Free knit & crochet patterns: the best of October 2007

November 16th, 2007 | Category: DIY

Filed under: seasonal, weekend projects, crafts, knitting and crochet

Every week, the sites Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central post new free patterns that they’ve heard of or that have been sent to them. Several dozen patterns are often posted each week, and sometimes it can be tedious to look at them all to find the good ones… so I’ve done it for you. next I’ve categorized them, alphabetized them, and written brief descriptions for each.

These patterns were all posted to the aforementioned sites in October, 2007, though some may have made their initial appearance on the web somewhat earlier. A few may have been posted in late September or the first few days of November: they were interesting adequate to include here!

If you prove to like that feature, I’ll continue to do it for you every month. You’ll find patterns of all kinds after the break: sweaters for men, women, and babies, handbags, scarves and shawls, hats, toys, animals, socks, mittens, you name it.

Perhaps we should describe these as the “most tempting” patterns rather than the “best”: the style and details are good, and they look like they’d be fun to produce. There aren’t several dozen other patterns just like them available on the web, or whether there are, the one posted here is an particularly good example.

We’ve been talking about…

I’m not the only person who writes about that sort of thing here at DIY Life. Check out the following hyperlinks to see the patterns we liked so much that they got their own posts:

Farrah found plenty of Cartoon Knits: a SpongeBob hat, a Spiderman Afghan, mittens featuring Bloo from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and more. She helped football fans find yarn that would honor their favorite teams. She additionally brought you a plethora of Breast Cancer Awareness Crafts, and found plenty of info about how to produce your own knitting supplies (needle rolls, stitch markers, etc). Finally, she liked that “Halloween Spideyscape,” a big decorative set of spiders and their web.

I was busy, too: I liked that Super Mario Villains Scarf, a series of charts that would allow you to knit most of your pixel nemeses. The five patterns in October’s MagKnits were enchanting. My love for The Nightmare Before Christmas became embarrassingly obvious when I posted about Knitty’s Jack Skellington hat/mask and followed it up not enlarged after with a crocheted version of Zero the Ghost Dog, one of the cutest spooks ever. Not so cute was the crocheted Bloody Saw Scarf. And I thought that the KnitPro online graphing application, which will convert any picture you upload into a chart suitable for all kinds of needlework, would empower you to create your own designs.

Knitting Patterns

Sweaters

Arbor Top (PDF Link) - Cables and lace in a cap-sleeved, top-down sweater. I looked at several appealing cabled patterns for that list, which I did not include considering the designer hadn’t paid suitable attention to detail: mostly, cables and ribbing didn’t flow into each other. Note how, in Arbor, every lace motif grows from the cable beneath it. plus, take a look at where the waist is: a lot of tops in that style (handknit and otherwise) have a waist that’s a bit too high, when it should be under the bust. Impressive attention to detail all around, and a cute top, too.
Circular Yoke Cardigan (PDF Link) - Drapey, contemporary cardigan with a rounded ballet neck, made in DK yarn.
Colorful Cardigan (PDF Link) - A design by Kristin Nicholas. Lots of fun with color and pattern. that looks more complex than it is. Although the diamond shapes are done in four colors, you only knit with two of them; details are added later with duplicate stitch. The directions don’t say which technique to use for the color-work: good arguments could be made for both stranded colorwork and intarsia. Based on similar designs in her new book Kristin Knits (which you’ll want to check out whether you like that sweater!) and the fact that only two colors are used on each row, I’d go with the stranded/Fair Isle technique.
Draped Lace Shell (PDF Link) - The shape of that lace tank is simple, with a loose neckline, but the stitch pattern and the yarn form it dressy and elegant.
Laseta 100 Sweater - A ballet-neck raglan sweater with some stitch details in the bust area. Very chic pattern from Lana Grossa.
Maddy - A top-down raglan tank made in silk with lots of lace panels. that is an utterly lovely sweater with a shapely fit.
Men’s Zippered Collared Jumper (PDF Link) - It’s sporty! I wanted to invent certain there was something here for men. Most guys I know would be willing to wear that. It has a zipped collar (obviously), and deep ribbing on the sleeves, upper body, and hem. “8-ply yarn” is DK weight.
Mossy Baby Jacket - A cardigan with contrasting edges and an off-center band, knit in a nice, mottled merino yarn. One of the more sophisticated free patterns for baby garments that I’ve seen.
Reindeer Jackets - whether you have to have a themed holiday sweater, you could do worse than to try these designs (one for men, one for women) from Patons, which seem to have a simplified Norwegian design. Horizontal stripes are often unflattering, but let’s face it: so are sweaters with appliqued Christmas stockings and packages and intarsia snowmen. You can’t win.
Salt Peanuts Cardigan - Véronik Avery’s popular pattern, published in Interweave Knits a few years ago, has made its way to the web for free (well, free to Knitting Daily subscribers, but that’s free, too). A beautiful v-neck, shawl-collar cardigan, with lace rib detailing and silk ribbon ties. Don’t miss that one.
Square-Neck Textured Rib Top (PDF Link) - A versatile classic shape made in a basic DK yarn. that sweater could become a winter wardrobe basic.
Tunic-Length Knitted Pullover - For all you Annie Modesitt fans out there, that is a close-fitting boat-neck raglan sweater made in Malabrigo wool.

Headwear

Bamboozled Headband - A nice cabled headband, tapered at the ends. You have the choice of knitting from a chart or line-by-line directions, and like many headbands, that one uses under 100 yds of yarn. I don’t know whether I would construct it in bamboo yarn as suggested: whether headbands tend to slide off of you, which happens to me all the moment, you’ll want a yarn like wool with a little more “tooth.”
Chameleon - A meshy tube with a head-band at one end: useful, adaptable, and a bit peculiar. You can wear it as a hat, a neck-warmer, a balaclava (ski mask), a headband, or whatever else you can manage to fold it into.
Complimented Lace Hat - A little lace cap, perfect for days that are cool but not particularly cold, with a flattering scalloped border. The lace pattern itself is not difficult. It seems like it might be a good view to knit that on slightly larger needles than the designer recommended, though, depending on your head measurement. The hat could probably stand to go up a size.
Felted Alpaca Dinnerplate Beret - whether you’ve ever wanted a “classic” felt beret (rather than a knit tam), here’s your chance. Terrible fake French accent not included with pattern.
Gull Stitch Toque - From a distance, that hat looks like it has a complex braided cable pattern, but the pattern is actually mostly slipped stitches. It has a detailed, high-end look, and would invent a nice gift.
Lizard Ridge Hat - A multicolored striped hat with a crown shaped like a six-pointed swirling star. Ripples and bumps are created with short-row shaping. Interesting, creative, and artistic, which means that some public may find it loud, but you probably know a teen or college student who will love it. that is based on an afghan which originally arised on Knitty.

Scarves and Shawls

Cable Embrace Scarf (PDF Link) - A chunky cabled scarf that would form a great gift, true, but additionally a charity pattern. The Red Scarf Project’s only aim is to show affection to college students who have aged out of the foster care system: a handknit scarf for someone who most likely has nobody in their life to invent one for them. You can get to work for 2008.
Celtic Knot Stole (PDF Link) - A lightweight lace stole with a celtic knot motif (made with yarn-overs) and several lace borders. I wish the knot motifs were more integrated with each other, but even as it is, that is a pretty piece.
Fu Bat Scarf - A basic scarf, livened up with a bat-shaped lace pattern.
Gerda Stole (PDF Link) - A complex lace stole made in cobweb-weight yarn and blocked with authority: for the hard-core lace lover and those who wish to become one. You can produce it in laceweight yarn whether you want it to be a bit bigger. Since it’s only 50″ towering with the cobweb-weight yarn, some folks will want to take that route.
Icelandic Lace Shawl - The pattern for that large lacy shawl, plus called the Thórdís shawl (after the woman who made the historical model on which the pattern is based), has been unavailable since its first publication more than ten years ago. A Knitting Daily pattern.
Miss Crazy Scarf (PDF Link) - Not for everyone, certain, but that kind of embellished and reconstructed look has been popular in stores like Urban Outfitters for the last few years. whether you don’t like the way it’s embellished, you can leave off the pom-poms, use other motifs, run silk ribbon through the eyelets instead of yarn, and so on and on. Use that one as a basis for your own creativity.
Swiss Cheese Scarf - that one is easy, but has an intriguing look. There are many free patterns working with that basic concept, lately, but the execution in that specific version puts it head and shoulders above the rest: Winnie chose to compose it in laceweight yarn and to block it carefully. The downside is that it’s essentially a garter stitch scarf and will be only delicately less tedious to knit. (Do you have a TV series or two to watch on DVD?)
Traveling Roses Lace Scarf (PDF Link) - A simple lace scarf with a rose trellis pattern… not really so simple.
Vertigo Scarf - A complex-looking slip-stitch pattern made with one strand of solid-colored yarn and another strand of variegated yarn with distant color sections. Good for beginners wanting to stretch their wings and learn mosaic knitting, as well as anyone else who thinks that looks cool.
Voyager Lace Stole - A shawl designed to be knit in Elann’s Alpaca Fina. The swirling lace pattern is reminiscent of both leaves and waves.
Wabenschal Shawl (PDF Link) - Chunky honeycomb lace in an interesting shape (it’s a rhombus, like the designer’s “Miss Crazy” scarf listed above). For the fashionista in your life, considering both are more hip than a fussy lace rectangle.

Bags

Fantasy Naturale Market Bag - A striped expandable shopping bag in cotton. These patterns are everywhere lately, and that is an appealing knit version. whether it’s not your style, try the larger of these Felted Market Bags or that Hemp Market Bag (a Knitting Daily pattern).
Intricate Stag Bag - The title says it all: that Knitting Daily pattern by Norah Gaughan (also a free Knitscene download) features an intricate two-color portrait of a stag in the woods. A beautiful stranded color-work design in an alpaca/wool blend.
Kokopelli Bag - Teva Durham’s distinctive felted bag is made in the round with short-row wedges that vary in size and shape. A Knitting Daily pattern.
Scandinavian Braid Felted Purse - A simple but appealing felted bucket bag with a “braid” motif, which additionally looks like Celtic knotwork, in stranded knitting around the top. that might be a good first colorwork project.

Socks

Aran Classic Wool Slipper Socks - nearly like knit winter boots, made in a soft, affordable yarn. The version shown has purchased slipper bottoms applied to the socks. Registration at Patons site needed for pattern download.
Buccaneer’s Booty Socks - Pirate socks with stripes and stranded knitting (a wide skull-and-crossbones stripe). Similar to Jack Sparrow’s Favorite Socks, but not quite the same.
Bulky Boot Socks - Three-color socks knit with Lopi (Icelandic Wool) yarn in a style that will be a great match for sweaters with Lopi-or-Norwegian-style stranded colorwork. These are black, white, and grey, but you can assemble them in any three colors you like.
Caspian Sea Socks - Complex socks (almost along slipper-sock lines in style) in a Central Asian folk style with a lot of colorwork. A Knitting Daily pattern by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts.
Naive Socks (PDF Link) - Cables in several sizes run down the sock, mellowing into ribbing on the heel flap.
Ridges and Ribs - A relatively basic sock pattern, but it was designed specifically to help eliminate the look of “pooling” when knitting with hand-dyed yarns (if you’re knitting a sweater, it’s easy to alternate balls of yarn every other row to minimize that problem, carrying the excess yarn up the side seam, but whether you’re making a sock in the round, it’s more of a problem). The pattern uses multiple vertical slip-stitch ridges to achieve the effect.

Whimsies

Apple Cozy Pattern - It looks just like a knitted apple, but it’s actually a jacket to keep an apple from getting bruised. Something like that presented in the book Knitorama (which is, itself, full of whimsical and kitschy projects), but Casey didn’t like the pattern, so she rewrote it. A great exercise to practice shaping techniques.
Bacteria - The friendliest microbes you ever did see.
Barnyard Finger Puppets - Let the squeeing commence: a tiny, sweet farmer, horse, cow, pig, and duck. Finger puppets are always a great way to use up additional yarn bits. that specific pattern is just waiting to be adapted to knit gloves.
Brainmonster Hat - A cute basic hat with tiny earflaps. And eyes. And teeth that cover the wearer’s forehead. You probably saw that one getting some coverage around the blogosphere a few weeks back.
Cats Love Sweaters - that one is just what it sounds like: a pattern for a cat sweater. It’s only here for my fiendish amusement.
Days of the Week Dishcloths - plus known as the Emmy Swag Organic Dishcloths, considering they were given away as swag at an Emmy party. Practical, stylish dishcloths in natural colors, with the initials of the days knit into them. Check out the other free patterns at Jimmy Beans Wool in the sidebar of that pattern.
Domino Cushion - From Kaffe Fassett’s new book Kaffe Knits Again, a pattern for a felted pillow cover with the creative color and patterning that the designer is known for. Utilizes many colors and both major color-work techniques (stranded/Fair-Isle and intarsia). Not for beginners, but a great gift to compose.
Eyeballs - Apparently, these are “gruesome” and “for Halloween.” I think they’re hilarious. The designer has included a list of hyperlinks to other knit eyeball patterns.
Fox - More squeeing. Inestimable amounts of squeeing. Another great toy/amigurumi pattern from Heather Rupestur. that one is a little fox doll that can help you use up small amounts of yarn… and it’s adorable. Check out her monster patterns while you’re there.
Inchworm Pillow - An adorable knitted inchworm, designed as a baby gift.
Lover’s Knot Afghan - Classic Aran afghan with a braided cable pattern. Lion make registration mandatory for download.
Miniature Cowichan Cardigan - Detailed tiny sweater for stuffed animals, but that one is designed by Véronik Avery. (I don’t see many of these that look good: that one is an exception.) A Knitting Daily pattern.
Paper Nautilus Shell (PDF Link) - A curved, curled seashell. For something that seems so simple, that is an extraordinarily complex pattern.
Pencil Scarf - It’s a scarf, see? And it looks like a yellow school pencil, with an eraser on one end and a sharpened point on the other. Super-cute! assemble one for yourself, or dress your kids in that before they’re old abundant to complain.
Sea Mineral Mittens (PDF Link) - These mittens are done in stranded colorwork with mellow colors. They have a lacy scalloped edge. A feminine presentation of a garment that’s ordinarily utilitarian and sporty.
Super Mario Brothers Felted Bag - The title couldn’t be more descriptive. that is a pixel-per-stitch recreation of a Super Mario Brothers scene, which makes a short, wide bag. Most of the directions are visual: just follow the full-color chart.
Treehugger - A cuddly knitted tree! The design uses loop stitch for the foliage.
Vicious Gnauga Backpack - A bag to go with your Brainmonster Hat. Made in furry yarn, there’s no intarsia here: the huge white teeth are made separately and sewn on afterwards.

Crochet Patterns

You may need that guide to UK crochet terms, which are plus used in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sweaters

Crocheted V-Neck Pullover - An excerpt from Doris Chan’s Everyday Crochet. that is a shapely sweater with a lacy pattern and contrast bands. I don’t really like the elbow-length sleeves, but it wouldn’t be too difficult to change them to wrist-length.
Olivier Baby Cardigan - UK terms. A sweet baby sweater with lacy medallion edging.

Wearable Accessories

Bloom Scarf - that is a nice execution of another one of those scarves made of a bunch of flower motifs that have been joined together… but most others that I’ve seen are in books. You can prepare the scarf, or you can use the motifs separately as an embellishment. (For example, whether you made a cap to go with the scarf, you could build an additional flower or two as a decoration.) (Requires Lion type registration.)
Crochet Revolution Armband - Just an amusing cranium armband, from Kim Werker. Vive la Revolution!
Crocheted Pedicure Socks - Nothing notable about the design, except that they’re toe-less pedicure socks, useful for pedicure addicts in colder weather.
Gossamer Strands - A fragile, multi-strand beaded necklace made from crocheted wire. Beading Daily subscription needed for download.
Ladies’ Bobble Hat - A vintage pattern for a pretty, highly textured hat. It’s somewhere within bucket and cloche in shape, with a small brim and velvet ribbon trim.

Bags

Crocheted DROPS Purse - UK terms. A shimmering envelope purse embellished with beautiful flowers (think of not-too-intricate Irish Crochet done in a slightly metallic yarn). There are plenty of patterns of all kinds which the authors propose as an accessory for formal occasions, but that is one of the few I’ve seen that wouldn’t be embarrassing. However, whether carrying it to dinner or a dance, I’d convert it into a clutch: leave off the shoulder strap and invent gusset panels instead.
Desiree Bag - that bag is something like a basket in shape, but it has a very contemporary feel; build it in a trendy color and try to get a leather or leather-look handle to put on it. By the brilliant designer of the owl mask noted below.
Granny Square Pucker Purse - As the title suggests, that is a purse made of bright granny squares with a unifying black border. More importantly, it’s a pretty good photo tutorial on how to line a crocheted bag with the assistance of plastic canvas.
No-More-Dent Canister Carrier - Your basic water-bottle holder, made with metal canisters in mind. The stitch pattern will help protect the bottle from dents. (But it does bring up the question: would you rather have a dented bottle, or a bottle in a thick crocheted jacket? Some society would rather deal with the dents. It seems like it might be pointless to protect a bottle from dents whether you’re never going to see it anyway… still, whether you want a carrier, that is a nice pattern.)
Spike Stitch Tissue Holder - These tissue holders, sized for miniature tissue packs, are everywhere in the online craft world lately. that is a visually interesting, not-too-garish crocheted version with helpful diagrams; it will allow you to compose a tissue holder with pretty much any stitch pattern you want.
Waves of Color Tote Bag - The ripple afghan obsession of the last year or two was going to lead into other objects sooner or later. that is supposed to be a tote bag, but considering it has short built-in handles, I think it would assemble a nice laptop computer case. (If you can construct it to the unmistaken dimensions for your computer. The author, who has written a number of cool patterns in the past, hasn’t provided measurements that date around.) Choose your colors carefully to keep that one looking current: it’ll mostly likely descend into kitsch in a poor way whether you use the wrong yarn.

Afghans, Blankets, and Throws

Avatar Afghan - I’m not certain whether that would look as good in every color as it does in white or ecru, but it’s a basic lacy throw with an interesting edging; the designer says it’s easy to manufacture and will teach you a few stitches.
Bolster Cushion - I confess it: it’s a pillow. But that design has an elegant, nearly luxurious vintage feel, even though its shell pattern isn’t too difficult to crochet. I’d love to see a matching bedspread and shams. Until someone designs them, consider pairing that one with the Avatar Afghan, above.
Chromium Star Blanket - Star blankets are nothing new, but that one has been modified to eliminate assured standard characteristics of the design. It additionally looks really interesting in a variegated yarn (rather than large blocks of color in concentric star-shaped rings).
Diagonal Granny Afghan - There’s something elegant about granny squares done in a restricted color. that one arranges them so that the afghan itself has a pretty row of triangles as its edge on two sides. (Lion make registration called for… and hey, you don’t have to construct it in Vanna’s Choice, the suggested yarn.)
Halloween Afghan - that is really just a checkerboard-patterned afghan in Halloween colors, with small Halloween motifs like cats and bats appliqued to it. You could assemble the motifs without making the afghan, and use them elsewhere. The motifs are detailed with fabric paint in the photos; I would detail them with yarn embroidery.
Morning Glory Afghan (PDF Link) - Four out of four stars of difficulty for that blanket, which is crocheted and embroidered in shades of blue and white to imitate all-over needlepoint. that looks like a museum piece, even though it’s made in Red Heart Super Saver.
Purrrr! Pussycat Throw (PDF Link) - UK terms. At first, that looks like a basic popcorn-ish throw in various colors, which isn’t very interesting. Look more closely, and you’ll see that the color changes are done specifically to create row upon row of tiny cats.
Turkey Talk Afghan - A gloriously, epically goofy and kitschy tribute to a holiday that doesn’t seem to get as many designs devoted to it as most of the others do. Plus, the turkey motif used here is about as cute as a turkey motif could possibly be, and variegated yarn is used in an interesting way to prepare the turkey’s feathers.

Motifs and Embellishments

Basic Crochet Flower (PDF Link) - Flowers, flowers, flowers. These are by Candi Jensen, who has written a bunch of popular books utilizing them. that specific pattern is for flowers with five curvy petals and a two-color center. A second version puts another, larger five-petaled flower under the first for a more complex-looking bloom.
Flower Brooch (PDF Link) - UK Terms. It’s only a brooch when you add a pin to it. that double-layered bloom has a slightly more complex shape than the one in the “Basic Crochet Flower” pattern above, but its center is so simple that you might want to add a rhinestone or bead.
Lovely in Green - A square motif with a lacy, chrysanthemum-like flower at its core. A few dozen of that one would prepare a beautiful lightweight afghan.
Seeing Stars - Tiny five-pointed stars, useful as embellishments.
Shells Leaf Applique - There are a few flower motifs listed elsewhere in that exposition. Do you need a leaf to go with them? that reminds me of the leaf motifs used by the Elves in the Lord of the Rings films: wide, curvy, and stylized.
Slippah Luggage Tag - that comes to us from Hawai’i, and what you actually have here are two small crocheted “slippahs” (flip flops, slap shoes, thongs) connected by a crocheted chain. Adaptable to many other projects: it could have just as easily been Slippah Earrings, a Slippah Necklace, Doll Slippahs, or anything else you can imagine. Very cute.
Snowflake Gift Topper - that is one of a number of crocheted snowflake motifs that are out there. When you’re finished making one, you stiffen it. that one is meant as a package embellishment, but could just as easily be used as an ornament.
Teresa Franco’s Blossoms - Three styles of flower motifs to use as embellishments, all with a contemporary, funky look. (That might just be considering the designer has great color sense.)
Vintage Butterflies - Several vintage crochet patterns, intended to help citizens embellish existing articles with butterfly motifs. There are directions for a Butterfly Blouse (many small butterflies are crocheted, soon after stitched to a blouse) and a Butterfly Handkerchief (a larger butterfly is crocheted and stitched onto a purchased handkerchief, after which a lacy crochet edging is applied). The Butterfly hat and gloves pattern involves more appliqued lace butterflied, but additionally includes a pattern for mesh gloves. Other vintage butterfly patterns are available, whether you look at the sidebars of the patterns I’ve linked here.

Whimsies

Hot Water Bottle Cover - UK terms. Heated mattress pads are expensive. What else are you going to do when your feet get cold in bed in the winter? that hot water bottle cover isn’t exotic, but it should do the job… and it’s made in Rowan’s Calmer, which means it’s snuggly.
Irish Crochet Pincushion - With several thousand very small stitches, and although it’s only about a three-inch square, that heirloom pincushion should take even an experienced crocheter around eight hours to invent. It will take even more moment whether you’re a beginner, but it’s detailed, not difficult. A good first or second Irish Lace project. (A Knitting Daily pattern.)
Little Bee - Easy amigurumi, good for using up bits and pieces of yarn.
Mini Doggie - A wee, hound-shaped amigurumi.
Monster Finger Chapstick Cozy - that is your basic narrow, single-crochet-in-the-round tube, but it gets massive creativity points for being made by to look like a zombie’s severed finger. compose one for your favorite horror fan.
Nerdy Bird - A gawky little goose with sewn-on feet.
Owl Eye Mask - A sleep mask that will construct you look like an owl, with big eyes and a little beak. that pattern is particularly notable for its great visual design: the designer has an artist’s eye. Very cool!
Pinecones - Yes, crocheted pinecones. Why? considering you can.
Pirate Pal - Who knew that a small crocheted pillow could be given so much personality? (Lion make registration needed for download.)
Pirate Piggie Mask - Self-explanatory. that looks like a decent pattern, but it would have won inclusion on the grounds of sheer novelty, unless it had been truly terrible. Leave off the pirate elements and add aviator goggles and tan coveralls for a Porco Rosso costume.
Straw Bonnet for Dolls - Not really straw, not precisely a bonnet (more like a straw hat), and possibly not that exciting to some humans, but a nice doll-related pattern that other folks might find useful.
Swirl of Stars Tarot Spread Cloth - Don’t be put off by the name, whether tarot isn’t your thing: that is a round place-mat or doily with a swirl pattern and embroidered stars, and a delicately scalloped edging. Put it anywhere that you’d like to look a little bit more cosmic.
Whatsit Amigurumi - It’s a bunny… like… thing. All right: I don’t know what it is. But it’s adorable.
Winter Grass - A crochet makeover of a well-known knit softie pattern, MochiMochi’s “Grass.” that little critter represents a stylized version of something that may be out in your front yard right now: your lawn.
Witch Doll - A big, cute amigurumi witch.

Whew! That’s it! I hope you enjoy making whatever you choose to construct, and I plus hope that November’s crop will be just as wonderful. See you next month!

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