Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Houndstooth Knitting Patterns

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One of my favorite basic colorwork patterns is houndstooth, and I’m honestly a little shocked I’ve never done a houndstooth knitting pattern roundup before. Now’s the time, thanks to my coming across the Rakish Shawl from The Lamb & Kid Designs recently.

This pattern is free on Ravelry and it looks so cozy. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn and uses mosaic/slip stitch to make the design.

Speaking of cozy, the Hennessey Houndstooth Cardigan from Knit One Purl One Design looks like the kind of sweater I would want to wear all fall long. This one uses DK weight yarn and stranded knitting to make the design (which is the more common approach to houndstooth). It comes in nine sizes and you do need to be able to read and follow a chart to make this one work.

If you’re new to houndstooth, a good place to start might be this super bulky hat knitting pattern from Knotty Gang. It uses two colors and three sizes of needles so you don’t have to mess with increasing or decreasing in the colorwork.

A houndstooth hunting cap is a classic, and this option is from Orochi Knit. This is a free Japanese knitting pattern, meaning it’s in chart form (there are some written instructions but they are in Japanese and I didn’t try to translate it). But it’s very cool looking if you want to give it a try!

Add in a third color for the edges on the Houndstooth Bandana from Jocelyn Tunney and it makes the whole project pop that much more. This one uses DK weight yarn and you can buy it on Ravelry.

This multicolored houndstooth cowl from Yarnspirations was worked with their Pantone yarn, which included small balls of coordinating colors. That yarn has been discontinued but you could do the same thing with mini skeins, or just use one multicolored yarn.

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Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.