Free Pattern for Harry Potter Fans

I must sheepishly admit that I am one of the biggest kids at heart I know (my dear husband aside) and with that great grown up childishness I possess am an unashamed fan of the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling. I have seen everyone of the movies and must confess that despite the seeming lack of ability to dress like "muggles" in the book, the film adaptations of these books has lent a certain fashion sophistication to many of the characters in the books. This is particularly true when it comes to knit items. Perhaps that is the result of Ron's mum having a love of knitting.

Whatever the reason, there have been some awesome and amazing knitting patterns that have been seen in these movies. Many of them are so good that fans have attempted to mimick them in their own knitting patterns. Whether simple or complicated there is a little something to fill the needs of almost every knitter. One of the more fascinating knitting patterns I've found from the Harry Potter movies was the hat Ron was wearing in Prisoner of Azkaban as they are enjoying what appeared to be enchanted animal crackers. At any rate, if you are at all interested in Harry Potter and happen to love free knitting patterns (and who doesn't?) that are a little beyond your ordinary basic beginning pattern, then perhaps this is a great project to sink your "muggle" knitting needles into.

Babies on the Brain

With one niece and one "niece or nephwe" on the way by way of my baby sister and sister in law I seem to be having my own small case of baby envy (as if my three weren't handfull enough). At any rate, I find myself lingering over some of the many baby knitting patterns I come across and found one for the my niece to be that it simply too adorable to pass up. If only I can manage to do the pattern justice we'll be doing great. As it is, this may very well be my first attempt at a pattern that requires increases and decreases, which is yet another barrier I need to cross.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the free knitting pattern and that you will visit again soon as I share the things I learn, read, do, and happen across.

Men with...Sticks

Yes, believe it or not, Real men knit. If you have any doubts, check out the video below.

Great Knitting Videos

I thought I would share this website I happened upon that offers
instructional videos. I hope I have mentioned before that I'm a very
beginning knitter. However, sites like this and using the Internet as a
tool I hope to see my experience and abilities grow rapidly as I try
new knitting tips, tools, and techniques. I have dreams of being able
to knit beautiful things in the future that will require far more skill
than the simple scarves I've been knitting so far. Though I must
confess I have a very nice collection of scarves as a result.

Right
now, I'm working on some basic knitting in easy scarf patterns for
Christmas gifts for friends and family. Once I have a nice supply of
Christmas gifts made up I'll move on to more interesting things. So
far, I've managed to knit a nice furry pink scarf for my youngest. I
think she's going to love it and am preparing to do a more, well black,
scarf for my soon to be teen. She'll be happy with that one and it
should match a good portion of the rest of her wardrobe (though I did
manage to sneak a little bit of color into this one).

At any rate, here's the link to the helpful videos. Once you've checked out the videos you just might find a reason or 12 to bookmark the site for the other useful
information that is available. I know I certainly did.

Free Knitting Patterns

Once a week I will attempt to point out sources for free knitting patterns. Keep in mind that many of these sources are also trying to earn money by selling some patterns, kits, and other such items but they will have some patterns that are available at absolutely no charge. It is up to you to sort through the patterns however and find those that are not only interesting but also well within your abilities.

This week is the first week I am attempting this project. I have found a great resource for free knitting patterns that I am delighted to share. The one drawback is that these patterns are for knitters of varying levels. This means that even if you find a pattern you love (there are some adorable patterns on this site) you must read through the instructions carefully to get a real feel for whether or not this is a knitting pattern that is within your abilities. I say this mainly for very beginning knitters (I count myself as one) as I have found many patterns that simply have my jaw dropping in their complexity and yet my daughter thinks she can just pick any old pattern up and get to work. Her reasoning is that I can always bail her out if it gets too complicated (if only that were true).

At any rate, this week I would like to direct you to the website of the Craft Yarn Council of America where there are many neat and interesting projects for you to pursue. More importantly there are plenty of free knitting patterns that should keep you busy at least until I post another free source for knitting patterns some time next week.

Naughty Knitting Anyone?

This is the weekend and I will keep my post short accordingly. However, I found a knitting related website that was simply too good not to share. It is called Naughty Needles Knitting. Now this is not for the timid as no really neat and interesting things are. However, if you are offended easily then perhaps this would be a site best avoided. For those who are adventurous in nature and would really like something a little more exciting than baby booties to knit then this site is one that you should at least stop by and check out.

Check out Naughty Needles Knitting today to find some inspiration, a few new tips and tricks, and a new way of looking at a very old passtime.

The Kids' Knitting Notebook

I found this gem of a book for young knitters at the Mass Ave Knit Shop in Indianapolis, Indiana. I bought it for my 12 year old who is also learning to knit, though a little behind my abilities, if anyone can imagine that.

At any rate, the benefits of The Kids' Knitting Notebook for young knitters, and old knitters alike (I'm really considering ordering one for my own knitting needs) is that it has very simple and easy to read instructions, several fun projects, numbered references to terms and step by step instructions, as well as pokets. I know I probably just got a bunch of blank stares but it's true this book has pockets, which I find infinitely useful.

Knitting is not a hobby for those that are scatterbrained. Unfortunately, I'm very scatterbrained and, God love her, my daughter didn't fall too very far from that apple tree. At any rate, these pockets allow us to keep things like the care instructions for the yarn, buttons, sticky notes, and our knitting markers all within easy reach while knitting.

Another great thing about this book is its size. This book isn't too terribly bulky and fits easily into our knitting bags along with our other notions and necessities. This makes it portable, practical, and full of excellent nuggests of information as well as some really fun and funky patterns.

Among the patterns in The Kids' Knitting Notebook, which make it ideal for teens or those who knit for teens are headbands, purses, belts, flip flop embellishments, fingerless gloves, scarves, hats, leg warmers, kerchiefs, tanks, and sweaters. It's a great book that will take young and budding knitters from the beginning of their knitting journey and keep them going well on through some of the more difficult tasks that knitters face along the way.

This book is geared to appeal to teen knitters but is an excellent resource for beginning knitters of all ages. It touches on basic stitches as well as some of the more advanced techniques. This is a great book for knitters of all ages and will be one to keep around for a reference book for many years to come. It is a book I highly recommend for young knitters. Whether your are looking for the perfect birthday or holiday gift or simply a good starter book for teens wanting to learn to knit The Kids' Knitting Notebook is an excellent choice.

Hello World!

Thus begins a great Internet experiment. I am a beginning knitter who has discovered a passion for this delightful passtime. That being said, I will introduce projects as I begin them but would warn everyone not to expect monumental mountains of progress from me on a daily basis. I will check in and try to share photographs as work progresses. More importantly, I will try to share some wonderful tidbits of information and insight as I come across them.

Hopefully my growing pains in the world of knitting can prevent some of the more common rookie mistakes others make along the way or at the very least I hope that I can find some commiseration among other knitters on the World Wide Web.