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It's time to get cozy with this week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast featuring the Scenester Scarf-Hat from the new book, Speed Knitting by Kris Percival and published by Chronicle Books. This scarf is a three in one special. It's a hoodie hat, a scarf, and hand warmer mitts -- all in one! This is the perfect quick gift you can make this weekend for a friend to brave the cold chill that's waiting outside.
Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.
Curious about this new book Speed Knitting? Read Brian Sawyer's review on the book right here:
Speed Knitting by Kris Percival
Book Info - Link.
By Brian Sawyer
At this time of the year, when many of us are scrambling and sweating over our commitments to get every member of our extended family (and, perhaps, their dogs) a handmade gift in time for the holidays, there's a definite need for the collection of projects Kris Percival provides in Speed Knitting. Of course, the purpose and timing for the book are no coincidence. Though there's a whole chapter devoted to "Gifts to Give and Get," the entire book is written with quick gifts in mind. If you're in a time crunch, there should be something in here for just about anyone on your list.
To prepare for this brief review, I whipped up the "Scenester Scarf-Hat" from the book, provided as a download in today's installment of the CRAFT Pattern Podcast. Before you start knitting it yourself, you might want to check out my build notes for some general advice and some specific things to look out for along the way.
Speed Knitting offers 24 projects that you're almost guaranteed to get done quickly. There's not really any secret sauce to what makes a project "quick and easy," and Percival doesn't claim any magical formula for the projects in the book.
In brief, here are the cornerstones to speed knitting:
- Heavy, bulky yarn Really, the thickest "superbulky" stuff you can find or, in some cases, the ideal yarn is bulkier than you can easily find.
- Giant needles I'm talking size 15 or 17.
- Small or abbreviated projects Full-sized stuff on the small side (such as a baby hat, booties, toddler dress, mittens, or dog sweater) or stuff that cuts corners in one way or another (such as a shrug, vest, "skinny" scarf, halter, shawl, or "capelet").
With quick projects like these, knitters of just about any skill level should should get what they need to satisfy their emergency holiday gift-making regimen. Beginning knitters will find simple projects and enough gentle, hand-holding supplementary material to get them a few finished products under their belts quickly. But even more experienced knitters will appreciate patterns that they can crank out on a deadline.
Scenester Hat-Scarf Pattern:
Click here to get the PDF (and other CRAFT content) delivered automatically via iTunes - Link.
Hi InfoMaven,
Just to be clear, our CRAFT Pattern Podcasts don't have any audio. It's just a PDF file that is link to here on the blog and also served through iTunes which allows for viewing of PDF files.
For the audio or video podcasts we do, we always do provide links directly to the MP3 file or video file.
Like this one: http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2006/09/craft_podcast_erin_shafkind_an.html
Hope this helps!
Thanks,
Natalie
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Would it be possible to have an MP3 file to download directly from the website?
60% of podcast listeners listen on their computers - and there's yet another group of us who don't own iPods (or whatever that crap MicroSoft is selling) because we don't want to be tied to downloading from one computer and dependent on proprietary software.
I do enjoy the blog a lot. You find some very cool stuff. -e
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