knitting patterns for beginners Archives

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Angie

Last minute light-speed cowl knitting pattern

I see you, procrasti-knitters. Christmas is less than a week away and as it turns out, no, you don’t have time to knit everyone in your family a gorgeous handmade blanket.
Enter the light-speed Flat Rib cowl, designed by me for people like me.
It’s knitted flat using some gorgeous Rowan Hemp Tweed Chunky yarn, it’s perfect for beginners, and mine took an evening to crank out.
Click here to see the pattern on Laughing Hens (it’s free), and click here to add it to your queue on Ravelry. Godspeed, procrasti-knitters. May the Force be with you.

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Angie

The Caterpillar Mitts a new free knitting pattern!

Woooo! Finally, a new knitting pattern after what feels like a whole summer of crochet pattern releases, from the Siren’s Sea Shawl, to Pokeballs and Rainbow Grannies. Pssst! Did I mention that this is a free pattern? Because it is.
There’s a new monthly blog feature over at Laughing Hens: it’s called The One Ball Challenge, and it’s awesome. Basically a blogger or designer is challenged to make something awesome with just one ball of yarn, and offer the pattern for free. AWESOME, right? RIGHT.
I was lucky enough to get a ball of Rowan Cashmere to play with. It’s an awesome new yarn from Rowan, and it’s seriously the softest thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of squishing. It’s seriously soft.

Okay, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?
This pattern is awesome for beginners: it only uses knit and purl stitches, and it’s knitted flat on single pointed needles. You seam up the sides when you’re done, leaving a space for the thumb.
Interested? You can add it to your Ravelry queue.
Ready to cast on? Click here to see the pattern on the Laughing Hens blog.
Want to pin it? Here’s a handy pinnable image for you.

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Angie — 3 Comments

FREE clutch knitting pattern

Eeeeeek! It’s been a crazy few weeks. June flew by in a flurry of travel, bad news, worse news, and complete and total political upheaval and unrest. I’m not going to get into it because I am flat out exhausted with Brexit talk. As someone in the UK on an EU visa, my future is very uncertain at the moment, and it’s causing a considerable amount of upset and stress in my life. If you want to know how I feel, and how others like me feel, please go read Anna Nickipirowicz’s (AKA Moochka) blog on the subject.

As for me, I’m hibernating with my crafts until there are some better answers. I went camping near the Norfolk coast last weekend, and spent my time hiking through the salt marshes and teaching some friends how to spin yarn from fiber (more on that later).

This post was meant to be about my new free clutch knitting pattern over on the LoveKnitting blog – so let me talk about that instead.

It’s knitted in Cascade Rabat, a worsted weight yarn that’s blended of wool, silk, and acrylic. It’s a hearty yarn with stunningly gorgeous, subtle ombre colorways that really shine through a cable pattern. The large honeycomb style cables make this clutch sturdy and cute, and I’m absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.

Did I mention that it’s a FREE clutch knitting pattern? It is. Click here to see the pattern (and more pics) on the LoveKnitting blog.

(Psst! There are some big announcements and projects on the way, so make sure you like GamerCrafting on Facebook for exclusive hand dyed yarn deals and follow me on Bloglovin‘ so you don’t miss any free project posts!)

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Angie — 1 Comment

Last minute 4th of July bunting crochet pattern (for procrastinators)

Okay, you caught me! I admit it! I am the world’s worst procrastinator when it comes to holiday craft projects. I always make big grandiose plans…and then panic when I realize it’s only a few days away. Oops.

Living in London, sometimes I forget about American events. “Oh, it’s the Super Bowl? I had no idea.” “Presidents Day? You don’t say!” I realized shortly after planning a campervan trip to the coast for this weekend that the 4th of July is on MONDAY. Now, I don’t get that day off, and I don’t have any grand plans, and I’m certainly not aggressively patriotic, but I thought it might be fun to make some American flag bunting to take on the trip this weekend.

This is a super easy pattern, and it uses bulky weight yarn. I made this WHOLE THING in one evening watching Netflix.

Materials

One ball Knit Picks Tuff Puff in Serrano
One ball Knit Picks Tuff Puff in Celestial
One ball Knit Picks Tuff Puff in White
One 6mm crochet hook
One tapestry needle

Get started

Chain 2.

2 single crochets into the second chain from the hook.

Chain one, and turn work. Do 2 single crochets into both stitches.

Chain one, and turn work.

For this and every following row, 2 single crochets into the first stitch, and one single crochet into every other stitch. Chain one, and turn work.

Work in this manner until there are 17 stitches across, and tie off.

I made five triangles in red, and five triangles in blue. There’s plenty of yarn to make more than that if you want, though!

Join the bunting

Chain 20 (or more if you need a longer tail).

Working across the top of the triangle, single crochet into each stitch.

Chain 5 between each triangle, and work across each one, alternating colors.

After all your triangles are joined, use a yarn needle with a wide eye to stitch some Xs on the blue triangles. I used my crochet hook to slip stitch a wiggly stripe down each red triangle. BUT – you can always make different designs!

Happy 4th of July, American buddies!

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Angie

Cotton Heart: a free blanket square knitting pattern for summer

Yes, I’m aware that I just started a different cotton blanket square, the rainbow crochet squares that were released last week. Yes, I’m also aware that I already have a squillion WIPs hanging around, and yes I know that I need to start two new projects this week for magazines.

And yet, when I designed this chunky cotton blanket square, I had no idea it would be this addictive to knit them. I can knock a square out in about 30-45 minutes, which means I can pretend that I’m finishing things instead of starting new projects that I have no time for. Oops!

If you want to know more about this project, get the *free* pattern, and see yarn requirements, then head on over to the LoveKnitting blog, where I published it today. (<—link)

Remember to like GamerCrafting on Facebook and follow me on Bloglovin‘ so you never miss a free pattern or tutorial post (and you can make me feel like I’m actually not terrible at this blogging thing).

Happy crafting!

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Angie

Free garter stitch cushion cover knitting pattern for beginners

Click here to get the free pattern

In this week’s Knit by Bit project for LoveKnitting, I talk about my recent foray into Ikea shopping, which earned me a whole bunch of new stuff for my balcony and a serious itch to nest and decorate our apartment. I came home with three cushions, and this one was destined for greatness – so I made it a super simple, lightning speed garter stitch cover by stranding four yarns together and using mammoth sized needles.

If you want the free pattern, click here to see it at LoveKnitting!

Please make sure to like GamerCrafting on Facebook and follow me on Bloglovin‘ so you don’t miss out on any of the fun. Happy Monday!

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Angie

Free striped steering wheel knitting pattern

Striped steering wheel knitting pattern on GamerCrafting

Summer time is coming again, which means my friends back in Texas will be dealing with flaming hot steering wheels that sat in the hot sun. Just for them, I made this striped steering wheel cover knitting pattern, knitted with a superwash wool using a button closure so it can be washed if it gets dirty. Aw. Yes.

For us overly-organized sorts, I also came up with a matching coffee sleeve pattern. Because I love you.

Free striped steering wheel knitting pattern by Gamerrafting

Want to get in on this awesome vintage vibe? Click here to check out my (free) pattern on the LoveKnitting blog.

If you love free and fun patterns, make sure you like GamerCrafting on Facebook and follow me on Bloglovin’ so you don’t miss any of the free stuff. Aw. Yes.

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Angie

Flower appliques for knitters AND crocheters

You know, sometimes knitters want to make an applique, too. And sometimes crocheters want to spice up a simple flower. And sometimes, the bi-stitchual among us (haha) want to cross over to the other side for awhile. I’ll admit, I don’t always want to knit – sometimes a hook feels better in my hands after a long day. And after weeks of crocheting, needles are a welcome change.

These two flower patterns/tutorials are for knitters AND crocheters – one for each. One of them was created for the LoveKnitting Knit by Bit feature a few weeks ago, and the other was something I found on Pinterest in Italian a few weeks ago and translated the idea into English. Yay!

First up: a flower knitting pattern

A flower knitting pattern from GamerCrafting

All you need for this little beauty is about 40cm (16 inches) of i-cord, a button, some clothespins (or another kind of marker), and a yarn needle. Want to learn more? Check it out on the LoveKnitting blog and leave a comment if you loved it.

Next: the button center flower crochet tutorial

Zzzzziiiiinnnngggggg! This is a crochet flower taken up to the next level with a button center. You will need either giant buttons or tiny crochet hooks for this project!

Button center flower tutorial on GamerCrafting

Love this project? Pin this image!

It looks complicated, but I promise it’s not! First you need to find a button with four holes and a crochet hook small enough that it will fit through the holes.

Button center crochet flower tutorial with GamerCrafting

Poke the hook through a hole and pull a loop through – you’ll need to hold the loose end of the yarn at first. Go over the button and make a slip stitch to stabilize it.

Button center flower crochet tutorial on GamerCrafting

Chain four, and dive into the next hole to the left. Make a slip stitch in the same way as the first one, and chain four again. Repeat until you have gone into each buttonhole, making four sets of four chains. Then, chain four and go back into the most recent buttonhole to make a fifth chain space – it will look crowded, but don’t worry, that evens out.

Button center flower crochet tutorial with GamerCrafting

Into each four chain space: SC, HDC, DC, TR, DC, HDC, SC. (In UK terms: DC, HTR, TR, DTR, TR, HTR, DC.) Leave a loop when weaving in ends if you want to use it as a garland like I did, or weave the ends in tightly if you’re using it for another reason. Enjoy!

I made my flowers into a garland, and hung them in the entertainment center display cupboard to show off all of our geeky trinkets. How will you use yours?

If you loved these free tutorials, please head on over and like GamerCrafting on Facebook. You can (and should!) also follow GamerCrafting on Bloglovin’ so you never miss a post!

Happy crafting!

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Angie — 2 Comments

Free watermelon mug cozy knitting pattern

Love this pattern? Click here to follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration!

Happy Monday, readers! Today on LoveKnitting, you’ll find my brand new free watermelon mug cozy knitting pattern. Even though I can’t grow my own watermelons (no greenhouse, and the outdoor climate is too unpredictable), they are still my top fruit to eat in the summer. I’m ready for warm weather, and I want to celebrate with something to keep my ever-forgotten tea warm.

Did you know that watermelons are native to Africa? They require regular temperatures of 80 degrees or more (fahrenheit), and the tendrils are actually quite fragile. I’ll post more about my growing adventures soon (like when these seeds finally sprout, hopefully they will)!

Click here to see the pattern on LoveKnitting, and have a happy week!

Free watermelon mug cozy knitting pattern by GamerCrafting on LoveKnitting

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Angie — 3 Comments

Don't Starve knitting pattern for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Don't Starve mitten pattern

Don’t Starve is a crafting and gathering survival game that first hit the scene a few years ago. In December 2015, the Shipwrecked DLC (downloadable content) launched, and I became addicted. Way back when Facebook games flooded your feed, I was a Farmville addict (I know, the SHAME). (More after the jump)

Don’t Starve is a great game for vegging out with a cup of coffee – and in fact, I wrote about the music of the game over on Classical Diary. (Click here to read more about that.)
In the game, your health is indicated by a heart symbol. A full heart for full health, obviously, and an empty, broken heart when you’re approaching death’s door.

So with my recent death by Pengull firmly in mind, I decided to design some super simple mitts to show my love of the game. These mitts are knit flat using the intarsia method of colorwork, and seamed up with the mattress stitch, leaving a hole for the thumb. They are a great pattern for knitting beginners!
The pattern includes row by row instructions, and three colorwork charts: left hand full heart, right hand broken heart, and also a bonus right hand full heart for those that want heart-themed mitts without the Don’t Starve reference.
Oh, did I mention that the pattern is only £1? That’s right, £1 – for a limited time.
Click here to buy it on LoveKnitting, and here if you’d rather purchase it on Ravelry.

You can whip up these mitts in an evening without a problem, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned knitter. Make them for the Don’t Starve fan in your life, or make them for yourself – or use the bonus heart chart to make some Valentine’s Day themed mitts for someone who has never seen a PlayStation. It’s your call!
And if you want to check out Don’t Starve for yourself (and I highly recommend it), click here.