Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

A Few “Best Of” Pattern Roundups

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eyelet cowlSince I was at home with a preschooler a lot longer than I meant to be over the holidays and beyond, I’m a little behind on year-end roundups, so I thought I would share a few of the favorite pattern collections that have hit my email box recently.

Lion Brand Yarn has put together a collection of its 10 most popular patterns. I love the pint-sized Colorplay Hoodie and the Entrelac Cowl (I’ve been meaning to knit something like that for a while). The most popular pattern was the District 12 Cowl Wrap inspired by “Catching Fire.”

Red Heart’s Best of 2013 includes videos and tutorials, so you can learn how to knit with Sashay (something I still need to do) and then make the most popular pattern, a Sashay scarf. I also find it really funny that one of the most popular patterns was Angel Baby, which is an eyelet baby blanket that’s a really old pattern — I knit it for a “baby” who is now 7 years old!

Yarn Market did a countdown of 30 popular patterns, many though not all of which are free. But the Gold Rush Fan Stitch Cowl pattern, which came in at the top, is a free pattern worked in feather and fan in a locely yarn from Crystal Palace.

And Yarnspirations has a roundup of five afghan patterns and five cowl patterns you might want to check out. I’ve had my eye on that Southwest Geometric Blanket for a while, and the Spiral Cowl is pretty, too.

Last but not least, if you haven’t seen it already, is my roundup of most popular patterns from About Knitting. That cowl pictured above is mine.

Comments

  1. Thanks, Sarah, for sharing these links for free patterns! With the beginning of the new year, I’m trying to lay out my knitting projects for the next few months. Some of these free patterns will definitely make the list 🙂

    Thanks again! I also have some free patterns on my website at http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.