11 Simple, Free Recipe Knitting Patterns So Your Creativity Can Soar

When is a pattern more than just a pattern? When it’s one of these free recipe knitting patterns that you can make your own

Once upon a time, I was showing one of the ladies in my church’s prayer shawl group how to use Ravelry to find a pattern.

I showed her how she could use the different filters to show her only crochet patterns. And to show her only hats. And for only patterns using DK-weight yarn.

She showed interest for a while, but as I showed her how she could narrow her search more and more, she declared:

“Well, that just takes all the fun out of it!”

I laugh at this now (okay, I laughed then too!), because that experience showed me that there are two types of yarncrafting experiences in this world.

The first kind is when you know exactly what you want to knit (or crochet), and you won’t stop until you find exactly what you’re looking for. And when you find that pattern or project, you dive right in and stick to the “book.”

The second kind is more of a meandering process. You’re not looking for anything specific. You may have a general idea of what you want (for instance, “I want to knit a hat”), but you’re interested in the backroads and the alleyways.

You’re looking for inspiration, and when it strikes? You know.

If you’re looking for this kind of experience, I have a delightful collection to offer you today!

Introducing the Recipe Knitting Pattern

Recipe knitting patterns are no ordinary patterns. What makes them unique is that designers create them so that the knitter can adapt them.

While a typical pattern tells you exactly how to put a project together, a recipe offers a template.

You can adapt the recipe pattern in any of these ways:

• to fit a particular size
• to include a particular design feature or knitting technique
• to use a particular amount or type of yarn

Recipe patterns have something to offer for both beginning and more experienced knitters.

For the beginning knitter, a recipe helps them learn how a pattern is put together. For the more experienced knitter, a recipe allows them to put their own creative stamp on their projects.

Free Recipe Knitting Patterns

Super Sock Calculator: This sock recipe requires only that you enter the foot measurements of the person you are knitting for. From there, it will give you all the information you need. This recipe will allow you to make toe-up socks two at a time.

Diving In: This is a fun shawl recipe pattern that allows you to use up your yarn leftovers to make a truly unique shawl.

Heart & Soul: This is a very basic hat recipe that, once you’ve made a few, will enable you to understand how it works and how it could work with any yarn. This recipe will make a beanie with a ribbed brim.

Lined Beanie: This recipe will make a pretty lined, striped beanie.

Darling Darby Dog Sweater: This is the ultimate dog sweater recipe pattern. It will work with any size dog and allows you to make modifications as needed.

Shawl Knitting Cheat Sheet: This clever recipe shows you how you can make any of 5 different shawl shapes — square, circular, triangular, semi-circular, or heart-shaped. This is a recipe you can customize in any of a number of ways.

Straightforward Cowl: As the name implies, this is the most basic of cowls, and this recipe offers you a blank slate you can customize as you wish. (Again, use the “free Ravelry download” link rather than the “for more information” link to access.)

Wizard Warmers: Patterned after Gandalf’s gloves in the movie The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey, these mitts are incredibly flexible and very stylish.

Fourth Day Earwarmer Recipe: With this recipe, you can make as long of an earwarming headband as you choose.

Easy, Any Size Beginner Hat Recipe: This is very much like the Heart & Soul recipe linked to earlier, except that it features a rolled brim rather than a ribbed one.

Owlish Netbooksleeve: Do you own a tablet? A netbook? A notebook computer? You can adapt this recipe to suit any (or all) of the above. (Again, stick to the “free Ravelry download” link.) Regardless of what size device you knit it for, this pattern creates an adorable owl-themed cover.

Ready to add creativity to a project? Or just ensure it fits as perfectly as possible? Any of these fantastic and free recipe knitting patterns will undoubtedly be just what you need!