Needlecrafts Knitting

Free Patterns for Quick Knitting Projects

Vintage knitting needles, scissors and yarn inside old wire basket on wooden stool, still life photo with soft focus
Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

These quick knitting patterns are designed to be easy on the knitter in terms of time, budget and (often) the mental energy involved in making them. They're great for gifts you need or want to be done in a hurry, charity knitting or whenever you want a quick project to occupy yourself.

There are some great stash-busters here too, whether because of their size or because they already use multiple yarns. Or add stripes to other projects to use up your odd balls fast.

  • 01 of 05

    Horizontal Scarf

    Horizontal Scarf on a wooden fence

    Sarah E. White

    This scarf is a great way to use up scraps from finished knitting projects because a different yarn is used on each row as the scarf is knit horizontally. It may seem like this project would take a long time because of the sheer number of stitches in each row, but it only takes a few rows to make a usable (and very cool-looking) scarf.

  • 02 of 05

    Flat-Knit Armwarmers

    arm warmer on a left hand

    Sarah E. White

    Armwarmers (or wristlets or gauntlets) are another genre of pretty quick knits since they generally aren't very long and don't include those pesky fingers to slow you down. This is a super-fast variation on the theme because it's knit flat and then sewn up the side, leaving a hole for the thumb.

  • 03 of 05

    Bias Knit Doll Blanket

    bias doll blanket on a stuffed pig sitting on carpet

    Sarah E. White

    If you're giving a doll or stuffed animal to one of your younger friends, throw in a cute and quick-to-knit blanket for their new pal. This one could be knit in stripes to use up scraps from other projects or just use one color as shown.

  • 04 of 05

    Dropped Stitch Soap Sack

    soap sack

    Sarah E. White

    A soap sack is a gift that's both useful and cute. It's simply a small bag that a fine bar of soap can be placed in and used. The sack acts a bit like a washcloth or bath sponge to scrub and make lather, and it helps keep your soap intact down to the last sliver.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below
  • 05 of 05

    Knit Washcloths

    Broken rib washcloth on a wicker surface

    Sarah E. White

    Along the same lines of the soap sack, knit washcloths are an easy project that's also useful and appreciated by almost everyone who gets them, whether accompanied by spa gifts or cleaning supplies (depending on the occasion).