pattern • The Knitting Vortex • Page 12

Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love

New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

May 212013

Who doesn’t want to stir up a little love? This triangular shawl begins with many stitches and an enticing ruffle, then decreases the stitch count by 2/3 before the body begins. Strong ribbed lines lead to the top, with optional beads added for glamour. The reversible stitch pattern is bewitching from both sides, all in the service of love. The hotter and stronger, the better! Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit/purl, beading (optional; prestrung and crochet hook methods, with link to tutorial), decreasing. This pattern is both written and charted, and includes links to my grafting and beading tutorials. Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Silky Merino (51% silk, 49% merino; 150 yards/50g; 2 (4) skeins. Size S shown in Cumparsita with beads, and using about 240 yards; size L unbeaded, shown in Redwood Bark and using about 495 yards. The Silky Merino becomes very drapey when blocked, which is essential for achieving a straight top edge, as the body of the shawl is ribbed and the wings must be pulled up to avoid a point at the middle . . .

Amortentia

New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Apr 232013

The most powerful Love Potion in the Harry Potter world, Amortentia causes powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker. It manifests as a different aroma to each who drinks it, recalling one’s favorite person, place or thing.Indulge your own deep love by knitting your Amortentia shawl with a favorite color or irresistible yarn. This shawl is cast on with many stitches at the ruffled edge, which is knit with optional beads for extra sparkle and weight. By the end of the ruffle, the number of stitches is reduced by 2/3, then like the twists and turns of love, the edging and body are divided by a garter ridge, and the stitch pattern reverses itself into a wide rib. The long and narrow body is knit with short rows to the top edge, and finished with simple garter stitch. Instructions for two sizes are given, and differ only in the frequency of the short rows.Irresistible looking from both sides, Amortentia is meant to be the embodiment of everything you love. Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit/purl, . . .

Zaget

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Mar 112013

Zig it … Zag it. Handpainted superbulky yarn and a simple, reversing diagonal lace pattern make a neckwarmer that curves gently around the face and closes neatly with a satin ribbon lacing or buttons. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, easy lace. Size: 10” height and 32” length, measured flat Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rasta (100% merino wool; 90 yards/82m/150g); 1 skein, shown in Piedras. As written, this cowl uses almost every bit of one skein. Other Materials: US 17 (12mm) needle or size to match gauge; Yarn needle or K/6.5 mm crochet hook for weaving in ends; Matching .75” wide satin ribbon (2 yards); 1” buttons (3); Matching sewing thread and needle. Gauge: 6 st and 9 rows/4” in stockinette st, after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this project, however a different gauge may result in a smaller or larger finished neckwarmer, and different yardage requirements. See it on Ravelry or on Payhip, to read more or purchase the pattern.

Lunatic Fringe

Free, New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Mar 072013

I’m beyond pleased to announce that I have a pattern in Knitty Spring + Summer 2013. Eccentric and non-conforming, Lunatic Fringe is an off-kilter shawl that grows asymmetrically from the bottom up, and sprouts digit-like fringes on one side. The fringes are knit in as you go along by repeatedly binding off and casting on, while the body features alternating textural stripes. Cast on with a few stitches, Lunatic Fringe grows by increasing unequally along both sides to the long top edge, which is finished simply with a stretchy bind off. Like a devastated remnant found in the irradiated ruins of former civilization, Lunatic Fringe represents a ravaged relic of the cyber past, featuring a slubby yarn blend which is weirdly iridescent in duo-tonal colors. Construction: This shawl is cast on at the bottom tip, and worked to the top edge in alternating garter stitch and stockinette stitch stripes, with a 2 st garter edging on each side. Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, backwards loop CO, knit, increasing; this pattern is fully written. Size: 58” length . . .

Silt & Stone

Accessories, New Release, Patterns Comments Off

Mar 042013

The world is made of silt and stone, the granular material and solid minerals suspended in water or settled on the earth. As sediment forms a shape, so do the Silt & Stone Hat and Mittens grow from a mixture of stitches that settle together. For the hat, the wide garter and cable brim is knit sideways and grafted, then stitches are picked up for the crown and worked in the round with decreases to the top. The result is a chunky hat with a little slouch, both warm and textural from its mixture of elements.For the mittens, the long garter and cable cuff is knit sideways and grafted, then stitches are picked up for the hand and worked in the round with a thumb gusset. The extended cuff both hugs the forearm and slouches warmly at the wrist, while the comfy mitten keeps all your fingers warm. Techniques & Skills Used: provisional CO, backward loop CO, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, picking up stitches, cables, grafting. Hat Size: XS (S, M, L); 15.25 (17.5, 19.75, 22)” brim circumference, unstretched.Mittens . . .

Lithos

Featured, New Release, Patterns, Sweaters 3 Responses »

Mar 022013

Named for the Greek word meaning rock, Lithos is a structured cardigan in which the cable and garter elements of the collar are formed together with the gently shaped raglan body. The unusual construction begins by working the wide braided cable and garter collar from the center back neck toward each shoulder, then stitches are picked up around the collar edge and integrated into the cabled fronts, while being worked seamlessly from the top down in one piece to the hem. The organic cable appears to travel around the front edge and neckline from one end to the other, although each side is worked from the top to the bottom. A traditional cardigan with contemporary construction, Lithos is sturdy and reliable on cold days. Techniques & Skills Used: provisional CO, raglan construction, knit/purl, increasing/decreasing, picking up stitches, cables. Size: 30 (32, 34.75, 37.25, 40, 42.75, 45.25, 48.25, 51.25)” bust; shown in third size worn with 1” ease. Yarn: Knit Picks Biggo (50% Superwash Merino Wool, 50% Nylon; 110 yards/101m/100g); 6 (7, 7, 8, 9, 9, . . .

Alluvium

New Release, Patterns, Sweaters 2 Responses »

Mar 012013

Named for the free flowing organic matter which is eroded and reshaped into a new form by running water, Alluvium is a blanket-style cardigan with wide wrapped fronts, a cropped back, and a winding braided cable around the neckline and front edges. Cast on at one front edge, it is knit sideways around the body in one piece to the other edge, with afterthought sleeves worked from live armhole stitches. The comforting shape can be worn wrapped and belted or pinned, or left to wander freely; the shorter back and sleeve lengths reduce the bulk of the sweater and take off the chill without smothering you. A versatile and unstructured chunky knit, Alluvium is a transitional cardigan for the changing winter season. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit/purl, picking up stitches, cables. Size: 28.5 (31, 34, 36.5, 39, 42, 44.5, 47)”, based on the cross-back width doubled, and shown in third size. As this wrap cardi does not have a true bust circumference, choose a size based on cross-back measurement. Yarn: Knit Picks Biggo . . .

Picabeau

New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Feb 182013

Picabeau is a crescent shaped small shawl, with asymmetrical construction that first increases and then decreases in a gentle curve. The reversible bias shape is highlighted by regular rows of YOs that swoop across the shawl, creating visual movement. One luscious skein is all that is required for this versatile and wearable accessory; instructions are given to make the shawl using any amount of yardage. Techniques & Skills Used: cable CO, knit, increasing/decreasing, picots. Size: 60” along bottom curve and 8” center depth, customizable. Yarn: String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn Caper Sock (80% superwash merino wool, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon; 400 yards/365m/113g); 1 skein shown in Light Teal. Sample used 348 yards; instructions are given to make the shawl using any amount of yardage. Other Materials: US 6 24” circular needle; Yarn needle. Gauge: 20 st and 40 rows/4” in garter stitch, after blocking. See it on Ravelry or on Payhip, to read more or purchase the pattern.

Five Short Row Shawls

New Release, Patterns Comments Off

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.

Rufflebye

New Release, Patterns, Wraps Comments Off

Jan 312013

A new take on the ruffle shawl, Rufflebye is a one-skein, reversible wrap worked sideways in three garter stitch wedges which cleverly intersect to change the knitting direction. Increases and decreases create the shape from tip to tip, while two sets of short rows throughout form the crescent shape and the gently ruffled edging. Construction: Rufflebye is cast on at one tip with a few stitches, increased to the halfway point then decreased again to the other tip, and shaped with short rows throughout. Techniques & Skills Used: longtail CO, knit, increasing/decreasing, short rows. Size: one size; 45” length and 10” depth. Rufflebye forms a natural semi-circle and measures 40” along inner semi-circumference, and 72” along outer semi-circumference, measured without stretching. The 12-stitch ruffle is approximately 2.6” and begins as soon as there are enough stitches. Yarn: Indigodragonfly MerGoat Sock (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 400 yards/366m/115g); 1 skein, shown in My Boyfriend Had A Bicentennial (Buffy). See Designer’s Notes for instructions to adjust for differing yardage. Other Materials: US 6 (4mm) 40″circular needle, or size to match . . .

Older Entries Newer Entries