Adventures In Curated Knitting
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When I began this post of my favorite knitting patterns, I started with a HUGE list, and had to narrow it down quite a lot. I have opted not to include any patterns that I’ve already written about, no matter how much I adore them. (“Oh, magic hat, I love you so…”) So below you will find my curated list of a few favorites.
First up, a hat that you could start today and have done in time to give as a Christmas gift. It’s a stylish bowler hat, and the pattern can be found in Vogue’s beautiful book Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Hat Book. There are other hats in there that I’ve knit, including the previously discussed Pillbox Hat and the Sunflower Medallion Beret. It’s a fabulous book, and the pattern instructions are quite clear and easy to follow.
The hat pattern calls for bulky weight yarn, and I have knit it using a fabulous Icelandic bulky weight yarn called Lopi, which turned out great. But, I’ve also knit it holding two strands of worsted weight yarn together, and that also worked beautifully. Either way, this hat is felted so be certain that you aren’t using wool that’s been treated to resist felting. It knits up very quickly, gets felted down in the washing machine, and then dries on a form to keep it in the right shape.
Over the years, I’ve picked up a handful of old brooches at Goodwill, because this hat looks extra nice with a little brooch pinned on the side. It makes a beautiful stylish gift. Or you could keep it for yourself. Either way, it’s a lot of reward for not very much effort.
Next up, a free pattern on Ravelry called Pioneer Gloves. These are fingerless mitts and knit up super fast in fingering weight yarn. I knit up a bunch of these out of stash yarn a few Christmases back, and the fit is very forgiving because they are ribbed. I even knit up a pair for myself where I inserted a sort of wristlet/cuff thing that was knitted in such a way as to make it look like the gloves were double-layered. So fun! And you could definitely knock out a pair or two of these before Christmas.
Hitchhiker is another Martina Behm pattern, which you can buy here on Ravelry. I’ve knit a number of these little shawlettes over the years, as has my mother. In previous articles on Behm’s genius designs, I’ve noted that she works primarily in garter stitch, which makes her patterns particularly well-suited to hand-dyed, kettle-dyed, or otherwise variegated yarn. This pattern is extremely simple, can be knit in any yarn, and can be made any size, limited only by the amount of yarn available. I’ve knit a number of these in semi-solid fingering weight yarns, but then I eventually hit on the idea of making them in two colors, as a way of using up my huge stash of Palette yarn. When you use two colors, there is an obvious front and back to the shawlette, but that doesn’t bother me. Again, these knit up relatively quickly (depending on how large you decide to make it) and make lovely gifts.
Another relatively quick knit that you could definitely finish in time for Christmas is a lovely little cowl called Thorne, which you can purchase on Ravelry here. Years ago, my mother and I attended a convention called Stitches West. Alas, their parent company went bankrupt and so they no longer hold fiber conventions, but in their heyday, they offered classes and a huge vendor space. It was at one of these vendor booths that I bought a packet of fingering weight yarn skeins in two shades of sage green, one of brilliant purple, and a variegated skein that incorporated all the colors. They were hand-dyed and astonishingly beautiful. It took me quite awhile to find a pattern that would do the yarn justice, but I eventually landed on Thorne.
This little cowl fits beautifully, and adds a luscious bit of wooly warmth to any outfit. The pattern looks complicated, but it’s made in the round, and you just have to pay attention to your stitch counts, as you knit back and forth (yes, in the round!) in short rows. I think it showcases my gorgeous yarn perfectly (with the addition of some black yarn, to separate the colors), and I believe I have just enough left over for one more Thorne. I even made it in some scrap yarn in two colors for my dad. I think he wore it once. He’s really more of a hat person…
And finally, a sweater. This one is knit in fingering weight yarn, so it takes awhile. You definitely won’t have this done for Christmas, unless you’re aiming for Christmas 2026. I call it my Faux Henley, although the proper pattern name is 3 in 1. You can buy it on Ravelry here. This pattern includes a large range of sizes and I found the directions pretty clear. The idea is that you knit the lower waistline and cuffs of the sweater a total of three times, adding a new color of yarn with each iteration. Then you knit them together sort of at an angle, so it looks like you are wearing three layered sweaters. You can see the model’s picture here to the right.
I was working with stash Palette yarn, which dictated some of my design choices. I opted to do two layers, instead of three. And up at the neck, I decided to do short rows, rather than the more traditional graduated shoulder bindoff. This gave me a circular collar, rather than a true Henley opening. I knit a fake placket and put a few decorative buttons on the front, but it doesn’t open, which suits me fine. I absolutely love this sweater. It’s wool, so it’s super cozy and warm, but it’s also fingering weight yarn, so it feels very light. And I think it’s quite flattering. As with any sweater, it involves some work, but it’s absolutely worth the effort.
I hope I’ve managed to introduce you to a few patterns that you potentially haven’t found before. Give one (or all) of them a try! You won’t be sorry…
