Showing posts with label shawlette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shawlette. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

True Blue Shawlette

True Blue Shawlette
True Blue Shawlette

On most occasions, I try to keep my knitting fairly seasonal (or representative of the months to come). I'm sure that's why I bought this yarn and started this shawlette months ago, only to get hung up by my uncooperative forearms. Now that I've finally finished the piece, though, we should all just pretend it's summer again, and that the cold breeze I felt this afternoon was actually as balmy as July's winds. Or not, in which case you can file this pattern away for next year, when you've got 300+ yards of a cotton-, silk-, linen-, or bamboo-based fiber and a hankering for a short shawl (or even a big one, if you want to keep working and you've got enough yarn!).

Yarn: Lana Grossa 365 Cotone (88% Cotton, 12% Polyamide; 153 yards [150 meters]/50 grams); #026 Türkisgrün - two skeins

True Blue Shawlette
A better look at the pattern.
Basically, just lace and garter stitch!
Needles: One 32" or longer circular needle in size US 7

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make a little shawl thing! And in case I wasn't clear enough before, this pattern is good for those occasions when you're not sure if you've got enough yarn or not; since it's designed from the rounded bottom up, it's completely scalable in size - make it small if you've only got 300 yards, or bigger with more. No matter how much yarn you've got, however, you'll begin by casting on 3 stitches loosely, and then working 8 rows in garter stitch to create a tab of sorts. Then, without turning work, yarn over (yo) twice, pick up 1 stitch about 1/3rd of the way down along the edge of the tab, (yo) twice again, pick up 1 stitch roughly 2/3rds of the way down the edge of the tab, and (yo) twice again. Complete tab by picking up 3 stitches along cast-on edge; you should now have stitches coming from 3 sides of the tab - 3 along original working edge - 8 along the side (counting each double yo as 2 stitches), and 3 along the cast-on edge. Then, work a few set-up rows as follows:

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Ruched Shawlette

Ruched Shawlette
(According to my spellchecker,
I made up both of those words)

The story of this item is simple - I received a box full of beautiful homespun yarns as a gift, and this particular yarn told me exactly what it wanted me to do with it. Namely, it wanted to be made into a beautiful and simple triangle scarf (shawlette? I am still struggling with the vocabulary of this particular design). Whatever you call it, though, this is a perfect pattern for that gorgeous handspun you've had your eye on, one that's made especially nice by the column of ruching down the front of the piece. Blah blah blah, how about I stop talking now and start knitting instead?

Yarn: Homespun I received as a gift (100% Superfine Merino; 356 yards [326 meters]/?? grams); hand-dyed - 1 skein
The ruching. It's subtle in this yarn
but I promise it's there.

Needles: Size US 10 needles, 16" or longer size US 8 circular needle (for length, not for circular knitting), plus a size US 11 or larger needle for your provisional cast-on

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 15 stitches = 4 inches

Using your size 11 or larger needle and the provisional cast-on technique, cast on 54 stitches. Transfer to your size 10 needles and proceed as follows:

Row 1: knit until there are four stitches left in row, k2tog, k2

Rows 2 & 4: k2, purl until there are two stitches left in row, k2

Row 3: knit

Knit rows 1 though 4 until you have 38 stitches left on your needle and you've just completed row 4 (if you have yarn to spare, you could continue these four rows longer. As is, the piece measures 52" across. Each additional time you repeat these four rows before moving on to the next set will add about 1/2" to the finished length). Anyway, when you're ready, we'll proceed as follow:

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Star Cluster Mini Shawl

Star Cluster Mini Shawl

I was only a few rows into the Twin Leaf Cowl when I realized that I absolutely wanted to work with the yarn again, especially since it was on clearance at my local store and I didn't know how much longer it would be available. So I bought another color of the stuff, this (in my opinion) gorgeous red. Then, I held on to it for a few months until inspiration struck in the form of this scarf-like thing, the Star Cluster Mini Shawl. Long story short, I've had this item on my mind for a while, and I couldn't be happier about how it turned out! As a warning, however, this item does use a few intermediate techniques, such as a provisional cast on and some short rows.

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Spray (100% Cotton; 153 yards [140 meters]/50 grams); #8 - two skeins

The pattern
Needles: Straight needles in size US 8, straight needles in size US 10 - 11

Notions: Tapestry needle
Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 4 needles

To make this piece, we're going to begin in the middle, work one half, and then pick up stitches from the middle to work the other half again (by using a provisional cast on, not by actually picking up stitches). So, using your largest gauge needles and the provisional cast-on technique, cast on 71 stitches. Then switch to your size 8 needles and purl one row cross. Once that's done, we'll begin our pattern, which features the Star Cluster from page 217 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and a decrease worked every odd row. First comes the terminology, and then the pattern.

Cluster 2 (c2): slip 2 stitches with yarn in back, bring yarn to front between needles, slip the same 2 stitches back to your left hand needle, pass yarn to back between needles, and then slip the same to stitches with yarn in back again