Make Your Own Knit Cardigan, Block by Block

I love knitting patterns that give you a lot of options. It’s almost a step between following a pattern and designing something yourself, where you get to make some of the decisions but you don’t have to do the math for yourself. The result is a mostly unique design that you didn’t have to design yourself, which is perfect for people who don’t want to design a garment from scratch but still might like some variations.

The Building Blocks Cardi pattern from Aimee Sher is a great example of this. It’s a worsted weight cardigan with a V-neck and optional bust darts, but the options don’t stop there.

You can make it a vest, which has short sleeves, or long sleeved. Make it whatever length you like and choose a straight hem or a high-low hemline. You can add one pocket, two, or none as you like.

Beyond all those options, there are 11 sizes to choose from, ranging from an upper bust measurement of 31 to 63.5 inches. The sweater has built in positive ease so the actual garment measurements range from 38.5 to 79 inches.

The pieces are worked flat from the bottom up, and includes shaping for the armholes so they fall nicely off the shoulder (which is why the vest has short sleeves). A three-needle bind off is used to join the pieces at the top.

There’s even an eight page PDF you can check out before you buy the pattern that includes detailed yardage information, sizing tips, information on special techniques used in the project (including German short rows and special cast ons and bind offs) and detailed schematic drawings and size charts so you can ensure the perfect fit for you. (The schematics are also included as images in the listing on Ravelry.)

Check out all the details and grab your own copy on Ravelry.

[Photo: Aimee Sher.]

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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