Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Leprechaun Knitting Patterns

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St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon, and in the past I have shared knitting patterns with shamrocks and a variety of Aran patterns for you to stitch up for the holiday.

This year I thought I’d look to see what kind of leprechaun knitting patterns were available, and I found some good stuff, though not all of it is free.

Looking for some luck of the Irish? Check out these St Patrick’s day patterns. 

Free Patterns

Rufus the Leprechaun by Aussie Jean is a cute little doll worked in pieces.

The tiny Leprechaun hat from Tricia on flickr is perfect for a teeny tiny gnome, or just to use as decoration anywhere.

Paid Patterns

Alan Dart’s Leprechaun, like all his other knit dolls and animals, is amazing, and the pattern runs $5. I love the eyelash yarn beard on this one!

Blarney the Leprechaun by Amanda Berry is a cute little round guy with a big hat. It runs £2.50.

Mary C. Gildersleeve’s Patrick the Leprechaun is a 17-inch tall guy with a long yarny beard and a bathrobe. I don’t know why, but it’s cute. This one is $6.

Prefer a leprechaun in more formal attire? Larney O’Shamrock, whose pattern costs £2.49, sports a green suit with a yellow vest and pretty golden beard.

Janice Anderson’s Leprechaun Coat and Hat are an adorable addition to another doll’s wardrobe. Or a sheep, as shown. The pattern is £2.50.

For $2.75 and a little scrap yarn you can have the Frugal Knitting Haus’ Leprechaun Jar Topper, a fun decoration for the kitchen.

And if you want to knit leprechaun-themed washcloths instead, you can use the Leprechaun chart from Angela Foster ($1.75) or try one of Lisa Millan’s patterns, which include a Leprechaun, a hat and pipe or a hat by itself. They run $2 each.

Do you knit for St. Patrick’s Day? I’d love to know what you made or are making this year!

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Knits with Sheep

It felt like it had been a while since I’d done a roundup of knitting patterns involving sheep, and if search is any indication, that is true. I found a roundup of patterns for knit sheep from a few years ago, but the only one with v I could find is from 2015. So it’s definitely time to revisit this fun genre of knitting patterns.

This all started with a headband. Alyssa Kaat’s Icelandic Sheep Headband (free on Ravelry) to be specific. Ravelry showed it to me as a pattern highlight and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s worked with two colors of worsted weight yarn and alternates sheep with stars around your head.

Another great sheepy headband is this one from Loch Fyne Crafts on Etsy. These sweet little sheep are worked in bulky yarn and you can make the background look like field and sky or work it in a solid color.

Or make a headband (or a hat, cowl, or all three) covered with a flock of sheep with this set of patterns from New Age Knitting CA. These pieces also use the field/sky coloring, but you can use whatever colors of worsted weight yarn you like.

Speaking of hats, there’s also the sheep hat from Lynann Knits Designs. The sample was worked in Icelandic wool to make the sheep and the hat extra fuzzy and warm, but any worsted weight yarn will work.

There’s also the Wandering Sheep hat from Kat Hudon (on Ravelry), which features a fun collection of speckled sheep that can be worked in different yarn weights to make different sizes of hats for kids and adults.

And lest you think sheep need to be knit in traditional stranded colorwork, check out the Rebel Sheep Mob blanket by Deborah Moore. This one is worked in mosaic knitting using fingering weight yarn. In mosaic knitting you’re only working with one color per row so it’s pretty easy. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

I can’t possibly share sheep knitting patterns without mentioning the amazing Black Sheep Shadow Shawl by Mark Jamieson. Shadow knitting is a technique I want to do more of, but it involves working two rows alternating in two different colors and the pattern emerges when you look at the design from an angle. It’s so cool and the sheep on this one are amazing! It’s not a beginner project but well worth the work. You can find it on Ravelry or at the designer’s website.