Posts Tagged 'free pattern'

Jeanette – Free Cowl Pattern!

Published January 28, 2013 Knitting 2 Comments
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I’m on a designing binge lately – though to my shame I confess I have an embarrassing number of WIPs – including (gasp!) Christmas knitting that is long overdue. But really, what’s more exciting than getting an idea in your head and bringing it to life? Against such fun my poor WIPS, including the shawl-that-just-won’t-end don’t stand a chance.

Jeanette ©Shireen Nadir 2013

The Jeanette Cowl is like a collection of my favourite things – it’s a worsted weight, one skein project,  simple without being boring, classy and good for quick project gratification :) The finished cowl is seamed together to create pockets for a drawstring that gathers it fetchingly at the neck, or is let out to maximize warmth.

You will need 100 grams of worsted weight. A quick word of advice here – though it’s not mandatory, to really shine this piece needs a wet block before seaming. Therefore, I don’t recommend acrylic, or acrylic blends. Wool, wool blends with merino, cashmere or alpaca, all this is perfect :)

The sample is knit using Classic Elite Yarns, Vista, in the colourway ‘Alabaster’, purchased from Eweknit here in Toronto :)

Download the pattern for free on Ravelry – project page here:

A Christmas gift to my readers – the Man Slouch.

Published December 23, 2012 Knitting 4 Comments
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The Man Slouch ©Shireen Nadir 2012

I’d like to celebrate today with a free pattern for my awesome blog readers :) Thank you everyone, for making the Blue Brick such an enjoyable, inspiring experience! This simple slouch/touque is a quick, mindless, easy knit for both guys and gals, but really, it’s one for your man.

The Man Slouch ©Shireen Nadir 2012

Because, let’s face it; guys are picky. It can’t be too detailed, in a girly colour or contain un-manly motifs. Here then, is a base pattern for a very simple hat that can be worn slouchy or not, and dressed up in a number of ways for the more adventurous, from using variegated or self striping yarn to filling in the stockinette sections with your choice of pattern (seed, moss, lace etc.).

The Man Slouch ©Shireen Nadir 2012

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry – Project page here :) In response to the ambitious yet disorganized among us (including me…): yes, if you start one today it can be ready for Christmas!

However, and whatever you celebrate, I hope you have a beautiful holiday season :)

~Shireen~

Free Pattern – The Mushin Cowl

Published August 29, 2012 Crochet 7 Comments
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Free Pattern Mushin Cowl

Cool weather is coming; just last night in Toronto it was downright chilly. Time to stock up on some fall accessories! Mushin is a Japanese term frequently used in Martial Arts training that means ‘Without Mind’. It’s totally appropriate because this is completely the easiest, most mindless project for instant gratification.

I worked this up over a day (no kidding) just carrying it around wherever I went. No TV show or conversation, however complex, will make you err on this simple, sweet crochet project. The simple pattern is great for both solid yarns or that special skein of variegated that you love, but don’t know what to do with ;)

Materials:

  • 4 mm crochet hook
  • 335 yards of sport weight yarn
  • Sample is using one skein of Malabrigo’s ‘Arroyo’
  • in Colourway ‘Jupiter’
  • Tapestry needle for weaving in your ends

Finished dimensions:

When lying flat: 12.25 inches wide and 13.25 inches tall.

Download the pattern here!

Ravelry Project Page here!

Put a Little Love Out – 1st Edition

Published July 4, 2012 Knitting 3 Comments
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Put a Little Love Out – 1st Edition is ready! Click here to download the free e-book.

I know there are good people out there doing great things.  I see them every day – giving up their seat on the train, buying a coffee for someone who’s cold, smiling at someone who looks like they need it, helping someone cross the street. I wanted to collect these little stories into a short celebration of Nice Things That Folks Do.

Here was the idea; I wrote a knitting pattern that was free. All one had to do was write to me and tell me something nice that they did. I put it out there on my blog and sat back and waited (pessimistically, I grant you) for the knitting community to send me a big ‘fat chance’ in the form of collective inaction.

They didn’t. They sat and they wrote and they sent stories and photos. And I sat and I read and I occasionally got teary eyed and I emailed out knitting patterns. The response was huge and affirming and immensely cheering.

I want to reference the very first story that was sent to me – because it was as significant a first story as one could ask for. A woman wrote to tell me that she let a stranger use her phone, and discovered later that she had averted a suicide.

To me, this shows as clear as anything that the consequences of our smallest actions can be huge beyond our reckoning – it reminds me that the tiny pieces of kindness that we put out there go a long way. It was also a sobering glimpse into the possible consequences of tiny pieces of negativity too – something to ponder if you’re short with the person who made you coffee, cut someone off in traffic or neglected to hold open the elevator door.

I’ve collected some of my favourite stories, removed the names and created a free e-book from them. Feel free to download it, share it, and help put a little love out.

Will I do it again? Absolutely. I’m working on the next design, so stay tuned. Oh, and thank you – you guys rock.

(psst – now that Put a Little Love Out is over the pattern is available for free here)

Put a little love Out – A Free Pattern – with Karma!

Published February 27, 2012 Knitting 7 Comments
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Inspired by the good works of the Yarn Harlot and other knitters who have used patterns to raise funds for charity I’ve decided to try an idea of my own for knitting karma! Here’s how it works. This is a lovely cowl pattern I’ve just developed:

Put a little love out

It’s a beautiful and stylin’ one-skein project. I used less than 200 yards of worsted weight yarn (Misty Alpaca’s Tonos Worsted in this case) for this snuggly cowl.

Matching bands of moss stitch frame a soft cowl that’s knitted flat and seamed to create a vertical tube for the lacing, which you can use to cinch the piece on one side for a very stylish look.

Put a little love out

It’s suitable for folks who are just learning; you only need to be able to knit, purl and seam. For more advanced knitters it’s a fun and mindless project that you can whip off in an evening or two. The simple pattern is perfect for showing off variegated yarns or knitting in a solid colour.

Put a little love out

Enough about the cowl – how do you get the pattern? Have you ever been to a party where they throw a beach ball in the crowd and everyone has to help keep the beach ball in the air? I’m trying to create a karmic beach ball that we can all help keep in the air. So if you love the pattern and want a pdf it’s completely free – here’s how you get it:

I already know that you’re a wonderful person. I’m sure of it. Write me an email (hello@thebluebrick.ca) and tell me something nice that you did. It can be giving up your seat on the train, smiling at someone who looks like they needed it, or buying a coffee for someone who’s cold. Nothing huge, just do something wonderful and do it with love in your heart. Write and tell me about it and I’ll send you the pdf.

Put a little love out

It’s my dream to have a blog posting in a month or two where I share your beautiful stories (without names) and hopefully combine them with photos of your beautiful finished cowls for a feel-good blog post about how we put a little more love in the world through sharing this dialogue, and pattern together.

I hope very much that I will hear from lots of you beautiful people in the weeks ahead :) So go out there and be your wonderful selves :) A very special thank you to the first person to show this project some love; the beautiful Jeanette who posed for these photos :)

New FO – The Age of Brass and Steam

Published January 9, 2012 Knitting 2 Comments
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I wanted something simple to show off a skein of TFA Olive that I picked up – I wanted something for my neck, with just enough pattern to look interesting but little enough that the beautiful colour in the yarn could really shine.

Age of Brass and Steam

I chose the Age of Brass and Steam – a free pattern on Ravelry by Orange Flower. What a quick knit, it cast on Saturday and was blocking the following Saturday. Easy, mindless and beautiful. The simple construction allows the varigated yarn to really take centre stage. For some reason, though I’ve been in love with Olive for a while this is the first skein of it I actually bought, so I felt pressured to find just the right pattern for it.

The Age of Brass and Steam

One skein of TFA DK weight yarn goes a long way, so the only pattern mod I made was that I kept going for a while after the last eyelet row.

The Age of Brass and Steam

In retrospect I probably should have stopped at the last eyelet row, because I kept going the edges have a tendency to curl that no amount of blocking will fix. I love it anyways though – it’s hard not to, just look at that colour!

The Age of Brass and Steam

I give this pattern the thumbs up for sure – definitely recommend!

 

Bay of Fundy Scarf – Free Pattern!

Published December 2, 2011 Knitting , Travels 12 Comments
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I finally got around to writing down the pattern for my Bay of Fundy scarf – a huge, soft, scarf/wrap that I whipped up on vacation while down east this autumn. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of a scarf on 3.5mm needles, the pattern is pretty mindless and easy (which is what made it a great vacation knit) and you’ll be done before you know it. If you choose the pattern can be easily adjusted to other yarns.

The pattern was inspired by the tides at the Bay of Fundy, as illustrated by my cheesy graphic: Go on and laugh, you know you want to.

It was the perfect solution for 2 skeins of TFA Purple label cashmere yarn. I was lucky enough to get my hands on 2 of her one-of-a-kind skeins at the knitters frolic this year but if you’re looking to match what I’ve done there is a colourway called, appropriately enough, Atlanic, which would do the trick nicely.

The scarf was mostly knitted at the Bay of Fundy, of course.

And the results are beautiful, cozy and wearable :)

PDF can be downloaded here.

Ravelry project page is here.

Feel free to email me with any questions. Enjoy!

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