Saturday, January 11, 2014

Black & White & Cabled-All-Over Cowl

Black & White & Cabled-All-Over Cowl

First, I apologize for the word play. It's genetic. And seems to get worse with age (sorry, mom, but it's true)... And second, let me introduce this cowl, which I think is one of my most versatile so far. After all, I knit it with a dk weight yarn, but on size 10 needles, to give it a little bit of extra loft. You could just as easily knit it with worsted, however, which would make it that much wider, or even a bulky yarn, if you wanted something super robust. Basically, you can play with this pattern as much as you want, and I think it will still be pretty. This design also changes widths, from a thicker band to be worn closer to the neck, to a thinner band that drapes further down. The sizes of both loops are adjustable, which adds yet another layer of versatility. And finally, the unique seaming method of this cowl means that you won't have any twisted loops to deal with!

Yarn: Rozetti Polaris (65% Dralon, 31% Wool, 4% Ripped Off By Tag Removal; 191 yards [175 meters]/50 grams); #92002 Zenith – two skeins
The first, wider, pattern.
Yes, those are eyelets in the middle of
those cables.

Needles: Straight needles in size 10, cable needle (cn)

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 21 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 6 needles

We're going to begin this piece with the wider band, which, as you'll see, whittles down when you're about two feet in. To begin with, however, cast on 54 stitches, and then knit three set-up rows, which go as follows:

Set-up Rows 1 & 3 (wrong side): * p4, k4, p4, k2; rep from *, omitting final k2 in last repeat

Set-up Row 2: * k4, p4, k4, p2 *, omitting final p2 from last repeat

And now that that's done, let's pick up a little notation to complete the pattern:

Monday, January 6, 2014

Rustic Lace Cowl

Rustic Lace Cowl

My mom sent me a bunch of yarn for Christmas, and this one stood out to me mostly because it's so OPPOSITE the -45 degree with wind chill weather we're having right now. And yet, it's still nice and pepperminty, for the season. The only thing I should note before we get to it is that you'll probably have to block this cowl, as the scallops curl a bit. If you're as lazy as me, however, you may be able to stretch it into place instead...

Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed Worsted (40% Cotton, 60% Acrylic; 180 yards [165 meters]/100 grams); It's A Girl – one skein
The pattern. A feather lace and some
twisted stitches.

Needles: 24" circular needle in size 8

Notions: Tapestry needle, 3 stitch markers

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette 

Cast on 156 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit a set-up row or two before we get to the main pattern, which you'll find below. Note that knitting the optional row is a pain in the butt, but creates a pretty design so it might be worth it.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Kids' Bowknot Cowl

Kids' Bowknot Cowl

Naturally, as soon as I had finished the Kids' Star Cowl for my four-year-old, my two-year-old wanted his own "garf" as well. And this bowknot pattern creates a near-perfect cowl slouch and texture. My only word of warning is to be careful about your yarn choice; I had a ton of Superwash wool on hand, and my two-year-old loved this color. It is not, however, as soft as he would prefer, and if you're knitting this for a child who's picky about textures, you may want to go for a light worsted-weight cotton or bamboo instead.

Sizes: Ages 2 - 3 (Ages 4 - 6, Ages 7 - 12)
Bowknot Pattern

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (100% Superwash Wool; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #812 Turquoise – one skein (one skein, one skein)

Needles: 16" circular needle in size 6 (16" circular needle in size 7, 20" circular needle in size 6)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 6 needles

Cast on 90 (90, 108) stitches loosely using your 16" circular needle in size 6 (16" circular needle in size 7, 20" circular needle in size 6), place marker, and join in round. Knit three rows in a k1, p1 ribbing, and then knit one row around. And now that these four rows are complete, let's move on to the main pattern, which is Bowknot Stitch from page 133 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, except adapted for the round. So let's get started!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Kids' Star Cowl

Kids' Star Cowl

The last time I went to the knitting store, my four-year-old got on my case about wanting a new scarf (it's been like two months since I knit him anything, so he's getting antsy). And after an agonizingly long twenty minutes during which he attempted to pick out every novelty yarn in the store (including some sort of weird, Packers-colored ribbon stuff), he finally settled on this green cotton. So it's a bit dark to show off the pattern well, but it's better than the alternatives (I promise!). Of course, the next fight involved getting him to agree to a relatively simple pattern ("no, dear, I can't knit a zebra"), and after about four trial runs on the design itself, this star was born. As you can probably tell from the picture, many of the increases and decreases are embedded in the purl fabric, which disrupts it slightly. Stay tuned for a more adult version of this same star riff, as I'm working out a more elegant way to incorporate those same increases and decreases.

Sizes: Ages 2 - 6 (Ages 6 - 12)

Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream (100% Cotton; 120 yards [109 meters]/70.9 grams); #16 Dark Pine – one skein (two skeins)
The star.
Once again, I apologize for the picture quality.
Children were involved.

Needles: 16" circular needle in size 8 (20" circular needle in size 8)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette 

Cast on 90 (105) stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Knit three rows in a k1, p1 ribbing and then we'll move on to the main pattern, for which you'll need the following notation:

rt (right twist): knit two together, leaving stitches on left-hand needle; next, insert right-hand needle from the front between the two stitches just knitted together, and knit the first stitch again. Finally, slip both stitches from left-hand needle together

lt (left twist): with right-hand needle behind left-hand needle, skip one stitch and knit the second stitch in back loop; then insert right-hand needle into the backs of both stitches and k2tog-b (knit two together through back loops, inserting right needle from the right)

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Rib & Cable Cowl

Rib & Cable Cowl

With this cowl, I figured it was high time for something simple that sat close to the neck, but still had a striking design. Hence the rib & cable cowl was born. And yeah, that's about it...
A terrible picture of the pattern.
Sorry, my two-year-old was tugging on me.

Yarn: Universal Yarn Classic Shades Sequins Lite (74% Acrylic, 22% Wool, 4% Payette; 264 yards [240 meters]/100 grams); #402 Diamond Mine – one skein

Needles: 24" circular needle in size 7, cable needle (cn) or double pointed needle for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 7 needles

Cast on 135 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. And now it's time to begin the pattern, which goes as follows:

Row 1 & 3: * k4, p5; rep from *

Row 2: * k4, yo, p2tog, p1, p2tog, yo *

Friday, December 27, 2013

Moorish Lattice Hat

Moorish Lattice Hat

Okay, I made a very similar version of this exact hat last year, for someone's Christmas gift. And when I discovered that it had been loved to the point of falling apart, I figured it was time to make a new one, and this time write the pattern down. I hope you enjoy it as much as the recipient!

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande (100% Baby Alpaca; 110 yards (100 grams); #701 Ink Melange – one skein
The back!

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 10.5, one set of double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 10.5

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 12 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Using circular needle, cast on 72 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Next, work 1.5" in a k1, p1 ribbing. Once the ribbing is done, we'll get down to business. And the pattern we'll be using is Moorish Lattice from page 232 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, which I've adapted for the round. So let's get started!

First, we'll knit three set-up rows, which go as follows:

Set-up rows 1 - 3: * p3, k3; rep from *

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Rib & Cable Hat

Rib & Cable Hat

The name isn't flashy but the hat looks pretty darn good anyway; pairing cables which jump ribs and, well, ribbing, this thing squeezes up tight until you're ready to stick it on your head. Yeah, I have no idea what I'm talking about. So let's just make a hat already!
The finishing!

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Chunky (50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Nylon; 130 yards [120 meters]/100 grams); #6176 Pumpkin – one skein

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 10, one set of double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size 10, and a cable needle (cn) or double-pointed needle for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 14 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Cast on 80 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Now we're going to work a ribbing row, which looks like so:

Ribbing row: * p1, k2, p1, (k1, p2, k1, p1) twice, k2; rep from *

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Ribbed Shell Cowl

Ribbed Shell Cowl
I've been in love with this yarn since the minute I saw it, which must have been a while ago considering it seems to be discontinued. Nevertheless, any similar-weight yarn with a decent drape to it should knit up in this pattern nicely. And this pattern also has a few nice features, like the fan-like drape of the corner of it, as well as the large ribs.
And another picture, this time from
the other side!

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Suri Silk (80% Baby Suri Alpaca, 20% Silk; 218 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); color #20 – one skein

Needles: Straight needles in size 6 (or a circular needle in size 6, but worked back and forth), cable needle (cn) or double-pointed needle for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 6 needles

So let's get started! First, cast on 33 stitches loosely. And then we’ll begin the pattern, although we’ll need the following notation to continue:

bc (back cross): slide three stitches to cn and hold in back; knit three, knit three from cn

So let’s do this thing!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Braid-Edged Cowl

Braid-Edged Cowl

Here's a fairly simply cowl that relies on cabling, ribbing, and garter stitch to create a crisp design. And yeah, that's all I've got...

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima (100% Pima Cotton; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #3777 African Violet - 1 skein

Needles: Straight needles in size 6 (or a circular needle, but worked back and forth)

Notions: Tapestry needle, cable needle (cn) or extra double-pointed needle for cabling, two stitch markers

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

First, cast on 25 stitches loosely. Also, you'll need the following notation to do the pattern:

fc (front cross): slide three stitches to cn, hold in front, and knit three. Then, knit the three stitches from your cn.

bc (back cross): slide three stitches to cn, hold in back, and knit three. Then, knit the three stitches from your cn.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Twisted Rib Hat

Twisted Rib Hat

Okay folks, here we have another sale yarn special, born from a great deal at the back rack of a Wisconsin Craft Market. That being said, I think this turned into a fairly attractive, gender-neutral beanie which pairs vertical ribbing with ever-so-slight horizontal stripes of slouch. And it's got a nice finishing. That counts for something, right?
The pattern, with its subtle twisted ribs

Yarn: Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky (65% Wool, 25% Superkid Mohair, 10% Angora Rabbit Hair; 60 yards [55 meters]/50 grams); #6607 Wintry Mix - 2 skeins

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 10.5, one set of double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size 10.5

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker or scrap yarn to mark row

Gauge: 13 stitches = 4 inches

Note (2/03/14): Since I made this hat for my husband, I've been able to observe how it wears. And while it's his favorite hat, it's also gotten looser with time, so I recommend knitting at least the band with a smaller needle size (size 9 or 10), for fit. The whole thing could also be knit on a size 10 needle if you prefer a slightly more snug hat.

So let's get started. Using your circular needle, cast on 72 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Knit five rows of the following ribbing row before moving on to the main pattern:

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Diamond Pompom Hat

Diamond Pompom Hat

If you've checked out my blog before, you know that every other pattern I've posted has been free. As a small attempt at some revenue with which to keep buying yarns, I'm offering this pattern for $1. You can expect to see many more free patterns from me in the future, and I totally get it if that's all you're interested in (economy! yarn is already expensive! there are so many nice free things out there anyway!). If you like this pattern and have an extra buck to spare, though, you can purchase it on Ravelry.



Here are the basics, if you're considering it...