Free and Easy Shamrock Knitting Patterns

Knitting a flat shamrock is a great way to practice this fun shape. You can add it as an applique to another project (like a placemat, tea cozy, hat or scarf) or make a bunch and turn them into a garland or scatter them across a flat surface to add some festive decor. These easy shamrock patterns are a great way to get started.

Studio Knit’s pattern uses three clover leaf shapes knit separately, then sewn together and attached to an I-cord stem. These pieces are really quick and easy to knit because they are basically heart shapes, and if you know how to slip, slip, knit and knit 2 together you know all the skills you need to make them.

The knit shamrock pattern from Natural Suburbia also uses heart-shaped clover pieces worked separately and stitched together. On these the center stitches are worked in stockinette while the outer edges are garter stitch, which adds a fun contrast in texture. The stem for hers is a I-cord picked up and knitted after the shamrock pieces are sewn together.

Fitting in Knitting has a design that uses more of a teardrop shape leaf. These are still worked flat and in pieces, but the pattern gives the option for working the petals in stockinette or garter stitch and making a three-leaf clover (aka a shamrock) or a four-leaf clover if you’d rather. If worked in Stockinette you’ll want to knit two body pieces for each leaf and sew them together so they don’t curl.

This one might not be quite as simple but it is a pretty little clover, and there’s a video tutorial to help you along. Samuele Scomparin’s little shamrock knitting pattern is perfect to wear in a lapel and is worked in the round. You can get the written pattern from Ravelry or follow along on the video tutorial on YouTube (I think it will help with the setup to watch the video, especially if you’re new to magic loop knitting.

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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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