November 9, 2011

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed Aran, 50% Merino, 25% Rayon, 25% Alpaca, in Teal

Needle: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Sailor's Rib

Source: BW2, p. 4.

Comments: This 'rib' is really just a combination of knit and purl stitches - albeit a rather effective one.  It doesn't pull in, and there's not a lot of stretch to it.  But its easy to work, and looks nice on both sides, so I think it could be useful for a range of projects.  I wonder how it would look in cotton, mixed into a patchwork blanket, alongside other simple knit and purl patterns? 


ETA: As I was updating the stitch index, I realized I've already knit this one back in April.  Oops. :-\

July 31, 2011

Yarn: Sirdar Click with Wool DK, 70% Acrylic, 30% Wool, in purple

Needles: 4mm / 6 US

Gauge: 5 sts and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Bear Track

Source: BW2, p. 225.

Comments: I really like this one - I think that one set of the tracks would make a really cool hat band, with the rest of the hat in 1x1 rib, or maybe garter.  Although you wouldn't want to do it in a non-blockable yarn like this one - you need to block it to get the pattern to sit nicely, and in blocking this one, I essentially killed the acrylic part of the yarn.  But maybe in some Cascade 220 or something?


ETA: this photo shows the wrong side of the fabric - oops!  :)

July 14, 2011

Yarn: Gjestal Naturgarn No. 1, 100% Bulky Wool, in Mustard Yellow

Needles: 5.5 mm / US 9

Gauge: 3.75 sts and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Crown made from horizontal garter stitch

Source: improvised based on several crown patterns from Ravelry

Comments: I need a crown that I can felt, so I dug through my stash and then tried to find a pattern that suited the yarn I dug up.  There were several cute ones, but none were perfect, so I did what we all did and just kind of made it up as I went along.  The recipient is only 1, so I'm thinking the smaller points (6 sts, increasing to 12) are best - even after felting the big ones (8 sts increasing to 14) would probably be too big.

July 4, 2011

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease - 50% Cotton/50% Acrylic Worsted weight yarn, in Taupe

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 3.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Shadow Check

Source: BW1, p. 103.

Comments: I'm in need of a few new dish scrubbies, so I went in search of some very textured patterns for swatches.  This one caught my eye because of the deep ribbed ridges on the wrong side of the fabric - just perfect for cleaning sticky sauté pans!  I purposely chose to knit it on a smaller needle so that the fabric would be more dense - I think it kind of works though.  It would be interesting to do this in a wool, to make an extra-warm coat or vest or something.

June 7, 2011

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

Needles: 5.5mm / 9 US

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 5.25 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Seaweed

Source: BW2, p. 10.

Comments: This stitch could be a good one for a scarf, since there is no proper "right side" - the image on the left has the even-numbered rows, while the image on the right shows the odd-numbered rows.  It also benefits from not being harshly blocked, because once you flatten it, you lose much of the wavy nature of the stitch.  I think this could be really striking in a yarn that shows stitch definition really well!

Would the REAL Moss Stitch please stand up (aka: May 9, 2011)

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Worsted - 50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Nylon in Breezeway

Needles: 5 mm / US 8

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Moss Stitch

Source: BW1, p. 11.

Comments: When I posted this version of moss stitch a few days ago, it was brought to my attention that there is some debate over what moss stitch really is (google it, and see how many versions you get!). So I consulted the stitch bible (aka: Barbara Walker's Treasuries of Knitting Patterns), and found out that I had been wrong all along!

Here is what I discovered (click on the pics for bigger images):

Seed Stitch

Cast on an even number of stitches;

Row 1: (K1, P1) to end

Row 2: (P1, K1) to end

Double Seed Stitch

Cast on a multiple of four stitches;

Row 1: (K2, P2) to end

Row 2: (P2, K2) to end

(I thought this one was moss stitch, but I guess I was wrong!)

Moss StitchCast on an even number of stitches;
Row 1: (K1, P1) to end
Row 2: (K1, P1) to end
Row 3: (P1, K1) to end
Row 4: (P1, K1) to end

Double Moss Stitch

Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches;

Row 1: (K2, P2) to end

Row 2: (P2, K2) to end

Row 3: (P2, K2) to end

Row 4: (K2, P2) to end

Does that clear everything up? :)

May 6, 2011

Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky, 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, in light blue

Needles: 5.5 mm / 9 US

Gauge: 3.5 stitches and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Cat's Eye

Source: CEoS, p. 423.

Comments: This is described as a shetland lace pattern in the Stitch description - in a finer yarn it would be good for that, but with this chunky yarn, I just don't see it.  I think part of the problem is the yarn itself - the high acrylic factor in this yarn keeps it soft, but also makes it look fuzzy and not just a little shiny!  I have to say though, once again this is old-school Patons (from about 9 or 10 years ago) and this version is much better than its current counterpart!

May 4, 2011

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino, 100% Worsted Weight Merino Wool, in Grey

Needles: 4.5 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4.25 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Moss Double Seed Stitch

Source: N/A

Comments: Note to self: Moss Stitch and Seed Stitch are not the same thing!  I knew this little fact ages ago, but somehow I'd forgotten it.  Weird how those small, yet very important details fall out of your mind over time...

May 1, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 100% wool, in Christmas Heather 
Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4.75 stitches and 6 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: 2 x 2 rib

Source: N/A

Comments: I was baking, and needed something to knit while I was waiting for the Banana Bread to finish.  I felt very Elizabeth Zimmermann-ish, from her comments on seamless sweaters in Knitting Without Tears (p.68): "Why not start a sleeve in the meantime? It will be quite a small piece of knitting, and can accompany you on trips, or live in its basket in the kitchen, waiting for any spare attention you can give it."  This feeling was increased by the fact that I was knitting with one wooden DPN, and one made out of Baleen.  :)

April 10, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 100% worsted weight wool, in Gold

Needles: 4.5mm / US 7

Gauge: 4.5 stitches x 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Seed Stitch

Source: n/a

Comments:  As I said about yesterday's swatch - gotta love the classics.  :)

April 9, 2011

Yarn: Unknown acrylic DK yarn

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 4.5 sts and 8 rows measured in garter stitch

Stitch Pattern: Rib and Garter Basketweave

Source: BW4, p. 182.

Comments: In all the fanciness of some of these stitch patterns, its easy to overlook the more straightforward ones.  This is a variation on your typical basketweave pattern.  I always think these basic ones are great for things like blankets and simple scarves - they lay nice and flat without blocking, and they are just complicated enough to keep you interested, while still being easy enough to work without looking at them.

April 6, 2011

Yarn: Red 4-ply yarn, in some kind of wool/acrylic mix. (Whatever it is, its the same as the green yarn I used the other day).

Needles: 3mm / 2.5 US

Gauge: 6.5 stitches and 9 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Arrows

Source: BW4, p. 183.

Comments:  What is it about the colour red that makes it so hard to photograph?  I'm sure there's some scientific explanation for this problem.  This is a fun pattern, but I think it would be more effective in a thicker yarn. 

April 4, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 100% worsted weight wool, in Beige

Needles: 4.5mm / US 7

Gauge: 4.5 stitches x 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Gateposts

Source: BW4, p. 178.

Comments:  Yay, a new book!  I love that Barbara Walker's list of books includes a number of knitting books, and then a collection of works on topics such as Women's spirituality, Tarot cards, and feminism.  Not that these topics are in any way unrelated (actually, there is a very clear connection between them), but I just think its a great marker of how varied we knitters really are.  :)

March 29, 2011

Yarn: Unknown grey bulky yarn; I'm guessing its a wool/acrylic blend of some sort.

Needles: 6 mm /  US 10

Gauge: 3.25 stitches and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Arabic Cross Stitch

Source: CEoS, p. 392

Comments:  This is a pretty basic knit/purl pattern, except that in the crosses you knit all stitches through the back loop.  It makes them stand out a little more (not that you can tell from this photo!) but otherwise I'm not sure what the point is.  Weird...

March 15, 2011

Yarn: James C. Brett Pure Merino, 100% Merino Wool in Imperial Purple Burgundy

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6-ish rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Roman Stripe

Source: BW2, p. 219

Comments: Beware the Ides of March!  (although I'm posting this a day late, so I guess its okay now).  Today's swatch is in honour of Julius Cesar's assassination in 44BC (stabbed 23 times - what a way to go!) - a Roman themed pattern, knit in the closest thing to Imperial Purple that I could find.  Et tu, Brute?

March 7, 2011

Yarn: Pingouin France +, 50% Acrylic/50% Wool (DK) in Tweedy Blue

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 7.5 sts and 9 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Garter and Rib Check

Source: BW1, p. 21.
Comments:  Like basket-weave, but different.  :)

February 22, 2011

Side A

Side B

Yarn: James C. Brett Pure Merino - 100% Merino Wool, in Pale Mink

Needles: 4mm / 6 US

Gauge: 5.5 stitches and 6.25 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Sand Stitch (Side A) and Dot/Spot Stitch (Side B)

Source: BW1, p. 12.

Comments:  I really like this swatch!  I started out making the sand stitch, but now I can't decide which side I like better.  Here are close-ups of the textures, so you can see them more clearly...

This one looks a little like garter stitch at a distance, but with every other row raised a little (of course, if you look closely, you can see the random knit stitches in there.  I think it would make a fun pattern for a rugged pullover, maybe for a little boy or something.

This side looks like a woven fabric - I think it could be great as a tailored jacket or cardigan... mind you, I can't imagine knitting such a garment in DK weight yarn - it would take AGES!  :)

February 17, 2011

Yarn: Pingouin France +, 50% Acrylic/50% Wool (DK) in Tweedy Blue (my colour name, not theirs)

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 6.5 sts and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Twin Rib

Source: BW2, p. 4.

Comments:  Zoom in on this one to see the texture more clearly - it looks quite good in real life, but it didn't photograph so well.  Barbara Walker points out that this rib doesn't have a lot of stretch to it, and that it would therefore be useful for things like button bands and coat cuffs - I agree, and I think I might have an idea for where I might be able to use it! :)

February 12, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% Worsted Weight Wool, in Dark Plum

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4.5 sts and 7-ish rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Diagonal Block

Source: Nicky Epstein's Knitting Block by Block.

Comments:  This is a BIG swatch.... about 10" x 8.5".  Interesting note, the picture of this block in the book is backwards - the diagonal lines in that pic all run upwards to the left, even though the instructions clearly state that Row 1 is the WS, which means that the "front" of the work should be the side I'm showing here!  I guess the photographer didn't read the pattern instructions very well.  :)

February 4, 2011

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

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 6.5 stitches and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Steep Diagonal Rib

Source: BW2, p. 5

Comments:  I like this pattern - I think it would make a fun scarf.  Its reversible (now that I look at it, I think this is actually the 'wrong' side!), and it lies pretty flat without blocking.  (I haven't blocked this swatch - I know, big surprise, right?)  ;)  But maybe in a chunky yarn, so it would knit up a little faster.