Knitting and Crocheting at the Movies: Pattern Recommendations!

Susan Haviland is Lion Brand’s Design Editor. She loves to knit and crochet in the company of her favorite films and televisions shows.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with knitting and crochet sightings from film and television.  We discovered some new and inspiring work and we welcome more — leave a sighting in the comments below!

A number of the items you mentioned are very much at the forefront of design right now.  The large, colorful crocheted blanket on the back of the wagon in Like Water for Chocolate is one and the dramatic multi-hue scarf from the fourth Doctor Who series is in line with the recent “mood scarves” trend.

The “Doctor Who” scarf has a neutral beige color that acts like a canvas for the joyful stripes throughout the scarf.  Put together a group of colors based on a photograph or painting that you love and begin!  Design your scarf as you go – it keeps the knitting/crocheting very interesting.  If you feel shy about choosing your own colors, Bonbons or Vanna’s Palettes^® have shades that are pre-selected to work together.

Kiera Knightley’s shawl/afghan in “Seeking a Friend For the End of the World” has a cheerful improvised quality.  The colors are warm and the yarn looks cozy in this square, afghan style shawl.  A great combination of circles and squares can be found in a more symmetrical layout in Lion Brand’s Crochet Kaleidoscope Afghan pattern.

You can turn an afghan pattern like this one into a shawl by making fewer motifs.  Using light yarns always give an afghan a shawl–like quality.  Experimenting is a lot of fun and patterns may be used as guides to start you on your own creative journey.

An afghan similar in feeling to the Like Water for Chocolate style can easily be created from Lion Brand patterns:

These basic granny square patterns can be made as large as you wish.  If you have a lot of leftovers, use them, adding a “main color” or two.  Neutrals often work well for “base colors” which hold many complicated multi-colored schemes together. Or consider using several different packs of Vanna’s Palettes^® as we did.  The colors can be arranged in any way that pleases you.

In recent weeks, the Lion Brand design team has had a lot of fun interpreting some terrific knitted and crocheted styles from the “Outlander” TV series.  The designs will be available soon and we think you will enjoy them as much as we do!