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!

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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