into something much bigger than I expected! Due to the huge interest my animals received, I decided to make the patterns available as an ebook so anyone can use them to make their own cute animal squares.
You can buy the the pattern for my 30 animal squares in my Etsy shop, on Ravelry and Craftsy. If you’re only interested in one or a few animals, just contact me by email at julietheknits@gmail.com and we’ll work something out :)
A lot of you have also been asking what will become of my squares. I have sewn them together and framed them. As there were only prototypes I didn’t want to make a blanket as it would be of no use. This framed knit would look lovely in a child’s bedroom, but this one will stay in my knitting room for now :)
Don’t forget to share your pics with me if you have knitted your own animal squares!
Click here to check out my other patterns :)
UPDATE: You can now buy individual patterns of my animal squares on Etsy!
Following the huge interest the Heart Coasters Pattern received a few months ago, I felt it was time I share a new free pattern with you – a cute bow headband! You might recognise this project as it was first published in issue 14 of Gathered by Mollie Makes – it was actually my first ever published project! These headbands are also available in my Etsy Shop :)
Please do not sell any finished items made from this pattern, thank you! However, I’d love to see your knitted headbands, so do share pictures – Leave a link in the comments, find me on Instagram or Ravelry. Happy Knitting!
– DK Yarn in 2 different colours – I used King Cole Merino Blend DK in 855 Mustard and 926 Petrol
– Size 4mm double pointed knitting needles (DPNs)
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Tape measure
Make the bow
Cast on 12 stitches using King Cole Merino Blend DK in Mustard. Work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row) until the bow measures 13 cm. Cast off.
Make the bow gathering
Cast on 6 stitches using the mustard yarn and work in stocking stitch until the gathering measures 5 cm. Cast off.
Assemble the bow
Fold the big rectangle in half with the right sides facing each other and, using the tapestry needle, sew up the seams and weave in the ends.
Repeat the same process with the bow gathering. Turn the work inside out, take the bow through the gathering and shape it until you get a pretty bow!
Make the I-cord
Cast on 4 stitches using the shade Petrol. Knit one row then slide the stitches to the other end of the double pointed needle. Pull the yarn along the back of the work and knit the next row. Repeat until the I-cord measures 50 cm. Cast off.
Assemble the headband
Take the I-cord through the back of the bow, make a knot and weave in the ends. Place the knot of the I-cord behind the bow gathering so there is no visible seam.
If you wish to set your bow into place rather than have it move freely around the I-cord, use a little bit of yarn and the tapestry needle to sew the bow and bow gathering to the I-cord.
Click here for more patterns!
UPDATE: This pattern is now available for FREE on the Mollie Makes website!
I hope you’re all having a lovely Christmas! This is just a quick post to let you know that my latest tutorial is now out in Gathered! It even made it on the cover again – what a great way to end this already amazing year, thanks Mollie Makes :)
This week, you can learn to knit cute mittens in a few easy steps. Issue 63 of craft magazine Gathered is available for Ipad and Iphone.
If you have the next few days off, this is the perfect project for you! As usual, let me know if you give it a go – tag me on Instagram (julieandtheknits), Twitter (@julie_theknits) or post a pic on my Facebook page. I’m looking forward to seeing your pics!
The new issue of Gathered is out! As usual it is packed with crafty inspiration, beautiful pictures and tutorials – one of them being my simple mustard scarf tutorial, yay!
Look, it’s the cover star this week!
If you’re a beginner knitter and bored with garter stitch, you’ve got to try this pattern. The stitch might look tricky but it’s actually super quick and simple.
Download issue 59 of Gathered on your Ipad or Iphone now! And let me know if you give it a try :)
Many of you must be looking for Christmas gift ideas right now, so I thought it was the perfect time to share a pattern with you all! You might have seen these knitted hearts before. My pattern first appeared in Gathered (Issue 16) and was then published on the Mollie Makes website.
I initially made these hearts to use as coasters and knitted a few sets, but they actually have many other uses! They’re perfect to add a personalised touch to a gift. Or what about using them to embellish a garment, like Gathered reader Wendy did with her knitted scarf? ♥
This is a great project for beginners – it uses simple knitting techniques (garter stutch, kfb, k2tog). Have fun!
Material
Instructions
Start by knitting the top of the heart – cast on 5 stitches.
Now make the other top half of the heart – cast on 5 stitches on the same needle where your work is.
Repeat rows 1-10.
Once completed, the 2 pieces should be on the same needle.
That’s it! Now block your work and start again :)
Let me know if you give this pattern a try! I’d LOVE to see your pictures – you can post them on my Facebook page or tweet me @Julie_TheKnits.
For more patterns, click here!
And if you can’t knit, you can find sets of 4 hearts for sale in my Etsy shop.
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Translations available: Russian
Julie & The Knits 