The cozy time of the year has begun and with it a reason to knit the cozy sweaters, shrugs etc. to keep us warm and give us comfort during the cold autumn mornings and evenings. The Cozy Season Shrug is knit with Loops and Threads® Charisma™ yarn that is bulky weight yet it’s light and warm without the itchiness or heaviness of a bulky weight wool yarn. The Cozy Season Shrug knits up quite fast and makes a cozy holiday gift. I knit two Cozy Season Shrugs with the same yarn but in two different colorways which embodies the autumn season to me with the vibrant and earthy tones of the colorway Clay Heather and the snow covered ground and trees of the colorway White Tweed.
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The Cozy Season Shrug is knit top down in a yoke construction with stitches increased in four intervals. It begins with eight rounds of 2 x 2 rib stitch pattern for the collar followed by stockinette stitch pattern with garter stitch ridge/stripe for the body and then a border of eight rounds of garter stitch pattern. The decorative bind off used for the Cozy Season Shrug is a variation of the knotted K2tog (video tutorial below) bind off method.
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The Cozy Season Shrug Pattern (images and text for personal use only)
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One way to increase stitches in knitting is the Kfb (knit front and back) method. Increasing stitches in knitting is used to give shape to knitted items, for texture and for lace work. An extra stitch is added in a row or round when a stitch on the left knitting needle is knit both in the front loop as well as in the back loop. This tutorial includes written instructions and two videos (one in slow motion) on how to increase stitches by doing a Kfb for right handed knitting.
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Kfb in Slow Motion:
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Written Instructions for Kfb (Knit front and back):
Insert the right knitting needle into the front loop of the first stitch on the left knitting needle
Bring the working yarn around and between the left and right knitting needles
Catch and pull the loop made by the working yarn with the right needle
Turn the right needle towards the back loop of the same stitch on the left needle
Insert the right needle into the back loop of that stitch
Bring the working yarn around and between the two needles
Catch and pull the new loop made by the working yarn with the right needle
Slide the first stitch off the left needle and secure the two new stitches on the right needle
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.
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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.
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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.
Materials Needed for the Layered Bricks Scarf: 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
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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
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The Layered Bricks Scarf Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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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.
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Written Steps for K2tog:
Insert the right needle into the 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
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Written Steps for 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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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How has your experience with crocheting cardigans been? Share some of your experiences in the comment below.
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.
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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.
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Materials Needed: 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
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The Speckles Dishcloths Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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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
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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
I bought the yarn for the Four Section Blanket almost a decade ago when they opened a new Hobby Lobby store near me. I was still a novice knitter dabbling in knitting a top down sweater and wanted to use this yarn for that. I tried to knit a sweater with this yarn but for some reason it didn’t happen. The yarn languished in my storage bin for years till a couple of months ago when I took it out from storage and crocheted this Four Section Blanket.
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Four separate pieces of the same size are crocheted for the Four Section Blanket using a crochet moss stitch pattern for the border and a mix of single crochet, chain 1 stitch pattern for the four pieces. Although both stitch patterns have single crochets and chain ones, the placement of the single crochet results in a distinctive looking pattern. Each section has a round of crochet moss stitch pattern as its border edge. The four pieces are then joined using the zig zag crochet slip stitch method. The border of the blanket is finished with several rounds of the crochet moss stitch pattern. The finished blanket measures about 42 x 44 inches.
The Four Section Blanket Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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Yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn! in Terra Cotta Colorway (4 skeins needed for this blanket) Tapestry needle to weave in ends Gauge: 4.5 stitches/inch Crochet hook: US size I-9 or 5.5 mm Abbreviations: sc: single crochet […]: pattern repeat
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Welcome to the first video tutorial here on Coffee Tea Knits. The knit stitch and how to tink (knit spelled backwards) or unravel that stitch is shown in the two videos below.
The Knit Stitch:
Insert the right knitting needle from back to front of the first stitch on the left knitting needle.
Take the working yarn around the top of the right needle and wrap it between the two needles on top of the first stitch
Catch and pick up the working yarn loop (the new stitch) with the right needle
Slip the first stitch off the left needle and onto the right needle for the new knit stitch
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Tink (to undo or unpick the knit stitch):
Insert the left knitting needle into the v – shaped stitch below the first stitch on the right needle
Catch the left strand of the v – shaped stitch with the left needle and slip it onto the left needle
Pull the first stitch on the right needle off the needle
Pull the working yarn (loop) out of the stitch now on the left needle
I am all for window shopping and retail (yarn) therapy.
You sometimes find the most unexpected things that just have to be purchased.
A market bag is a useful thing to take along for these shopping trips especially if you live in a place where plastic bags are not easily available.
These knitted or crocheted market bags can be for personal use as well as for gifting. They are also reusable and eco-friendly.
For me as a knitter and crocheter, making handmade market bags gives me one more reason to continue yarn therapy.
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The Summertime Market Bag Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
Yarn: YarnspirationsTM Caron Cotton Ripple Cakes yarn in the French Vanilla colorway. The yarn is discontinued but may still be available at Michaels etc. For the Summertime Market Bag 1 cake (240 g) of this yarn was used. Tapestry needle to weave in ends Gauge: Not really needed since the center out crochet moss stitch squares can be customized to any size. Crochet hook: US size F-5 or 3.75 mm for the crochet moss stitch squares and US E-4 or 3.5 mm for the shoulder strap Abbreviations: sc: single crochet […]: pattern repeat
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The Summertime Market Bag is crocheted in the round using the center out crochet moss stitch pattern. The crochet moss stitch square starts with a crochet magic ring.
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In a crochet magic ring pictured above (there are many tutorials available online on how to make a crochet magic ring) pull up a stitch with the US F-5 crochet hook, sc once into the ring, chain 2, place marker, sc into the ring, chain 2, place marker, sc into the ring, chain 2, place marker, sc into the ring, chain 2, place marker, and sc. Pull on the yarn tail to tighten the gap (pictured below).
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Round 1: Insert the crochet hook into the chain 2 space of the first marker and sc, chain 2, sc, chain 1 all in the same chain 2 space (see below). Remove the first marker and place it as the beginning of the round marker. [Insert hook and sc, chain 2, sc, chain 1 into the chain 2 space of the second marker. Remove second marker]. Repeat […] this for the third and fourth marker in their chain 2 space.
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Round 2: [Sc, chain 2, sc, chain 1 all in the same chain 2 space of the first corner with the beginning of the round marker. Sc in the next chain 1 space between the first and second corner (see picture below), chain 1]. Repeat […] for the second, third and fourth corners till the beginning of the first marker.
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Repeat the Round 2 till preferred size is reached ending with a sc in the chain 2 space at the beginning of the round. Cut the working yarn and pull through the sc stitch. There was a total of 34 round repeats for the Summertime Market Bag.
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Make another crochet moss stitch square of the same size. Wash and block the two squares (wrong side pictured below)
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The two sides and the bottom of the two squares are then joined together using two strands of the yarn and the crochet zig zag slip stitch method.
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The Shoulder Strap: Insert US E-4 hook from right to left on top of one side of the joined square, pick up and single crochet 11 stitches (pictured below) for the shoulder strap for about fifteen and a half inches ending with the right side row. Cut yarn and pull through the stitch. Repeat the same on the other side of the joined square. Join the two shoulder straps using the crochet slip stitch join method.
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Weave in the ends to complete the Summertime Market Bag.
Coffee Tea Knits 