Patterns • The Knitting Vortex • Page 12

Clubbing with Katie

FOs, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Mar 022014

Probably my all-time favorite movie is Gone With The Wind; I love everything about it – the period costumes, the sweeping narrative, the human frailties. And of course the heroine, Katie Scarlett O’Hara. As flawed a human being as she is, with her childish, manipulative, selfish temperament, she is also unflinchingly strong and unfailingly loyal to the people and places she considers her own. Certainly she qualifies as a heroine in my view. Last year, Anne from Wooly Wonka Fibers invited me to design two shawls for her 2014 Heroines Shawl Club, and asked me to pair my choice of heroines with her lovely hand-dyed yarns. And so I designed two shawls, using Artio Lace and Aerten Sock to depict two admirable heroines. The first of these is the design in the March 2014 club kit, Katie Scarlett. It’s a semi-circular laceweight shawl, knit from a garter tab cast on, with four tiers of lace patterns that represent Miss Scarlett’s trajectory through life. The beautiful, jewel-green color is the exclusive Twelve Oaks colorway, meant to . . .

The Fisher Queen

New Release, Patterns, Sweaters Comments Off

Feb 242014

A modern take on the fisherman sweater, The Fisher Queen blends classic cable and rib elements with a non-traditional shape and construction. Heavily textured Mistake Rib, along with Honeycomb and Snake cables cover the front and back, while the fitted sleeves are worked in Rib. The slim modified dolman sleeves, scooped neck and curved hem bring updated details to the silhouette, mixing traditional and modern in a contemporary classic. Construction: The Fisher Queen is worked seamlessly from the top down; the shoulder saddles are knit first, with stitches picked up for front and back and worked flat to below the armhole, then joined to work in the round. Long, skinny sleeves are picked up and worked in rib, then finished with twisted rib cuffs, matching the hem and neckband. Techniques & Skills Used: backwards loop CO, knit/purl, cables, decreasing, short rows, picking up stitches, grafting. Body stitch patterns are both written and charted. Size: 31 (35, 39, 43, 47, 51, 55)” bust; shown in third size worn with 4” of positive ease. For a similar . . .

Loops at the Fireside

New Release, Patterns, Sweaters Comments Off

Feb 212014

A woolly mantle knit as a simple rectangle with sleeves, Loops at the Fireside features seamless construction in light-as-air alpaca blend yarn. The textured top edge is worked in a dimensional, garter-based loop stitch, and becomes the collar of the sweater; the body is a canvas of pure stockinette stitch with purl ridge details along the fronts, hem, and sleeve cuffs. Together, the comforting shape and modern bulky yet featherweight yarn come together in a new-fashioned garment to wear both at home by the fireside and out into the chill. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, decreasing, picking up stitches. Size: 30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64)” bust; shown in third size worn with no ease. The sizing of this blanket sweater is designed to be as flexible as possible; the open front ensures that any shape and size can find a good fit within the wide range, depending on amount of ease desired. As a starting point, choose a size with 0-2” ease at your cross-back, . . .

Tucked in Snug

New Release, Patterns, Sweaters Comments Off

Feb 192014

A cozy sweater with ample tucked funnelneck, Tucked in Snug is knit in one piece from the bottom up with ergonomic shoulders. Gentle waist shaping and short dolman sleeves flatter the body, while grafted shoulders and an integrated slouchy funnelneck ensure uncomplicated seamless knitting. Short rows shape the sleeves and shoulder comfortably, eliminating excess fabric at the underarm. The substantial cowl frames the face with a series of narrowing tucks at the front neck, gently pulling down the front edge below the chin. Wear it alone in the transitional seasons, and as a Snug extra layer in the depths of winter. Techniques & Skills Used: Cable CO, knit/purl, short rows, increasing/decreasing, picking up stitches, tucks. This pattern includes written instructions, links to my short rows and grafting tutorials, as well as a photo and video tutorial for the tuck stitch. Size: 30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60)” bust; shown in fourth size worn with 2” positive ease. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Worsted (100% wool; 210 yards/192m/100g) shown in Coco; 3 . . .

Fish Moderne Hat

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Jan 302014

Warm and cozy for winter, the Fish Moderne hat is knit in heavily textured Mistake Rib with a Twisted Rib brim. I wanted a classic wool ribbed hat that would have an updated look and be interesting to knit; this hat is for the modern fisherman or woman, whether they are out in the wilderness or at the urban coffee bar. This scarf is a companion to the Fish Moderne Scarf; purchase either one on Ravelry and automatically save 50% on the other! Techniques & Skills Used: Cable CO, knit/purl, twisted stitches, decreasing, knitting in the round. Size: 19.5” circumference and 9” height, after gentle blocking. With its very stretchy stitch pattern, this hat will fit most adults, or see Designer’s Notes for easy instructions to adjust its size. Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool (100% wool; 478 yards/437m/ 250g), shown in 8010 Natural; 1 skein, or about 135 yards of heavy aran weight wool yarn. Other Materials: US 9 (5.5mm) and US 10 (6mm) 16” circular needles or dpns, or 32” circular needle if using . . .

Fish Moderne Scarf

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Jan 302014

Modern fishermen and women need to look stylish and stay warm when trolling about in winter. The fully reversible Fish Moderne scarf is worked in heavily textured Mistake and Twisted Rib, framing a wide ribbed cable. The generous length can be wrapped easily, while the thick and cozy fabric keeps out wind and weather. This scarf is a companion to the Fish Moderne Hat; purchase either one and automatically save 50% on the other! Techniques & Skills Used: Cable CO, knit/purl, twisted stitches, cables; this pattern is both written and charted. Size: 8” wide and 68” long, after gentle blocking. Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool (100% wool; 478 yards/437m/ 250g), shown in 8010 Natural; 1 skein, or about 460 yards of heavy aran weight wool yarn. Other Materials: US 10 (6mm) needles, or size to match gauge; Stitch markers (2); Cable needle; Yarn needle. Gauge: 21 st and 18 rows/4” in scarf pattern, after gentle blocking. One cable repeat is 3.5” tall and 3” wide. The ribbed cable and Mistake Rib compress the scarf fabric . . .

Swirligig

New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Dec 202013

An elongated, asymmetrical, swirling shawl that uses two colors, and simple knit, increase and decrease stitches to achieve a striking shape. Cast on with 3 stitches at one corner, Swirligig grows asymmetrically on the bias; adding stitches to each triangular section, while at the same time shifting the triangles by increasing and decreasing on a bias tilt. The garter stitch wedges are set off by swirling lines of yarnovers, and a matching line of yarnovers finishes the long edge. Techniques & Skills Used: knit, increasing/decreasing; this pattern includes written instructions, as well as a helpful stitch count table. Size: 112” length and 18” depth, after blocking. Swirligig forms a spiral shape expanding from one narrow point to the other wide end; see schematic for approximate shape. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock (100% superwash merino, 395 yards/ 361m/100g); 1 skein MC and 1 skein CC, or approximately 380 and 295 yards respectively. Sample shown in Logwood (MC) and Ginger (CC). Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 40” circular needle; Stitch markers (8); Yarn needle. Gauge: 20 st and . . .

Slaunter Hat

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Nov 052013

With just the right amount of slouchy style and comfort, the Slaunter Hat features smooth reverse stockinette with high-relief knit rib accents, and a stretchy textured mistake rib brim. Instructions are included for both the traditional and the modern split brim versions, for double the style options! Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, knitting in the round. Size: one size, which easily fits women’s M or 21-23” head circumference; approximately 18” brim circumference and 9” depth, unstretched. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh DK (100% Superwash Merino; 225 yards/ 206m/110g); 1 skein. Traditional brim version shown in Ink, and split brim version in Iris, using 145 and 155 yards respectively. Other Materials: US 7 (4.5mm) 16” circular needle and dpns, or 32” circular needle if using Magic Loop, or size to match gauge; extra US 7 dpn for split brim facings; Stitch markers (8); Yarn needle. Gauge: 20 st and 26 rows/4” in reverse stockinette stitch; 22 st and 28 rows/4” in Mistake Rib, after blocking. See it on Ravelry or on Payhip, to read more or purchase the pattern.

Indie Design Gift-A-Long

Patterns Comments Off

Oct 312013

Finally I can share with you a super-big, super-exciting event of which I am part, created by many of the independent designers on Ravelry! The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a knitting and crochet-along that is taking place from November 1 to December 31, 2013 in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long group on Ravelry – with participation threads for all categories of items, and hundreds of prizes donated by designers and yarnies. To kick off the event, participating patterns are on sale for 25% discount with the Ravelry coupon code “giftalong” from November 1-15 (GMT). From the description in the group: Prepping for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from tons of indie designers! What is Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear! Put plainly, from November 1st until November 15th (GMT) any pattern listed in the “List of Participating Patterns” thread is 25% off when you use the code “giftalong”. Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, we encourage you to join a relevant KAL/CAL! . . .

Tartania Mitts

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Oct 292013

Hail, Tartania! Plaid hands are glad hands, and these tartan fingerless mitts make the technique easy. The horizontal colors are knit as stripes using one color at a time per row in a wide rib, then the vertical stripes are added at the end with a crochet hook in the purl columns; no crochet skills are needed. The Tartania Cowl is part of Hail, Tartania! an ebook collection which also includes a matching hat and fingerless mitts. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, knitting in the round, increasing; this pattern includes written instructions, as well as a chart and table for the plaid; a video tutorial is provided for the non-stranded plaid technique. Size: S (L); 6.75 (8)” circumference and 7 (8.75)” length; size S shown on 7” circumference hand. Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted (100% Merino; 210 yards/192m/100g); 1 skein each MC, CC1, and CC2, shown in MC Tortuga, CC1 Hollyhock and CC2 Cadmium; the sample used approximately 75 (95), 10 and 10 yards respectively. Other Materials: US 8 (5mm) 24” circular needle for Magic Loop, . . .

Older Entries Newer Entries