Knitting patterns for beginners

Easiest Classic Knit Top

The Easiest Classic Knit Top from Mama in a stitch is brilliant in its simplicity. If you can knit two rectangles, you can knit this pattern. Two rectangles are sewn together in strategic places to form a cute top. The pattern is available for free, but please do consider supporting the designer by purchasing the print version of the pattern. This goes for (almost) all the free patterns.

The suggested yarn is a superwash merino yarn, DK weight, and it is knitted with 2 strands of yarn held together on US size 11 (8 mm) needles. In other words, this is a quick knit. A good substitute yarn for this top could be King Cole Luxury Merino DK. King Cole is great value for money (0.042 $/yd) and the yarn has the same fiber, texture, weight class and gauge as the pattern suggestion.

Truthfulness Tank Top

The Truthfulness Tank Top from Brome Fields is knitted in a fingering weight Shetland wool, but knitted loosely on oversize needles, US size 10.5 (6.5 mm). Knitting with needles that are “too large” for the yarn takes a little getting used to, but it is fun and fast, and you end up with a fabric that has a cool, airy quality. The top is knitted mostly in the round, but the top part is knitted flat. If you are unfamiliar with circular knitting and the difference between knitting stockinette in the round and flat, then take a look at my introduction to circular knitting.

The yarn suggested in the pattern is discontinued, but a good substitute is Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift (0.056 $/yd). The yarn gauge is a little different, so you may have to adjust the needle size up by 1 or 2 needle sizes to match the pattern gauge, but it’s also a 2-ply Shetland wool and will knit up in a very similar way. Best of all, it comes in a huge selection of gorgeous colors.

Silver Spring Tank

The Silver Spring Tank from Wiseknits is another great beginner tank. It’s knitted flat with minimal shaping at the armholes and the neckline. The shaping is done with a combination of binding off and the decrease knit 2 together. If there’s ever a stitch in a pattern that you are unfamiliar with, head straight to YouTube and look it up. Then make sure that you practice it while knitting your gauge swatch so that you are not trying the new stitch for the first time in the middle of the pattern.

Knitting patterns for adventurous beginners

Spiced Breeze Crop Top

The Spiced Breeze Crop Top from Drops Design is a great project for an adventurous beginner. It’s not very difficult, but there’s a little bit of shaping, and you have to understand how flat knitting and circular knitting are different when producing both garter stitch and stockinette. It’s a good learning piece, and with the shorter length it’s also a fast project.

Spiced Breeze is another worsted cotton top – if you are beginning to recognize a theme, it’s because cotton and summer go hand in hand. The pattern is from Drops Design which has a great selection of free patterns, but they are European and their yarns are not readily available in the US. You can of course use any of the worsted cotton yarn suggestions in this blog post.

Cowl Shell Top

The Cowl Shell Top from Myrna Batten is very flattering with the waterfall neckline. It’s not as complicated as it looks. There’s some shaping involved, and you will have to learn a handful of different increases and decreases, but the pattern is well-written, and with YouTube at your side, you will be fine. Be sure to use stitch markers.

Knitting patterns for advanced beginners and intermediate knitters

Tip Top Tank

The Tip Top Tank is designed for a Fingering weight yarn, held double, made of a cotton and bamboo blend. A proper breathable summer yarn. I am unfamiliar with the suggested yarn, but an alternative that I really like is Schackenmayr Baby Smiles Cotton Bamboo (0.026 $/yd). The gauge is spot on, and the yarn has a similar fiber, structure and sheen. Alternatively, you can go up a yarn weight, and knit with a single strand of something like Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo & Cotton DK (0.02 $/yd). This is a more economical solution, because you will not need as many yards when you knit with a single strand.

Get in Line Knit Tank

The Get in Line Knit Tank from Yarnspirations comes in three different lengths, and either one of them is sure to be a hit in your summer wardrobe. The pattern requires both shaping and some stitch combinations, but the combinations are repetitive, so it is easy to get into a rhythm.

Cumulus Top

The Cumulus Top from Expression Fiber Arts is interesting to knit because of the changes in the stitch pattern for different sections of the top. It can get a little repetitive and boring to knit an entire top in stockinette, but this pattern will keep you on your toes. Row counting will be essential. You will have to learn to make drop stitches as well, but they are not that difficult. The top is knitted loosely with a DK weight yarn on slightly oversized needles.

The Cumulus Top is designed for one of the luxurious Indie yarns by Expression Fiber Arts – It’s a DK weight baby alpaca and mulberry silk blend. If it sounds nice, that’s because it is. Did I mention that they hand-dye all their yarns? At a price point of 0.143 $/yd, for most of us, this is only for that once in a blue moon ego-knit project. The Patons Silk Bamboo will work great for this project as well, and that’s only 0.069 $/yd. Another, even cheaper solution is Cascade Ultra Pima. It’s 100% cotton, but it’s made from the finest cotton there is, and it has a little of the sheen and drape of the silk blend yarns. It only costs 0.046 $/yd and it comes with the added benefit of being machine washable. You’ve got to love cotton.

Pretty Loopy Top

Pull this stunning little t-shirt on for an instant dose of style. The relaxed fit is super comfy and the lace design brings the cuteness for a one-two punch of wonderful wearability. With two different kinds of eyelets dotting the surface of this charming tee you know that it’s nice and breathable – perfect for those hot summer days.

Designer: Selfmade
Yarn: Fraya Colourful (Fingering Weight #1)
Click here for the free knitting pattern!
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