Cute Knits for Kiddos

There are so many cute knitting patterns out there for kids, it makes me wish I could spend all my days just knitting for my girl (she thinks all I do all day is sit around and knit and sew; I wish that were true!).

Here are a few adorable projects for little ones that have caught my eye lately if you’re in the market for some knitting for wee humans.

Need to knit a baby blanket? This simple bias garter stitch blanket from Ewe Ewe Yarns (PDF; designed by Heather Walpole) is really pretty and easy even for a new knitter.

I love Lion Brand’s Colorful Cardigan and Hat. This project uses a solid color and a bag of Vanna’s Palettes, which is a great way to add a little color to a project without having to buy big balls of each color. You could also make this a stash-busting project and use a different little odd ball for each color, if you’d rather.

The Imperial Yarn Baby Cardigan and Cascade Cardigan are two free patterns offered by Love Knitting (free registration required). They both have a bit of lace and are just darling for little ones.

Know a little one who needs a hat? Jamie from Everyday Art took a pattern she found online for a baby and little kid sized earflap hat (the original is from Hey Julie), made it bigger for her daughter, added stripes and developed her own darling ear flap hat. If my daughter didn’t already have a striped hat I would totally knit her this one. So cute!

Anything here catch your eye? Are you working on any pint-sized projects? I’d love to hear about it!

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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