Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Santa Knitting Patterns

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I wanted to do a post of Santa knitting patterns, but maybe not in the way you would expect. Instead of sharing a bunch of Santa dolls, I wanted to point you to Santa-themed patterns that might or might not have an actual Santa in them.

Like this Santa tree skirt from Yarnspirations. It uses the colors of Santa’s belted coat to make a fun and festive tree skirt pattern, trimmed with fur yarn for added texture. It’s an easy pattern but a lot of fun to knit and a great way to embellish your tree for the season.

Yarnspirations also has a Santa shaped basket that would be so cute for holding presents, hot chocolate supplies or anything else you need to contain. It uses worsted weight yarn and is rated intermediate.

Or what about a Santa shaped doorstop? This one from Knitting by Post (available via Ravelry) is super cute, and its worked in bulky yarn so it won’t take a lot of time to finish. The details are really cute and it will keep your door open in style, but don’t be surprised if a little one carries it off at some point.

Let Santa help with the dishes with this dishcloth and hang towel set from DigKnitty. Or cover a jar with this cute Santa topper from Frugal Knitting Haus.

Ellen Kapusnia’s Santa uses a water bottle as a frame, which is a great way to use an empty bottle instead of tossing it. She suggests it can be used as a tree topper, place setting decoration or as decor anywhere in the house. It’s made with DK weight yarn and you can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Cover a jar with a knit Santa to make a cute decoration for the kitchen or anywhere else. This one is from Rebecca Roberts and you can buy it on Ravelry.

If you’re in a country that has chocolate oranges, or you have another little something you want to cover with a cozy, these covers are so cute. There’s a Santa in addition to a reindeer and a Christmas pudding. They’re all worked with DK weight yarn and you can get the pattern from Bizzy Bee Patterns on Etsy.

Have you read?

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.