Shamrock Knitting Patterns for Accessories

The other day I shared a collection of simple shamrock knitting patterns that stand on their own as pins or appliques, but I wanted to show you some projects that use shamrocks as a design element as well.

In general these are a good place to start if you’ve never done colorwork knitting because the patterns are usually symmetrical so it’s easy to get the hang of what you’re doing.

And these projects are all pretty small so you still have time to stitch them to be ready for the wearin’ o’ the green!

Add a dapper touch to your holiday outfit with this great Irish bow tie from Samuele Scomparin. It’s worked in super fine yarn in two colors and has a string with a button at the back to keep it secure. You can buy the written pattern on Ravelry. (The pattern page says there’s a way to get it for free so I assumed there might be a video tutorial but I can’t find it. If you do, let me know!)

How about some shamrock socks? These shortie socks from Sidney Rakotoarivelo on Ravelry have colorwork shamrocks around the leg. They’re worked in two colors of sock yarn and the pattern is available in English and French.

Sandy Mills has designed a cute and easy shamrock headband you can knit. This one is worked in worsted weight yarn and uses three colors (though you could use the same shade of green throughout). It’s sized for an adult and you can get the pattern from New Age Knitting CA on Etsy.

If you’d rather knit a hat, Lizzy Knits Shop on Etsy has you covered. This pretty hat also uses two shades of green, and worsted weight yarn, to make a fun shamrock Fair Isle style design. The big pompom on top is lots of fun, too.

Now that we’ve covered our heads, what about our necks? If you need a little more warmth than a bow tie can provide, check out this pretty St. Patrick’s Day cowl from Karina Sweeney on Ravelry. It combines three- and four-leaf clovers, and there’s a version done in green and white as well as one in rainbow colors for extra holiday fun.

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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.

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