Knits for the Home for Spring

There’s something about the coming of spring that makes you want to change things up around the house, right? Whether you get the feeling you want to repaint a room (I’m thinking hard about upgrading my beige office) or you want to sew some new pillows for the couch, now is a great time to get going on projects for the home.

Of course there are a lot of great things you can knit to make your house a little more cozy and ready for spring. Here are a few projects that have crossed my radar lately to get you thinking.

The Cable Me Cozy Pillow Cover from Carla Smith for Knit Picks is a little heavy looking, but it’s fine knitting for these spring days when it’s still a little cool mornings and evenings. The yarn used is a cozy alpaca and wool blend that will take you through all the seasons, and bright colors like red, green and blue are perfect for jazzing up the couch any time of year.

I have always wanted to knit a curtain, and the cute little cafe curtain from Berroco called Christine’s Curtains (designed by Emily Nora O’Neil) would be a great one to try. It’s lacy so it lets some light in while still offering a bit of protection from the sun, and it’s a great way to show the world — or at least all your house guests — that you’re a knitter.

Of course spring is all about spring cleaning, too, and if you’re going to have to clean you might as well make it a little fun. I love knit dishcloths and washcloths for this very reason, and the Citrus Slice Dishcloth from Yarnspirations is a great way to bring a little cheer to any cleaning job. It’s worked in a spiral with a little contrasting yarn for the slices, and it’s sure to bring a smile to your face no matter what cleaning task you’re up against.

Do you ever knit projects for your home? I’d love to hear about it!

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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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