Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

More Gift Ideas for Knitters

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This garter stitch scarf is an easy knit to make into a kit for a new knitterIf you’re shopping for a knitter or just want to drop some last-minute hints (aside from knit-covered shoes), I have a couple of lists over at About for stocking stuffers and larger gifts for knitters.

People don’t usually buy me knitting-related things, but I always appreciate a gift certificate to a local yarn shop, cool handmade knitting needles, or even just a pretty ball of yarn.

Project bags are always a great choice, and I’m pretty sure, much like stitch markers, it’s not possible to have too many of them.

A travel kit of knitting supplies is great if you know a knitter who travels a lot (I love my Knit Kit even though it’s one of the older ones).

Want to get someone into knitting this year? Choose a good beginner knitting book (my baby book is great for new knitters, by the way) or pick out a couple of easy patterns online and buy the supplies needed to make a simple project. I love to do this with my basic Garter Stitch Scarf because you can make it with a single ball of yarn, which gives new knitters satisfaction pretty quickly.

Do you have any knitting-related gifts on your wish list this year? I’d love to hear about them!

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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.