Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Practice Ribbing with this Hat and Mitt Set

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I love a pattern with thoughtful shaping. Lots of times I think we try to hide the increases and decreases in a pattern, but sometimes that’s not possible and sometimes it’s great to make those increases and decreases a feature of the design.

A great example of this is Svetlana Volkova’s knitpurl mitts pattern. The gusset increases of this pair of ribbed mitts are just beautiful. I also like that they made them extra long so they’re almost mittens just without the shaping at the end (which you could totally add if you’re into that).

The pattern is worked in one piece from the bottom up and is available in five sizes based on the width of the hand (it’s meant to fit teens and adults). It uses DK weight yarn, and while it’s great in a solid color, there are some fun projects on the pattern’s Ravelry page showing it with stripes and color blocking that’s really nice, too.

And if that’s not enough for you there’s also a coordinating pattern for a hat. The knitpurl beanie is also a ribbed pattern worked in DK weight yarn with a classic beanie style, and it has pretty great shaping at the top, too. The four-point decrease really accentuates the shaping and gives it a nice fit.

This one is also worked from the bottom up and it’s designed to have a wide fold over brim, but you can make it shorter (or even longer!) if you like. It has four size options from 17 to 23 inches (that’s 43 to 59 centimeters) so it should fit a range of older kids, teens and adults as well.

This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You can make yours a matching set or use whatever yarn you have on hand to add stripes or make projects that coordinate but don’t exactly match. Totally up to you!

[Photo: Svetlana Volkova]

Have You Tried This? Ribbing with No Purling

Make Your Mittens with Colorwork

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.