Knit a Beet

knit_beet1.jpg

Check this pattern for a knit beet by Berroco. I love the leaf veining and frilled edges. What I would actually do with a knit beet beyond have it sit on my desk looking pretty is beyond me, but so what. It’s a beet! Made of yarn!

I’m imagining leaves knit in shades of burgundy to resemble my favourite beet variety, ‘Bull’s Blood.’ Or a beet in stripes of white and red as an interpretation of the Chioggia‘. No one has to know the ‘Chioggia’ is solid red on the outside. It’s art!

Photo by Berroco

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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10 thoughts on “Knit a Beet

  1. Hi Gayla,
    I’m thinking maybe large knit beets as purses, with the leaves as shoulder strap(s)? I know that I for one, would LOVE a hat that makes my head look like the top of a beet, leaves sticking up in the air… with the sides of the beet as sideburns, and the pointymost part of the root as tiestrings… Or maybe for the small babies, a big cabbage holster that works like a “snuggly”. Or long legwarmers that look like carrots with the top carrot greens almost joining at the groin. …you could have underwear/bikinis that look like “RUDE-abegas”… I could go on… but I am sure everyone would rather I not.
    Greg
    P.S. I just went to a “beatknit” website, but there is no “beetknit”… So some YGGer can register the domain name an’ start a-knittin’ and a-webmarketin’.

  2. You don’t have to stop at beets! A few years ago on magknits, they published knit patterns for carrots, corn, tomatoes, celery, etc:
    http://magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/garden.htm

    I worked for a literary magazine last year, and to fund it we threw on this huge rummage and craft sale. My roommate and I spent weeks knitting little fruits and vegetables, improvising our own patterns for eggplants, bananas, and strawberries. Surprisingly, they ended up selling really, really well. No matter how purposeless they seem, knit vegetables just provoke this weird “oh my god, I MUST have one” kind reaction.

  3. Hi Assertagirl, Gayla,

    Trophy? … HERE IS AN IDEA. Dah dah dah dah-tah-DAH!…

    The First Annual Worldwide YGG Garden Awards! …does YGG have an awards program yet? Well if not, it should! Judged by your YGG gardening peers and famous gardening guest judges.

    Best Garden (Various: Backyard, community, balcony, first… )
    Best Vegetable (Tomato, Bean, Carrot, Odd-Shaped, etc.)
    Best Herb (Various: Actual herbs, recipes, new uses, medicinal…)
    Best Project (Garden, greenhouse, reclaimation, heritage…)
    Best Nursery, Farm, Market, Landsacper… etc., etc., etc…

    I like the idea. AND, I am offering to design and build awards.

    Greg

  4. Jane beat (no pun intended) me to it, but the magknits veggies are fun to knit.
    I’ll have to prowl thru my stash to make this beet pattern.

  5. Jane: I have seen the magknits produce but have to admit that I think the beet is prettier. Although that knit tomato is pretty cute.

  6. For crocheters, there are a variety of fruit and vegetable patterns (as well as other foods) out there for free on the internet. I am working on a whole series for my daughter due here in a few weeks. I have visions of her playing the the garden with me, with her little crocheted versions of the real veggies I’m growing. Also hoping to take her to the store and let her compare crochet banana vs. real banana. Obviously not right away. Anyway the fruits and vegs are my favorite thing to crochet right now, they work up so fast, and they are so so cute.

  7. I love to make funny little cat toys for my cat. Think of how great it would be to see a cat wildly batting a knit catnip-stuffed beet.

    Also, I think it would be cool to make several extremely large knit beets and use them as throw pillows.

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