Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit a Classic Striped Henley

by

I have said this before, but henleys are probably my favorite type of sweater, especially for the non-winter months since a lot of the patterns for them I have seen tend to use lighter weight yarn.

I collected some henley sweater patterns here if you want to dive deeper into this genre.

The Old River Road sweater from Kay Hopkins recently caught my eye because it’s a classic henley look with a few fun details that elevate the design.

First, can we talk about the contrasting color on the button band? So cute. And it’s a super easy thing to do that makes it look handmade. The bands are also worked in double knitting (a little project like this is a great place to learn if you don’t already know this technique) which makes them look great on both sides.

The henley opening is deep so you’ll be working flat for a while, but the bottom part of the sweater is worked in the round. It features an easy allover textured stitch pattern that makes vertical lines, plus narrow, contrasting color stripes on the body and sleeves. Make the stripes all the same color, use an ombre or pull out your mini skeins to make stripes of a variety of colors. It looks like you’ll need nine buttons as well.

The design comes in 11 sizes and is worked in sport weight yarn. Finished chest measurements range from 35 to 69 inches, or 89 to 175.5 cm, and it’s intended to be worn with around 4 inches/10 cm of positive ease. You can always include more ease if you like, and you can make it longer if you want a completely cozy, wear with anything kind of top. Which you know I might just want that.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Kay Hopkins]

Book Review – The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters

The Knitter Behind the “Banshees of Inisherin” Sweaters

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.