5 Perfect Patterns (and more!) for Beginning Knitters

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Knitting is a simple craft; you’re just making connecting loops, after all, with needles and yarn. But there are a surprising number of questions to ask and decisions to make when you’re a beginner: What’s a good beginner pattern to start with? Which yarn should I use? What if I make a mistake?

All of these questions are important to answer, so here goes!

Choosing a Pattern

Many people start with a simple garter-stitch scarf, which is a great idea, especially when you’re just learning how to hold the needles and manipulate the yarn. But after you’ve progressed a bit and are comfortable with the knit stitch, why not move on to something a little more fun, like hats, scarves, cowls, or even a wrap?

We’ve chosen five stylish, enjoyable, and easy patterns for our Beginning Knitter Pattern Collection.

The Pinch Hat

This super-easy hat is worked flat in garter stitch and then seamed tightly to create a ruched detail. The embellishments are optional, but why wouldn’t you want to add a little more personality?

I love this design because it steps up a simple garter-stitch rectangle with a little shaping, and then the magic really happens when you cinch the seaming yarn to create the side ruche. Cecily’s creativity shines in this chic design that comes together quickly.

Tweed Scarflet

This easy cowl-like project is another dressed up garter-stitch rectangle; there are myriad ways to zhuzh up these simple lengths of garter stitch! Here, designer Sarah Fama uses four buttons to keep the cowl closed.

The yarn over buttonholes make the Tweed Scarflet a great skill-builder for a beginner.

Little Triangle Scarf

Get lots of shaping practice with Cecily Glowik MacDonald’s simple garter-stitch triangle. You’ll form the triangle by increasing and then decreasing along one edge. This project uses the backward-loop cast-on to create a slit so you can slip one point of the scarf into the other, creating a cute way to secure the Little Triangle Scarf around your neck.

This beginner pattern is a great skill-builder!

Amala Triangle

You can’t have too many triangle shawls in your wardrobe, so we’ve included two in our beginner’s collection. This one has an unusual construction, giving the shawl slanting diagonal lines of garter ridges.

Anniken Allis’ lovely Amala Triangle shawl is knitted sideways, starting with just a few stitches, and the edging is knitted on as you go. The construction creates bias fabric, which clings, ripples, and flows beautifully.

Soft Kid Wrap

Alice Tang dials up the style in this piece, which is simple to knit and fun to construct.

The Soft Kid Wrap is basically a rectangle that’s sewn together at cleverly planned points to turn it into a wrap with sleeve openings and a drapey cowl neck. Pretty slick!

Choosing a Yarn

Okay, now what we’ve got patterns covered, let’s talk yarn—my favorite subject!

Beginning knitters are often tempted to choose the yarn that the designer used to create the pattern. That’s a great idea, in theory. But what if the yarn is discontinued or not in your budget? There’s always an option that’ll work for any pattern; it’s just a matter of choosing the right one.

When you dip your toe into yarn substitution, the most important things to consider are gauge and fiber content. In order for your project to fit you properly, you’ll need to use a yarn-needle combo that gets you the gauge called for in the pattern. So, as a starting point, I always advise new knitters to choose the same weight yarn as the one called for in the pattern.

And while a pattern that calls for wool yarn can be successfully knitted in cotton yarn, I don’t recommend that drastic of a change in fiber for beginners. Substituting an acrylic-wool blend for a 100 percent wool yarn is perfectly fine, but I wouldn’t go from alpaca to silk, for example, without some serious knowledge about how these different fibers work.

You also need to be aware of yardage. Anniken Allis, the designer of the Amala Triangle shawl, knit two sizes of this shawl, changing the pattern slightly when she used a yarn with less yardage than the other yarn.

Here’s how she did that. You can, too!

Fixing Mistakes

I always advise beginners to check their local yarn shops for “Oops” classes. When I was just starting, I took such a class and it helped me advance my knitting skills because I wasn’t afraid to make a mistake; I could identify and fix my problems and carry on.

Alternatively, the internet never closes, so how about a virtual class? One of my favorite resources is Fixing Mistakes with Kate Atherley. Kate walks you through over 50 ways to fix any issue that might come up with your knitting. She’s a wonderful person to have in your corner while you build your knitting skills.

And don’t forget about YouTube—just search for your particular oopsie, and you’re likely to find many videos to help you fix it.

I hope these beginner patterns and tips help you with your new hobby. It will bring such joy and comfort to your life!

Cheers,

Kathleen

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Originally published 10/2/2020. Updated 7/9/2021.

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