New Year - New Blog

LET'S KNIT!

Welcome 2021. It's gotta get better than 2020, right? I'm bringing in the new year knitting toys and collecting dust bunnies. Seriously, it's raining ice outside today and I'm trying to keep busy until I can get out again. I am a creative and I've always done crafts. I particularly love the needle arts of crocheting and knitting. 

I'm currently knitting my way through some of the cutest little animals ever. I got the patterns from Little Cotton Rabbits . These are the cutest things! They take longer than I'd like but knitting does go slower than crochet. I think that I am probably better at knitting than I am crochet as far as the execution and making fewer mistakes, but there are a lot of patterns and stitches in knitting that I have never tried yet. 

On the other hand, I have crocheted my arms off making afghans before, but I really like the way knitted toys look. I just don't have the patience to make clothing or anything big if it has to be knitted. Small projects - I'm good with that.

Crocheting is faster but it's also bumpier and chunkier. It can also be stiffer meaning that it holds its shape well when worked tight. Knitting is smoother, expandable, takes longer to make items and has a more finished quality to it. I like them both but I'm on a knitting kick at the moment after seeing some little ones done in December's Let's Knit magazine edition called "Santa's Little Helpers". Let's Knit magazine came with the mini kit and now I'm hooked once again... no pun intended.

PAST PROJECT

I crocheted these in one month for Christmas presents a few years back. This pattern is the fastest afghan pattern that I have ever used. Each afghan took me about 4 days to make! I know... right? The only drawback is that is uses about ten skeins of yarn for each afghan to finish. That's a pretty big investment in yarn for most people, but it's worth it. If you like to make these, you could sell them for a profit I think. You work from the center out and the center goes really quick. This pattern also makes a beautiful throw pillow if you stop at a smaller size.

Free Bavarian crochet afghan pattern here.

I gave three of them away but I still have the yellow one. I kept it for me. If you need a quick gift project that has a WOW factor, do this pattern. It is quick. I would say, "plan your colors out and have at least one skein each of about 10 coordinating colors for the biggest impact.