December 19, 2011

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

Needles: 3.5 mm / 4 US

Gauge: 6 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Reversible Garter Stitch Rib

Source:  Leisure Arts #932, 60 Easy to Knit Pattern Stitches Combine to Create Sampler Afghans, pattern number 51

Comments: Simple is good.  Especially when you're more interested in what you're watching on TV than what you have on your needles.  :)

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 18, 2011

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

Needles: 5.5 mm / 9 US

Gauge: 2.5 stitches and 3.75 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: 3 x 3 ribbing

Source: N/A

Comments: I teach a beginner knitting class and this month my students wanted to learn how to change yarns on a stripey scarf - so I made this swatch to show them how one can simply tie on the new colour at the beginning of a row, and then carry the colours up the side so that you don't have 8-billion ends to weave it at the end of the scarf! :)

October 2, 2011

Yarn: Berroco Inca Gold, 80% Merino Wool, 20% Silk, worsted weight yarn in Light Teal

Needles: 4.5 mm and 5 mm / 7 and 8 US

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rows per inch / 4.5 stitches and 6.5 rows per inch in stockingette stitch

Stitch Pattern: Sweater Swatch

Source: N/A

Comments: This is a swatch for an upcoming sweater project - the colour is discontinued, so I got the yarn for half-price.  The label suggests a 4.5mm, but I wanted to see the drape with a 5mm.  I like the yarn on the 5, but I think I want a little more structure to the fabric, so I'll go with the 4.5mm.  The ribbing here is on the same needle... I think I'll do what's recommended and do the real ribbing on a 3.5mm. 

August 23, 2011

Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Silk - 80% Alpaca/20% Silk, in Parchment

Needles: 3.5mm / 4 US

Gauge: roughly 5 stitches and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Star Rib Mesh

Source: BW1, p. 196.

Comments: I don't think I've done enough open-work swatches, so I decided to try this one.  The decreases are made using the slip 2, k1, p2sso, method which apparently keeps the ribs very vertical - Ms. Walker says that if you slip 1, k2tog, psso, you'll end up with a crooked vertical line.

July 13, 2011

Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky, 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, in Grey Marl

Needles: 5.5 mm / 9 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: 1 x 1 Rib

Source: N/A

Comments: You can never go wrong with 1x1 ribbing, even in an otherwise very busy yarn. I made this as a sample for a knitting class I'm doing - although the pattern really is far more effective when worked in multiple colours, à la the ubiquitous noro striped scarf!

July 9, 2011

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

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 6.5 stitches x 11 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Cartridge-Belt Rib

Source: BW2, p. 21.

Comments:  There seem to be several techniques to produce this style of ribbing, with varying levels of roundedness on each of the ribs.  This one is pretty straight forward, with a slipped stitch after every three knit stitches. 

June 28, 2011

Yarn: Dazzle HT Sock Yarn from the Natural Dye Studio (I think)

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: roughly 7 stitches and 9 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Banded Rib

Source: BW1, p. 123.

Comments: Again, I ran out of yarn much faster than I thought I would with this one - the whole swatch is only about 3.5"" square.  I think this would've been nicer on a smaller needle so the P2 parts of the ribs wouldn't look so stretched out...  or maybe that's just a fault of my blocking?  Its a good use of a variegated yarn though, because it really highlights the colour changes.

June 21, 2011

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 6.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Baby Cable Ribbing

Source: BW1, p. 40.

Comments: A little variation on your standard 2x2 rib. As usual, the colour changes in this yarn detract from the pattern a little, but at least the twists aren't entirely hidden.

June 20, 2011

Yarn: 100% Jacob Wool, heavy DK/light worsted weight, in natural dark brown 

Needles: 5 mm / 8 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: stockinette with a ribbed middle section.

Source: N/A

Comments: I <3 this yarn too!  :)  I bought this at Woolfest, a British Fibre Festival, way back in 2008.  I have 6 skeins of it, but for the life of me I can't figure out the exact yardage - which is why its next to impossible to decide what to do with it.  But thanks to Darcy, I think I may have a solution, and then hopefully I can make this into a wearable sweater already! :)   (This swatch was meant to give me an idea of gauge, so I can start looking for pattern ideas.)

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 29, 2011

Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints, 100% Worsted Weight Wool, in Maple Fall

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4.5 sts and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Sailor's Rib  

Source: BW2, apparently, although I got it from the Vintage Inspired Jacket pattern from Interweave Knits Fall 2005

Comments: A variegated yarn is used in the pattern, so I thought it might be suitable for this one too.

March 16, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4.25 stitches and 6.25 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: 5 x 1 rib, with purl side as front

Source: Darcy - I needed a swatch pattern, she suggested this one 

Comments: I like this... it suits the yarn too.  Marled yarns are underrated, I think.  :)

March 5, 2011

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

Needles: 3.5 mm / 4 US

Gauge: 7.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch 

Stitch Pattern: Diagonal Ribbing

Source: BW1, p. 45

Comments: I have about 300g of this yarn, and up until two nights ago, it was knit up into the pieces of a sweater that I had decided I didn't like enough to seam up.  So I frogged it - Ribbit Ribbit!  :)  I had knit it on 4mm needles before, but I wanted to see what the fabric would be like on smaller needles - hence this swatch (not that this is the pattern I would use for a sweater, but that's not the point.)  Its lovely and soft, but I suspect a tendency to pill!

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! :)