The free stitch dictionary & pattern library for knitters who chart.
StitchVault is a calm, browseable archive of 481 charted knitting stitches and 540 free patterns — every entry with written rows, a charted diagram, skill level, recommended yarn weight, needle size, and gauge.
Nine shelves of charted knitting stitches.
Each category gathers the canonical patterns from Walker, Hiatt, Stanley, and Compton, charted, written, and gauge-tagged for easy substitution into any project.
Basic Stitches
The foundation. Stockinette, garter, seed, and the small handful of patterns every other stitch builds on.
10 charted stitches →
Ribbing
Vertical knit/purl columns that pull in horizontally — every cuff, hem, and collar in the catalogue.
24 charted stitches →
Cables & Twists
Crossed columns of stitches that produce ropes, braids, diamonds, and the whole Aran tradition.
91 charted stitches →
Lace
Yarn-overs and decreases combined to produce decorative open-mesh fabrics.
112 charted stitches →
Colourwork
Stranded, intarsia, and helix patterns in two or more colours.
58 charted stitches →
Textured Knit-Purl
Diamonds, chevrons, basketweave, bobbles — relief patterns made from knits and purls alone.
66 charted stitches →
Slip-Stitch & Mosaic
Two-colour patterns where only one colour is in use per row — the easy entry to colourwork.
53 charted stitches →
Brioche
Spongy, lofty, fully reversible — knit a stitch into the row below for a fabric twice as thick.
7 charted stitches →
Edgings & Borders
Borders, hems, cast-ons, and bind-offs — the way a piece of fabric becomes a finished object.
60 charted stitches →
A handful to swatch tonight.
Feather and Fan (Old Shale)
The classic Shetland four-row repeat. Row 1: knit. Row 2: purl. Row 3: *(k2tog)×3, (yo, k1)×6, (k2tog)×3; rep*. Row 4: knit.
Honeycomb Cable
A 6-st repeat alternating 2/2 RC and 2/2 LC every 4 rows — produces interlocking ovals like a cellular pattern. Standard on traditional Ara…
Seed Stitch
Worked over an even number of stitches. Row 1: *k1, p1; rep from *. Row 2: knit the purls and purl the knits (each stitch alternates from t…
Vine Lace
A 9-st climbing-vine pattern — one of the most-used shawl lace patterns. Rows 1 and 3 (RS): *k1, yo, k3, sk2p, k3, yo; rep, k4*. Rows 2 and…
Two-Row Stripe
The simplest stranded colourwork: alternate two rows of MC and two rows of CC. Carry the yarn up the side; no jogless trick needed for narr…
Horseshoe Cable
An 8-stitch panel: 2/2 LC followed by 2/2 RC — reads as a U or horseshoe.
Free patterns, sorted ten ways.
Sweater-shaped objects to take the stitch dictionary off the page and onto your needles.
Hats
Hats are the friendliest first project in knitting — they finish quickly, fit forgivingly, and let you try a …
54 free patterns →
Scarves
Long, flat, and meditative, scarves are the most portable project in knitting. The patterns gathered here cov…
54 free patterns →
Sweaters
A handknit sweater is a long conversation with a piece of yarn. The free sweater patterns in this section cov…
54 free patterns →
Socks
Hand-knit socks are practical magic — warm, quietly luxurious, and surprisingly portable once you settle into…
54 free patterns →
Baby Knits
Baby knits are small, fast, and forgiving — and a brilliant way to try a new technique before committing to a…
54 free patterns →
Cowls
Cowls are scarves with the seaming step removed. Worked in the round, they slip on quickly and stay put witho…
54 free patterns →
Mittens & Gloves
Mittens, fingerless mitts, gauntlets, and texting gloves — anything that warms a pair of hands belongs here. …
54 free patterns →
Shawls & Wraps
Shawls are the swatch with ambition. Once you've fallen in love with a stitch pattern, a shawl is how you spe…
54 free patterns →
Blankets & Throws
Blankets are the slowest, most rewarding knit in the catalogue. The patterns here are written modularly so yo…
54 free patterns →
Home & Accessories
Quick, practical, and excellent gifts. This section gathers the small things — phone cozies, coasters, market…
54 free patterns →
Yarn weights, needle sizes, and core techniques — all written out.
Yarn weight guides
Lace through super bulky — gauge ranges, recommended needles, fibre notes, and the stitch families each weight wears best.
Needle reference
US/metric conversion charts, materials (bamboo, metal, square), and formats (circular, DPN, interchangeable).
Technique deep-dives
How to read a chart, the abbreviations glossary, gauge swatching, blocking, cast-ons, and Kitchener stitch.