The Best of Quick Knitting: Geek Edition

So I’m wrapping up the Quick Knitting posts this week with one that transcends the topic. This is in line with both my knitting and my nerd interests. I’ve been poking about and finding the best quick knitting projects out there that are as geeky as possible.

I’ll warn you in advance: this post got a little out of hand.

There are so many awesome geeky quick knits out there, man. So without further ado, here we go.

INSULATE

by Amy van de Laar

copyright Amy van de Laar

I mean, COME ON. Is this not a thing of wondrous beauty? A hat! With Daleks all around it! Knit in a subtle and yet unmistakable way!

You could be wearing this and be giving Whovians sore necks from double-taking for weeks. There is nothing I don’t love about this pattern and I will be trying it just as soon as I can get it together enough to get contrasting yarn.

Cunning Jayne Hat

by Renee Peterson

copyright Keiyla on flickr

Anyone who knows what this hat is knows the scene. Jayne Cobb, hardman extraordinaire, dons the fabulous hat from his mother and doesn’t flinch (or understand) when his friends poke fun.

This hat is a staple for any geeky knitters out there and, should you end up knitting for someone again in the aftermath and lethargy of giftmas, this is an excellent one for any fellow Browncoats. Plus it’s knit with enormous yarn and would appear in seconds.

Near enough.

Tarragon the Dragon

by Knit-a-Zoo

copyright Knit-a-Zoo

When I was a child I thought there was a dragon curled up and sleeping beneath the island on which I lived. Though I was sure he or she was friendly, it still frightened me occasionally.

I don’t know where I got the idea – probably from people telling me how many caves were under my feet – but if I had to have a dragon sharing my space it would be Tarragon. Not only because I put that herb on anything that stays still long enough.

TARDIS Beanie

by Morgan Kenia Andrews

copyright Morgan Kenia Andrews

Before TARDISes and Daleks, what on Earth did people knit into hats? That’s what I want to know.

I think this hat would also look amazing with a black yarn. Except I have a white cat, so maybe not.

Invading Your Earspace

by Catherine Paul

copyright Catherine Paul

Quite aside from having a fantastic name, this pattern is adorable. It’s also versatile because how many people are going to love this design? Everyone, that’s who!

Well, not quite. But the reach of retro gaming goes far beyond those who have actually had the chance to play Space Invaders. I have vague memories of it on some crappy website in my teens but missed the real thing, and I would still wear this.

Lego Man Mitts

by Carissa Browning

copyright Carissa Browning

I’m just going to come right out and say it: these are disturbing and creepy. That said, they would also be super warm and the construction is interesting.

They would make a great part of a costume or as a way to thoroughly creep out people who glance at you in the street for reasons they do not fully understand, but yet will carry with them all day.

R2D2 Beanie

by Carissa Browning

copyright Carissa Browning

So… I think we as a group should be keeping our eyes on Carissa Browning. She’s clearly some kind of evil genius.

I’m also not sure why so many fans want to stick their fandoms on their heads. I guess as a beacon to other fans? It is the most visible part of the body for most people.

This pattern is clever and most certainly will get you noticed by people. Some of them will even be fellow geeks.

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Okay. Wow. I’m going to stop now because I have spent all morning going through the best patterns on Ravelry and I should probably do something more productive.

In the meantime, please share your favourite quick geek knits! I bet there is so much more out there – after all, there’s a huge overlap between knitters and geeks and I love it that way.

The Best Of Quick Knitting: Baby Edition

I don’t know about you but it seems like a lot of people are pregnant around me these days. I’m not complaining; it’s plenty of opportunity to whip up some quick knitting for the sprogs.

Of course I’m a certified aunty so I don’t have any of my own but as I’m sure a lot of you do, here are some of my favourite ridiculously adorable instant gratification baby knits I’ve found.

Owlie Hat

by Teresa Cole

copyright Teresa Cole

The owl knit trend is huge. It’s been around nearly as long as I’ve been knitting and with hats like this I can see why. Just imagine how cute this would be with little embroidered eyes! No buttons of course – that’s a choking hazard.

See, I know some baby stuff. Honest.

Magic Slippers

by Caroline Hegwar

copyright jiltedballerina

I don’t know what makes these slippers magic but don’t you want to find out?

These only take under 200 yards of fingering weight yarn so they would be a perfect way to use up scraps of leftover socks. And they’re magic. Gotta love magic slippers.

Showsy Toes Baby Sandles

by Stephanie Lotven

copyright Stephanie Lotven

I don’t even know what these are but I still want to make fifty of them.

Max Baby Cardigan

by Marianna Mel

copyright Marianna Mel

If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, try out this pattern. It’s adorable and yet it still only uses less than 200 yards of DK yarn. It will knit up in no time and you’ll be left with a very snuggly baby if you use plush yarn.

Okay. That’s the babies decked out in the best of hand knitted items. Feel free to share your own, I’d love to see other ideas for quick baby knits!

The Best Of Quick Knitting: Hats Edition

There are times in any knitter’s life – like, say, immediately after giftmas – where the thought of an intricate and complicated pattern makes them want to scream. It is at that time when quick knitting takes hold.

My go-to projects when I’m bored of big things is hats. I love them. I knit hats quite often because they’re pretty, they’re pragmatic, and most importantly they’re quick. They are excellent projects when you’re in need of instant gratification. Cast on, knit a while, decrease, cast off. If you start brim-up (which, why wouldn’t you?) then you don’t even have a whole bunch of stitches to cast off. It’s fun.

So here’s a list of hats for you knitters in need of a quick fix for the post-holiday lethargy.

Barley

by Tin Can Knits

© Tin Can Knits

Shut up, I know this is the most popular hat pattern of Ravelry. That’s because it’s there for a reason. It’s quick and versatile. It would work with both plain and variegated yarn. The wedge of garter in the middle makes it less monotonous to knit than it would be if it was all stockinette.

It’s a good pattern for newbie knitters with loads of instructions available. I’ve made it and I love it.

Star Crossed Slouchy Beret

by Natalie Larson

This is hands-down my favourite hat pattern. It is in fact one of my favourite patterns of all the body parts.

Christmas 2012 was a difficult time. I had just left Canada and discovered my six-month wait would be more like a year, maybe longer (it ended up being 18 months before I could return). I was extremely upset and desperately missing my girlfriend and cats that I’d left behind in Ontario.

Thankfully I had knitting to distract me. In the course of three days – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day – I made three of these hats. No sooner were they off the needles than someone in my family snapped one up.

Yes, this terrible quality picture is of me modeling one that ended up going to my big sister.

Little Scallops

by Maria Carlander

If you’re on the look-out for something even more quick-fixy, look no further. This little hat is for the tiny heads in the world. I knitted one for a friend who had a very cute baby a while ago. Most of the hat was knitted during a train ride from Newcastle to Nottingham; the scallop bit was finished in the Sheffield train station once I realised I would not have time to visit a nearby yarn store.

© maria carlander

The hat I made was from a cashmere/merino blend which was a sheer delight to use. The hat knit up fast and easy even if the colourwork made me feel super fancy. It was a wonderful instant gratification knit.

So guys, what’s your favourite hat pattern? There are so many out there I don’t know where to start!

Hat.

This is not the hat I knit for Martina at Kniterary, but it’s made from the same yarn in a different colourway.

It is not a hat for this weather. I tried: this morning I pulled it over my ears and about thirty seconds later sincerely wished I’d brought a real winter hat. As much as I try to kid myself it really is time for the hardcore clothes here in southern Ontario.

Still, it’s pretty.

This is a lovely yarn. The colours are awesome and the pattern it makes is pretty. Making a hat doesn’t take up a whole skein either (especially impressive since I have a large head).

As I mentioned in my last post it’s Cascade Color Duo. Colour? Color? You know what I mean.

Friday Pattern Collective: GotG-Inspired, part 1

Who’s been to see Guardians of the Galaxy yet?

If you have been already, I won’t be surprised if you loved it. The oddball choice confused me when they announced it and yes, it annoyed me a tad when they still haven’t made any prominent female-centric Marvel movies in this run. However, Captain America 2 was basically the Black Widow, Falcon, and Fury Movie With That Steve Guy A Bit so that placated me somewhat.

Then we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy and were treated to a couple hours of hilarity, sadness, beautiful graphics and hilariously inappropriate music.

There aren’t many patterns out for the franchise on Ravelry as it’s so new. Instead I’m going to put together a collective of patterns representing each of the characters and the movie as a whole.

To accurately represent their awesomeness, Rocket and Groot will be getting their own (combined) post next Friday. Stay tuned for tree and raccoon themed hilarity.

As usual, these patterns are not my own and the photos are taken from the Ravelry pages to illustrate their awesomeness.

Star-Lord

Cassette Tape iPod Cover

by owlinstitches on Ravelry

Of course Quill would need to make this pattern slightly larger to shove in his cassette player but that’s fine. After many long nights in space he has had plenty of time to hone his knitting skills so adapting a pattern will be nothing. On top of that, there’s something pleasingly meta about putting a cassette player in a cassette player pouch.

Gamora

Green Goddess Socks

by Nancy Whitman

Above all things Gamora is practical. She does not have time for things like dancing or cold feet. Though she may be swayed (literally) on the first thing, the second is a no-go. These socks will blend in to her skin tone and are just as weirdly classy as she is.

Drax

Snowbound Hat

by Justyna Lorkowska

Drax has a lot of bald head going on and let’s face it, our guys are unlikely to stick entirely to the temperate zones. Perfect for when Drax takes a trip somewhere with snowfall this hat will keep the chill off him and the subtle design will complement his tattoos nicely.

For Tiny People

Patterns:

Hat – Little Scallops by Maria Carlander.

Booties – Saartje’s Booties (modified) by Saartje de Bruijn.

I used Baby Cashmerino which is totally squishable. I managed to get these little cuties done while on five days holiday from work – there were a lot of train journeys so even though I messed up the booties the first time I still finished it off quite quickly.

Beautiful patterns, beautiful yarn.

What have I been knitting (& crocheting)?

Escapism Mitts

Pattern: Sojourn Mitts (Ravelry)

Yarn: Old Maiden Aunt’s Alpaca/Silk

Started: November 9th 2011

Finished: November 14th 2011

I started these mitts when my lovely best friend sent me a skein of this gorgeous yarn. I couldn’t help myself from casting on even though it’s almost Christmas and I have lots of gifts to knit. It was also a bit of a difficult time emotionally, hence the title ‘escapism’: it distracted me from the lovely imbalance of hormones in my head thanks to my medication. I wear these all the time. Dad even said they look professional, which is sweet even if inaccurate. There are plenty of mistakes but that’s what makes them not mass-produced. I would recommend this pattern to anyone.

Motherbot Hat

Pattern: Sockhead Hat

Yarn: Some random purple variegated sock yarn

Started: 1st December 2011

Finished: 5th December 2011

A christmas present for my mum. I was going to knit her socks, but then she asked for a hat. I’d already bought this yarn (I lost the label, hence unable to tell you the brand) so I found a pattern that fit the weight. This is a slouchy pattern but my mum has quite a small head so I decided to reduce the pattern quite a lot. She really liked it. We’re not so much with the waiting to give presents in my family…

Beretion

Pattern: The Columbia Beret (Ravelry)

Yarn: BC Garn Baby Alpaca

Started: About a year ago

Finished: November 2011

It’s not that I took months to make this relatively simple design. It’s that I had real trouble picking something suitable for the lovely soft yarn. It’s laceweight, which I equally adore and fear, since it seems somewhat harder to make into a finished object. This beret is quite appropriate since Jen wears one frequently. I’m assured she likes it. 🙂

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I know all of these pictures are dubious in quality. Unfortunately at the moment I only have an iPhone to take photos with and soon I won’t even have that – I’m giving it to my mum when I go to Canada in a week. However I know I’ve got a camera somewhere. Just gotta find it!