Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Cute Knits for Kiddos

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these cute kid patterns are great for all the little ones you knowThere 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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Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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