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Garter stitch knitting patterns are a great place to start when you are learning to knit, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Check out this great collection of garter stitch projects that are perfect for beginners or those who just want a meditative knit.
Garter Stitch Washcloth

Probably one of the most popular first knitting projects out there is to make a garter stitch washcloth. And with good reason: washcloths are small, so they don’t take a long time to knit. They can be made with a single ball of cotton yarn (check out some of my favorite cotton yarns and tips for working with them), which is inexpensive.
Even if you make common beginner mistakes like adding or dropping stitches, a washcloth still works as a washcloth. Everyone can use them, and the texture of garter stitch is naturally scrubby. So it’s a great place to start.
This washcloth is worked flat on size 7 US/4.5 mm knitting needles, which are also easy to find and inexpensive.
Get the pattern here: Garter Stitch Washcloth
Garter Stitch Scarf

For those with a bit more patience when it comes to getting to the end of their first project, a garter stitch scarf is also a great choice.
Because the rows are short, it feels like you’re making progress quickly. And if you learn to cast on with the knit cast on method for this or any other project, you’ll have all the basics down before you even get started with the actual knitting.
This garter stitch knitting pattern shows how to knit a scarf in a single color or using a different color on the ends. It calls for bulky yarn, making it a relatively fast project even though it is big.
Get the pattern here: Garter Stitch Scarf
Horizontal Scarf Knitting Pattern

If you turn garter stitch on its side, working from the long side of a scarf instead of the short side, you’ll get this horizontal garter stitch scarf.
This one is a great stash buster if you have accumulated some yarn on your journey to becoming a knitter, or if you have some leftovers from previous projects. You could also make it with one or more colors, just cut the yarn and leave tails at the beginning and end of each row.
I also used big needles and yarn of different weights (there’s even some Bernat Blanket in there!), which makes it lots of fun to knit and see how the different yarns interact.
Get the pattern here: Horizontal Scarf Knitting Pattern
Giant Garter Stitch Scarf

Speaking of stash busting, this garter stitch knitting pattern makes a scarf on giant, size 50 US knitting needles, so it uses up a lot of yarn in a hurry.
You can use full balls or leftovers to make an even more colorful project. Holding multiple strands together makes fun plays of color and texture, and these scarves knit up in almost no time at all.
They’re perfect for charity knitting or if you want to make a scarf for everyone you know for the holidays.
Get the pattern here: Giant Garter Stitch Scarf
Bow Cowl

This is a super quick and easy pattern using super bulky yarn. It’s the same as knitting a scarf, but then turned on its side. A little piece of knitting wraps around where you joined the ends of the cowl together to hide any messy stitching and to give it the look of a bow.
I needed two balls of yarn to complete the project, but it’s only about 130 yards, so if you have bigger balls you can make it a one-skein project.
Get the pattern here: Bow Cowl
Faux Fur Headband

Most of the time it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of yarn you use for these garter stitch knitting patterns, but in the case of this headband/ear warmer the yarn really makes the project.
It’s Lion Brand’s Go for Faux yarn, and you can make a couple of these with a single ball, depending on the size you make.
They also stitch up in minutes on large needles, and I’ve got a trick in there for binding off and seaming at the same time, which makes it a little easier with this super fuzzy yarn.
Get the pattern here: Faux Fur Headband
Garter Stitch Hot Pad

This is basically a variation on the washcloth knitting pattern shared above, worked in thicker yarn, but instead of binding off all the stitches at the end, you keep a few to knit a little tab so you can hang your hot pad from the oven door if you like.
Doing that is of course optional, and you’ll need a button, but it’s a good way to keep your hot pad handy when you need it.
This is another good project for a beginner because it doesn’t have to be perfect, but be mindful of any big holes that might make your project less reliable as a protection from the heat.
Get the pattern here: Garter Stitch Hot Pad
Bias Garter Stitch Washcloth

Make your garter stitch washcloths a little more fun by working them on the bias. This project will teach you methods of increasing and decreasing stitches if you don’t already know how to do that, and it makes a super cute addition to your bathroom.
It’s extra fun (but not much extra skill) to make the project in two colors, but it’s totally optional and this project looks fine in a single color as well. Or you can use up all your cotton odd balls to make a striped washcloth.
Get the pattern here: Bias Garter Stitch Washcloth
Garter Stitch Cowl

Working garter stitch knitting patterns in the round is a different technique from working flat. Instead of knitting every stitch of every row, you need to knit a round and then purl a round.
You’ll get lots of practice with this method by knitting my garter stitch cowl, which is super long and cozy.
I made mine in three colors (love that contrasting color cast on and bind off!) but you can make a single color, more striped, etc., depending on the yarn you have available.
Get the pattern here: Garter Stitch Cowl
One Skein Shawl

What can you do with a single skein of beautiful yarn and garter stitch? Make this cute asymmetrical shawl!
This one uses a little bit of increasing and decreasing, but nothing too difficult, and you can change up the size of your shawl depending on how much yarn you use.
I so wanted to use every inch of this yarn that I could that I ended up doing a no yarn bind off, which is a great trick to know.
Get the pattern here: One Skein Shawl
More Garter Stitch Knitting Patterns with Log Cabin

Log cabin knitting is more of a technique than a pattern, though of course there are patterns that use the technique.
It’s made by building blocks of garter stitch on top of and around each other to make squares or rectangles from the center out.
In my tutorial I show it made into a pillow, but there are so many things you can do with log cabin knitting once you know how to do it!
Get the pattern here: Log Cabin Pillow
