Free Pattern Friday – Playground Hoodie

Child wearing striped knitted hoodie. Text reads. Free Pattern Friday, Playground Hoodie in Cotton Supreme Waves

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Boy wearing striped knitted hoodie pullover with pockets

Today, the Playground Hoodie knitted in Cotton Supreme Waves (pattern link here).

Whoosh!

Summer means kids in constant motion! And today’s free pattern is perfect for keeping young ones comfortable as they play.

Young boy seated in grass, wearing knitted striped hoodie and holding two toy airplanes
I’ll sit down, but I’m not tired!

Aubrey Busek’s Playground Hoodie is sized for kids two to twelve. It’s shown here in the four-year-old size. We’re happy to report that it met with the model’s seal of approval.

Young boy wearing striped hoodie knitted in Cotton Supreme Waves
Okay, playtime again!

Perfect for warm and cool weather alike, the practical hood and kangaroo pocket will allow your little one to ward off any breeze in the air. Machine washable 100% Cotton Supreme Waves creates a breathable fabric that’s practical spring through fall.

Image of skeins of Cotton Supreme Waves yarn with knitting needles and crochet hook
So many colors!

Color 910 Equator is used in the hoodie. It stripes up solidly, but there are also options that stripe up with a more speckled, variegated effect, like 916 Ice Cream that’s facing forward in the group of future WIPs above.

Closeup of young boy wearing v-necked striped hoodie
Did someone say ice cream?

Pro tip: Cotton Supreme Waves is a self-striping yarn. To ensure your project looks as close to the sample as possible, when breaking and rejoining yarn, be sure to visually match the point at which you’re rejoining. You might need to wind off some yarn. We promise the results are worth the effort!

Rear view of boy wearing striped knitted hoodie with the hood up.
Do I hear the ice cream truck over there?

The Playground Hoodie is a sunshiney, practical kid project that looks good, feels good, and is fun to knit. What a perfect summertime treat!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend, full of imagination and fun times.

Happy crafting!
-Heather Hill

Free Pattern Friday – Groove

It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Rear view of woman wearing knit hooded cardigan
Today, Groove knit in Dona (pattern link here). Groove was formerly a pay-only pattern, and part of e-book Dona 2.0. We’re delighted to set it free!
Woman wearing magenta cardigan knit in Dona yarn
Groove has it all – pockets, coordinating buttons and a generous hood. This modern beauty is worked from the top down, and uses Barbara Walker’s Simultaneous Set-in Sleeves.
Dona L-R: 138 Olive, 137 Lily Pad, 133 Blue Hint, 130 Steely, 134 Glacier, 132 Alabaster
Often when I see something bright, my impulse is to want to tone it down, go more neutral and cool, like one the tones featured in our Soothe Dona Kit, above
Image of Dona yarn balls
But this sweater looks so good bright, and Dona’s jeweltones are so saturated, I think designer Tori Gurbisz was right on the money picking a full-voiced color.
Dona is a favorite of designers, including our own design team. We’ll be back later on with an in-depth look at brand new Dona e-book Elegant Ease. Until then, have a great weekend – and happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Little Hoodie

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Gray knitted child-sized hoodie on black background

Today, the Little Hoodie in Bella Cash (pattern link).

We love a classic with a twist.  This hoodie is constructed traditionally, in pieces and seamed, but two things make it special: one, the balanced panels on front and back – the ssk and k2tog on right and left panels add a nice symmetry – and two, the yarn.

Back side of knit gray child hoodie

We’re big fans of Bella Cash (230yds/50g).  Its softness and machine washability make it perfect not just for baby garments, but also for adult projects and accessories.  (In fact, in a bit of a coincidence, we released our newest pattern collection today – Small Pleasures, featuring 7 knit accessories in Bella Cash.)

e-book cover titled Small Pleasures showing hands wearing blue knitted fingerless mitts

We’ll be talking more about these beauties in the days to come.  For now, back to today’s free pattern!

Gray children's hoodie knitted in Bella Cash yarn

We’ve sized this from 0-10 years, so you might choose to go with the classic pastels…

or something a little bolder.

Whatever you choose to do, we hope you have a great time knitting this fun hoodie.

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Kenan’s Hoodie

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, Kenan’s Hoodie in Deluxe Worsted Tweed superwash (pattern link).

Everybody say hi to Yonca!

Yonca is our Sales Manager, and an excellent knitter and crocheter.  That’s her, sporting the Lace Leaf Pullover that she modified from the free Lace Leaf Cardigan in Garden 10.

Yonca’s kids are off at college, and like many crafting parents, she’s sending them a couple of things to help keep them warm while they’re away.  She gave her daughter a beautiful cardigan – the one we shared last week – and now her son gets his turn.

Kenan’s Hoodie is worked in pieces from the bottom up in Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash. It’s made in one of our newer colors, 915 Cloud Blue, which just straddles the line between blue and gray.

The design features a dropped shoulder and roomy hood for a casual look.  Although we’re calling this a men’s sweater, there’s no reason it wouldn’t work for a woman as well.

We love hearing stories of all the knitted and crocheted “hugs” that people send to loved ones far away.  They’re so satisfying to give and to receive.

We hope you stay warm and cozy this weekend, and that you’re able to reach out to someone you care about.

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Jump for Joy Hoodie

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

CS Batik Jump For Joy Hoodie blogToday, the Jump for Joy Hoodie in Cotton Supreme Batik.

We heard recently from a shop owner in Southern California, talking about how cute a pair of mittens in Amy Gunderson’s Crocheted Mitts and Mittens were – and how little use she’d get out of them in her neck of the woods.  True!  It may be snowing in some places, but in others it’s bright and sunny.  Enter this adorable cotton hoodie.

Cotton Supreme Batik (180yds/100g) is a self-striping 100% cotton that’s very easy on the hands to work with.  The bright colors lend themselves well to kid knits as well as adult pieces (Michael del Vecchio’s Poppies Scarf is definitely on my wish list).

This cute hoodie is sized from newborn to eight years.  It’s constructed in pieces and seamed, with the button band garter edging added afterward.

If you want the stripes to match on the sleeves, you may want to pick up an extra ball, just to be sure you can hit the same spot in the color repeats.  That shouldn’t be as much of an issue in the colorways of Cotton Supreme Batik that feature fewer shades per ball.  Wouldn’t 39, Green Apple, make a great Spring piece for a toddler?

We hope you’re staying warm – but not too warm!  Happy knitting!

Jump For Joy Hoodie open blog

Free Pattern Friday – Frog Hoodie

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Bella Chenille Frog Hoodie wide blog

Today, a great project to leap into the new year with.  The Frog Hoodie in Bella Chenille!

Bella Chenille (131yds/100g) is a fuzzy polyester chenille that’s very soft and easy to work with.  I used this for a Sunday Swatch a while back, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that it machine washes well.  This is a great yarn choice for a kid project.

Knit the sleeves in the round and put them aside, then work the body and attach the sleeves.  Work upward to the neck and hood, then add the frog eyes.  The coordinating buttons are nice and big for little hands to fasten.

Happy knitting!