Free Pattern: Sweet Tee

It’s really fun to knit for little kids, but they grow so fast that you don’t really want to spend too much time on a project for a little one because they might only get to wear it a few times before it’s too small (or, let’s face it, stained).

That’s why this cute little Sweet Tee pattern from Down Cloverlaine is so great. It’s a pretty straightforward top-down raglan with a placket in the back to make putting on and taking off a little easier. It’s mostly worked in the round in stockinette stitch, with little textured heart embellishments at the center front and above the hem. You could of course leave those out and it would be a great project for a boy, too.

Worked in cotton on size 4 and 6 US needles (3.5 and 4 mm) it will go pretty quickly. This pattern is one-size only, which she says is for a 6 to 9 month old (18 inch chest measurement). The good news is it’s relatively easy to adjust a raglan to another size, just keep increasing until you have the chest measurement you need (and remember to make it longer, too!).

[Photo by Elaine Fitzpatrick/Down Cloverlaine.]

Next Pattern:

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?