Have You Heard? These Galaxy Knitting Patterns Are Out of This World

Knitting designers pull their inspiration from everywhere, whether it’s color, nature, or just a favorite stitch. Some of them even pull inspiration right out of the sky!

In honor of International Astronomy Day on April 28th, we’re featuring Bluprint designers who’ve been inspired by planets, stars, galaxies, and other astronomical wonders. The sky’s the limit!

Photo via Bluprint member bear-ears

Southern Skies

I don’t even know where to start gushing about this shawl. The design is an accurate view of the night sky from the South Pole, with eyelets and beads representing the stars. The pattern even comes with a star chart to show what constellations are on the design!

Get the Southern Skies pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint member thegoodwitch

Planetary

Designer thegoodwitch gives a little nod to her astronomy-nerd husband in this pattern that’s based on planets. Cables and duplicate stitch help form the colorful parts of this hat. The pattern will give you the skills to incorporate little patches of color onto anything you knit.

Get the Planetary hat pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint instructor Anna Dalvi

Star of Earth

Start knitting in the center of this shawl and work in the round as you watch it grow larger. I love the inspiration behind the shawl, which comes from a Chippewa tale about a bright star traveling across the sky. (Check out the pattern’s full description to read the entire story.)

If you love designer Anna Dalvi’s work, don’t miss her Bluprint class My First Lace Shawl, where you’ll knit up her gorgeous Waterspout Shawl. The class is great for beginners, but seasoned shawl knitters will love it, too.

Get the Star of Earth pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint member KatherineR

Galaxy Pillow

Designer KatherineR originally planned to knit this using glow-in-the-dark yarn (cool!) but used a plain worsted weight since the glow-in-the-dark was discontinued (bummer!). If you have some glow-in-the-dark yarn in your stash, this would be a great time to use it — even if you just knit the white galaxy part with it.

Get the Galaxy Pillow pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint member Liz_C

Shattered Stars

There’s definitely no shortage when it comes to shawls inspired by astronomy. Designer Liz_C tells us about the inspiration behind the pattern: “In Ancient Greece, diamonds were believed to be fragments of the stars and here you can see them falling from the sky and getting bigger as they reach the bottom of the shawl.” The usual lace skills — yarn overs, decreases, increases — will help you breeze through this one.

Get Shattered Stars pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint member cosmicpluto

Orbital Ornaments

Break out your stash and use scraps to make these easy little ornaments. Gift them as holiday ornaments for the astronomy fan in your family, or make them into a baby mobile. You could also string them across the wall in a kid’s bedroom. The size can even be customized when you use a heavier yarn and a larger needle.

Get the Orbital Ornaments pattern here.

Photo via Bluprint member FiddleKnits

Solar Flare

No tribute to astronomy would be complete without mentioning the sun. This shawl is named for Apollo, the Greek and Roman god of the sun, music, poetry, healing, and prophecy. The shawl is designed to look like the sun, with eyelet rays and a semi-circular shape.

Get the Solar Flare pattern here.

What inspires you when you’re knitting or designing?