Easy new baby blanket patterns - knit with three skeins or less

Tanis Gray's new Three Skeins or Less: Modern Baby Knits is a top new offering with tons of sweaters, three new baby blankets, hats, and more, baby to 5T sizes.

Twenty-three knitting patterns wonderfully photographed on glossy paper with stitch-pattern details and easy to understand charts and schematics, a heavyweight paperback in more ways than one. It's more than 125 pages and will be your go-to pattern book as your child grows, and perfect for cherished new baby gifts.

The perfect big sister ticks all the boxes

Always wished I had had a popular big sister....life could have been... This big sister is a knitting pattern for one very trendy, long open cardigan sweater with a cute little notched collar. It's another perfect companion, published this month, and very popular with almost 3,000 likes on Ravelry. If you prefer a belted cardi version, add some loops and a belt and voila! an equally stylish wrap sweater complete with pockets.

©von Hinterm Stein/ravelry.com

Knitting and crochet pattern books for free, online library

It took me a while to figure out openculture's new offering, because it is too good to believe. A crafter's dream come true, an online library of knitting and crochet pattern books, free patterns dating from the nineteenth century to almost present day, well 2015, free downloads with a click. Knitting and crochet magazines with titles like Jane Austen Knits, Vogue Knitting, Crochet Today, etc, etc.  Print out a single pattern or an entire magazine.

One skein Reyna - a shawl for all occasions

Reyna by MeenaWeena

The "Reyna" shawl knitting pattern was designed to finish with one skein of sock or fingering yarn, specifically a variegated yarn. But knit this large triangle in black or glitter yarn and voila! an evening shawl for the whole year through and a real option for Mother's Day gifts, birthdays, etc.

It's an easy, free pattern, one you'll want to download now; patterns don't always remain gratis, as the Holden Shawlette, which is now available for purchase but also includes three different sizes.

Please read on...