DK is the yarn most of us own without meaning to. It’s in the sale bin, it’s what baby yarn usually is, and it’s the ball left over from that project last winter. It’s thinner than worsted, so it knits a little slower, but it gives a lighter, neater fabric that’s lovely for hats, mitts and anything for a baby.
Here are ten free patterns written for DK yarn, from a one-ball headband to a full sweater. Each card tells you how much yarn, which needles, the size and the one thing to watch before you start.
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 ball: the Woodland Whispers headband, the Highlands mitts or the baby hat.
- You only have an evening: the corner-to-corner dishcloth, about an hour and forty minutes.
- You want to try cables: the easy flat cable hat, then the Into the Desert cowl.
- You’re knitting for a man: the easy men’s beanie.
- You’re knitting for a baby: the baby blanket and the baby hat make a set.
- You’re ready for a big project: the turtleneck sweater.
Before you start: is it really DK?
DK is also sold as “light worsted” or “8 ply”, and the labels don’t always agree. One designer below made the same mitts from two DK yarns of very different lengths. So check the yards or metres on your label against the card, and knit a small swatch if the designer gives a gauge. If your yarn turns out heavier, our worsted weight list may suit it better.
Scarves, cowls and hats
1. Hogwarts House Scarf
A long, slim scarf in 1×1 rib with blocks and stripes in your house colours. The designer wrote it for beginners who want a new challenge beyond garter stitch, and the page lists the yarn colours for all four houses.
| Designer | Davina Choy, Sheep and Stitch |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page, with video; a printable PDF is sold in the designer's shop |
| Skill | Beginner: the designer says you're ready if you can cast on, knit, purl and cast off |
| Yarn weight | DK (the designer also lists a worsted alternative) |
| Yarn | 2 balls of Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in the main colour and 1 ball in the stripe colour |
| Size | 5.5 inches wide by 75.5 inches long |
| Needles | 4 mm straight needles |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
you change colour every few rows, so expect a lot of joins and ends to weave in. The page shows the designer's neat way of joining each new colour, and it's worth reading before you cast on.
2. Into the Desert Cable Cowl
A tall, snug cowl covered in a knot-like cable, knit in the round. The designer's sample is camel hair and likes it high enough to pull up over the mouth.
| Designer | Norman, Nimble Needles |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page |
| Skill | Not stated by the designer; cables in the round from a chart |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | 230 metres of DK yarn (the sample is Pascuali Cairo camel hair); the designer says the finished cowl took 120 g, about 260 yards |
| Size | About 10 by 10 inches laid flat before blocking; the designer says it stretches to around 28 inches around |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) double-pointed needles, magic loop or short circulars, plus a cable needle |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
the cable is given as a chart only, with no written rows, and in the comments the designer says it may be written out someday, but not for now. If you've never read a chart, practise on the suggested swatch first.
3. Easy Flat Cable Hat
A ribbed hat with small cables, knit flat on straight needles and seamed at the end. The designer made it for knitters who want a cable hat without knitting in the round, and the page has a video for every important step.
| Designer | Norman, Nimble Needles |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page, with video; a PDF is free with a newsletter sign-up |
| Skill | Beginner, but not your very first project: the designer suggests starting with something simpler if you've never knit a stitch |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | A DK yarn with about 90 metres per 50 g; total amount not stated by the designer |
| Size | Five sizes, XS to XL, chosen from your own gauge and head measurement |
| Needles | 3 mm (US 2.5) straight needles, plus a cable needle |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
knit and measure the swatch first. The designer sizes the hat from your gauge over one 10-stitch repeat, so skipping the swatch is the quickest way to a hat that doesn't fit.
4. Easy Men's Beanie
A plain 1×1 rib beanie with a deep folded brim, knit in the round. The designer kept it simple on purpose: good yarn, a good colour and a bit of patience.
| Designer | Norman, Nimble Needles |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free on the designer's page; a PDF is free with a newsletter sign-up |
| Skill | Beginner, per the designer; you'll knit in the round |
| Yarn weight | DK to worsted |
| Yarn | 180 to 250 metres; the designer used about 210 metres (105 g) for size M |
| Size | XS to XL; the sample, size M, is about 24 cm (9.45 inches) wide and fits a 58 cm (22.8 inch) head |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) double-pointed needles or circulars |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
this is a lot of rib. For size M the designer knit 106 rows of it, on deliberately small needles so the rib looks better stretched. Try the hat on as you go: the designer says it should almost cover the crown before you decrease.
5. Woodland Whispers Headband
A headband with a central cable and lace details, knit flat and seamed into a band. The designer calls it a quick project and a good way to use up a leftover ball.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Advanced beginner: lace (yarn overs, k2tog, psso), one cable and mattress stitch |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | 1 ball of Rowan Alpaca Soft DK (137 yards, 50 g) |
| Size | Four sizes, about 18 to 21 inches long when finished; 4 inches at the widest point |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6), plus a cable needle |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
measure the head first. The designer suggests measuring around the forehead and over the ears, and says an adult medium of about 22 to 23 inches suits most people if you're knitting it as a gift.
6. Mist of the Highlands Mitts
Fingerless mitts with a subtle chevron, from the designer's Outlander collection. The pattern is written twice: once in the round and once flat on straight needles with a seam.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Easy (advanced beginner) |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | Medium: 1 ball of Rowan Felted Tweed (191 yards) in the round, or 1 ball of Drops Puna (110 metres) flat; large and XL need 2 balls |
| Size | Small, medium, large and XL |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6); for the round version, 9 or 16 inch circulars with DPNs or magic loop |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
pick your version before you buy yarn. The two samples used very different balls (191 yards against 110 metres) for the same medium size, so check the yardage on your label rather than counting balls.
For a baby
7. Baby Hat on Straight Needles
A simple ribbed baby beanie, knit flat and seamed, in three sizes. The designer suggests it as a baby shower gift or to donate to a local hospital.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Basic (beginner) |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | 1 ball of DK baby yarn (50 g, 179 yards) |
| Size | 0-3, 3-6 and 6-9 months; 5 to 7 inches tall |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) straight needles |
| Time | About 3 hours 30 minutes, per the designer |
the seam is part of the pattern. The designer uses mattress stitch and turns the work over when the seam reaches the brim, so it stays invisible on the right side; the page shows how.
8. Beginner Baby Blanket in DK
A corner-to-corner garter stitch blanket in big blocks of five colours, with a yarn-over edge. It is knit flat on a long circular needle to hold all the stitches.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free, with a free printable (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Basic: knit stitch and yarn overs |
| Yarn weight | DK baby yarn |
| Yarn | 6 balls of DK baby yarn (179 yards each): 2 in the middle colour and 1 each in four others; 1,074 yards in total |
| Size | About 30 by 30 inches (newborn) |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) 40-inch circular, worked flat |
| Time | About 11 hours, per the designer's printable |
11 hours is the designer's own knitting time. Further down the same page the designer says a beginner may take a few weeks to a few months, so plan a gift deadline with room to spare. Each colour runs until the ball is used up, so the stripes depend on your yardage.
For the home, and a sweater
9. Corner-to-Corner Dishcloth
A garter stitch dishcloth knit on the diagonal: increase with yarn overs to the widest point, then decrease back to a corner. The designer calls it a quick project and a good stash-buster.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free, with a free printable (an ad-free PDF bundle is optional) |
| Skill | Basic (for beginners) |
| Yarn weight | DK or worsted cotton |
| Yarn | About 30 g of cotton; the sample is Ricorumi Spin Spin (50 g, 115 metres) |
| Size | About 10 inches across |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) for DK, or 5 mm (US 8) for worsted |
| Time | About 1 hour 40 minutes, per the designer |
use cotton. The designer explains that cotton is absorbent and stands up to hot washes, which is what a dishcloth needs.
10. Bottom-Up Turtleneck Sweater
A slightly oversized turtleneck in plain stockinette, knit from the bottom up. The body and sleeves are worked in the round, with only the shoulders and sleeves to sew.
| Designer | Louise, Handy Little Me |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Free (an ad-free PDF is optional) |
| Skill | Advanced beginner, per the designer's page category |
| Yarn weight | DK |
| Yarn | 1,095 yards (S and M), 1,314 yards (L and XL) or 1,533 yards (XXL and XXXL); the sample is Cascade Heathers 220 (219 yards per 100 g) |
| Size | Six sizes, S to XXXL |
| Needles | 4 mm (US 6) circulars on 16, 24 and 32 inch cables, plus DPNs or magic loop for the cuffs |
| Time | Not stated by the designer |
the page lists seven skein counts for six sizes, so go by the yards for your size, not the skein list. The designer also says to knit and block a gauge swatch first, because fit depends on it.
What you’ll need
Nine of these ten patterns use 4 mm (US 6) needles, so one size covers most of the list:
- Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, the yarn behind the Hogwarts scarf
- 4 mm (US 6) 16-inch circular needles for the beanie, the cowl and the sweater cuffs
- DK baby yarn for the blanket and the baby hat
- A cable needle for the headband, the cable hat and the cowl
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Where to go next
- Got a thicker yarn? See what to knit with worsted weight yarn or what to knit with chunky yarn.
- Only one ball? Here is what to knit with one skein of yarn.
- More for little ones: what to knit for a baby.
- Knitting for someone else? Try what to knit for him or what to knit for her.
- Browse every project sorted by yarn weight.
- Crochet as well as knit? Our sister site has a whole shelf of knitting patterns at Daily Crochet.
