10 Cute Knitting Projects

I don't know about you, but I have a weakness for cute knitting projects that look like food. If your child or grandchild's first day of school is coming up, knit them a backpack that's almost as sweet as they are—almost.

I could share cute knitted animals until the cows come home, so I'll try to keep it brief and only share my favorites. It's almost impossible to believe that you can accomplish something like this through knitting, but nope, you don't need a hook for this one.

One of the easiest ways to make the room go "aww" is to outfit a baby in an absurd hat. It sounds crazy, but it works. Cassie May from Little Red Window has just a ton of these quirky baby hats, but this one is my absolute favorite.

You can't tell me that you haven't looked at your knitting needles and then back at your dog and thought to yourself "Do I dare?" The answer is yes: yes, you do dare. If your precious pooch doesn't take well to sweaters, the next cutest thing is a Christmas outfit all his own.

Why should dogs get all the fun? You can knit for cats, too, but they're more likely to appreciate teeny mouselike toys that they can bat around the house. My cats are obsessed with these tiny knitted things, but maybe it's because they're stuffed with catnip...

Another easy way to inject some "cute" into your knitting is to take something plain and ordinary, like a garter stitch blanket, and add an element that makes your heart melt, like an animal-themed hood. The little ones in your family will love it!

I promise this is the last knit amigurumi pattern I'll show you, but what a great one to end on, right? Giraffes are cute enough as it is, but yarnified get only more adorable. I love this pattern for a safari-themed nursery or cutesy decor. You can never have enough cute knitted animals!

Okay, I lied, but how could you see an octopus like this and not share it? Tiny patterns are almost always cute knitting projects, but it takes skill to knit something relatively sizable like this and still melt hearts. This octopus toy is easily my favorite of the bunch.

Whoever has seen My Neighbor Totoro knows that this movie (and all Ghibli/Miyazaki films in general) just epitomizes "cute," but even people who aren't raging anime nerds are sure to appreciate the adorableness of this hat.

Sometimes, to make cute tiny knitted things, all you have to do is give it a smile. Without the grin, this tofu pin cushion would just be a stuffed, white block, but now, his name is Mr. Tofu and he's your best friend, as well as the cutest thing in your sewing supplies.