Saturday 22 June 2013

Knitted Bows Tutorial - Free Patterns


I have been trying to think of ways to dress up different accessories lately and flowers keep on coming to my mind. But I know that not everyone loves flowers so I wanted to find other little decorative ideas to finish off special gifts and projects I have been working on. I was browsing Pinterest one day and seen a little bow made from t-shirt material and it seemed so simple to make. I am always looking for ideas in which I can use up my scraps and be thrifty, especially since I have a few t-shirts left over from my bangles from bottles project (click to go to the tutorial post).

Then I realised I would have to sew. I do not really like sewing at all. I do not own a sewing machine (I want to buy one, they just really scare me as I don't know what to do when something goes wrong) and find hand sewing a little tedious so I usually avoid it at all costs. I temporarily put the project on hold, til I was feeling a little more brave and patient. Then I got to thinking, I have recently just finished knitting a little flower to try to accessorise a few little things for my daughter, why not try to knit a bow as well? So I took the same idea and created my own knitting pattern. I couldn't stop at one, I have made 3 different designs in 3 sizes which I will share with you here. The first bow is a simple garter stitch bow which is great for those who can follow basic knitting steps. Then there is the rib stitch bow and finally there is the stockinette bow with selvage edges.

It is perfect knitting weather at the moment as it's a little chilly at night so I can sit on the lounge with a blanket on my lap clicking my needles away.

NOTE that you will need to know how to knit for this project, if you do not know how then you can always ask someone to teach you (my wonderful mother taught me years ago) or teach yourself by watching videos from the net. Youtube has alot but so do some of the other knitting sites. If you find a video that is not clear, google to find another. I find it easier to learn whilst watching someone showing me and by doing this online you don't have to bother them to show you over and over again. I might teach myself to crochet this way soon, there are so many cool patterns out there that I just can't make as I don't know how to crochet yet.


Materials

  • Double knitting yarn in your choice of colour/s
  • Knitting needles in size 5mm
  • Yarn needle
  • Scissors


Directions

GARTER STITCH BOW (perfect for beginners)
This pattern here is for the large garter stitch bow (pink) which measures 15.5 cm total length and 10.5 cm height (when finished). Keep reading below for other designs and measurements or experiment to create your own.

Main part:
Cast on 20 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at begging.
Knit across all rows for 100 rows.
Cast off (knitwise). Make sure you leave a longer tail as you will use this to sew up the bow shortly. Otherwise you will have more loose ends to hide.



Middle strip:
Cast on 5 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at the beginning.
Knit 20 to 25 rows, you will want to stretch this part over the middle of the bow and have it long enough for the two ends to just fit so measure this as you go. Cast off (knitwise) and leave a long tail.



PUTTING THE BOW TOGETHER
Now you have knitted the two pieces that you need to make the bow. Next you will need a yarn needle to put them all together.
1. Sew the ends of the big piece together using one of the tails (using any joining method you want). Knot to secure but don't cut the ends off just yet. This will make a tube shape.



2. Pinch the middle of the main part together to form the bow shape.

Take the tails and wind them around the centre of the bow firmly once or twice. Tie at the back.
 Now you can cut the tails off.

3. Now stretch the second piece of knitting  over the middle and sew the ends together at the back.

Knot to secure. You can cut the tails off if you want now or you can use them to secure the bow to another object if you want.
Now you have completed your pretty bow  :)





RIB STITCH BOW
The second bow I created was a ribbed bow which measures 8.5 cm total length and 5 cm height (when finished). I will give you the pattern of this one, you just have to put the bow together using the above method.

Main part:
Cast on 10 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at begging.
*Knit 1, Purl 1 (repeat from *to end of row).
Repeat for 40 rows.
Cast off (knitwise). Leave a long tail at the end.

Middle strip:
Cast on 2 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at the beginning.
Knit 10 to 15 rows, you will want to stretch this part over the middle of the bow and have it long enough for the two ends to just fit so measure this as you go. Cast off (knitwise) and leave a long tail.




STOCKINETTE BOW
The third bow I created was a garter stitch bow with selvage edges which measures 13 cm total length and 8 cm height (when finished). I used the selvage edges to prevent too much curling as the stockinette stitch pattern tends to curl quite alot. Put the bow together using the method above.

Main part:
Cast on 15 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at begging.
Row 1: Knit to end
Row 2: Knit 2, Purl to last 2 stitches, Knit 2.
Repeat these 2 rows for a total of 70 rows.
Cast off (knitwise). Leave a long tail at the end.

Middle strip:
Cast on 4 stitches (knitwise). Leave a long tail at the beginning.
Row 1: Knit to end
Row 2: Purl to end.
Repeat these 2 rows for a total of 15 to 20 rows, you will want to stretch this part over the middle of the bow and have it long enough for the two ends to just fit so measure this as you go. Cast off (knitwise) and leave a long tail.



I am already working on more designs and patterns as I just love how these bows turned out. I find that the bigger the bow the better it turns out. Let me know if you try any of these patterns, I would love to see them :)

9 comments:

  1. Wow those look really good. I've always wanted to learn how to knit but never could get the hang of it. You're very talented. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  2. These look so nice when they're finished. I really like them!

    I'm visiting today from the Raising Imperfection hop. Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment and thanks for visiting.
      I have visited your blog too, keep it up, it is awesome :)

      Delete
  3. These bows are so cute! I don't knit, just crochet but I wish I'd did because I would make some of these!

    Thank you for linking up to Raising Imperfection!
    Make sure to check back on Friday to see if you were featured.
    Leslie
    www.violetimperfection.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Leslie.
      You could also make these using the crochet method if you are able to crochet two rectangles and using the joining method I mention in this entry.
      Thanks for the lovely comment, I visited your blog and commented :)

      Delete
  4. These are super cute Missy. My mom tried to teach me to knit but crocheting was more my thing. Still ... I haven't picked up a needle in YEARS!

    Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
    Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. :)

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•*´
    (¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
    Raising-Reagan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I am very happy with the way they turned out.
      I will be back, thank you for your lovely comment.
      Hope you had a great weekend :)

      Delete
  5. Thanks again Cathy.
    I have linked up this week and am enjoying visiting the other wonderful blogs involved as well :)
    You are a fantastic host :)

    ReplyDelete