Author Archives: Coffee Tea Knits

The Layered Bricks Scarf Pattern

Posted in 2023, September 2023 Pattern by

The Layered Bricks Scarf


Why am I drawn to yarn that eventually becomes discontinued? One of my favorite pastimes is to go to my local arts and crafts stores to window shop, get some inspiration, or sometimes sample some unique yarn. It was so with the Yarn Bee® Fresh Haven yarn I purchased from Hobby Lobby last year, which I used for a weaving project. I liked the softness of the yarn so I went back to Hobby Lobby to get some more to knit a cardigan or a blanket but couldn’t find any. I later found out that it was discontinued. Fortunately, I had one skein of two different yarn colors left, so I used them to knit the Layered Bricks Scarf.

The yarn is made with 100% Tencel®. Tencel® yarn is made with wood pulp that is chemically processed to create the semi synthetic cellulose fibers (Lyocell). It is known for its strength, is durable and absorbs moisture well. It’s also hypoallergenic making it suitable for those who are sensitive to wool. I just like the yarn because it feels soft, silky and drapes well. I am of course quite disappointed that this yarn has been discontinued.

The Layered Bricks Scarf is knit in the houndstooth pattern using garter stitch pattern with slipped stitches. It’s a four row repeat pattern that alternates the yarn colorway every two rows. The scarf pattern is similar to the Interwoven Earwarmer pattern but knit flat instead of in the round. Unlike the Interwoven Earwarmer, the Layered Bricks Scarf has no purl stitches making this pattern more beginner-friendly.

The Layered Bricks Scarf Pattern (text and images for personal use only)

Yarn: Yarn Bee® Fresh Haven yarn in Colorway A: Red Clay and Colorway B: Grey (The yarn has been discontinued but other yarn with Tencel® or Lyocell fiber can be substituted for it)
Knitting Needles: US #6 (4.0 mm) circular needles or straight needles; US #8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles for the cast on and bind off
Crochet Hooks: US G-6 (4.0 mm)
Tapestry needle to weave in ends
Gauge: 6.0 stitches per inch in the garter houndstooth stitch pattern with US #6 knitting needles after washing
Size of the Layered Bricks Scarf: about 5.5 inches wide and 58.5 inches long without stretching

Abbreviations:
K: Knit
pm: place marker
sm: slip marker
wyif: with working yarn in front
s1 purlwise: with working yarn in back slip 1 stitch purlwise from the left needle
[…]: stitch pattern repeats

With US #8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles and thumb or long tail cast on method, cast on 1 stitch, pm, cast on 33 stitches, pm, cast on 1 stitch (35 stitches in total) with Colorway B (grey) yarn. Knit the following with US #6 knitting needles:

  • Row 1 (RS): With Colorway A (red clay) yarn – K1, sm, [K2, s1 purlwise] repeat […] till marker, sm, wyif S1 purlwise
  • Row 2 (WS): With Colorway A (red clay) yarn – K1, sm, knit to marker, sm, wyif S1 purlwise
  • Row 3 (RS): With Colorway B (grey) yarn – K1, sm, [s1 purlwise, K2] repeat […] till marker, sm, wyif S1 purlwise
  • Row 4 (WS): With Colorway B (grey) yarn – K1, sm, knit to marker, sm, wyif S1 purlwise

Repeat Rows 1 to 4, 118 times.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 once more. Cut the Colorway A (red clay) yarn and secure it.
With Colorway B (grey) yarn and US # 8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles, bind off loosely in the knit stitch while removing the two markers.
Remove the US #8 needle from the last bind off stitch and insert a G-6 (4.0 mm) crochet hook, then chain one.

  • Turn the scarf and single crochet along the left length of the scarf
  • Turn and single crochet along the cast-on edge
  • Turn and single crochet up along the right side length of the scarf
  • Turn and single crochet along the bind off edge of the scarf

Slip stitch into the beginning stitch of the single crochet. Pull yarn through.
Weave in the ends with the tapestry needle, wash and block the Layered Bricks Scarf

The Layered Bricks Scarf turned out soft and silky as I had expected. It’s stretchy and drapes well too. It keeps me warm and is perfect for this time of the year.

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Tutorial Series: K2tog and P2tog

Posted in K2tog and P2tog, Tutorial Series by

One way to decrease a stitch in knitting is by doing a K2tog on the knit row/round or a P2tog on a purl row/round. K2tog stands for knit two stitches together and P2tog stands for purl two stitches together. The videos below show both ways of decreasing one stitch in right handed knitting.

K2tog:

  • Insert the right needle from back to front of the second stitch on the left knitting needle and then insert it into the first stitch on the left needle
  • Wrap the working yarn around the inserted right needle
  • Pull the right knitting needle and working yarn loop into and through the 2 stitches on the left needle
  • Keep the working yarn loop (the new stitch) on the right needle and slide the 2 stitches off the left needle

P2tog:

  • Insert right needle front to back into the first two stitches on the left knitting needle
  • Wrap the working yarn around the right needle
  • Pull the working yarn loop on the right needle through the two stitches on the left needle and keep the loop (new stitch) on the right needle
  • Slide the first two stitches off the left needle

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

To Crochet a Cardigan

Posted in 2023, September 2023 by


Last month I completed my very first crochet cardigan. It is based on the free crochet pattern called In the Clouds Cardigan by Grace of For The Frills. The cardigan is beginner friendly and the pattern comes along with a video tutorial on how to crochet this cardigan. The video tutorial for this cardigan was very helpful.

I picked this cardigan because it had a similar crochet moss stitch pattern (single crochet, chain one) yet where the single crochet was placed gave a different texture to the crocheted item. This textured crochet stitch pattern was also my inspiration to design and crochet the Four Sections Blanket pattern.

Briefly, the body of the free cardigan pattern is worked sideways (lengthwise) beginning from the first front panel, then the back, and ending with the second front panel leaving gaps for the armholes. The shoulders are seamed. The sleeves are crocheted flat and then seamed to the armhole edges. The ribbing for the body, sleeves, pockets, and neckband are crocheted separately using smaller crochet hooks and then seamed to the cardigan.

My cardigan looks quite different from In the Clouds Cardigan. Although I used the sideway technique and the same stitch pattern, I made several modifications to the cardigan. The cardigan I crocheted is not oversized nor does it have any pockets. Worsted weight yarn that I had purchased some years ago was used instead of the bulky weight yarn recommended in the pattern. My gauge was different and so were the crochet hooks that I used.

The biggest modification was in the sleeves of the cardigan and the neckband ribbing. Since I didn’t have enough yarn left to crochet long length sleeves, I decided to pick up stitches along the armhole edges with a knitting needle and purled both sleeves (pictured below) ending with a repetition of [Knit 1 through the back loop, purl 1] for the ribbing of the sleeves. For the neckband ribbing, I crocheted several rows of the moss stitch pattern all along one front, the neck and down the other front.


There are two main lessons I learnt from crocheting this beginner friendly cardigan pattern. One is that you need more yarn for a crochet cardigan than for knitted cardigan, and the other is that crocheting a cardigan takes less time than knitting one.

I am satisfied with how the cardigan turned out. Since the time to crochet a cardigan is much shorter than knitting one, I will definitely be crocheting more sweaters. There are several free crochet patterns available on For The Frills website that are quite lovely and beginner friendly. Some patterns also have video tutorials. I can’t wait to crochet another cardigan or a pullover using these free patterns by Grace.

How has your experience with crocheting cardigans been? Share some of your experiences in the comment below.

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

The Speckles Dishcloths Pattern

Posted in August 2023 by


This summer I’ve been obsessed with crochet, especially the crochet moss stitch and the alternate moss stitch patterns. After crocheting the Summertime Market Bag and the Four Section Blanket, I became preoccupied with crocheting a cardigan. More details about the crocheted cardigan in the next post. I am giving in to this crochet obsession since it’s faster than knitting and projects are completed in less time.

The crochet moss stitch is one of my favorite crochet stitch patterns since it looks quite similar to the linen knit stitch. As with knitting, crocheting dishcloths is also a good way to try out new stitch patterns or techniques. The Speckles Dishcloths are crocheted in two different ways. One Speckles Dishcloth is crocheted flat going back and forth while the other Speckles Dishcloth is crocheted center out and in the round. An alternate to the magic ring technique is used to start the dishcloth in the round. Both dishcloths have the same slip stich, chain 1 border edge.

The Speckles Dishcloths Pattern (text and images for personal use only)

Yarn: Colorway Yarn 1: Capri Eco CottonTM Multicolor Yarn by Loops and Threads® in Fruity Speckles colorway; Colorway Yarn 2: Lily Sugar’n Cream yarn in Country Red colorway. You will need about 100 grams of yarn for both dishcloths.
Tapestry needle to weave in ends
Gauge: Not really needed
Crochet hook: US size 7 (4.5 mm)
Abbreviations:
sc: single crochet
[…]: pattern repeat
RS: right side
WS: wrong side

Dishcloth 1: Back and forth

With Size 7 (4.5.mm) crochet hook, chain 40 stitches with Colorway Yarn 1.

  • Row 1 (RS): Single crochet into the 4th stitch from the hook, chain 1, [skip 1 stitch and sc, chain 1] repeat […] till the last chain stitch with the slip knot, sc in the last stitch, chain 2 and turn (optional: you can sc in the purl bump in the back of the 4th stitch and the rest of the stitches in this row)
  • Row 2 (WS): Sc in the chain 1 space under the 4th chain from the hook, chain 1, [sc in the next chain 1 space, chain 1] repeat […] till the last stitch, sc in the last stitch, chain 2 and turn. 

Repeat Row 2, thirty one more times

  • Last Row (RS) : Sc in the chain 1 space under the 4th chain from the hook, chain 1, [sc in the next chain 1 space, chain 1] repeat […] till the last stitch. Insert hook into the last stitch and pull up the Colorway 2 yarn and sc, chain 1. Secure and break the working yarn (Colorway Yarn 1) off.

The Slip Stitch, Chain 1 Border Edge:

  • With Colorway Yarn 2, go into the same last stitch, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1 and turn. [Insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1], repeat […] all along the left side edge till the next corner. 
  • In the corner stitch, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 2 and turn. [Insert hook into the chain 1 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1], repeat […] all along the 40 chain stitch edge till the next corner stitch.
  • In the corner stitch, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, and chain 2 and turn. [Insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1], repeat […] till the next corner all along the right side edge.
  • In the corner stitch, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, and chain 2. [Insert hook into the next chain 1 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1], repeat […] till the last stitch all along the last row edge.

Chain 12 and slip stitch into the first stitch of the border edge, break Colorway Yarn 2 off and pull through the stitch.

Dishcloth 2: In the Round

With Size 7 (4.5 mm) crochet hook, chain 2 stitches with Colorway Yarn 1.

  • In the second chain from the hook (the stitch with the slip knot), [sc, chain 2] 4 times into the same stitch. Place a marker in the first chain 2 space.
  • Round 1: Insert the crochet hook into the first chain 2 space where the marker is and [sc, chain 2, sc into the same chain 2 space and chain 1]. Go in to the next three chain 2 space and repeat […]. Remove the marker (or a safety pin) and place it as a beginning of round marker in the first corner stitches of Round 1 as pictured below

Dishcloth_roundmarker

  • Round 2: Sc, chain 2, sc, chain 1 all in the same chain 2 space of the first corner with the beginning of round marker. [Sc, chain 1 in the next chain 1 space till the next corner chain 2 space. In the corner chain 2 space, sc, chain 2, sc, chain 1 all in the same corner chain 2 space]. Repeat […] 2 more times till the beginning of round.

Repeat Round 2, sixteen more times. In the last stitch of last round, insert hook into the beginning of round corner chain 2 space and pull up and sc, chain 1 with the Colorway 2 yarn. Secure and break the working yarn (Colorway Yarn 1) off.  

The Slip Stitch, Chain 1 Border Edge:

  • Step 1: With Colorway Yarn 2, insert hook into the same corner chain 2 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1. Turn dishcloth on the side. [Insert hook into the next chain 1 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1] all along that side. Repeat […] till the next corner chain 2 space.
  • Step 2: Insert hook into the corner chain 2 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 2. Turn dishcloth on the next side. [Insert hook into the next chain 1 space, yarn over, pull the yarn and slip stitch into the loop on the hook, chain 1] all along that side, repeat […] till the next corner.
  • Repeat Step 2, two more times till the beginning of round.

Yarn over, pull yarn through the last chain 1 space and slip stitch into the loop on the hook. Chain 12 for the hanging loop and slip stitch into the first stitch in the corner. Break Colorway Yarn 2 off and pull through the stitch.

Weave in the ends, wash and block the Speckles Dishcloths

Crochet one or both of the Speckles Dishcloths pattern for gift giving or for personal use. 

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.


Tutorial Series: Purl and Un-Purl

Posted in Purl and Un-Purl, Tutorial Series by

The purl stitch in knitting looks quite different from the knit stitch. The videos below show how to make purl stitches and how to undo (un-purl) those stitches for right handed knitting.

The Purl Stitch:

  • Insert the right needle from front to back of the first stitch on the left knitting needle
  • Wrap the working yarn around the inserted right needle
  • Catch the loop made made by the working yarn (the new stitch) with the right needle
  • Slip the loop (the new stitch) onto the right needle and the first stitch off the left needle


Un-Purl (undo the Purl stitch):

  • Insert left knitting needle into the purl bump below the new stitch on the right needle
  • Catch the left side of the purl bump above the working yarn and place the loop made onto the left needle
  • Slide the new stitch on the right needle off the needle
  • Pull the working yarn (dropped stitch loop) away from the stitch on the left needle

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.