.

There’s something both fun and fancy about knitted bobbles (also called nupps), isn’t there? I feel they’re equally at home on a chunky Aran pullover or a dainty lace shawl. They even featured on the train of my hand-knitted lace wedding gown.

With that in mind, I’m extremely excited to announce my newest knitting pattern, full of fun bobbles. Meet Bob, the baby pram blanket! Scroll down to get the pattern right away, or keep reading to find out more about it.

If you’re wondering about the crochet rabbit in this photo, it is made using the pattern Animal Planet from AwareKnits by Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong.

Perfect timing for a Christmas gift

It’s September and I’m sure many of you are planning some knitted gifts for loved ones. This blanket will be an ideal first Christmas gift for the baby in your life. If you’ve got enough cozy nights on the couch to spare, it’ll be knitted, blocked and wrapped well before the reindeer come calling.

When my daughter was born, a friend sent us a small square blanket, a similar size to Bob (1x1m). I can tell you, it has had a lot of use, not just for keeping baby’s lap warm in the pram.

Bob is big enough to work as a play mat, yet not so big that parents can’t fit it in a nappy bag (with all.the.other.stuff). It can warm a baby’s knees, or cover up a nursing mother. The bobbles are great tactile stimulation for a baby exploring their world. The yarn is a soft acrylic so it won’t be rough on baby’s skin, but it is easy care and can be chucked in the washing machine. For new parents, machine-washability is all important!

Bob is made with a 10ply yarn and large needles, and the zig zag bobble pattern, though difficult-looking, is a cinch and very easy to memorise.

A great challenge for the newer knitter

Bob (named after the bobbles in the pattern, if you’re wondering) features some slightly challenging stitches: bobbles and twisted stitches. They’re impressive looking but once you get the hang of them, no stitch in this project is difficult to master. A newer knitter wanting to stretch their skills will have fun working on these fancy stitches.

Get the pattern

Bob is available as a PDF on my Ravelry store for $5AUD. Click on over to my Ravelry store to get yourself the pattern! Or click the button below to get it straight away.

I really hope you enjoy knitting and gifting the Bob baby blanket. If you do make it, I would love to see a photo on your Ravelry project. Or you, can tag me on Instagram @knitkatpaddywhack .

Peace,

Kat

Hey guys! I’ve been having a great time sharing these “how to knit” videos for all the beginner knitters out there. Today I’m sharing a video for how to cast off your knitting.

With my other videos on how to cast on, how to do the knit stitch, and with today’s video, you will have all the skills you need to make a variety of beautiful projects. Check out my post on things to make from your garter stitch squares, the Garter be Kidding Me bow headband, and the cube portion of the Colour Cube + Balls.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to knit but never learned the basics? Here is a tutorial for the most essential knitting technique: the knit stitch. If you can’t watch the video right now, keep reading to see step-by-step photo instructions.

This video assumes you already know how to cast on. If you haven’t learned yet how to cast on, check out my videos on the backward loop cast-on and the cable cast-on.

How to knit the knit stitch

Cast on however many stitches you need for your project. In this example I have cast on 15 stitches using 3.75mm needles and an 8ply acrylic yarn.

There are four steps to knitting the knit stitch (NOTE: If you’re left-handed, follow these instructions but in mirror image – when I say left hand, use your right, and vice versa).

Step 1

Hold the needle with cast on stitches in your left hand, and the empty needle in your right hand. Insert the right hand needle into the top stitch of the left hand needle, from the bottom of the stitch, so the right hand needle comes out behind the left hand needle.

Step 2

Take the working yarn (the yarn which is attached to the ball of yarn) and wrap it upwards once around the front of the right hand needle.

Step 3

Pull the right hand needle out from behind the left hand needle (and out of the stitch), bringing the working yarn with it.

Step 4

Keep your new stitch on your right hand needle. Drop the first stitch off the left hand needle (the stitch you just worked into).

That’s it! Once you’ve worked a full row of knit stitch, simply swap your right hand needle into your left hand, and start again!

A piece of knitting that’s worked completely in knit stitch is called garter stitch. Check out my post on things to make from garter stitch squares. You might also like the free pattern to my Garter Be Kidding Me bow headband.

I hope you liked this video and tutorial 🙂 . I’m looking forward to sharing next week’s video with you – how to cast off!

Peace,

Kat

 

Hi friends! Following on from my last post about the backwards loop cast-on, here is another “how to knit” video for you. This shows you how to cast on in knitting, which, after the backwards loop, I believe is the second easiest way to cast on in knitting.

Click here for the free pattern to the hot water bottle cover I show at the start of the video! Thank heavens the weather warmed up shortly after I filmed that video – I can’t wait for the spring!

Hi guys! I wasn’t sure I’d ever do this kind of video/blog post, but I’ve decided to do a “how to knit” series for you! A lot of people (including myself once upon a time) say that they can knit but they don’t know how to cast on. Well, now you can, and you can enjoy all the benefits knitting has to offer you, like a way to relax, a way to make gifts for people you love, and a way to express your creativity.

This is my first video: the backwards loop cast on! It is a reeeeeaaalllly simple cast on method which is both versatile and easy for anyone of any age to master. Enjoy the video and please give it a like if you liked it, and subscribe to my channel if you’d like to see more “how to knit” videos!

Peace,

Kat

Want a simple yarn project for young kids that doesn’t require all the patience of knitting? Here’s a tutorial for French knitting: how to make a sweet little loom for almost nothing, how to cast on, knit, and cast off. It was a favourite activity of mine when I was a little kid and I know lots of other children who have loved it, too.

This would be a great activity for a classroom art lesson, or for rainy day fun with your own kids.

First of all guys, sorry again for the delay in this video/post! My family was hit with a nasty bug. Baby bear got it first with an isolated vomit for an otherwise happy little girl. Daddy bear got it next, with a day and a half of feeling unwell and feverish. And in a rare turn of events, Mummy bear got the lion’s share: tummy bug of all tummy bugs and a lot of bed rest. Thank God for a husband who was willing and available to look after the baby. At least I could stay in bed while sick, unlike the time I got food poisoning on my last night in the Philippines and had to catch multiple flights while feeling like I was dying.

But, I’m well enough to write out this tutorial, which is great because I think you’ll really like it and I’m so excited to share it with you.

What is French knitting?

If you’re not familiar with what French knitting is, it’s basically using a small loom to knit a tube of knitting, kind of like an icord but without the double-pointed needles. You can use a store-bought little loom dolly, or when I was a kid, we always made them out of toilet paper rolls and popsicle sticks. Also, when I was a kid, we always called them tomboys, not french knitters. French knitting wasn’t in the vocabulary, although these days that seems like the only thing I hear it being called. Since moving away from my home state of South Australia, I’ve learned that sometimes we say things weird, so maybe it’s a regional thing. Is it, or have you heard of it being called a tomboy too?

What you’ll need

For the Loom/Tomboy/French knitting dolly

The essentials

• a toilet paper tube
• four to five popsicle sticks
• tape (masking tape is better than sticky tape)

The extras

• Coloured paper or cardstock
• Markers
• Glue stick
• Craft scissors
• or, any other embellishment you wish to use. Some options are: paint, gift wrap, contact paper, yarn and hot glue, contact paper, stickers, glitter, googly eyes (beware of choking hazards if babies or toddlers are present).

For the Knitting

• At least one ball of 8/10/12ply yarn
• Optional: A loom band hook or a crochet hook (3.5 or 4mm) to help you make the stitches (I prefer to just use my finger!)
• Craft scissors
• Darning/tapestry needle

How to make your french knitting loom

Take your toilet paper roll and use your tape to fasten your popsicle sticks evenly around the rim, with about an inch or so of stick poking out.

Make sure they’re pretty secure and that’s your basic tomboy finished.

Next, lets decorate! For mine, I drew a little face on a strip of cream-coloured paper, and some arms and clothes on a bigger pink strip, and then glued them onto the tube. That’s nice and simple, but like I say, you can be as creative as you like with decorating these. Use some googly eyes, glue on some real buttons, paint it. Whatever you like.

How to knit with a French knitting loom

To cast on, tie a slip knot, also called a quick release not, in the end of your yarn.

Loop that onto one of the popsicle sticks and pull it tight.

Take the yarn and loop it around all the other sticks, so that the yarn runs round the inside of the toilet paper tube, not the outside. This knot and these loops we’ll call your stitches.

When you get to the first popsicle stick, place the yarn in front of it and pull the  first stitch over the yarn. This creates a new stitch, and the first stitch fall into the middle of the tube. Keep going all the way around. You can, if you prefer, use a crochet hook to pass the stitches over the sticks.

As you knit, you will end up with what look like a spider web of yarn going into the toilet paper tube.

Eventually you’ll end up with a nice thin icord of knitting coming out the bottom of your tomboy. You can make this as long as you like. To even out the stitches, pull on the end of the icord.

To join a new yarn simply tie the new yarn to the end of the old. In serious knitting, this is a bit of a no-no, but French knitting is all about getting kids into the fibre art world so I think tying knots is fine.

How to cast off

Cut the yarn, leaving a tail at least 10cm (4in) long. Thread the end of the tail through your darning needle and pass the thread through each of the live stitches on the loom, taking them off the loom as you do so. Pull the yarn tight. You may want to pass the needle underneath these stitches and tie a knot for added security.

Thanks for checking out this tutorial. I hope it helps you or some little ones you know to explore the fun of fibre arts. If you enjoyed this tutorial, please like the video and see my other videos on the knitkatpaddywhack YouTube channel.

Peace,

 

Kat