Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Stripes Sweeten this Mohair T-Shirt Knitting Pattern

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There’s not much I haven’t done when it comes to knitting, but one of the things I’ve always wanted to make but haven’t is a mohair shirt or sweater. In fact the only project I’ve “made” (in quotes because I haven’t finished it) with mohair is a shawl from the original Mason-Dixon Knitting book. It’s so pretty but it is a little fiddly.

I should have started with an easier project, like a simple knit T-shirt. Berry from Maria Sølvtofte is an intermediate level knitting pattern that’s a top down raglan worked in luscious mohair blend yarn and fruity stripes.

It calls for two strands of a mohair/silk/wool blend held together for one stripe, with a viscose and wool blend that also has a bit of a halo as the other stripe. Holding the strands together means you get to use larger needles (size 8 and 10 US are called for, or 5 and 6 mm), which makes the project that much faster.

The idea is that the tee should be knit with 4 inches/10 cm negative ease, meaning it is smaller than your actual body measurement. If you don’t like that idea you can make it with 0 ease or even a little positive ease, depending on how the sizing works with your body. The pattern has six size options, ranging from a chest measurement of 28.3 to 44.1 inches (or 72 to 112 cm). It’s somewhat cropped but you can add length if you prefer. 

Berry is a free pattern from Hobbii.

If you’ve never worked with mohair before, here are some tips that will help you from A Knit Sheep. The main thing is to go slow and pay attention in the hope that you won’t ever have to rip out your knitting, but if you do, take it one stitch at a time instead of trying to pull out whole rows at a time, which will leave you with tangles.

[Photo via Hobbii]

Have you read?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.