Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

A Simple Cowl for When You Need to Think

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The beginning of a new year (or the end of the first month, since we’re almost there already!) is a great time to reflect on the past year and to think about things you might want for yourself in the year ahead. It’s great to have an easy knitting project on the needles for these times of deep thinking, and that’s just want the Brood Cowl was designed for.

>> While you are here, check out our post on 13 Valentine Mug Rugs to Sew For Gifts <<

Rebecca McKenzie designed this top down, circular knit cowl for those times when things are weighing on you and you just need a bit of comfort knitting and a place to rest.

It uses DK weight yarn and has a little bit of shaping to give it a sloped look. It uses three colors of yarn with regular striping so you can carry the unused yarn up the inside of the cowl as you go rather than cutting and weaving in ends.

By now you probably expect me to say that you can use more colors if you want, and you could also make this with worsted weight or another weight of yarn if you like, bearing in mind it will come out a different size (or you can easily adjust the size). You could also try making it holding two strands of yarn together if you have lots of sock yarn or lace weight to work through.

Speaking of sizes, there are two options available in the pattern. The first is 20 inches around and 26 inches long (that’s 50 centimeters around and 66 long for our metric system friends), while the larger is 24 inches/61 cm around and 30 inches/76 cm long.

The stitch pattern is simple knits and purls so it would be pretty easy to alter the size if you want.

Learn more about the pattern and grab your copy on Ravelry.

[Photo: Rebecca McKenzie]

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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.