I have to admit that I have done gingham/plaid/buffalo check in crochet before, but never in knitting. This might be the year to change that, so come along with me while I explore some gingham knitting patterns.
The first one I need to talk about is the Gr8 Gingham Raglan by Jessie Maed Designs (it and all the links in this paragraph are from Ravelry, by the way). I can’t find that I’ve written about this one before, which surprises me because I know I saw it back when it came out and I definitely wanted to knit one. It’s worked in sport weight yarn and comes in nine sizes (it’s cropped but it wouldn’t have to be). Since that pattern came out they’ve added a hat, mittens and slippers so you can make a whole gingham set if you like.
Perhaps the easiest gingham knitting pattern I’ve found is this blanket from Elizabeth Park Collections via Daisy Farm Crafts. It’s worked in strips of garter stitch that are sewn together after knitting, so it’s a great travel project, though it does take a bit of time to get all those strips sewn together. It uses worsted weight yarn held double so it’s a quick and super warm knit.
Another easy option is this hat called Gingham the Easy Way by Susan Ashcroft. It uses slipped stitches to make the gingham pattern so you’re only working with one color per round. It uses worsted weight yarn and you can find it on Ravelry.
The Gingham Pouch from The Petite Knitter was another one that was on my mind that I wanted to share with you all. This wee bag is worked in fingering and lace weight yarn held together, with a mohair yarn giving it an ethereal look. The base is worked flat and the body is worked in the round with I-cord handles. You can find the pattern on Raverly.
This sweet baby blanket from Little Barn Owl Store on Etsy looks like it’s worked in strips, too, but this time it’s in stockinette stitch. The pattern notes that some of the colorwork is done through duplicate stitch, which makes the knitting itself a little easier. It’s worked in a bulky weight yarn.
Another great sweater option is the Gingham Jumper from Friday Knits Design on Etsy. This one is worked from the top down using DK weight yarn and is intended to have 5 to 11 inches of positive ease (or 12.5 to 28 cm). It comes in eight sizes.
The Craft Queen has a great gingham cowl worked in double knitting, which makes it reversible. This would be a pretty easy first double knitting project if you’ve never tried that technique before. It calls for DK weight yarn.
Or make your gingham part of a colorblocked design, as in the Modern Gingham cowl from Emily Devlin. This pretty pattern is worked in the round and joined in a loop, and the gingham isn’t worked all over, which does give it a different and more modern look. You can find this one on Ravelry.
Natalie Servant’s Gingham Style scarf (also on Ravelry) is so well done it looks woven thanks to the sport weight yarn and thoughtful colorwork. It uses double knitting and intarsia so it’s definitely more of an advanced project but it’s just so pretty I think it would be worth the work.
Speaking of more difficult gingham knitting patterns, there’s the Gingham Check Shawlette from Deborah Tomasello, a free pattern on Ravelry. The only thing that makes this one a little harder is the shaping and the fact that it uses steeks so you actually work it in the round and then cut it open to make the shawl shape.
