Weekend Knits: Beginner Friendly Projects

Sometimes as knitters we get so caught up in the latest sweater pattern, or new shawl design by our favorite designers that we cast on everything at once and don't complete any of our projects until months later.  If you are anything like I am you know that this type of strategy can lead to burnouts and languishing wips.  I like to alternate my knitting schedule to keep my life balanced and prevent said burnouts with simple and easy weekend projects.  These can be anything from a hat to a cowl, and nothing beats a bit of chunky yarn and big needles to speed up the process.  Whether you have a long weekend ahead of you, or lots of downtime that you want to fill with a quick project for some instant gratification, look no further.  I have selected three of my favorite knits that are great for a weekend project to get you started!

Spring Garter Bonnet

There's nothing like a baby knit to motivate you to pick up your needles and start knitting.  They are also a great way to learn new techniques without the time and investment in a larger project.  A great beginner-friendly baby knit with a few fun techniques to learn is the Spring Garter Bonnet by Destiny Meyer.  This is a simple garter stitch bonnet with a little bit of short row shaping at the back of the head.  The piece is knit flat and then grafting together using the kitchener stitch for garter stitch knitting.  There are also really simple i-cord ties that are knitting onto the front corners of the bonnet. This is a fun project that can be completed in a day and has fun and easy techniques that are used in a variety of knitting projects.  


Project Details:
1 Skein of Plymouth Moon Shadow (color: 02 Natural Moon)
Size Made: 1-3years old
Needle Size: US 6 (4.0mm)

Four Corner Bag 

A great project for a fun and effortless accessory is the four corner bag from Making Magazine's Issue No. 7.  There are three options to choose from when knitting this bag, a stockinette, garter, and eyelet version.  I recommend starting with the stockinette version of this bag as you will not have to keep up with too many pattern details while knitting this project.   The bag is knit in the round from the bottom up and uses basic increases and bind off techniques to create a bag that has four corners for attaching handles.  I highly recommend investing in a pair of leather handles by CocoKnits for this project, however, you can also knit a pair of i-cord handles for this project if you have leftover yarn. 

Project Details:

1 Skein of Cascade Yarns Hampton (color: 8 Ecru)

Size Made: One Size (Stockinette Version)

Needle Size: US 8 (5.0mm)

Bandana Cowl

Viento Bandana Cowl

I love Purl Soho patterns and one of my favorites is the Bandana Cowl.  This fun project is knit with chunky weight yarn and size 10 needles.  It's a lovely project that will teach you short row techniques and picking up wraps on both the knit and purl side.  It also uses two of the most common knitting decreases (k2tog and ssk) so it's fantastic for beginner knitters that want to learn some great techniques that are commonly found in knitting patterns.  I loved this pattern so much that I've already made two of these cowls.  And both times I knit this project I was able to complete them in two days.  The version that I knit for myself is made with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry, and the second version I made was for a store sample at Thread using Plymouth Viento.  Both are very different yarns, and both are absolutely wonderful to wear!  The Brooklyn Tweed is a rustic wool that some might find to be a bit scratchy if they are not used to wearing 100% wool garments and accessories.  However, it creates a stable fabric that is great at blocking out any wind and holding in heat.  That being said,  I also fell in love with Plymouth Viento yarn and the finished fabric it created in this cowl.  This beautiful Alpaca/Rayon blend of yarn is super soft and squishy and the next to skin comfort is next level!  It's lightweight and feels like you're wearing a cloud, while also keeping your incredibly warm!  

Project Details:

1 Skein of Brooklyn Tweed Quarry (color: Hematite) or 2 Skeins Plymouth Viento (color: 006 Medium Fawn)

Size Made: One Size

Needle Size: US 10 (6.0mm)