Gorgeous Wedding Knits to Inspire You

It’s just about time for my 14th wedding anniversary, and we’re heading into wedding season, so I thought it might be fun to look at some projects that are perfect for weddings and other fancy occasions.

Which of course needs to start with the Wedding Gown originally published in Interweave Knits back in 2003 that’s now available as a PDF. This dress is totally amazing and would be great for any fancy occasion knit in a different color (or still in white, why not?). This dress will give you major wedding goals. (And makes me a little sad I wasn’t really knitting when I got married.)

If you’re not up for knitting a whole dress but do want some knit gloves, this pattern from Knitting Universe is lovely (valid account required).

Scarves and shawls are super popular accessories for wearing with wedding dresses (or for wedding guests, for that matter). The Beaded Wedding Scarf from Knitwerks is a beauty with beads worked in for extra sparkle. If you’re looking for something really ambitious, the Wedding Peacock from MMario is a stunner (shown in blue here so you can see the detail a little better).

The Echo Flower Shawl from Jenny Johnson Johnen is another gorgeous one for bride or anyone else (shown here in gold); it’s inspired by Estonian lace shawls. And the Beginner’s Wedding Shawl from Nina Stein is a great introduction to knitting a circular lace shawl that would be a lovely present to a bride-to-be.

A knit garter would be a pretty quick and easy project, and I love this one from Diane Willett and this one from Pilar R. Mendez (scroll down for a link to the pattern in English).

And don’t forget the ring bearer’s pillow! This cute one from Red Heart uses just a band of lace, so you could adapt it to use a lace pattern you love.

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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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