I’ve recently started going through all my old designs and editing them, redoing some of the photography and having them tested again. Some of them were designed way back in 2010, and so a few of the yarns have since been discontinued. The first two patterns to be relaunched are two free designs. They’re really good for beginners as they use chunky yarn and simple instructions, and work up satisfyingly quickly.
First up is the Chunky Woven Scarf, which comes in two widths. It uses knit and purl stitches to create a textured basketweave effect. The scarf is knitted on 12mm needles, using Cygnet Seriously Chunky yarn. This is an 100% acrylic yarn, so it’s machine washable and super soft. There’s a really wide range of colours – I used Burnt Orange and Slate Grey for these two scarves. The scarf only uses two or three balls of yarn, although you can adjust the length and width to use more or less yarn if you want.
The second pattern is the Super Chunky Hat. This also comes in two sizes, to fit average and large adult heads. It uses just one ball of yarn, although again you can add length to the hat if you like. I knitted my sample in Emerald.
If you’re a knitter with a wee bit of experience, these two patterns will knit up in just an hour or so. However, they’re still really quick and easy to make if you’re a beginner. Don’t worry if you’ve never picked up a pair of knitting needles in your life, there are plenty of resources online to help you!
First of all, get yourself signed up to Ravelry. This is an online database/discussion forum/source of inspiration for knitters and crocheters. It’s free to join, and you can search for patterns and add them to a wish list. The really cool thing about Ravelry is that people can upload pictures of their knits and notes about how the pattern worked for them. This lets you see the designs worn by a variety of people, and gives you an idea of things to try or to avoid. You can ask for help with different stitches and techniques in the forums as well.
Next, check out some of the great videos on YouTube. This one is really clear and simple, and shows you how to cast on, knit stitches and cast off. There’s also one for purl stitch and one for knitting different stitches such as rib and seed stitch.
Then all you need is a pattern, some yarn and some needles – feel free to download my hat and scarf patterns and have a go!
Scarf – download now
Hat – download now
Torya Winters Designs 