I knit another Sheltering Tree Shawlette with hand dyed super wash merino yarn by Cozy Color Works in the Jersey Peach colorway. I purchased this yarn about 4 or 5 years ago at either a wool walk or the NJ Sheep and Wool Festival. Each hank of hand dyed yarn by Indie Dyers is unique and a work of art. This 550 yards of fingering weight merino yarn is unique in its colorful speckles, its softness, its warmth and lightness.
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The yarn also shows the stitch definition of The Sheltering Tree Shawlette Pattern well. There were some modifications made to the pattern. I knit this shawlette with US Size #5 circular needles, added a few more garter stitch rows for the border and omitted the eyelet row. This Sheltering Tree Shawlette is wider and longer than the previous one. The speckles in the yarn added pops of color and made knitting this shawlette fun.
In knitting patterns there is a right side and a wrong side for a row or a round. It does not mean that the wrong side (the inner side) pattern can’t be reversed and be on the right side (the outer side). I sometimes like the reverse side of the pattern just as much as the right or outer side. The Comfy Hat Patterns are an example of patterns with both the right side and wrong side as the outer side of the hats. When I completed knitting the Spring is in the Air Dishcloth last month, I liked how the two different colors of yarn gave a striped textured pattern on the reverse (wrong) side of the dishcloth (pictured below). The striped textured pattern on the wrong side led to the Reverse Side Dishcloth pattern.
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The Reverse Side Dishcloth pattern is the reverse side of the linen stitch pattern in two different yarn colorways. In this pattern I used Capri Eco Cotton™ by Loops and Threads® yarn made from recycled cotton in two different colorways. Stitches are cast on, the round joined and the dishcloth is worked by knitting towards the center with decreases every other round till 8 stitches remain. It is then finished with the duplicate crochet stitch running diagonally beginning at each corner and moving towards the center. Reverse single crochet stitch pattern is used as an edging for the border.
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The Reverse Side Dishcloth Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
Yarn: Capri Eco Cotton™ by Loops and Threads® yarn in Yellow (Colorway 1) and Pewter (Colorway 2) Knitting Needles: US #10 for cast on and US #8 circular needles to knit the dishcloth Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook Tapestry Needle to weave in ends Gauge: 5 stitches/inch Abbreviations:
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Knitting an impromptu custom top down sweater is much like an unplanned journey to me. The final destination is known but the path taken and the process to get there is not clear.
The cotton yarn for this project was meant for a weaving project that didn’t happen.
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I quickly cast on enough stitches to begin a custom top down raglan sleeved cardigan. Since both the yarn were variegated alternating them in stripes to prevent too much color pooling seemed like the way to go.
Several rows in I changed direction and decided to knit a pullover instead of a cardigan. So some more stitches were cast on, the round joined and the journey towards a top down pullover began.
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The journey to a completed sweater body and sleeves went pretty smoothly. I washed, blocked and photographed the sweater.
The finished pullover:
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Those uneven horizontal stripes (arrows) at the beginning of round where the yarn for the stripe pattern changed were pretty noticeable to me. I had to get some help from the crochet duplicate stitch pattern. The crochet duplicate stitch placed vertically fortunately made the uneven horizontal stripes less noticeable.
The finished impromptu custom sweater was not at all how I visualized it to be when I first cast on some stitches for a top down raglan sleeved sweater.
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Reaching my destination of a finished sweater took much longer than I had anticipated. I had expected a journey of simple stockinette and 2 x 2 rib stitch patterns but then had to add a more complicated crochet duplicate stitch pattern in the opposite direction.
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Knitting this impromptu sweater was quite a journey for me. I am pleasantly surprised and satisfied with how this unplanned sweater turned out.
Now having reached my destination I look forward to a chance to wear this impromptu pullover.
Somehow the birds chirping, the bright blue sky, the showers, warmer days, new leaves on trees and the vibrant Spring flowers refresh and lighten my mood. I get motivated to declutter, clean and of course start new knitting projects appropriate for Spring and Summer. As the weather gets warmer, I start knitting more with cotton yarn. Spring is in the Air Dishcloth reflects this cheerfulness that comes with warm weather. The dishcloth was knit in the linen stitch pattern with two different colors of cotton worsted yarn. It was knit in the round moving towards the center through a series of decreases every other round. The knitting technique for this dishcloth is similar to The Toward Center Mitered Dishcloth but was knit alternating two different colors of the cotton worsted yarn in each round.
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Spring Is In The Air Dishcloth Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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The Nostalgic Wrap was knit for the opportunities and the arts and crafts stores that are no longer there. The wrap is knit with a cotton yarn that I purchased in the beginning of 2020 at A. C. Moore that closed its stores later that year. I spent many hours in that store exploring and learning about the different types of yarn and yarn brands. It was where knitting and yarn became a serious hobby and craft for me. A. C. Moore was my window at a time when several doors had closed for me. It is much missed by me.
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The Nostalgic Wrap is knit using the same cotton yarn as in The Harmony Wrap that I knit in September 2020. The colors of the yarn are different in the two wraps but each cake of this yarn has a gradient of 14 different colors. The yarn has been discontinued but a substitute yarn can be found on Yarn Sub. Both wraps are knit using the bias knitting technique with a 1 stitch cast on (tutorials for bias knitting technique can be found on YouTube). The wrap is knit using the garter stitch pattern. Although knitting the Nostalgic Wrap took a long time, I found it both a very relaxing and meditative knit. The wrap can be easily customized to shorter length or wider width if preferred. The Nostalgic Wrap is about 18 inches wide (without stretching) and about 96 inches in length.
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The Nostalgic Wrap Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
Yarn: Stitch Studio by Nicole Cotton Colors in Purple Red Pink Colorway (2 yarn cakes – 250 grams each used for this pattern). There are 14 different colors in a gradient for each cake which are marked as 1 to 14 Knitting Needles: US #2 or 2.75 mm knitting needles Gauge: 26 stitches/ 4 inches (this pattern is generic so gauge not so critical) Abbreviations:
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K: Knit
P: Purl
Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
SSK: slip slip knit (slip 2 stitches to right hand needle then insert the left needle in front of the two slipped stitches and knit them together
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
garter ridge – RS and WS row in knit stitch pattern (2 knitted rows)
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Cast on 1 stitch with US #2 needles with color 1 (the first color in the center pull gradient yarn)
Increase Section: Row 1 (RS): color 1 – Kfb Row 2 (WS): color 1 – K2 Row 3 (RS): color 1 – Kfb, Kfb Row 4 (WS): color 1 – K4 Row 5 (RS): color 1 – Kfb, knit to 1 stitch before last, Kfb Row 6 (WS): color 1 – Knit all the stitches Repeat Rows 5 and 6 (with color 1) till 146 stitches on the needles. Change to Color 2 and repeat rows 5 and 6 till 208 stitches on the needles (the length can be extended if preferred with the next color in the gradient)
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Length Increase Section (garter ridges): Row 1 (RS): Color 3 – Kfb, knit till 2 stitches left, K2tog. Row 2 (WS): Color 3 – Knit all the stitches Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for twenty five more garter ridges (more or less garter ridges if preferred). Change to Color 4 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 5 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 6 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 7 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 8 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 9 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 10 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 11 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges Change to Color 12 and repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 26 garter ridges
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Decrease Section: Change to Color 13 and knit as follows: Row 1 (RS): SSK, knit till 2 stitches left, K2tog Row 2 (WS): Knit all the stitches Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for thirty more garter ridges. Change to Color 14 and knit Rows 1 and 2 till four stitches left on the needle. Row (RS): SSK, K2tog Row (WS): Knit 2 stitches, Last Row (RS): SSK and pull working yarn through Weave in the ends, wash and block the Nostalgic Wrap.
In the past year I’ve been exploring different variations in plain weaving on a rigid heddle loom. Rigid heddle loom weaving consists of warp and weft threads (or yarn). The warp thread is held vertically (lengthwise) under tension while the weft thread is passed horizontally through the warp threads by the weaver.
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One way to add some texture to a plain weave is to have warp, weft or both warp and weft floats. Pictured below is a woven scarf and a woven wrap/shawl that has both warp and weft floats. The scarf was woven with same cotton yarn for both its warp and weft. The wrap/shawl was woven with two different colors of wool yarn for its warp and weft.
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Floats are skips (not passed through) in the warp or weft threads and are created by using a pickup stick. A warp float is when the warp thread skips over two or more weft threads and a weft float is when the weft thread skips over the two or more warp threads (see picture below). Both warp and weft floats are created by how the pickup stick is placed behind the heddle. For the warp float, the pickup stick is turned on its side behind the heddle and for the weft float the pickup stick is turned on its edge behind the heddle.
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These woven items are just the beginning of my exploration of the various combinations and textures created by a pickup stick and one heddle. I look forward to learning more about the different weaving techniques on a rigid heddle loom and how to combine them with some knit or crochet stitch patterns.
One of the things I find interesting as a knitter is how some knit stitch patterns look so similar to certain crochet or woven stitch patterns. To me a plain weave is much like a garter knit stitch pattern. So when I wove this wrap in houndstooth weave pattern (pictured above) using 2 different colors of yarn, I wanted to see how the same weave pattern and yarn would translate into a knitted houndstooth stitch pattern.
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The Interwoven Earwarmer is knit bottom up and in the round. It is knit with two different colors of yarn in the houndstooth stitch pattern that uses garter stitch pattern along with slip stitches. A crochet slip stitch is then used for the cast on and bind off edges. Lastly, a duplicate stitch is used to reinforce the stockinette stitch in the back of the Interwoven Earwarmer
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Materials needed to knit the Interwoven Earwarmer:
Yarn: Loops and Threads Cozy Wool Merino DK weight yarn in Colorway A: Cream and Colorway B: Purple (The yarn has been discontinued but substitute yarns are listed here on Yarn Sub website) Knitting Needles: US #6 16-inch circular needles; US #8 knitting needles for the cable cast on and bind off Crochet Hooks: US F-5 and US G-6 Tapestry needle to weave in ends and for the duplicate stitch Gauge: 5.5 stitches per inch in garter houndstooth stitch pattern with US #6 knitting needles Size: M – about 20 inches in circumference and about 3.75 inches in length without stretching
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Abbreviations: K: Knit P: Purl pm: place marker sm: slip marker BOR: beginning of round s1 purlwise: with working yarn in back slip 1 stitch purlwise from the left needle […]: stitch pattern repeats
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The Interwoven Earwarmer Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
Cast on 112 stitches with Yarn Colorway A (cream) and US #8 knitting needles using the cable cast on method. Transfer all the stitches to US #6 16-inch circular needles. Place a BOR marker, join the round by knitting as follows:
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Round 1: With Colorway A (cream), knit to the BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 2: With Colorway A (cream) knit the first stitch, switch to Colorway B (purple) yarn and [K2, s1 purlwise] repeat […] till BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 3: With Colorway A (cream) knit the first stitch, switch to Colorway B (purple) yarn and purl all stitches till the BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 4: With Colorway A (cream) knit the first stitch, and with the same Colorway A [s1 purlwise, K2] repeat […] till BOR marker, slip BOR marker
Round 5:With Colorway A (cream) knit the first stitch, and with the same Colorway A purl all stitches till the BOR marker, slip BOR marker
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Repeat Rounds 2 to 5, nine more times. Repeat Rounds 2 and 3, one more time. Repeat Round 1, one more time Bind off stitches with US #8 and Colorway A yarn. Insert the US F-5 hook in the last stitch for a slip stitch crochet edge.
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With the last stitch on US F-5 hook and Colorway A (cream) yarn, chain 1 and then insert hook under the first bind off stitch, yarn over and pull the yarn over under the bind off stitch and slip stitch it with the first stitch on the hook. Repeat this with the next bid off stitches till one stitch left on the hook. Bring the working yarn through the last stitch.
Repeat the same with slip stitch crochet method as above for the cast on stitches with Colorway A yarn and US G-6 hook
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Duplicate Stitch or Swiss Darning (optional): Using a tapestry needle and Colorway A yarn reinforce the first knit stitch of each round with the duplicate stitch (to learn how to do this watch a video tutorial on duplicate stitch by Staci of verypink.com)
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Weave in the ends, wash and block the Interwoven Earwarmer
Hello folks, it’s 2023 now and time to either plan or start working on our goals for this year. This year my goals are to write and learn more about rigid heddle loom weaving as well as complete my lingering knitting/crochet projects from the previous years.
The Winterland Neckwarmer is knit bottom up and in the round. The cable stitch pattern and the yarn used for this pattern are the same as the ones used for the Winterland Hat. These two knitted items can be worn together. The bulky yarn makes it a quick project to knit. The Winterland Neckwarmer is light and warm making it quite suitable to wear for the freezing temperatures of this month.
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The Winterland Neckwarmer Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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Although I had a slow start to the year in terms of my makes, there were a few projects besides the knit/crochet patterns published on this blog each month, I was able to complete.
I knitted these four sweaters;
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Tried some different techniques weaving these blankets and wraps on the rigid heddle loom;
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And also learnt how to crochet a market bag and a pouf.
I’m grateful I was able to complete these projects despite the slow start and look forward to completing all the unfinished projects next year.
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Thank you readers of this blog for all your comments and feedback. Warm greetings this holiday season.
Where did 2022 go? I can’t believe this year is almost over. After a rough start to the year with illness due to covid (blogged here), I’ve been trying to catch up with all the goals I had for this year. Needless to say there will be some unfinished works in progress that will be completed in 2023. Knitting smaller projects such as hats and cowls are more enjoyable when other non-knitting things require our attention and time.
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The Winterland Hat is knit bottom up and in the round. It has a simple cable stitch pattern and is a light and warm hat for this time of the year.
The Winterland Hat Pattern (text and images for personal use only)
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Coffee Tea Knits 