Choosing your next knitting pattern can be hard, especially when you’re a beginner knitter. There are already so many patterns to choose from, and with designers releasing new patterns every week, you might not know what project to cast on next or if a pattern would even be simple enough for a beginner knitter.
To make your life a little easier, we have compiled a list of five easy patterns for beginners that we think you’ll love and that will take your knitting to the next level.
Hats make perfect projects for beginner knitters because they knit up relatively fast and they allow you to try many knitting techniques. The Classic Ribbed Hat is a free pattern from Purl Soho, and when you’re done knitting this, you will have a stylish ribbed hat that you’ll want to wear for years to come. There are no complicated techniques you need to know for this hat—just a basic cast-on, knitting in the round, knit stitch, purl stitch, and a simple k2tog decrease.
If you’re ready to move on to a slightly larger project, try a shawl. When anyone asks me what a good pattern for a beginner knitter is, I always recommend the Stars Align Shawl by Tina Tse Knits. This shawl is knit mostly in garter stitch, with easy eyelets that will give you a little taste of lace knitting, some stripes, and a few sections of stockinette. This is an addicting knit, and trust me, you won’t want to set down your needles.
If you are a beginner knitter or you’ve just never knit socks before, Just Another Vanilla Sock by Sarah Stevens is the perfect first sock project. Even after you master sock knitting, you might find yourself coming back and knitting these socks over and over again, or at least I did. These socks are knitted in stockinette from the toe up, have a simple textured heel, and are finished with a ribbed cuff.
If you are ready to tackle knitting a garment, the Luv Cardigan by Meret Bützberger is a wonderful cardigan pattern for beginners. There are no complicated stitches or techniques, just knitting flat, knitting in the round, and picking up stitches from the edge. The cardigan is primarily knitted in stockinette with a garter stitch hem and sleeve cuffs, and the length of the body and sleeves are easily customizable. It’s designed to be oversized, making it extra cozy, and it also features a shawl collar, which adds to the extreme coziness of this cardigan.
The Like a Cloud Cardigan by Joji Locatelli is another cozy cardigan that’s perfect for beginners. Joji’s patterns are well written, which is exactly what you want in a beginner knitting pattern. This cardigan is very simple to knit. If you can cast on, knit, purl, pick up stitches, and work some decreases, you’ll have no problem knitting this cardigan. The all-over textured pattern makes it stylish, and the four-inch ribbed hem and sleeve cuffs offer a nice contrast to the texture of this cardigan.
All five of these beginner knitting patterns are made using simple knitting techniques, but don’t mistake simple for boring, as all of these patterns are very fun to knit and will keep you hooked from cast-on to bind-off.
And don’t forget, if you are just starting out, YouTube has lots of knitting tutorials, so don’t be scared to knit a pattern with techniques you've never tried before.
Happy knitting!
