Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Most Popular Patterns of the Year on Ravelry

by 2 Comments

Check out the most popular knitting patterns on Ravelry published this year.Just for fun I decided to check out the most popular patterns published this year on Ravelry. If you’re looking for something to make with yarn you got for Christmas or Hanukkah or to get a jump on your New Year’s resolution to use that great yarn already in your stash, you might want to check some of these out!

Note: I don’t know what “most popular” is based on, because there’s something to it other than number of projects made. But searching most popular and published this year, this is the order they are found in.

  1. Waiting for Rain shawl by Sylvia McFadden from the Shawl Joy ebook, C$7.50, 2,125 projects
  2. Talisman Shawl by Helen Stewart, part of the Shawl Society ebook, £14.40 for six patterns, 1,072 projects
  3. Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B. Anderson, $5, 1,433 projects
  4. Building Blocks Shawl by Stephen West, $6.50, 2,521 projects
  5. Pussyhat Project by Kat Coyle, free, 1,501 projects
  6. SlipStripeSpiral socks by Mylene Pijpers, AU$4.50 (free at the time of this writing), 1,138 projects
  7. Spindrift Shawl by Helen Stewart, £4.45 (or free if you join her shawl workshop email list), 991 projects
  8. Pure Joy shawl by Joji Locatelli, $5, 989 projects
  9. Close to You shawl by Justyna Lorkowska, free, 939 projects
  10. On the Spice Market shawl by Melanie Berg,  €5.20 EUR, 1,146 projects

Check out the most popular knitting patterns on Ravelry published this year.Interesting notes: seven out of these 10 most popular patterns are shawls. Two are socks and one is a hat that makes a political statement. Two are free projects (two others are at the time of this writing, too). And two are by the same designer.

Have you knit any of these projects? Or queued them? I got the SlipStripeSpiral pattern and will probably make it as my next pair of socks. And I already had my eye on Building Blocks, but I think a lot of these are gorgeous and definitely worth your time. What do you think?

[Photos via Ravelry.]

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. I think Waiting for Rain looks interesting; however, I, too, thought the sock pattern (Slip Stripe Spiral) would be a hoot to try

  2. Love the pattern “waiting for rain”. I made 3, because this shawl fits comfortably on the shoulder and doesn’t slip. And looks fabulous!

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *