color • The Knitting Vortex • Page 2

Flylette

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Feb 152017

Flylette was designed in collaboration with Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarn for Stitches West 2017; print patterns in their house format will be available from the Miss Babs booth at the many yarn shows they attend; stop by if you can, and see the samples in person! Digital pdfs are available from my Ravelry store, and are formatted with my usual layout style and photography. Flower eyelets decorate the front and back of this feminine cropped cardigan. Worked seamlessly from the top down, compound raglan sleeve shaping ensures a great fit in the shoulders and sleeves for all sizes, and deep single rib hem and cuffs maintains the body-celebrating style. A simultaneously worked garter button band and minimal finishing keep it simple. Construction: Flylette is a fitted cardi designed to be a light layer, with a scooped neckline and three-quarter length sleeves. Worked seamlessly from the top down with raglan shaping and a garter button band, the knitting is complete once the body and sleeves are finished, except for adding the ribbed neckband and sewing on . . .

Making Advances

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Feb 012017

Alternating textures in two colors decorate a bold triangle shawl, then advance unexpectedly to one side, for an asymmetric finish. Color choice is the focus, the shape is long and easy to wear, and the knitting is simple and relaxing. Construction: Making Advances is worked topdown from a garter tab CO for the main triangle, then stitches are bound off on one side and the remaining side is worked in a long asymmetric extension. Techniques & Skills Used: garter tab CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing. Size: 75” length and 22” depth. Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles (100% merino wool; 400yards/366m/100g), shown in Urchin (A) and Vengeance (B); 1 skein each of two colors. The sample used approximately 355 yards A and 395 yards B. Using a drapey single or loosely plied yarn will help minimize rolling at the long bottom left edge. Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Yarn needle. Gauge: 19 st and 38 rows/4” in stockinette stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in . . .

Refracted

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Oct 112016

$Refracted$

Stitches refract at a central point, interrupting the line of a stripe and sometimes becoming another stitch pattern entirely. Worked in a combination of solid, stripe and slipped stitches, this garter shawl begins at one tip and grows asymmetrically on the bias in two halves simultaneously, with patterns which diverge at the center. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, slipped stitches. Instructions are fully written, with charts also provided for the slipstitch and stripe sections. Size: 64” length and 20” depth, customizable. Yarn: Dark Harbour Yarn Starboard (70% superwash merino wool, 30% silk; 438 yards/400m/100g); 1 skein each MC and CC, shown in Great White and Arthur Kill, respectively. The sample as written used approximately 315 yards MC and 225 yards CC of fingering weight yarn. Other Materials: US 5 (3.75mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Stitch marker (1); Yarn needle. Gauge: 24 st and 32 rows/4” in garter stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in a smaller or larger finished shawl, and different yardage . . .

Potions Mistress

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Sep 072016

Become the mistress of your own potion, and mix up a concoction to satisfy and delight. Use three (or more!) colorful yarns as ingredients, and blend them together to produce a bias shawl that evolves through dynamic color changes. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing, easy lace; instructions for this pattern are both fully written and charted. Size: 80” length and 40” depth; this shawl may be customized in length and depth to accommodate varying yardage. Yarn: Julie Asselin Milis (100% superwash merino wool; 475 yards/ 438m/115g), 1 skein each colors A, B and C; shown in Clair de Lune, Sunset and Arlequin, respectively. The sample used almost all of the yardage from each skein, but any amount of yarn in any combination may be used; see Designer’s Notes. Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Yarn needle. Gauge: 18 st and 36 rows/4” in garter stitch and lace pattern, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in a smaller or larger finished shawl, . . .

Block Theory

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Aug 042016

Bold blocks of intarsia decorate the front and back of this long and lean tank. Worked flat from the bottom up with a slightly longer back, the built-in rib edging is seamed at the sides, leaving slits at the hem. Waist shaping and an a-line flare at the hip emphasize the casual breeziness, and deep v-shaped armholes add to the strong linear styling. Construction: Block Theory is worked separately for front & back from the bottom up, beginning with an Italian tubular CO that flows beautifully into narrow ribbing, and then transitions to stockinette stitch with intarsia color blocking. The narrow rib continues up the sideseam and armhole edge, with shaping worked within the body for hip, waist and bust, making it simple to seam the front and back together beautifully, and eliminating the need for armhole finishing. A shallow scoop neck worked with a few short rows balances the cut-out armholes, the shoulders are seamed with a 3-needle bind off, and then tidy minimalist applied I-cord finishes the neckline. The width and spacing of the . . .

Not Quite Plaid

Featured, New Release, Patterns, Wraps 2 Responses »

Oct 082015

Colorblocks, stripes and vertical dropped stitches – it’s Not Quite Plaid, but looks vaguely tartan. An asymmetric bias shape and an atypical approach to creating a stitch pattern result in a fabric on which to combine colors for a nontraditional and modern shawl that is infinitely customizable. Choose colors and yarns that speak to you from your stash for your own perfect (not quite) plaid. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing; instructions are both fully written and charted. Size: 84” length and 32” depth, customizable to any size. Yarn: Baah! La Jolla (100% merino wool; 400 yards/366m/100g); 1 skein each of color A/Night Sky, color B/Obsidian, color C/Grey Onyx and color D/La Perla. A plied sock yarn with a somewhat tight twist helps maintain the integrity of the dropped stitches. The sample used approximately 275/100/205/215 yards respectively of colors A/B/C/D but any amount of yarn in any combination may be used; see Designer’s Notes. Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 32” circular needle or size to match gauge; marker (1); removable markers (optional); Yarn . . .

Sorbetto Scoop

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May 142015

Blueberry, raspberry, pistachio . . . picking a sweater color is as hard as deciding your favorite flavor of sorbet. With stripes and colorblocking, the Sorbetto Scoop sweater lets you enjoy them all. Worked from the top down using the seamless, simultaneous set-in sleeve method, the silhouette is slightly relaxed with gentle waist shaping, curved cropped hems, a scoopneck, and bracelet length sleeves. Construction: The seamless, simultaneous set-in sleeve method allows you to work the back, front and sleeves at one time from the top down, while creating a tailored, set-in sleeve fit. Stitches are cast on for the back, and the back shoulders are shaped with a few short rows to create the shoulder slope; stitches are then picked up for each front shoulder, which is shaped with identical short rows. The back and fronts are united, while at the same time stitches are picked up at the shoulder edges for the sleeve caps, and sleeve cap shaping begins. The back, front and sleeves are worked simultaneously to the bottom of the armscye, with . . .

Vary

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Nov 032014

vary: to change periodically or in succession; differ or alternate An asymmetric shawl that combines various patterns, this bias wrap moves from simple garter stripes through slipstitch colorwork and back again. Cast on at the long, narrow end, Vary grows on the bias, only ever using one color at a time in each row. Choose two colors or even more, and make it your own by varying the placement of the different stitch patterns; the simple construction adapts easily to different amounts of yardage and to your artistic vision. Techniques & Skills Used: knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, slipstitch colorwork; the slipstitch pattern instructions are fully written only. Size: 105” length and 21” depth, customizable. Yarn: String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn Selku (50% silk, 50% merino wool; 375 yards/343m/113g), shown in Viola (MC) and Juice (CC); 1 skein MC and 1 skein CC. The sample used about 340 and 370 yards respectively. Other Materials: US 7 (4.5mm) 32” circular needle or size to match gauge; Yarn needle. Gauge: 15 st and 30 rows/4” in garter stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for . . .

Sneak Peek: Vary

FOs 2 Responses »

Oct 312014

My giant, asymmetrical, two-color shawl Sundry is one of my most popular designs. It’s so over the top, I had no idea what sort of reception it would get once released. But people seem to like it, which is always great. I think it’s the opportunity to mix and match colors, and to customize their placement. A look at some projects on Ravelry shows all sorts of beautiful choices: One of the reasons I love the sample so much is the yarn I used; Selku by String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn. It’s a wool and silk sportweight blend with excellent drape, and the gorgeous colors for which Karen and Tanis are known. I was fortunate to see their lovely yarns in person at out tiny, local sheep and fiber festival at the beginning of September, and inspired to create another design using Selku. I was looking for something to pair with the purpley-blue Viola colorway I had been hoarding, and found a deep raspberry that was perfect. For fans of Sundry, my new shawl Vary . . .

Crossfire

New Release, Patterns, Wraps 1 Response »

May 012014

Diagonal lines fire across this elongated, asymmetric shawl, creating striking contrasts in angles and colors. Textural stripes are worked using simple knit and purl stitches, while the intersecting columns are created by slipping stitches at regular intervals; only one color is ever worked at a time. The sample pairs a neutral main color with a long, self-striping yarn as the contrast color, but using a variegated yarn or leftovers to create your own custom stripe colors as the contrast would be equally lovely. The long, bias shape shows off the dramatic pattern while being easy to wear, and the simple construction adapts to varying amounts of yardage. Techniques & Skills Used: knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, slipped stitches; this pattern is both written and charted. Size: 92” length and 18” depth. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% merino wool; 420 yards/ 384m/100g); 1 skein MC; Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi (80% merino wool, 20% nylon; 195 yards/178m/50g); 2 skeins CC. Shown in Natural (MC) and 120 Fireworks (CC), and using about 420 and 350 yards respectively. This pattern . . .

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