Free Easy Knitting Patterns for Beginners

Woman holding knitting needles with yarn
Find something fun to make with free knitting patterns.

If you are new to knitting or would like to start knitting, you're probably wondering where you can find free easy knitting patterns. Look no further. We have a great collection of free easy knitting patterns for you to choose from, whether you're new to the craft or just looking for something easy to work on for a long car ride.

Learning to Knit

If you're just learning to knit, check out Knitting Instructions and Knitting for Beginners. These articles provide you with the basics you will need to get started, as well as some ideas for basic projects you can complete easily.

Most people learn how to knit by making knitted dishcloths. As you can see from this page, there are many variations from simple to quite complex, but most people start out with a worsted weight yarn, casting on 35 or 40 stitches and knitting every row until they have a square, then casting off.

Once the knit stitch is mastered, you can make the same kind of cloth using a purl stitch, knitting one row and purling one row across. Then you can experiment with ribbing, pattern stitches and different designs that involve increasing and decreasing stitches.

Dishcloths are a time-honored favorite because they are small, flat, relatively quick to knit up and useful. They're also a great way to play with pattern stitches with committing to a huge project.

If you're looking for something slightly more interesting to make while you're learning to knit, consider a sampler afghan made up of blocks of different stitch patterns. You can repeat several blocks or make each one a different pattern. Just make sure they all come out pretty close to the same size. This will give you a great opportunity to learn how to block your knits as well.

More Free Easy Knitting Patterns

Once you have gotten comfortable with simple squares, it's time to move on to more complex concepts. Don't worry, it's still really easy.

After learning how to knit and purl, read a pattern and make a stitch pattern turn out, you should next tackle increasing and decreasing. These handy techniques allow you to shape a piece. You'll need these in your arsenal before you attempt any kind of clothing.

A great way to learn about increasing and decreasing is to make a simple project that involves a lot of it. Some of the dishcloth patterns mentioned above have a diamond shape so you can increase and decrease throughout.

There are two great patterns for learning about increasing and decreasing right here at LoveToKnow Crafts: the knitted bandana and knitted wrap. The bandana is a triangle, so it only teaches increasing, but the wrap uses both techniques for an interesting shape.

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Free Easy Knitting Patterns for Beginners