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 6, 2011

Yarn: GarnStudio Drops Alpaca - 100% Alpaca, in blue/turquoise mix

Needles: 3.5 mm / 4 US and 5mm / 7 US (I think)

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: 'Raised Knitting for a Shawl'

Source: My Knitting Book, by Miss Lambert (1845), p. 76

Comments: This is a very bad photo - it doesn't do justice to the stitch.  It caught my attention because it uses two different sized needles - a set of the smaller ones, and just one of the larger one.  I had to upsize my needles to suit my yarn - the pattern calls for sizes 19 and 18, which in modern versions are something like 1mm and 1.25mm needles.... and you thought knitting with lace weight yarn was difficult!

December 5, 2011

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Merino Mix, 51% Merino/49% Acrylic Worsted Weight yarn

Needle: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 3.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Laurel-Leaf Counterpane Pattern

Source: The Lady's Knitting Book, by Elvina M. Corbould. 1878.  (accessible here), p. 38-39

Comments: Another from that same vintage book.  The increases on this one are worked by way of a yarn-over at the very start of each row - hence the less than straight edges.  Not sure I like that approach - we'll see how it looks once its sewn into the rest of the blanket.  For the knit and purl section at the top, the instructions say to work in ribs, decreasing at the beginning of each row.  Good thing she then explains exactly how to work these ribs, otherwise I probably would've switched to a standard 2x2 ribbing!  :)

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.

October 26, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 5.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Vertical Drop Stitch

Source: BW2, p. 219.

Comments: I really like this drop stitch pattern - I think its a great one for summer scarves (when worked in cotton or linen, or something, of course) because it gives great texture without a lot of weight to it.  Working it in slightly larger needles than recommended for the yarn might help open up the dropped stitch areas (I think!).  Also, don't use a really fuzzy yarn like mohair, because you'll never get the stitches to release when you try to drop them!  :)

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.

September 29, 2011

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool, 100% bulky weight wool in Gunmetal

Needles: don't know

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: "How to make a bobble" swatch

Source: Darcy!

Comments: Today's swatch is a guest swatch! :) Apparently she made it as a means of showing her friend Sam what a knit bobble looks like.  Thanks Darcy!  :)

September 22, 2011

Yarn: Tivoli Celtic Aran 100% Superwash Wool in Beige 

Needle: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 5 stitches and 6 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: Clamshell

Source: BW2, p. 129.

Comments: I made a mistake in this pattern, and fixed it half way through - look closely, and you may be able to see it.  Basically, I reduced the increased stitches by knitting the 5 stitches together, instead of knitting them together through the back loop as I was supposed to do.  You can see how the stitches in the top two rows of, um, "clams" twist slightly to the left rather than to the right.  I thought maybe this would affect how well the clams stand out, but I don't think it does.

September 18, 2011

Yarn: Patons UpCountry 100% bulky weight Wool in Olive green, and Lamb's Pride Bulky 85% Wool, 15% Mohair in Khaki

Needles: 5 mm / US 9

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Picot Stripe

Source: BW2, p. 117.

Comments: These look like little Christmas trees to me... I think this one, like the flowers from the other day, would make an interesting border along the bottom edge of a sweater or something.  Or maybe in a felted item, where it would bring some texture to the piece?

September 2, 2011

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino, 100% Worsted Weight Wool in Natural Marl, Cascade 220 100% Worsted Wool in Orange, Knit Picks Merino Style, 100% DK wool in Pine, King Cole Merino Blend DK, 100% Superwash Wool in Raspberry, and Elann Peruvian Highland Sport 100% Wool, in Oxford Grey Heather.

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 5 sts and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Four-Colour Blister Stitch

Source: BW2, p. 110.

Comments: I ran out of the pink after 4 rows, so I cheated and made this five-colour blister Stitch.  This is such a fun little bubbly pattern - I am so going to make it into mittens this winter - just you wait!  :)

August 13, 2011

Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock, 70% Wool/30% Nylon, in colourway S92

Needles: 3.25 mm / US 3

Gauge: 5.5 stitches x 12 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Twin Leaf Lace

Source: BW1, p. 210.

Comments: Just to be clear, the drastic colour changes in this swatch are all part of this yarn - gotta love Noro for their crazy ranges of colour! :)  This lace was pretty easy to work, but I'm not sure I like it as much as I thought I would.  Maybe if it was done in a single repeat it might look better?  I think it somehow needs to be taller, but I'm not sure how to do that without making it wider at the same time.

August 10, 2011

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

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 4.25 stitches x 9 rows per inch, measured over the garter stitch section

Stitch Pattern: Four-Leaf Counterpane

Source: Lion Brand Stitch Finder

Comments:  I've been wanting to make one of these panels for a while - this one is worked from the centre out, and then you make several of them and connect them together into a blanket of some kind.  The finished block is about 9" square, so you wouldn't have to make many of them to get a baby blanket.  Worked all in white, I think it could be quite pretty, although I have seen some nice ones done in 3 or 4 colours.

July 8, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Blackberry Bobble Pattern

Source: BW1, p. 145.

Comments: There are many ways to make bobbles, most of which involve making 3 or more stitches out of one stitch, turning the work and knitting or purling across the work on or more times, and then passing one of those new stitches over the next until you're back to only on stitch.  This one is pretty typical also - make 5 stitches out of one ([k,yo, k, yo, k] into the one stitch), purl across, knit back, and then pass all the stitches over the last one, one stitch at a time.  Yet for some reason, these bobbles don't work so well.  I think they're sloppy-looking, a little too flat, and not bobbly enough... maybe its because of the yarn overs?  I've done other bobbles that have you knit and purl into the stitch to make the increases (its like doing a kfb, but you do several of them into one stitch), and somehow that looks better... maybe I will have to take on 'find the perfect bobble'  swatch project or something! :)  (I'll have to remember to do it in a lighter-coloured yarn - this purple stuff doesn't photograph very well!)

July 7, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Welting Fantastic (two colour variation)

Source: BW1, p. 143.

Comments: You can work this pattern in only one colour, but I decided to stashbust a little more and try it out in the suggested two-colour variation.  This one is destined for the dish scrubbie collection - I have such a bad habit of slicing up these things while washing our knives!

June 19, 2011

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

Needles: 5 mm / 8 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Double Knotted Lattice

Source: BW2, p. 207.

Comments: Okay, so I have to stop saying that the new version of this yarn isn't as nice as the old stuff.  This is really nice yarn - soft, durable, and as you can see it has great stitch definition.  And its cheap - especially when you buy it from Michael's using one of their 40% off coupons! :)  I have this leftover from a cabled sweater I'm working on at the moment, so I thought I'd use it for more cables.  This particular stitch can be used as seen here, in a 30-stitch cable panel, or you can extend it, and make it an all-over cable pattern.  Its quite big though, so I think you'd want to use it on an adult-sized garment rather than a kids' one (at least in worsted yarn, as seen here).

May 12, 2011

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca Worsted, 50% Alpaca/50% Wool in Boysenberry Mix, and Patons Classic Wool Merino, 100% Worsted Weight Wool, in White

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Bricks

Source: BW1, p. 62.

Comments:  I borrowed another copy of Barbara Walker's Treasury #1 from the library, and now I intend to exploit it to its fullest! ;)  Here's one of the more basic two-colour patterns.  I've used this one for dishcloths before, although I usually make the 'bricks' in garter stitch so they stand out more.  These yarns are both listed as worsted weight, but the Ultra Alpaca is actually a little thinner - I started this with white mortar and purple bricks, but the Alpaca stitches were stretched too far apart - even more than the white ones are here...

May 10, 2011

Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky, 85% Wool/15% Mohair, in Black

Needles: 6 mm / US 10

Gauge: 3 stitches x 4 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Twist-Stitch Waves 

Source: BW1, p. 124.

Comments:  This swatch is GIGANTIC - the photo doesn't convey that very well.  It's 9.5" x 8.5" total - way bigger than most of the other swatches I've made.  I wanted to use up the entire part-skein of yarn I had, and then it conveniently worked out that I only had to do 2 rows of the second pattern repeat to use it all up...  At least it will give some balance to all the itty-bitty swatches I've been making of late! :)

May 8, 2011

Yarn: Patons UK Fairytale Colour 4 Me DK, 100% Wool

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 5.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: "Cable Motif F"

Source: Aran Throw pattern, from the Step-By-Step Knitting Workbook by Debbie Bliss (the new version has a slightly different title)

Comments: This wasn't the motif I intended to knit - the pattern doesn't have a diagram or picture of the entire blanket indicating which motif goes where, nor does it offer any charts for the motifs (hopefully they fixed this in later editions!).... so I read through Motif F quickly, saw the bobbles, and assumed I had the right one.  So much for my assumptions!  :)

April 27, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 100% Worsted Weight Wool in Christmas Heather

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 5 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Crocus Pattern

Source: the Crocus Cardigan, by Laura Grutzeck, Interweave Knits Winter 2010.

Comments: I was flipping through this magazine and decided to try out one of these crocus patterns.  

April 16, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 6 stitches x 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Trinity/Cluster/Bramble Stitch 

Source: VKB, p. 131.

Comments:  I love this stitch - its a classic in Aran sweaters, and I think it gives great texture to the knitted piece.  It would work great as a dishcloth or scrubbie too - all the little clusters would get your dishes clean in no time!  :)