#nessyneedles

(Well I stupidly posted this to my main instead of my knitting blog. Reblogged there but just do yourself a favor and go there instead if you like knitting. Nessyneedles.tumblr.com thanks)

Here’s kind of a master post of stuff I’ve been up to recently.

Fave Resources #3: Knit Purl Stitches’ Circular Knitting Patterns

Fave Resources # 2: Lionbrand Pattern Encyclopedia

Not gonna lie, I’m pretty biased. I love Lion Bran Yarn. I really should just be sponsored by them or something. As of right now I work almost exclusively in bulky yarns, and I find their Hometown USA line to be just the perfect thickness, super soft and with a nice lineup of colors to choose from. Its expensive for the yardage, but a little bit of bulky yarn goes a long way.

At the behest of their packaging I decided to check out their website. Their online patterns selection is by far the most extensive and most fun to browse that I’ve found so far.

I find their pattern search function to be powerful and easy to use: you can search by anything from project type (scarves, hats, afghans, bags, smartphone sweaters,) to yarn type (bulky is my favorite), to skill type and even projects made with certain size needles. Not to mention they have patterns not only for knitting, but crochet, combination knitting and crochet, machine knitting, looming, weaving and all that. 

One of my favorite things about this site is, given that you’ve made an account on it, you can download PDFs of all these patterns for free. Yes FREE! Lion Brand also explicitly states that any of their patterns may be made to sell. Which is something you gotta watch out for if you want to be a knit goods vendor. 

Fave Resources #1: Purl Avenue Stitchinary.

Maybe you’re unfamiliar with the term “Stitchinary.” Its merely a portmanteau of ‘stitch’ and ‘dictionary,’ that is, it’s a way to describe a collection of stitch patterns. They can be found online or even in book form.

Once you get into the lovely world of stitch patterns you’ll be hooked. A lot of them are fairly easy and can add an air of intrigue, elegance, cuteness, or badassery to an otherwise unassuming piece.

Purl Avenue was the first online stitchinary I discovered and is to this day one of my faves. They have simple knit/purl stitch patterns, lace/openwork stitch patterns and even cabling.