Time to pregame for the Fourth Annual Tournament of Stitches Event here on the Marly Bird blog. This free (partial) mystery make-along for knitters and crocheters is as addictive to play as March Madness is to watch.
Can you believe that this is our FOURTH year for the Tournament of Stitches? Check out the 1st year here, the 2nd year here, 3rd year here.
March 14 is Pi Day! The number pi starts with 3.14, like the date March 14. Celebrate with these four fun crochet pie patterns, plus a bonus knit pattern for a pie carrier. Then make (or buy) your own pie to enjoy!
Use this scrubby to wash your dishes after you create a delicious pie!
Yarn: Red Heart Scrubby
Make two of these hot pads to safely take your pie out of the oven! They’ll look great hung up on hooks in your kitchen too.
Yarn: Lily Sugar n’ Cream
This crochet pie makes a perfect toy for kids to play with!
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Download the free Chocolate Pie and Ice Cream crochet pattern
Use the classic nursery rhyme to make a fun Halloween decoration!
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Put your pie plate into this carrier to safely transport it (and keep it warm) to your destination!
Yarn: Lily Sugar n’ Cream
Are you looking for an easy knit hat pattern that works for almost any adult? If so then bookmark the striped knit slouch hat design. It’s a unisex designed worked in four colors. It’s super slouchy, which makes it cozy and comfortable and casual. Therefore, it’s the perfect design for different ages and styles. Work up a bunch of them to keep on hand for gift giving, extra accessories, or donating to charity.
Note: There might be affiliate links in this post. I get a percentage of sales made from those clicks. However, your price doesn’t change. Thank you for your support.
This knit hat is designed to be super slouchy. That makes it a great choice for a very casual look. It’s something that you can throw on and it will instantly give you sporty style. It works on bad hair days. It works for all genders. It’s a very versatile design that oozes coziness, comfort, and casual ease.
I designed the hat to use Chic Sheep yarn. This is 100% merino wool yarn that is soft to the touch. That makes it luxurious even though the hat itself is casual. It’s a delight to knit with. It’s also comfy to wear in different seasons of the year.
One of the things that makes this hat so fun is the way that you can play with different colors in this pattern. The body of the hat is worked in a main color that starts with the brim and alternates every other row. Then you use an additional three colors to make the other stripes. The result is a sophisticated, easy design pulled together by that main color. And yet you can make a bunch of different designs by switching up the other three colors.
In the original design, I’ve used subtle, complementary colors that work for almost anyone. They aren’t dull, though; you can see the pops of brightness in some of those rows. But you could also go much bolder with different color choices. A hat in one set of colors might look completely different than a hat using a different set of colors. That allows you to use this knit slouch hat free pattern over and over while creating different designs for different people.
This is a versatile, easy knit slouch hat pattern. And the pattern is free. Get it here or click the image below:
In this hat pattern, you’ll work the brim, the body, then the crown of the hat. You’ll use knit stitches in combination with kfb (knit front and back) stitches. This gives you some texture while keeping things simple. This is designed as an easy hat pattern for the advanced beginner knitter. Intermediate and advanced knitters will find it to be a simple, straightforward hat design.
Beginner knitters looking for a next-step project would do well to check out this seed stitch knit hat free pattern. The seed stitch is a very easy knit stitch. It’s also a very repetitive stitch pattern so advanced knitters seeking a meditative (or mindless!) project will also want to bookmark this one. As a one-ball project that works up within a few hours, it’s great for making a last-minute gift or accessory.
Bicrafty folks might already know that there’s a crochet seed stitch as well as a knit seed stitch. Seed stitch can also go by a variety of different names in either craft. But basically, when you knit seed stitch, you work knits and purls into one another. You’ll knit your purls and purl your knits.
Therefore, if you get stuck at all with where you are in this project, then you simply need to look at the next stitch that’s on your needle. If the next stitch is a knit stitch, then you’ll work a purl stitch into it. And if the next stitch is a purl stitch then you’ll work a knit stitch into it. It’s easy-peasy. And it creates a really great texture that’s perfect for your knit hat.
When you have a really simply repeating knit stitch pattern like this, you can approach your project in one of two ways.
On one hand, it is perfect for mindless stitching. For example, if you want to knit while watching your favorite tv show, then you can easily do that with this seed stitch knit hat free pattern. Even if you get immersed in the show, you’ll easily continue to work the stitch pattern.
On the other hand, you can approach a pattern like this with mindfulness or meditation in mind. Mindfulness means that you pay attention to the details of each moment. A repetitive stitch pattern can help lull you into a state that allows for mindfulness practice.
This is a one-ball hat pattern. Therefore, you can use it as a stash buster. Or you can find a really great luxury yarn in your stash to make a special hat using this pattern.
It’s also a quick hat pattern. You should be able to work it up in just a few hours. Therefore, it’s a great go-to pattern for last minute projects. You can use it to whip up a gift. If you want to add a cute accessory to an outfit, then use this pattern. Or, if you just want the instant gratification of a start-to-finish same-day project, then give this seed stitch knit hat free pattern a whirl.
Ready to get stitching? Get the seed stitch knit hat free pattern here or click the image below:
Are you ready to start knitting? If so then the first thing you need to figure out is what kind of supplies you’ll need to get started. Obviously, you’ll need knitting needles. Pretty soon, choosing your needles for a project will be second nature. But as you get started, it can feel a little daunting. This guide tells you all there is to know about different types of knitting needles. After all, the more knowledge you have, the easier it will be to make decisions about your supple needs.
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Note: This post may contain affiliate links which means I get a percentage of sales made from those links. Your price doesn’t increase. Thank you for your support.
If you’re a crocheter seeking to become bicrafty by learning how to knit then you have a bit of an edge up on others. You already know the anatomy of a crochet hook. While knitting needles differ from crochet hooks, you’ll be able to easily grasp the different parts of the needle.
Likewise, you’ll quickly comprehend that knitting needles can be made in different sizes that correspond in large part to the yarn that you’ll use. When you look at a yarn label, you’re used to checking what size crochet hook it calls for. Although you’ve likely ignored it for years, there’s a knitting needle size listed there as well. For example, Red Heart Hello Gorgeous yarn is a worsted weight yarn that calls for size I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook or size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles.
Also,, you’ll know that knitting needles can be made from different materials (such as aluminum or bamboo.) However, don’t assume that what’s true of yarn on hooks is exactly the same on needles. There are slight differences that you should be aware of when choosing your knitting needles.
Finally, when you go to look at knitting needle options, you might feel overwhelmed because there are soooo many choices. But think of it like with crochet hooks: there are tapered and inline crochet hooks, hooks made of different materials, different hook sizes, and ergonomic hooks. You could easily spend a fortune buying them all but the reality is that when you get started as a beginner, you only need a few. Then over time you’ll explore others. Don’t let it overwhelm you. You can start with a few basic knitting needles and expand later.
There are three main types of knitting needles: straight needles, double point needles (also called dpns) and circular needles. The very brief summary is that straight needles are for working in rows, dpns for working in the round, and circular needles can do both. Circular needles are the most versatile and tend to be the option of choice for many knitters so as a beginner that might be where you’d like to start.
If you’ve ever seen a drawing of someone knitting then you’ve probably seen straight needles. Or if you ever watched your grandmother knit when you were young, then you probably saw her straight needles. After all, they were the only kind around when she was learning knitting as a girl. So, when you first picture knitting needles, this is probably what you have in mind.
Straight needles are used to work back and forth, never in rounds. They are usually 10″ – 14″ in length. And they can get quite heavy. Therefore, they aren’t the most common needles used in the US today. Depending on the type of knitting you’re doing, you may want some, though. It’s good to know what they are. Sometimes these are also called single point needles.
Even within this category, there are different options. For example, ChiaoGoo has straight, speciality, and flexible single point needles.
Whereas single point needles have a pointed end on one side and a flat end on the other, double pointed needles have points at both ends.
Double Pointed Needles are shorter, and therefore lighter, than straight needles. They’re typically about 6″ – 8″ in length. You don’t buy them individually but rather in sets of either 4 or 5.
You’ll work on either 3 or 4 of them at a time, working in the round, using the loose one to knit with. Beginner knitters may want to get a set of DPNs to work with.
Circular knitting needles are versatile knitting needles used to work both in rows and in the round. Therefore, they’re a popular choice. If you’re seeking to buy knitting needles for the first time then circular knitting needles are your best bet.
As we’ll discuss more below in the section on the anatomy of a knitting needle, circular knitting needles have a cable. The cable holds the stitches for you. (Whereas on a straight needle all of the stitches are on that long needle, on circular needles, they’re held on the cable). We’ll discuss this further in the section below on knitting needle sizes.
Interchangeable knitting needles are a specific type of circular knitting needles. With regular circular needles, you’ll buy a bunch of different sized needles as well as different sized cables. An interchangeable knitting needle set allows you to detach the cable from the rest of the needle so that you can mix-and-match your sizes. Beginner knitters would serve themselves well to get a set of interchangeable knitting needles.
That said, they have pros and cons. They feel a little bit different than regular circular needles (because there’s a place where the parts pull apart on interchangeables.) What you prefer is up to you and you’ll just have to try different types and brands of knitting needles to figure that out.
One important point is that you won’t remove knitting needles from a project that’s in the works. Sometimes crocheters take a hook out of one project to use it on another. But with knitting that can easily lead to the first project falling apart. Therefore, if you are going to have different WIPs going at the same time, you’ll need different needles in each of them. With interchangeables, you might have the needle part you need in an existing project so you can’t use it for another. If that sounds like you, then you’ll either need multiple sets of interchangeable knitting needles or you might want to try sets of circular knitting needles so you can use different sizes in different projects.
Note that “regular” circular needles (that aren’t interchangeable) are also called fixed knitting needles.
Note also that there is a tool called a cable knitting needle. It’s essentially a cable that is made of a solid piece of wood or aluminum. We’ll discuss this tool more in our upcoming article on Knitting Tools, Supplies, and Notions.
Each knitting needle has certain parts. Each part can have slight variations that have different pros and cons for different projects. Here’s what you need to know about the basic anatomy of a knitting needle:
In terms of where this is located on the knitting needle, it’s pretty obvious. So why does it matter? Because you can have tips in varying degrees of sharpness. There are very sharp points and much duller points. Neither is better than the other overall but what you want can vary significantly depending upon your knitting style, the pattern, and the yarn that you’re working with. Therefore, as a beginning knitter, you’ll want to explore needles with different tip sharpness to figure out how they each work for you.
If you’re a crocheter then you know that a crochet hook has a shaft. It’s the part of the hook that is flat instead of round. On knitting needles, there’s a tapered part and then there’s the shaft which is not tapered. You don’t want your stitches to fall off of the knitting needles. Therefore, they need to sit up on the shaft of the needle.
When working with straight needles, you may use a cable to prevent stitches from falling off as you work. The cable size is proportionate to the needle size. In other words, bigger needles use bigger cables. The stitch size may be affected by the cable size, which is why this matters.
Circular knitting needles also have cables. However, they are skinny cables that don’t typically affect the size of the stitches. However, the place where the shaft joins the cable can be rough or uneven if you’er using poor quality of damaged knitting needles. This can make your knitting more difficult. Look at this area of you’re troubleshooting problems with your knitting needles.
There are two different measurements you need to know for knitting needles: the length and the needle size.
The length is pretty straightforward – the measurement of the needle from tip to end (on straight needles) or tip to tip (on circular needles). For example, ChiaoGoo offers straight knitting needles in five sizes: 7″, 9″, 12″, 13″ and 20″.
But don’t forget that you’ll use cables on circular needles and cable lengths also differ. As you get more into knitting, you’ll get a better sense of the cable size you’ll need for different projects. For example, if you’re knitting a large project such as an afghan, then you want a cable that’s at least 36″ long. On the other hand, if you’re knitting a hat, you’ll want a shorter cable. Note that you’ll often use different size cables – or needle lengths – even within the same project. As a beginner, rely on the pattern to let you know what to use.
Going back to the topic of interchangeables, let’s say that you have circular needles in sizes 6 and 7 and you have each one in lengths of 16″ and 24″ and 36″. So you have six needles all together – 3 lengths for each of two sizes. If you use interchangeables instead, then you’ll have two shafts (size 6 and 7) and three cables (to bring the lengths to 16″ and 24″ and 36″.) And of course you might use those cables on other size needles as well. So that should give you a sense of different needle sizes and how cables work when it comes to interchangeable circular knitting needles.
If you’re a crocheter then you know that crochet hooks are measured in sizes. As described above, a worsted weight yarn pattern might call for a size I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook. Often, that number is written / etched right on to the crochet hook. So you can look at the hook and see what size it is.
Unfortunately, knitting needles are less likely to have the size written right on the needle. (Straight needles often do but other needles often don’t.) However, there are different sizes just like there are with crochet hooks. And it’s actually not that hard to figure out what size your needle is thanks to needle gauges. You should keep one of these handy at all times. You simply stick the knitting needle through the holes until you find the one that matches up, and then you’ll know what size knitting needle you have in your hand.
The size of your crochet hook or knitting needle typically corresponds to the weight of the yarn. The smallest knitting needles are 000 – 3 for fingering weight and sock weight yarn. Mid-weight yarns like DK and worsted calls for size 5 – 9 needles. And there are needles that start at size 17 and go up to as high as 50 for jumbo yarn.
That said, you might use a bigger hook / needle with a finer yarn in order to achieve a certain effect. And you might go up or down a size to achieve the gauge that the pattern calls for. Play around with different knitting needle sizes as you get used to the craft.
Just like with crochet hooks, there are different materials used to make knitting needles. You’ll commonly find them made of metal, wood, and plastic. You might also find needles made of other more unique materials.
Each material grips the yarn a bit differently. The yarn will slide around a lot on metal needles. It won’t slide nearly as much on wooden needles. Since you don’t want to drop your stitches, the material can matter a lot. But it’s all about what you’re comfortable with. Try different types of knitting needles to see what material works best for you.
Check out our suggestions for the best knitting needles for beginners.
You’ll want to store your knitting needles in an organized fashion. In particular, if you have knitting needles that don’t have the size written right on them, then it makes sense to store them in order of size. That way you’ll easily see what size you’re grabbing from storage for your project. Of course, you can double check it with your needle gauge but make life easy on yourself by keeping it organized.
There are many different options for storage. Some are more aesthetically pleasing and others are more functional. You might have more than one storage option. For example, if you have your grandmother’s old straight needles with the size etched into them then you might store those in a beautiful vase on your craft table. Then you might have a big storage area that holds the majority of your needles and cables. And you might also have a set of knitting needles in an organized storage caddy that goes with you wherever you go. The main thing is that you want to be able to easily access whatever knitting needles you need for a project.
Here’s our complete guide to knitting needle storage.
Sometimes the best thing that you can do when designing a knit hat is just to simplify. Sure, it’s fun to play with new yarns and explore advanced knitting techniques. But when the yarn is perfect, you can use a fairly straightforward design to showcase it. The result is chic and stylish. I think that’s what I’ve achieved with this slouchy knit hat free pattern.
In terms of design, this hat was created to boldly showcase a panel of knit cables. It’s always fun to knit cables. They make such a classic statement. They’re sophisticated. They have a sense of style. Yet, despite their rich history across centuries of knitting, cables can always look contemporary. So the main thing that this slouchy knit hat free pattern is all about is the broad cable panel across the front.
I designed this pattern using my Chic Sheep yarn. The yarn is luxurious to the touch, and you can almost see that when you look at it in this design. I chose a rich green color for this hat which I named “Road to Success.” Whether success to you looks like lots of money in the bank or a relaxed life out in nature, green is the color that comes to mind. Of course, you could choose a different color for this hat to create your own statement. But the green is a solid choice that stands out as a beautiful accessory. And you can see that the cable looks really good in that green hue!
You’ll use a simple K1 tbl, p 1 repeat around six rounds to create the brim of this hat. The result is a ribbed brim. Obviously this is always a good choice for keeping the hat securely on your head. It stays in place and doesn’t let in the cold. It works especially well with a slouchy hat, which this knit cable hat with pom is designed to be. The slouch gives it a bit of a sporty, casual feel. The ribbing and cabling maintains the sophistication. It’s a very versatile design.
Top off the slouchy knit hat free pattern with a Pom Pom on top. You can easily use a Pom Pom maker to create this finishing touch for the design. The pom complements the sportiness of the slouch hat style. Because it’s worked in the same solid color as the rest of the hat, it’s still stylishly sophisticated. This is the kind of hat that almost anyone can wear almost anywhere. Make it the star of the show by wearing it with an outfit in neutral colors. It’s a quick way to add panache to an on-the-go outfit.
If you’re ready to make the hat then get the free pattern here or click the image below:
Here are some of my other knit hat patterns that feature cables as a key aspect of the design: