Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Lace Scarves to Knit for Spring

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The other day I mentioned how much I don’t want to be knitting a sweater when the weather starts getting warm, but I also need a little help staying warm because I’m always cold. 

Lace scarves are another fun answer to that problem, and there are lots of relatively easy lace and eyelet scarf knitting patterns you can try even if you’ve never knit lace before. 

The Sailor Scarf by Knitleybay has a 20 row repeat, but there are big chunks of stockinette stitch in there are you’ll easily memorize the floral eyelet pattern. This project uses fingering weight yarn and it is stockinette based, so it will curl, but it’s cute that way (or you can add a border). Find the pattern on Ravelry. 

The spring lace scarf from Palmeri Arts and Crafts is the one to knit if its still cold where you are (or you’re fighting overly aggressive early season air conditioning). This one is worked in worsted weight yarn with an allover design that looks sort of like butterflies. You could of course make it smaller and lighter with a lighter weight yarn if you want. 

I also like the lace scarf from The Feminine Touch, because it shows you what happens to stockinette stitch when you knit it on needles bigger than expected. The pattern calls for DK weight yarn worked n size 9 US/5.5 mm knitting needles, which is great for opening up the lace pattern but it does fun things to the plain sections, too. 

If you’re looking for a scarf that’s a mere suggestion of weight, check out the Netta Scarf from Masha Patterns. This leaf lace scarf is worked in an ethereal mohair yarn, though you could use something with more substance to give it a little more weight and warmth if you need it. 

These days there are a lot of scarves that aren’t strictly scarf shaped, and there are lots of lacy triangles you can wear as scarves, too, like the Dew Scarf from Irene Lin. This little lacy mohair triangle is knit sideways, which makes it easy to adjust the size based on how much yarn you have. The pattern is available in English and Korean from Ravelry. 

And this one is not a scarf at all, but seeing the lace panel called Fox and Snow Hares from Vicki Monthei is what got me thinking about lace scarves, so I wanted to share it, too. This design is based off a mitten pattern from 1892, converted into a flat piece of knitting. You could just keep on repeating the design to make a scarf if you like. Hers is worked in thread but you can make yours heavier, too. Find the pattern as a free download on Ravelry. 

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Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.