Projects
Every project type has its own real planning logic — a hat is built around head circumference and negative ease, a blanket around pure area, a sweater around ease and construction method, and amigurumi around a deliberately non-standard gauge. This section is organized by project type specifically so each guide can go deep on what actually matters for that kind of piece, rather than one generic "how to plan a project" article trying to cover all of them at once.
The five guides
- Hats — sizing by head circumference, negative ease, and crown shaping math
- Scarves & Cowls — no body measurement involved at all, so the real decisions are dimensions, edge treatment, and stitch pattern
- Sweaters — ease, construction method, and the highest stakes on this whole site for getting a swatch right
- Blankets — pure area math, curling at scale, and modular versus single-piece construction
- Amigurumi & Toys — deliberately tight, non-standard gauge and assembling many small pieces into one
How to pick a starting point if you're between project types
If sizing to fit a specific person matters, start with hats or sweaters — both are built around a real body measurement. If nothing needs to fit anyone in particular, scarves and cowls and blankets are the more forgiving categories, distinguished mainly by scale and whether the piece is worked flat or in the round. Amigurumi is its own category regardless of experience level — the gauge logic is different enough from every other project type that it's worth reading that guide specifically before starting, even if you're comfortable with garments already.
What every guide in this section shares
Each project-type guide links out to the same underlying tools rather than duplicating their explanations — the Yarn Quantity Estimator for how much to buy, the Cast-On Calculator for a correctly rounded starting count, and the Gauge Conversion Calculator for adapting a pattern to your own swatch. What differs between guides is which of those decisions actually matters most for that project type, and in what order.
Sizing across ages
Several project types — hats, sweaters, and to a lesser extent mittens and socks, covered under their own sizing charts — scale from baby through adult sizes. Head and chest growth isn't linear with age (fastest in infancy, slowing well before full adult size), so check the actual measurement band for a specific age rather than guessing a size from age alone.
FAQ
Which project type is the best starting point for a first knit or crochet project? Hats and scarves are the two most commonly recommended firsts — hats teach circular construction and shaping in a small, fast piece; scarves are entirely flat with no shaping pressure at all. Sweaters and heavily constructed amigurumi are usually better attempted after at least one smaller project.
Do these guides cover garments beyond the five listed here, like socks or mittens? Not yet at the same dedicated depth — the sizing charts section and answers section both touch on socks and mittens already, and a fuller project-type guide for each is planned as this section grows.