great resources: spud & chloe yarns



Looking for an adorable knitted toy free pattern? Check out yarn makers Spud & Chloe! In addition to great collections of adorable patterns, you can find numerous freebies on their site as well. My favorite? Oink, a knitted pig ... with wings! In addition to Oink, you'll find tons of great-looking but easy knit scarves, hats, and mittens among their free patterns. Perfect for holiday gift-giving!

Oink, a free pattern from Spud & Chloe



Great Resources: Free Vintage Knitting Patterns

Do you love all things vintage? Then you'll enjoy Glamarama! The website offers a brief, but fabulous, listing of free vintage knitting patterns posted as pdf files for your knitting enjoyment. For example, this chic little number seen below.

Great Resources: Classic Elite Yarns Web-Letter

Our next great resource is another free newsletter from a yarn manufacturer--Classic Elite Yarns' Web-Letter. In contrast with some of the other Great Resources we've profiled, this electronic newsletter is singular in focus: it only features free patterns and the Classic Elite Yarn used to make them. No tips, no commentary, nothing else--just a free pattern in your e-mail inbox, every week. Which is kind of nice, because isn't that what we really care about the most? The free pattern! And CEY has an all-star roster of designers that contribute the free patterns: Ann Budd, Jared Flood, Pam Allen, Cecily Glowik MacDonald, Leigh Radford, Cookie A, Jil Eaton, and Veronik Avery, among others. To view the archive of past Web-Letters, visit the Classic Elite Yarns' website. There you can subscribe to the newsletter by entering your e-mail address in the box at the very bottom of the page and then selecting the "Go" button.

Great Resources: Berroco KnitBits Newsletter

Yarn manufacturers are another phenomenal source of free patterns ... giving us free patterns for fabulous knitted items made from their yarns is really just a sneaky way of tempting us to buy more of their yarns! But who's complaining--free patterns are free patterns! Generally, these patterns are accessed on the yarn manufacturer's website, but some companies have developed free electronic newsletters you can subscribe to as well. That's exactly what Berroco has done with its Berroco KnitBits Newsletter. Every Friday, subscribers receive "... tips, techniques and free patterns from the Berroco Design Team." I've found that the content is a good mix of technique videos, promotion of new Berroco yarns, promotion of new Berroco pattern booklets (for purchase), but best of all--each week there is a link to a new free pattern. And considering that Norah Gaughan is Berroco's Design Director, these aren't fugly, fuddy-duddy free patterns we're talking about. Some of them are just plain gorgeous. For example, check out this week's free pattern, Concur. I know I've already added it to my Ravelry queue! To subscribe to the Berroco KnitBits Newsletter, visit the Berroco website, and enter your e-mail address in the box near the top of the page and hit the "subscribe" button. You won't regret it!

Great Resources: Twist Collective

The inaugral issue of the Twist Collective was launched Fall 2008. Although this online knitting magazine is free, the patterns it features are not. Led by Kate Gilbert as Creative Director, the creation of the Twist Collective was driven by creating a publication outlet that provided fair terms and compensation for designers: "The idea of Twist Collective came from our shared desire to bring talented designers and writers together, to give them a beautiful showcase for their work, and pay them fairly." Published quarterly, the magazine features stunning designs that are available as instant downloads at an average cost of $7 each. Each issue features approximately 22-25 different patterns on average. In addition to patterns, the Twist Collective also includes several feature articles and a hilarious "Dear Abby"-style column written by Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon Knitting fame. The back issues of the Twist Collective are easy to browse, and sure to instantly add to your already long list of "patterns I must knit someday"!

Great Resources: Petite Purls

Are you looking for a great pattern to knit for the 10 and under set? Then this great resource is for you! Petite Purls is an online knitting magazine that publishes free patterns focused on children. Petite Purls was founded by Brandy Fortune and Allegra Wermuth, when after having their first daughters, they both bemused the lack of great children's knitting patterns.

According to the site founders, "Our vision for Petite Purls is to offer exquisitely crafted, fashion forward, quality knitting patterns accompanied by beautiful photography." The inaugral issue of Petite Purls was published Summer 2009, and the online magazine is published each March, June, August and November. At Petite Purls you'll find tons of great baby and toddler cardigans and pullovers (both boy's and girl's designs), tops, pants, dresses, and adorable dolls and toys.

Great Resources: Knitty.com

Welcome to the first installment in a series of posts that will profile the Golden Triangle Knitting Guild members' favorite online (and offline) resources for great knitting information, technique tutorials, and patterns.


This installment will feature Knitty.com, a free online knitting magazine. Knitty was founded by Amy Singer in 2002, and is now published four times a year: January, April, July, and October. Knitty is a web-only publication, meaning that it does not publish a print-format of its content. The patterns they publish are free for personal, individual use (no selling items made from their patterns). Its contributors range from big-name knitting designers like Kate Gilbert, Veronik Avery, Bonne Marie Burns, Annie Modesitt, Helene Rush, Cookie A, Vickie Howell and others, to first-time designers and anonymous knitting bloggers.



Each issue includes almost 20 knitting patterns, and some specifically designed for handspun yarn. The patterns cover a diverse range of project types, including both adult and children's knits, bags, toys, sweaters, socks, accessories, and shawls. Knitty also has an affinity for the quirky--you'll find patterns for "duck feet" for your toddler, or you can knit yourself your very own crustacean. Knitty also publishes excellent articles covering knitting techniques and reviews of the latest knitting gear and gadgets.


You can easily browse all of Knitty's back issues and their extensive pattern gallery, so if you haven't already checked out this great resource, visit Knitty.com today!