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 25, 2011

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Merino Mix, 51% Merino/49% Acrylic Worsted Weight yarn in Beige (it looks a little green here, oddly).

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7.25 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: O Christmas Tree

Source: St5, p. 138-139 (stitch 134)

Comments: I had rather a busy knitting day on Christmas Day, but didn't actually get to knit this swatch till the next day.  But I'm posting it for Christmas Day anyway, just because I can.  :)