Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Make a Drop Stitch Scarf with a Circular Knitting Machine

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When you first get a circular knitting machine there are a few classic projects that everyone seems to make, and one of them is a dropped stitch scarf.

It’s easy to see why, because this is a really simple project that’s quick to make and it’s fun to see how the scarf grows as you deliberately drop stitches after the knitting is done.

The reason this works is that dropping the stitches loosens the stitches around them, making the stitches that remain elongate, thus making the scarf longer.

I experimented with a couple of different lengths on a couple of different machines, and I came up with what I would probably consider a child or teen size scarf and one that’s more adult sized or for people who like a more drapey look.

The smaller one can be wrapped around the neck twice and is relatively snug, perfect for cooler weather, while the longer one can wrap three times, or twice with a longer section draping down. It just gives you more options and is a style I’d probably wear more in different seasons.

Dropping all those stitches also makes for a lightweight and breathable scarf that you can wear even when it’s not that cool outside. I didn’t make one on a little 22 stitch machine, but I’ll bet if you did you’d come up with something more like a necklace than a scarf.

You can grab the pattern and read about my experiments over at Our Daily Craft. If you’ve made one of these I’d love to hear how long you made it.

Also, if you’re not a circular knitting machine person, you can do this exact thing with knitting needles. Just cast on 40-48 stitches, work in the round for however long you like, and before you bind off drop every other stitch off the needle. Then you can drop those stitches back to the cast on edge and sew it into a loop or not as you like!

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Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.