December 31, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 100% wool, in Christmas Heather

Needle: 5 mm / 8 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Allover Cross Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 130.

Comments:  Here it is, the last official* swatch of 2011.  I did a quick count, and this makes 257 swatches, and somewhere around 6000 yards knit up!  I am very pleased that I managed to make it through the whole year without giving this up, although I'm not sure how I feel about having missed out some 99 days of swatches!  But I can assure you, I will not be continuing knitting daily swatches in 2012.  What I will do, however, is sew all of these 257 swatches into a giant blanket, a photo of which will eventually be posted on this blog.  That's where that little asterisk beside "official" comes in - I have a feeling that I may need to knit some extra 'filler' swatches to make this blanket a proper square.  At one point, I had intended to start laying it out before the end of the year, so that the last month of swatches could be specially sized to fit in those empty spaces... but I only got as far as deciding to start knitting a bunch of teeny swatches, in anticipation of the holes.  So keep an eye out - there may be a few more swatches posted on here in weeks to come!


But for now, Happy New Year and Happy Swatching!  :)

December 30, 2011

Yarn:  Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK, 57% Wool, 33% Microfiber, 10% Cashmere, in Mirage

Needle: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Elvis' Brioche Stitch

Source: BriocheStitch.com

Comments: This stitch is why I love the internet.  As you saw in earlier posts, I was using the Brioche Stitch website to try out a number of different brioche stitches.  When I tried this one, I couldn't make it work - something in the pattern just wasn't right.  So I emailed Nancy Marchant, the author of the site, and 2 days later she emailed me back!  At first it looked like she wasn't going to be able to review and revise her pattern, but not 4 days later, there it was in my inbox!  Thanks so much Nancy!  This pattern is reverse-engineered from a sweater worn by Elvis - you can see a photo if you click the link above.  But be warned - as of my writing this (Jan 1/12), the pattern on the site is not yet the correct version.  Please email Nancy if you want a copy - I don't have the rights to distribute the pattern!

December 29, 2011

Yarn:  Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM) in colour P334

Needles: 3.5 mm / 4 US

Gauge: 9 stitches and 14 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Double Fabric Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 100.

Comments: I liked the look of the basic fabric stitch so much that I thought I'd try the double one too.  It makes a very dense fabric - with the right yarn, it could make some pretty fun coasters, or maybe a placemat or something.  But you'd need a pretty solid stitch to form the borders, as this one kind of pulls in and moves around quite a bit.

December 28, 2011

Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-Ply, 100% wool, in Green

Needles: 3.5 mm / 4 US

Gauge: 6.5 stitches and 9 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Diagonal Weave

Source: BW1, p. 99

Comments: I like the pattern of the slipped stitches in this pattern.  The instructions say it makes a dense fabric, but I didn't really find that - maybe it has to do with the thickness of the yarn that one uses.  I could see this as a pillow, or maybe a sweater - cream colour, crew neck, 1x1 ribbing at the cuffs, waist and collar.  Hmmm... I wonder if I have enough of a suitable yarn in my stash.

December 27, 2011

Yarn:  DROPS Karisma 100% Superwash DK Wool in Black

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Coral Knot Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 130.

Comments: This one might look better on a lighter yarn - at least then you would get a better feel for the texture.  I tried to remove the bias while blocking this, but I'm not sure how successful it was.  Hopefully it won't get all warped once I sew it into the swatch blanket.

December 26, 2011

Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK, 100% Superwash Wool, in Copper

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 6 stitches and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: "Closing" Double Cable

Source: BW1, p. 112

Comments: This is one of several double cable stitches which are worked by slipping stitches rather than using the cable needle.  Apparently, if you take out the centre stitch in these panels, it becomes a Reverse Gull Stitch.

December 24, 2011

Yarn:  Berroco Lustra, 50% Wool/50% Tencel aran weight yarn in Aubergine 

Needles: 8 mm / 11 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Fabric Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 99-100.

Comments: For this pattern, you're supposed to use "large needles".  I think 8mms might have been too large for this worsted weight yarn.  But still, you get the effect.  In a couple of places you can see where I purled the stitches instead of just slipping them.  I think I'd have to pay a lot more attention if I were using this in a real project.  (are you noticing a lack-of-attention theme here?).

December 18, 2011

Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, 60% Alpaca/30% Merino/10% Cashmere 4-ply, in Peacock

Needles: 3.5 mm / 5 US

Gauge: 7 stitches and 9 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Elongated Diamond Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 35.

Comments: Went back to the BW books for this one - there are so many patterns in those 4 books that you could probably do a few years worth of swatching by simply working through them in order.  This one is nice - in a thick, densely knit, neutral-coloured yarn, I think it would make a great sofa cushion!

November 10, 2011

Yarn:  Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK, 57% Wool, 33% Microfiber, 10% Cashmere, in Mirage, and  Pingouin France +, 50% Acrylic/50% Wool (DK) in Tweedy Blue

Needle: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 5.75 stitches and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Swiss Check

Source: BW1, p. 90.

Comments: This is such a pretty little pattern - simple to work, and with just a little bit of texture to go along with the colour changes.  You could do a lot with this kind of a pattern, depending on the colours you choose.  In the book the example is white with dark spots, similar in tone to this one.  I'd like to see how it looks with white spots on black.  This would also be a great pattern for trying out colour combinations - you could use one background colour for a few different spot-colours, and then switch out the background for something different, and go through all the colours again.  Hmm... now I have some interesting ideas for more swatches! :)

November 8, 2011

After a much too long hiatus, here are the rest of the November swatches that have been sitting in a non-blocked, non-posted pile for several weeks now!  :(

Yarn: Some kind of worsted weight yarn, hand-dyed red by Kate, and passed on to me via Darcy.

Needle: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 6 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Parquet Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 141.

Comments: This yarn is really bright which makes it next to impossible to photograph.  I also think I over-blocked this a little - before blocking, the raised diamonds all squish up next to each other, and the purled sections really recede to the back.  This pattern produces a crazy amount of depth - I think its due to the unusual decreases on either sides of the diamonds.  I also thought it was interesting how the reds of this yarn really pooled around that one center diamond.

November 1, 2011

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky, 85% Wool/15% Angora Bulky weight yarn

Needles: 6.5mm and 5.5mm / US 10.5 and 9

Gauge: 3 stitches and 4 rows per inch at the bottom, and 3.25 stitches x 4.25 rows per inch at the top (on the smaller needles)

Stitch Pattern: Fisherman's Rib

Source: BW1, p. 44.

Comments:  I bought this yarn to make a cowl for winter - the pale, icy blue colour (its more blue in person - I had to sacrifice colour for texture!) will go really well with a steel blue coat I bought last spring - now all I have to do is fix the buttons on that coat so that their cheaply cast shanks will stop cutting the threads that hold the buttons on!  :)
I've recently learned that the 'suggestion' to work your ribbing in a needle two sizes smaller than what's recommended is really a good idea.  Not sure if you can see it here, but using a 5.5mm for this yarn really makes the ribbing pop.  This is such a squooshy fabric - I can't wait to cast on and knit and finish and then wear this thing!

October 6, 2011

Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK, 100% Superwash Wool, in Slate Blue, and Elann Peruvian Highland Sport, 100% Wool in Oxford Grey Heather

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4.25 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Beaded Stripe Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 71.

Comments: I think this pattern is more often knit using one pale colour and one darker one, but I decided to use two darker colours, just to see the effect.  Technically the grey yarn is a bit thinner than the blue, which makes those sections a little more see-through, but I think it works out pretty well anyway.

October 5, 2011

Yarn: Patons Beehive Shetland Chunky, 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, in Dark Teal

Needles: 5 mm / 9 US

Gauge: 3.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Garter Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 10.

Comments: I knit this for my knitting class - their first project was to knit garter stitch rectangles (bigger than this one!), which we would then sew together with the mattress to stitch to make fingerless mittens.  I ran out of yarn though, so mine is a little small.  I didn't realize that Ms. Walker included garter stitch in her books, but I guess it makes sense - it is a stitch pattern, after all! :)

October 4, 2011

Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK, 100% Superwash Wool, in Wildrose

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 5.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Smocking

Source: BW1, p. 134.

Comments: This one is pretty... It would look so good as a panel in an aran sweater, don't you think?  The smocking wraps show on the back too, but from that side it looks like 2x2 ribbing with wraps around it.

October 3, 2011

Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend DK, 100% Superwash Wool, in Copper

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Faggoting and Beehive Lace Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 188.

Comments: Betcha thought I'd forgotten to keep swatching, eh?  I've been doing the knitting, its just the blocking and posting that takes me ages!  This one is an interesting mix of vertical faggoting stitch ladders (that name seems so non-PC!) and what is apparently a German Beehive stitch.  I suppose you could do a whole sweater or wrap in this, but it would take you ages... plus its really hard to remember which row you're on as you go along (the rows go A,B,C,B, and I kept forgetting if I were on the first or the second B row!).

September 17, 2011

Yarn: Patons Beehive Shetland Chunky, 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, in Dark Teal  

Needles: 5 mm / US 9

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 4.25 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Checkered Acre

Source: BW1, p. 192.

Comments: Normally, I'm really not a fan of yarns with as much acrylic in them as this one, but somehow, I can't not like this Shetland Chunky yarn.  Ages ago I knit a sweater for my brother using this (in dark grey, not this colour), and as far as I know he still has it and its in decent shape, considering.  To be fair, I did steam swatch a little more than is probably good for the acrylic, but look how nicely it sits now!  :)

September 16, 2011

Yarn: Berroco Lustra, 50% Wool/50% Tencel aran weight yarn in Aubergine  

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 5.25 sts and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Diamond Brocade

Source: BW1, p. 30.

Comments: This is a pretty simply knit/purl combination, which gives a nice effect.  It would be interesting (I think, anyway) to do one row of these diamonds as an accent along the waist-line (or empire waist-line) of a little girls coat.  It would need the right yarn and garment shape though, otherwise it might get a little lost in the overall piece.

September 15, 2011

Yarn: Tivoli Celtic Aran 100% Superwash Wool in Blue

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Little Herringbone

Source: BW1, p. 98

Comments: This little two-row pattern makes quite a dense fabric, which pulls wider than it does tall.  Kind of fun, but I think it would be challenging to work it into a garment.... it takes ages to knit, and the right side of the piece is a little wonky, even after blocking.  I suppose it might correct if you picked up a button band on that side, but you'd have to be careful with the stitch you chose - I'm not sure if ribbing would look good next to this pattern.

September 14, 2011

Yarn: Tivoli Celtic Aran 100% Superwash Wool in Beige 

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 4.5 sts and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: The Anchor

Source: BW1, p. 288

Comments: To round out the sailing vacation that took me away from swatching for ten days, I thought I'd knit this anchor motif.  Good for a blanket square or themed project, I think, but perhaps not so useful elsewhere.  :)

August 28, 2011

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino, 100% Worsted Weight Wool in Plum Heather, and Tivoli Celtic Aran 100% Superwash Wool in Beige

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Hexagon Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 67.

Comments: I'm using this beige yarn in a sweater at the moment, and since I know I'll have lots of leftovers of it, I decided to feature it in a swatch.  The hexagon shape in this pattern is made by the upward pull of the slipped stitches that divide each block.  Takes a little blocking to make the top and bottom straight, but maybe it would balance out better if you used in in a full garment...