Leprechaun Knitting Patterns

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!

Next Pattern:

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

Next Pattern:

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