4 Plaid Knitting Patterns to Celebrate Tartan Day

✓Let the Interweave Knits Winter 2024 issue transport you to a winter wonderland of cozy knits! This remarkable edition features 14 extraordinary projects to immerse yourself in the uniqueness of specially crafted yarns.

When I think of popular regional-heritage holidays, St. Patrick’s Day is the first to come to mind. Rivers run green, we knit Aran sweaters, and whether you’re Irish or not, you can glean a little luck from a clover. It’s not the only national holiday for a specific cultural background though.

Above: Cambridge Cardigan

Mark your calendars, Tartan Day is April 6^th and honors Scottish heritage! To celebrate with knitting, we’ve brought together a few of our favorite plaid knits to add a little Scottish style to your wardrobe.

Woman wearing red plaid jacket — Tartan Jacket by Teva Durham. Photo by Christ Hartlove

Tartan Jacket

Any knitted jacket is an ambitious project but well worth the effort. When you make the Tartan Jacket using textured slip-stitch intarsia to create a plaid pattern, you’ll impress yourself and cherish it for years to come. Substitute a kilt pin for the simple closure and work it in your clan colors.

woman wearing plaid tartan hat against blue background — Modern Tartan Slouch by Talitha Kuomi. Photo by Caleb Young

Modern Tartan Slouch

If you don’t have the time to invest in knitting a jacket, this Modern Tartan Slouch is the way to go. The simple beanie achieves the look of a plaid fabric without the fuss of intarsia. Subtle vertical stripes are created alternating garter stitch and stockinette stitch. Then, high-contrast stripes are added using a crochet hook and the darkest shade of yarn.

woman wearing plaid cardigan tartan — Cambridge Cardigan by Linda Marveng. Photo by Harper Point Photography

Cambridge Cardigan

Knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, the Cambridge Cardigan has me dreaming of bagpipes and scotch. Spindrift comes in more than 100 colors, so it is easy to customize this to your personal palette. You’ll need to be brave when it comes time to cut the front steek, the traditional method used for colorwork cardigans.

Plaid Halter

I love the look of the Plaid Halter. The tailored fit and simple slip-stitch pattern create a timeless look that can be worn so many ways. Worn under a great blazer, you can give a subtle nod to Tartan Day on April 6^th or any other day of the year!

While I love tartan patterns, there are a few Scottish traditions I’ll leave to the Scots. I don’t think I can stomach haggis or black pudding. Have you ever knit a plaid project? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

—Kerry Bogert
Content Manager, Yarn