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Crafting

8 Knitting Projects for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Fans

Because winter is coming.

A.J. O'Connell

Staff Writer

A.J. O’Connell is the author of two published novellas: Beware the Hawk and The Eagle & The Arrow. All she’s ever wanted to do in life is read and write books, and so, is constantly writing at least one novel. She holds an MFA in creative fiction, but despite the best efforts of her teachers at Fairfield University's low-residency program, remains a huge dork for sci-fi, fantasy and comic books. She is a journalist and has taught journalism to college students. She blogs about feminism, the writing life, and whatever else comes into her head at www.ajoconnell.com. Blog: A.J. O'Connell Twitter: @ann_oconnell

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Winter is good for two things: reading, and knitting.

You have only to spend a few minutes on the Internet to see how fans are combining those two perfect winter activities. Recently, I spent an indecent amount of time of Ravelry, and I was thrilled to see how many of the patterns were inspired by fantasy and sci-fi franchises. (Seriously, I could do a whole post about Tolkien-inspired lace shawls.)

There are a ton of knitting patterns out there for the speculative fiction fan, and a lot of them are free. Here are some of my favorites.

Hobbit feet: Always wanted Hobbit feet but get cold when you think of walking around barefoot? Here you go.

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Charts for the major house sigils from A Song of Ice and Fire: Bless Knitting for Nerds. They’ve collected intarsia charts for the Targaryens, the Baratheons, the Arryns, the Greyjoys, the Tullys, the Tyrells, Lannisters, the Martells, and various Stark charts. (No Bolton sigils, though.) Now you can declare to the world that you always pay your debts just by wearing a pair of mittens.

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The Weasley sweater: It’s the holiday season, so what better time for a big old ugly sweater with your initial on it, made by someone who loves you?

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Mr. Nancy’s gloves: You always see the same franchises when it comes to crafting for fans, and usually they’re franchises that have been made into movies or shows. That’s why I’m psyched to see Mr. Nancy’s gloves here. (The American Gods series isn’t out yet.)

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District 12 sweater: We’ve already covered the sweet Katniss cowl (and there are a lot of free patterns for that online) but have you seen this District 12-inspired sweater? I don’t think I have the skill for this, but oh wow, I wish I did. I think Cinna would be proud to dress Katniss in this.

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Marvin the Paranoid Android: Poor Marvin. Brain the size of a planet and here he is, reduced to a cuddly toy.

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The One Ring scarf: To be completely honest, I have some reservations about wearing the One Ring around my neck. I mean, if it’s not a good idea to have it in your pocket, or on your finger, do you really want it on your neck? But my issues aside, this scarf is really sweet. If you’re good at charts, and want to definitely not be invisible, this free pattern is awesome.

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Cthulu: OH THE ADORABLE ELDRITCH HORROR.

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