There are times when we want to challenge ourselves, and then there are times when life itself provide enough challenge. In times like the latter (2020, anyone?!) garter stitch is like taking a long drink of ice water on a hot sunny day. It’s refreshing, uncomplicated, and perfect for zoning out. In a spirit of exploration, I decided to log onto Ravelry to find free garter stitch patterns for blissful knitting, but with a catch: I wanted to find some by designers that I already know and love. To do this, I went to the “patterns” page, listed ‘garter stitch’ as a search term, filtered the search to show only free patterns, and then went through the twenty-four pages (oh Ravelry, how I love you still!) to search names. I found some of my favorites, such as Churchmouse Yarns and Purl Soho; I also made some new friends in the process. Here are three that I really love and intend to knit as soon as possible.

Joji Locatelli, the Argentinian designer living in Buenos Aires, has written many beautiful shawl patterns. As a thank-you to her many loyal fans (and perhaps as an invitation to the as-yet uninitiated?), she’s posted the Odyssey Shawl for free download. This pattern will produce a crescent-shaped shawl that demonstrates, in her own words: “Draped fabric, simple lines, and lots of little details here and there.” This quintessentially Joji pattern calls for 675 yards of DK weight yarn and looks to be a relatively simple knit.

Ysolda Teague promotes herself as an ‘inclusive pattern designer,’ and her simply monikered Garter Stitch Mitts can be created to fit any size hand. Although some short-rowing is involved, the balance of the pattern is straight garter stitch. Knit at sport weight, these will work up quickly because of their small size – and, in addition, the yarn weight will ensure that the garter stitch doesn’t look out of proportion on smaller sized hands.

Dancer-turned-knitwear designer Stephen West is another artist with a cult following – one either loves or hates his bold use of line and color. West has quite a few free downloadables in the Ravelry database, but my absolute favorite has got to be the Modish Cowl. West calls for bulky yarn, but the way the pattern’s written makes it very easy to resize for lighter weights of yarn; I plan to take advantage of this pattern in conjunction with using up odds and ends of DK yarn that I have leftover from two or three previous projects. It calls for knitting a long, skinny strip of garter, and then picking up on each side and knitting outward; combined with stripes, the result lives up to the name of the pattern.

Between these three patterns, I think I have the next few months covered, as well as quite a few of my gifts for the upcoming holiday season. When these are done, I’ll go back to the same search – there’s quite a bit of free candy available. Don’t take my word for it – check it out yourself!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Ravelry or with any of the three designers listed. These patterns are all free downloads.