Once you can knit and purl, you can make far more than a garter stitch scarf. Those two stitches, in different orders, give you seed stitch, rib, moss stitch, basket textures and every pattern in this list. You don’t need cables, lace or anything fancy to make something that looks properly handmade.
Here are ten free patterns built on knit and purl, from a dishcloth you can finish tonight to a blanket for the sofa. Every card has one extra line for this list: Beyond knit and purl, which tells you every other thing the pattern asks you to do, so there are no surprises halfway through.
How these cards work. Every figure on a card comes from the designer’s own pattern page. Where a designer doesn’t say something, the card says so rather than guessing. We don’t copy designers’ photos, so click through to see each finished piece on the designer’s own page, which is also where the instructions are.
Quick picks: start where you are
- You have one evening: the Irish moss dishcloth.
- You want nothing but knit and purl: the dishcloth, the leg warmers knit in the round, or the Moss Landing blanket.
- You have one skein: the Endeavor cowl, the leg warmers or the chunky hat.
- You have odds and ends: the fingerless gloves or the five-colour sampler scarf.
- You want a hat but can’t knit in the round yet: the Reverie hat on straight needles.
Before you start: practise the switch
Almost every mistake in seed stitch and rib comes from the moment between a knit and a purl, when the yarn has to move from the back of the work to the front, or back again. If you forget to move it, you get an extra loop on the needle. Knit a small swatch of seed stitch first and watch the yarn on every stitch. Once that movement is automatic, everything on this list is open to you.
Flat pieces with no shaping
1. Irish Moss Stitch Dishcloth
A square cloth in Irish moss stitch, a four-row knit and purl texture, framed by a garter stitch border. It is the smallest project here and the quickest way to find out whether you enjoy texture.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free, with a free printable (an ad-free PDF bundle is optional) |
| Skill | Basic / beginner |
| Yarn weight | DK to worsted; she recommends cotton |
| Yarn | 1 ball, 50 g; she used Rico Creative Cotton Aran (93 yards a ball) |
| Size | About 10 by 10 inches |
| Needles | 4.5 mm (US 7) |
| Beyond knit and purl | Nothing. Two stitch markers help keep the border straight |
| Time | About 1.5 hours of knitting, per the designer's card |
the border is six garter stitches on each side, and it is easy to drift into the moss stitch by mistake. Place the markers as the pattern says and slip them every row.
2. “Endeavor” Simple Seed Stitch Cowl
A long strip of seed stitch, knit flat until the skein runs out, then sewn into a loop. The texture is the same on both sides, so there is no wrong side to hide.
| Designer | Jennifer, Brome Fields |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner, or advanced beginner for the neater-edged version |
| Yarn weight | Worsted |
| Yarn | 250 to 260 yards; she used Lion Brand Heartland |
| Size | 52 by 5.5 inches before seaming |
| Needles | US 9 (5.5 mm) |
| Beyond knit and purl | Sewing the two short ends together. The advanced-beginner version adds a slipped-stitch edge |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
you knit until the skein is almost gone, so stop while you still have enough yarn to bind off and sew the seam. Running out on the last row is the one way this goes wrong.
3. Seed Stitch Infinity Scarf
A wide seed stitch scarf in super bulky yarn, joined at the short ends into an infinity loop. The designer calls it her easiest knitting pattern.
| Designer | Kristen McDonnell, Studio Knit |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner-friendly in her notes; the pattern card says experienced beginner |
| Yarn weight | Super bulky |
| Yarn | 204 yards |
| Size | 12 by 48 inches before joining |
| Needles | US 11 (8 mm), 14-inch straight |
| Beyond knit and purl | Joining the short ends with mattress stitch (she links a video) |
| Time | About 6 to 8 hours, per the designer |
she says to keep about 90 inches of yarn on the ball before you bind off, because the bind-off and the join both need it. If you switch colours, knit the first row of each new colour so no purl bumps show.
4. “Unwind” Fingerless Gloves
Simple wrist warmers knit flat on two straight needles, then sewn up the side with a gap left for the thumb. The ends are folded over into a double brim, which makes them warm and neat.
| Designer | Jennifer, Brome Fields |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner |
| Yarn weight | Bulky |
| Yarn | 55 to 105 yards, depending on the size; she used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky |
| Sizes | Five, XS to XL, chosen by hand width (4 to 9 inches) |
| Needles | US 9 (5.5 mm) straight needles |
| Beyond knit and purl | Seaming the side, folding and sewing the brims. The clean edge around the thumb uses slipped stitches and is optional |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
pick the size by measuring around the hand, not by guessing. The cast-on number is the only thing that changes between sizes, and every size is written in the table on her page.
5. Ribbed Leg Warmers
Plain 2×2 rib tubes that you can wear either way up. The designer gives both a knit-in-the-round version and a knit-flat version that is sewn up the side, so you can choose the one you are ready for.
| Designer | Jennifer, Brome Fields |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner |
| Yarn weight | Super bulky |
| Yarn | 45 to 125 yards for the pair, by size and length; she suggests Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick |
| Sizes | Five calf sizes, 6 to 16 inches round, in heights from 8 to 18 inches |
| Needles | US 11 (8 mm): straight for the flat version, or a 16-inch circular or double-pointed needles in the round |
| Beyond knit and purl | Nothing in the round; one side seam if you knit them flat |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
cast on loosely. The designer says the first rounds are tight, and the three smaller sizes are too narrow for a 16-inch circular: in the round they need magic loop or double-pointed needles, or you can knit them flat.
Your first hats: one new move each
6. Easy Seed Stitch Hat
A two-colour super bulky hat: a ribbed brim in one colour, a seed stitch body in another, and a pom pom on top. The designer says it can be done in a few hours.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Easy; she calls it advanced-beginner friendly |
| Yarn weight | Super bulky |
| Yarn | 2 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, one in each colour |
| Size | Adult woman: 12.5 inches tall and 10 inches wide, laid flat, without the pom |
| Needles | 10 mm (US 15) 16-inch circular |
| Beyond knit and purl | Knitting in the round, and purling three stitches together for the crown |
| Time | A few hours, per the designer |
the page says it fits heads of 22 to 28 inches, which is a very wide range. Measure the head and compare it with the 10-inch flat width before you gift it.
7. “Reverie” Easy Hat on Straight Needles
A ribbed and garter stitch hat knit flat on two straight needles and sewn up the back. It is the hat for anyone who is not ready to knit in the round yet, and the designer says it travels well.
| Designer | Jennifer, Brome Fields |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner |
| Yarn weight | Worsted |
| Yarn | 200 to 210 yards; she suggests Lion Brand Heartland |
| Size | One size, for a 20 to 22-inch head; 10 by 14.5 inches laid flat |
| Needles | US 8 (5 mm) and US 9 (5.5 mm) straight needles |
| Beyond knit and purl | Knit two together for the crown, and one seam |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
it uses two needle sizes: you cast on with the smaller pair and switch to the bigger pair straight away. Have both ready before you start.
8. Chunky Hat for Beginners
A big, cushy hat from one skein of super bulky yarn, with a 2×2 ribbed brim, a stockinette body and an oversized pom pom. The designer has two video tutorials that walk through the whole hat.
| Designer | Davina, Sheep and Stitch |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free, with videos (a PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Beginner; she says it suits ambitious beginners stretching their skills |
| Yarn weight | Super bulky |
| Yarn | 1 skein of Cascade Magnum, or 1 skein of Malabrigo Rasta |
| Size | 20 inches around, unstretched |
| Needles | US 15 (10 mm) 16-inch circular, plus double-pointed needles for the crown |
| Beyond knit and purl | Knitting in the round, and knit two together for the crown |
| Time | Not stated by the designer; she says it knits up very quickly |
the stitches get too few for the circular needle as you decrease, so the designer switches to double-pointed needles near the top. Have them ready before you reach the crown.
Bigger projects, still only two stitches
9. Color Block Sampler Scarf
Five knit and purl textures in five colour blocks: double moss, beaded rib, tile squares, diagonal zigzag and lattice. It is a practice piece and a finished scarf at the same time, knit in one piece, so there is nothing to sew.
| Designer | Kristen McDonnell, Studio Knit |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Experienced beginner |
| Yarn weight | Bulky |
| Yarn | 380 yards in total, or 80 yards in each of five colours |
| Size | 9.5 by 64 inches, blocked |
| Needles | US 11 (8 mm), straight or circular, 12 inches or longer |
| Beyond knit and purl | Changing colours |
| Time | About 12 hours, per the designer |
five different stitch patterns means five sets of rows to follow. Mark where each section starts on a printout so you don't lose your place when you put it down.
10. Moss Landing Blanket
A double moss blanket with a garter border, worked flat on a long circular needle. It is a four-row repeat you can memorise, and it looks the same on both sides, so it works as a throw over a sofa.
| Designer | Kristen McDonnell, Studio Knit |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page (an ad-free PDF and yarn kits are optional) |
| Skill | Beginner in her notes; the pattern card says experienced beginner |
| Yarn weight | Bulky, or worsted held double, per the designer |
| Yarn | From 227 yards for the smallest size up to 4,700 yards for a queen bedspread; the 36 by 48-inch lapghan in her photos takes 989 yards |
| Sizes | Seven, from a 24 by 36-inch baby blanket to a 90 by 90-inch queen bedspread |
| Needles | US 10 (6 mm) circular, 36 inches or longer, used flat |
| Beyond knit and purl | Nothing |
| Time | About 30 hours for the lapghan, per the designer's card |
this is a big project. Pick the size first, because the cast-on, the number of rows and the yarn all change with it, and buy all the yarn in one dye lot.
What you’ll need
Most of this list uses straight needles and either worsted or super bulky yarn, so a few basics go a long way:
- Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, the super bulky yarn behind the leg warmers and the seed stitch hat
- Lion Brand Heartland, the worsted yarn behind the Endeavor cowl and the Reverie hat
- A set of straight knitting needles (check the size on each pattern)
- Stitch markers and a tapestry needle for the seams
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Where to go next
- Only know the knit stitch so far? Start with what to knit when you only know the knit stitch.
- Got a single skein waiting? Here is what to knit with one skein of yarn.
- Got a basket of odds and ends? Here is what to knit with leftover yarn.
- Sorting by yarn instead? See chunky yarn and worsted weight yarn.
- Browse every project sorted by skill.
- Crochet as well as knit? Our sister site has a whole shelf of knitting patterns at Daily Crochet.
