Sweaters and Tops Perfect for Spring

I don’t know if you’re starting to feel it where you live, but here in the south it’s starting to feel a little springlike again. It’s raining instead of snowing, and it’s supposed to be nearly 70 tomorrow. It’s probably time to stop knitting big bulky sweaters and start thinking about transitional pieces, if you haven’t already.

Here are a few free patterns for sweaters and vests perfect for spring or fall that have caught my eye lately.

Love Knitting has a few great free patterns you can get by signing up for a free account with them. There’s the UK Alpaca Tunic, a fun striped tee with cute little picot edgings worked in alpaca yarn so it’s still plenty warm for cool mornings. The Rowan Ladies Twinset is a classic in tweedy yarn (and a tweedy looking stitch pattern, too) and this fun cardigan from Lang Yarns is worked in bright cotton yarn and has a really interesting textured stitch pattern.

Looking for more Vest patterns to knit? Check out these Vest Knitting patterns on Etsy.

And the Noro Waistcoat is colorful and a fun shape for spring, and the bulky yarn will help you knit this one up in no time.

Lion Brand has this cute Ribbed Collar Bolero that’s a quick and easy knit in striped Homespun. The little sleeves give a bit of coverage and the circular shape is just fun. Also check out their Colorblock Slipover, which is worked in intarsia squares that form a simple, mostly rectangular shape. It’s a dramatic look and great practice at intarsia if you’re new to that technique.

Berroco’s Winifred uses a chevron lace stitch to bring a little coolness to a long-sleeved pullover worked in a yummy alpaca, wool and silk blend. Perdido is a vest with a deep ribbed collar and cable patterns on the sides and back. Rated for intermediate knitters, it’s a good early cable project.

And Classic Elite Yarns has a fun cropped cardigan style vest that’s pretty, fuzzy and warm in a mohair yarn.

Are you knitting for spring (or fall, in the Southern Hemisphere)? I’d love to hear what you’re working on!

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Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

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