Knitting Projects

December 15, 2004 7:53 AM

No more scarves or hats! Looking for non-hippydippy crochet or knitting projects.

I like the ACT of crocheting, but I'm really not a hand-knit kind of girl in terms of fashion. Know of any creative crochet or knitting projects I don't have to wear or make my friends wear? If by some miracle the project has a bit of modern style, so much the better!

posted by pomegranate to sports, hobbies, & recreation (32 comments total)

projects - not all scarves and hats!
posted by kamylyon at 8:00 AM on December 15, 2004

I've actually made the moebius scarf

I know, no wearables, but it's different enough to be modern.
posted by kamylyon at 8:03 AM on December 15, 2004

Crochet for charity? You can make things for babies, dogs, homeless vets, Afghanis, Iraqis... there's a charitable organization for just about anything out there.
posted by Ruki at 8:11 AM on December 15, 2004

Have you seen the book Stitch 'n Bitch? Check out the projects. OK, some of them are hats and scarves, but there are also cool purses and weird things like a cell phone cozy and a bikini. Definitely not your grandmother's knitting.
posted by butternut at 8:11 AM on December 15, 2004

I really want a fur skull cap in black. It's crocheted and the fur is somehow woven into it. Interested in making that?
posted by Juicylicious at 8:21 AM on December 15, 2004

Juicylicious I agree, that is a very cool hat! Stitch n' Bitch is fun and popular but I'm not into that whole Fierce Girrly thing, too old to make that work. The moebius scarf is good.

I think maybe I just need to work on lap blankets and such, customize them to my style by using yarns I really like.

(Yes, I can crochet for charity but I'm not likely to finish the project unless I enjoy the design.)
posted by pomegranate at 8:29 AM on December 15, 2004

Things my grandma has crocheted for me at one time or another (that you may want to try): snowflakes for the Christmas tree, afghans, tea cozies, tote bags, baby blankets, dog sweaters, socks, wall hangings, potholders, washcloths, doll clothes, pillows, and those ubiquitous extra roll of toilet paper cover-ups...heh. I love my grandma.

I don't suppose you'd like to crochet this dorky pillow, but this one could be cool, depending on what you did to it, like a bold color with a thick racing stripe down the middle, and no fussy little flower thingies all over it.

And I know you said nothing to wear, but what about something to wear for your naked glasses and your casserole dishes? Won't somebody please think of the glasses and the casserole dishes??
posted by iconomy at 8:32 AM on December 15, 2004

how about a knitted uterus?
posted by dabitch at 8:38 AM on December 15, 2004

How's about a knitting a big Nick Cave head? I would happily pay for a Nick Cave's head scarf. Sweet!
posted by PantsOfSCIENCE at 9:16 AM on December 15, 2004

I can't follow patterns, but I always try new stitches and then just "invent" a project when I feel like it. Currently, I like the knit stitch, seed stitch and something I think is called "cluster".

Poking around, I find this little number. great, now I have to make something with this.
posted by whatnot at 9:22 AM on December 15, 2004

Don't miss craftster.org!
posted by agregoli at 9:23 AM on December 15, 2004

Uterus aside, Knitty.com does have some really great projects for knitters.
posted by stefnet at 9:35 AM on December 15, 2004

when I think of crochet I always think of either plant hangers [we have several, very useful, possibly a little hippie] or wall-art owls [not useful].
posted by jessamyn at 9:43 AM on December 15, 2004

not meaning to snark jessamyn, but most plant hangers and wall owls are macrame (usually)

just saying...
posted by kamylyon at 9:48 AM on December 15, 2004

How about a bright anime style wig? I guess technically it's also a hat, but this is one hat I would wear to a club with no sense of shame.
posted by hindmost at 9:59 AM on December 15, 2004

In a similar vein to Knitty, take a look at Crochet Me.
posted by mimo at 9:59 AM on December 15, 2004

have you tried felting your yarn? i've mostly seen the usual hat/glove/bag patterns, but the style is a little more modern. i've seen one stuffed animal pattern. (caveat: i don't knit, so i have no idea about ease or enjoyment of making any of these projects. but my mom does and she likes the look of the felted stuff)
posted by crush-onastick at 10:19 AM on December 15, 2004

I'm going to make this elvis wig one day.

You might want to try making things for the home, like pillows or rugs. The interweave web site has some free online projects like a tea set and a rug. You could also knit some handbags!
posted by gnat at 10:19 AM on December 15, 2004

most plant hangers and wall owls are macrame

dammit! okay then, my vote is for making some felted boots. kamylyon, that link was hilarous.
posted by jessamyn at 10:47 AM on December 15, 2004

You can also find some cute stuff at www.magknits.com. Doesn't update as often as knitty, though.

Oh, and I know everyone rags on Livejournal, but the knitting community is very active and people often post the links to the patterns they use.
posted by sugarfish at 11:13 AM on December 15, 2004

That macrame link is funny as hell! That needs to be on the blue.
posted by iconomy at 11:14 AM on December 15, 2004

Yes, the macrame link is definately blue-worthy!
posted by deborah at 12:33 PM on December 15, 2004

that picture of Nick Cave's head looks like it could be of my husband when he was in high school! I am so freaked out!
posted by evening at 1:49 PM on December 15, 2004

Have you checked bookstores recently? Since knitting and crochet got "hip," there's been a huge surge of modern-y knitting/crochet pattern books. But there's enough to keep you busy (for free) with all the websites mentioned above.

iPod cozies are fast and possibly marketable ... and I second the charity work. Even though you said no hats, here's a nice site for chemo caps.
posted by kmel at 2:07 PM on December 15, 2004

Oh, and I forgot this beauty. British breakfast purse and matching beret!
posted by kmel at 2:12 PM on December 15, 2004

you wanna be real cool? arm warmers. all the hip kids are wearing arm warmers this year. basically fingerless gloves or mittens that extend up the arms to mid-forearm or elbow. you could also try some basic legwarmers, because those have also come back into style.
posted by mai at 2:34 PM on December 15, 2004

Kmel wins. My mom had cancer three years ago and someone knit a cap for her; I completely forgot about it. I'll do clean-lined, modern caps and matching lap blankets because my mom was always cold. I'll leave them at those weird drop-in chemo infusion centers, maybe brighten someone's day. Thanks everyone! My winter projects are now design-ish AND meaningful.
posted by pomegranate at 2:51 PM on December 15, 2004

Kmel wins?? Grr if I had known there were prizes, I would have tried harder! But really, that's a wonderful idea, kmel ;)
posted by iconomy at 4:13 PM on December 15, 2004

Iconomy we all win, and that pretty GW pillow you mentioned is coming your way for Christmas. Hurray!
posted by pomegranate at 8:03 PM on December 15, 2004

If you're an animal lover, you might enjoy making mini-afghans and donating them to animal shelters. There are a number of books and patterns out there for quick and easy crocheted afghans (for example, Quick and Cozy Afghans). Cut the width and height in half and you have a perfect blanket for a cat or dog.
posted by rhiannon at 9:37 PM on December 15, 2004

The Children in Common charity is very popular with online sock knitting groups -- they keep Russian orphans' feet warm.

If you're new to sock knitting, you can learn a lot and get some neat patterns out of Nancy Bush's book "Folk Socks." For variety, check out XRX's "Socks Socks Socks."
posted by liet at 4:58 PM on December 16, 2004

iPod cozies.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:33 PM on December 16, 2004