collection • The Knitting Vortex

Eugene

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Jul 282015

A gentlemanly companion to the Three Belles, Eugene is the perfect Beau. Simple and understated with strong, clean lines, he complements his fancy partners with subdued elegance. This elongated bias wrap is worked in stockinette and garter stitch with textured stripes and top edge, and is equally suitable for men or women. A well-mannered partner, Eugene is agreeable to customization to accommodate varying yardage and personalized garter accent stripe placement. Eugene is part of Three Belles and One Beau, a collection featuring three diverse sideways shawls with short row details, plus one simple sideways textured wrap. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing. Size: 60” length and 17” depth. Yarn: Have You Any Wool Luxe Sock (80% merino wool, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon; 370 yards/338m/115g), shown in Cobalt; 1 skein, or any amount of fingering weight yarn. The sample as written used almost all of the skein, but any amount of yardage may be used; see Designer’s Notes. Other Materials: US 7 (4.5mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Stitch marker (1); Yarn needle. Gauge: 19 st . . .

Lurlene

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Jul 142015

Lurlene is a flirty belle, not complicated but eye-catching, engaging and pretty. This one-skein crescent shawlette is worked sideways in garter stitch, beginning and ending with a few stitches. Decorative eyelets frame the stockinette short row godets which shape the curving lower edge, and look lovely on both sides. Lurlene is part of Three Belles and One Beau, a collection featuring three diverse sideways shawls with short row details, plus one simple sideways textured wrap. Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, short rows; pattern includes a link to my short row tutorials. Size: 50” length and 12” depth. Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% merino wool; 420 yards/384m/100g), shown in Baltic; 1 skein. The sample as written used approximately 375 yards of fingering weight yarn, but any amount may be used; see Designer’s Notes. Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 32” circular needle, or size to match gauge; Stitch markers (3); Yarn needle. Gauge: 22 st and 28 rows/4” in stockinette stitch, 22 st and 40 rows/4” in garter stitch, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, . . .

Five Short Row Shawls

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Jan 312013

Short rows are one of my all-time favorite knitting techniques. They easily allow you to shape your knitwear, for better fit and more intriguing angles. In the Five Short Row Shawls collection, I’ve used this technique to create five simple garter one-skein shawls, each with a different and unique construction. While I love crescents, topdown triangles and bias boomerangs, the five wraps in this book use short rows imaginatively to create some of these familiar shapes in totally new ways. By choosing a single skein of a beautiful variegated or semi-solid yarn worked in garter stitch, the focus is entirely on the rhythmic and magical process of knitting short rows. The results are both simple, and singularly stunning. Each pattern may be purchased individually, or all together as an ebook with a special price that equals getting one pattern for free. The collection includes Triangulate, Piewhacket, Rondelay, Aerophile, and Rufflebye; see them all together as Five Short Row Shawls on Ravelry or on Payhip.

Crimp Hat & Crimpy Mitts

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Jan 032012

Crimp Crimp is a hat with built-in slouch and a casual fit created by tuck stitches, which can be worn at the back or side for different looks. This simple and fun technique solves the problem of just how to scrunch your hat and keep it perfectly slouched. Alternating sections of ribbing and stockinette add interest to the crown, making Crimp a unique hat and a perfect companion to the Crimpy Mitts. Techniques & Skills Used: Cable CO, knit/purl, tuck stitch, decreasing; this pattern includes written instructions, as well as a photo and video tutorial for the tuck stitch. Size: S/M (M/L); 18 (20)” unstretched brim circumference. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rios (100% superwash merino wool, 210 yards/ 192m/100g), 1 skein. Size M shown in Cumparsita. 2 skeins are needed to make both the hat and mitts. Other Materials: US 7 (4.5mm) dpns or 32” circular needle if using Magic Loop, or size to match gauge; Spare US 7 dpn for tucks; Stitch markers (8); Yarn needle. Gauge: 20 st and 28 rows/4” in stockinette . . .

Sailing To Byzantium

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Sep 262011

For over 1000 years, the Byzantine Empire stood as a symbol of Christian power in the eastern half of what had once been the Roman Empire, symbolizing a final link to the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans. Renamed Constantinople in 330 AD by Constantine I, the ancient city of Byzantium remained a center of wealth and power despite its fall to the western knights of the Fourth Crusade in 1203. The future of the city changed forever in 1453, when it was besieged by Sultan Mehmet II and the Ottoman Turks, overrun, and reborn as Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. A city of ancient Roman stonework, early Christian domes, towering Islamic minarets and intricate Ottoman tile and mosaics, Byzantium now stands for a dream of splendor and beauty straddling Europe and Asia Minor. Byzantine architecture is notable for its stacked shapes; minarets towering over domes, above arches and blocks. The repeating geometric motifs create a strong visual effect, in warm tones of sandstone, clay, stone and lead. The geometry is enhanced . . .