Knitting Patterns for the Year of the Sheep

Whether this year is the year of the sheep, goat or ram is a matter of debate in the Western world, but we knitters know it’s the year of the sheep in our hearts.

Looking for more fun sheep patterns to knit? Check these out on Etsy.

This is the year to knit with all the wool you can, and if you’d like to show a little more love to our wooly friends, knit some projects that involve sheep. Here are some great ideas to get you started.

What better place to start you sheepy knitting adventures than with a knit Shaun the Sheep? This adorable pattern by Magni Flyum is a free Ravelry download and is available in English and Norwegian.

Another cute sheep comes from Juanita McClellan, whose Sheepy the Sheep is built on a frame of pipe cleaners and batting.

Dona Carruth’s knit sheep ball ornaments are super cute and a great way to recycle a glass or plastic ball ornament that isn’t looking so great anymore (or buy one for this purpose). And the Eleanor Dishcloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick (scroll down in the post, past the cow) is super cute and a great way to keep the year of the sheep on your mind all year long.

I am in love with Denise de Lelys’ Sheep Cozies, adorable little sheep sleeves to keep your coffee warm. Hers are worked in gray and white, but I’ll bet you could knit a black sheep, too, if you identify with that color more.

This sweet Sheep Backpack from Tatyana Federova is super cute for sheep loving kids, and it looks like Shaun the Sheep, too. (The notes on Ravelry says this is the designer’s first attempt at writing a pattern in English, so be patient, OK?)

Mariann An’s Sheep and Duck sock pattern (shown with sheep only) is not really a pattern, but it does include a chart for the sheep that you can add to any sock pattern you like. So cute! Pair them with Jennifer Little’s Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan and I’m pretty sure no one will be able to stand the cuteness.

Go your own way with a design by adding the Sheep Outline pattern by Rachael Tomasino to an existing project. The finished sheep is 24 stitches by 30 rows tall, and I think he’d be great on the side of a knit bag!

The Hundred of Sheep sweater by Sangmi Lee is amazing and I would love to wear it but I’m not sure I would ever take the time to knit it. But I love that there are knitters who do such awesome things, don’t you? And in the same vein I also love the Stranded Sheep Scarf by Chelsea Amanda. Another one that’s a lot of work but so, so lovely.

Are you planning to knit anything special to celebrate the year of the sheep? I’d love to hear about it!

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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