Founder
"Third trimester knitting has one rule: if you have to look at the pattern more than once every few rows, it's too complicated. Everything here is designed to be memorized, picked up, put down, and picked back up without losing your place. The socks go in your hospital bag. The blanket goes everywhere — couch, bed, nursing chair. If baby comes early, you can finish it during feeds. If baby comes late, you'll have it done before they arrive."
Knit something for you. And for him.
Photo coming soon
Accogliente Socks
Stacey Winklepleck · Free at KnitPicks ↗
Accogliente is Italian for cozy — and that's exactly what these are. A top-down worsted weight sock that knits up fast, fits beautifully, and is beginner-friendly enough to make in a weekend. The worsted weight means big needles, quick progress, and a thick, cushioned fabric that feels like a cloud on swollen third-trimester feet.
Knit yours in Chroma Worsted for the full fluffy, colorful, self-striping experience. The speckles and stripes make a simple stockinette sock genuinely exciting to knit — and they photograph beautifully in the hospital. One important note: Chroma is slippery on hospital floors. These are for wearing in the bed, not walking the hallway. Pack them in your hospital bag and put them on the moment you arrive.
Knit these in Chroma Worsted for maximum fluffiness and color. They will be the softest, most beautiful thing on your feet during labor — which matters more than you think it will. Pack them in the hospital bag the moment you finish them.
Chroma Worsted is slippery on smooth floors. These are hospital bed socks, not walking socks. Do not attempt the hallway in these. Wear the grippy hospital socks for that.
Photo coming soon
Accogliente Socks
Stacey Winklepleck · Same pattern, different yarn
Same pattern. Different yarn, different person. While you're knitting yours in Chroma, cast on a pair for the person who will be in that hospital room with you — the one sleeping in the chair, eating vending machine food, and holding your hand through all of it. Hospital floors are cold. He deserves warm feet too.
Knit his pair in Wool of the Andes Worsted — a sturdy, warm, non-slippery wool in classic solid colors that work on any man. Pick his favorite color or something neutral. The same pattern works for larger foot sizes; just knit the foot section longer. It's a genuinely lovely thing to hand someone a pair of socks you made for them when they didn't expect it.
Wool of the Andes grips the floor — which is exactly what you want for someone who will actually be walking the hallway. A solid color in charcoal, navy, or forest green works for almost anyone. Make them a size longer if he has bigger feet — the pattern is easy to adjust.
The open front newborn cardigan.
Photo coming soon
Newborn Vertebrae
Kelly van Niekerk · Free on Ravelry ↗
The genius of this pattern is what it doesn't have: a front. The Vertebrae is a frontless cardigan — it covers the back, the arms, and the shoulders, and leaves the chest completely open. It goes over a onesie so you never have to wash it after a spit-up. It stays on during skin-to-skin without getting in the way. And for those first precious newborn snuggles, it keeps baby warm while still letting you feel them against you.
Make two or three of these before baby arrives and put them in the newborn drawer. Top-down raglan construction means no seaming, the sizing is forgiving, and each one knits up in just a few evenings. Fingering weight on slightly larger needles gives a soft, light fabric that layers beautifully over a onesie without being stiff or heavy. This is one of those patterns you'll knit again for every new baby in your life — yours or someone else's.
Make at least two — ideally three. One will be in the wash, one will be on baby, and one will be waiting. They go over a onesie so the onesie takes the spit-up, not the cardigan. You will be so grateful for this distinction at 3am.
Cast these on now, finish them before baby arrives. Top-down raglan is satisfying and fast — you see the shape forming immediately. Each one is small enough to finish in a few evenings, which makes them perfect for the couch-and-TV knitting this stage calls for.
More third trimester patterns coming soon — get the free guide to be notified when new kits are added.