Knitted summer bracelets :: a DIY

I'm not sure these bracelets will become as popular as my 2010 summer bracelets, but they sure are equally fun to make!

When I was looking for friendship bracelet ideas for our school's upcoming summer fest, I came across a 'knitting fork'.
Since I don't have a knitting fork but liked the technique, I wanted to try and make a fork with what I had.
Coincidentally, I made a Popsicle-stick-catapult just a couple of days ago, also for our school's craft fair and I figured that was the way to go.
A Popsicle-stick-catapult turned into a knitting fork! Why not?!
Talking about a multipurpose tool!
The only change I made here is that I used two sticks for each leg to make it a little sturdier and I re-positioned the sticks slightly to get a fork-like tool. I limited myself to bracelets but the possibilities are of course endless. I'm thinking of necklaces, belts, bag handles... Use your imagination!

Both, making the fork and the knitting, are very simple which makes this a perfect craft for keeping your kids, even the youngest ones - and yourself - busy on those long summer vacation car rides!
The instructions, including a video I made, are below!

Here is what you'll need:

for the fork: (or catapult, if you like)

- 8 popsicle sticks (for a catapult you will need 2 less)
- 4 rubber bands

for the bracelet:

- yarn, T-shirt yarn, strips of fabric, leather lace, ... whatever you have on hands which could be turned into something bracelet like



Instructions:

1. Fork assembly



2. Bracelet knitting

To see the video in HD quality, click the settings wheel in the right hand corner of the black bar displayed at the bottom of the movie - select quality 1080p for the highest resolution.





And here once more summarized in step-by-step pictures:




As to the lengths of the strands of yarn to use: it all depends on the thickness and flexibility of the material you'll be using, so knitting a sample may be in order.

Keeping my fingers crossed now for a long hot summer!

Have fun fork knitting!

Cheers,


P.



As with all of my tutorials, please note, this tutorial is intended for personal use only. Therefore, do not reproduce, sell or commercialize in any form. Thanks for understanding!

If you made something using a tutorial found on this blog or if you got inspired by something you found here, make sure to post your pictures here.

Work in progress :: seed stitch cowl

I started knitting on a seed stitch cowl during our camping trip (which was absolutely great, by the way).
It's the simplest knitting project thinkable.
Purl, knit, purl.
A no-brainer.

Herringbone, differently

 



Remember the herringbone collar scarf from a few posts back (thanks for the comments, by the way! For those of you who asked how many stitches I cast on: I simply followed the instructions at Purl Bee.) ? I haven't finished it yet and it looks like I'm running out of yarn...big problem, as it was left over yarn.

In the mean time, I cast on a new herringbone knitting project - in flax rope - yes, the kind of rope you buy at the hardware store. Not as cozy to knit with and certainly not as gentle on the fingers, but definitely a project you can take to beach without having to worry about the sand getting into the yarn. I know exactly what I want to use it for, I'm just waiting for a good moment to dive into this new project. To be continued...



As for now, pictures!

Don't you just love the stubborn look of this herringbone knit?

Herringbone

Wet and grey, this summer feels more like autumn.

It made me pick up the knitting needles.

It's supposed to become a herringbone collar scarf like this one, unless summer makes its appearance after all.



Work in progress: summer or scarf...