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.  :)

December 7, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 4 stitches and 5.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: 'Barège Knitting for Shawls'

Source: My Knitting Book, by Miss Lambert (1845), p. 79-80

Comments: According to Google's dictionary, 'Barège' is "A light, silky dress fabric resembling gauze, typically made from wool."  I suppose this could make a light fabric, but you'd have to use a much lighter yarn.  This was the last of my forays into 19th century knitting patterns.  After this one, I took a bit of a break and went back to my regularly scheduled knitting.

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!  :)

December 1, 2011

Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes, 100% worsted weight wool in Chocolate

Needle: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 4 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Gingerbread Crumbs

Source: St5, p. 16 (stitch #12)

Comments: Given that it's December, I thought I'd try to choose this month's swatch stitches according to their wintery and/or Christmas-y names - so of course we start with a gingerbready stitch, knit in a gingerbread-brown yarn.  You'll soon see how long that lasted.  ;)

November 16, 2011

Yarn: Green 4-ply yarn, in some kind of wool/acrylic mix. 

Needle: 3.5 mm / US 4 (I think - I can't really remember!)

Gauge: 6 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Vine and Leaf

Source: St5, p. 77 (motif #82)

Comments: There are a lot of patterns like this - the arched leaf shape curving towards a centre line.  I think this is one I haven't knit before, although with the many possible names that each pattern can have (especially when switching between stitch dictionaries), its really hard to tell!

November 4, 2011

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

Needles: 3.5mm / US 4

Gauge: 6 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Lucina Shell Pattern

Source: BW2, p. 226.

Comments: You have to pay attention working this one - the first time I did it I dropped stitches in the first and third  shells while trying to work the k4togethers.  I'm not fond of this as a whole fabric, but I think it could make a really cute edging if worked as a single repeat.

November 3, 2011

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

Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7

Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rows per inch (I think - its really hard to count these stitches!)

Stitch Pattern: Portcullis Stitch

Source: BW2, p. 224.

Comments:  Not sure what to say about this one.  Its worked with a combination of yarn overs and decreases, and creates a flat fabric that lies pretty flat.  Add to it this very easily killed yarn, and you have an item that will never need to be blocked.  :)

October 7, 2011

Yarn: Unknown Worsted weight yarn

Needles: 5 mm / 7 US

Gauge: 15-16 stitches and 5 rows per 4 inches, measured over the pattern stitch

Stitch Pattern: DROPS lace pattern

Source: This hat and cowl set

Comments: I want to make a cowl that is big enough to pull down over my shoulders like a little cape, without it being so big that I need to wrap it around me.  I think this one should do the trick, and I've decided to make it out of this yarn that I had in my stash.  I got the yarn in a swap, but it came without any labels so I dont' really know what it is.  It appears to have some long-ish guard hairs, which suggests that it might have some alpaca in it.  Anyone know how to identify a mystery fibre?

October 1, 2011

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

Needles: 4 mm / 6 US

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Crystal and Pearl

Source: BW2, p. 266.

Comments:  I got lazy and did only one repeat of today's pattern... which was bad, because you can't really see it all that well in this photo.  I blame the fact that we're back to autumn weather, which brings grey skies and really poor lighting conditions for indoor photography that doesn't use a flash.  Oh well... these are supposed to be hourglass shapes, made out of rows of eyelets - look closely, and you'll see what I mean.  :)

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 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 3, 2011

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

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Sail Away, Ladies (14-stitch repeat)

Source: St5, p.60-61.

Comments: The book offers 4 versions of this pattern, which differ only in the number of stitches in each repeat - you can do 10+1, 14+1, 16+1, or 22+1.  I went for one that was somewhere in the middle, but not the 16 one, because that's the one in their sample photo.  :)  Anyway, the name of this one seemed appropriate somehow...  ;)

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.

August 12, 2011

Yarn: Rowanspun 4-ply, 100% 4-ply Wool

Needles: 3.5 mm / US 5

Gauge: 5.5 stitches x 12 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: 'Swirls and Square' Patterned Square

Source: Knitting Counterpanes: Traditional Coverlet Patterns for Contemporary Knitters by Mary Walker Phillips, p. 40.

Comments: Another deliberately small pattern - this one is meant to be a joining piece for a counterpane made up of octagonal medallions.  Ms. Phillips calls it "moderatelydifficult" - I think that's because of the fiddly-ness of having to start this with 8 stitches on 4 needles! :)

August 11, 2011

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

Needles: 3.5mm / US 5

Gauge: 6.5 stitches x 9.5 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Christmas Chevron

Source: BW2, p. 341.

Comments:  I was looking through my (rather large!) stack of swatches earlier this week and realized that I am in need of some small swatches to fill in the gaps between all the larger swatches - so I am going to start knitting some wee little swatches! :)  This one is only 2.5" x 4.5" - the pattern is meant to be a border, so it doesn't need to be very tall, I guess!  :)

August 9, 2011

Yarn: Brown Sock Yarn - it was given to me as a remnant, so I don't know what it is exactly

Needles: 4 mm / US 6

Gauge: 6 stitches x 7-ish rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Cane Stitch or Grand Picot Eyelet

Source: BW1, p. 182.

Comments:  I have seen a pair of silk handwarmers made out of this pattern, and I've been trying to work out exactly how it was done.  Now that I know the stitch pattern, I just have to work out how they made the hole for the thumb, and then I'll try to make up the pattern... ooh, and it will give me an excuse to buy some of that lovely silk yarn too!  :)

August 8, 2011

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Stella - 60% Silk/20% Cotton/20% Rayon, in Teal

Needles: 5mm / US 8

Gauge: 4.25 stitches x 6 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Hanging Vines

Source: St5, page 68.

Comments:  I think this pattern might be more effective in a thinner, less textured yarn.  The silk in this yarn gives it a heavier feel, so the plain bits detract from the eyelets.  But then maybe that's the point?  I think there are other eyelet options that I'd choose over this one, if I were looking for something to lighten up an otherwise plain piece.

August 6, 2011

Yarn: DROPS Karisma 100% Superwash DK Wool in Black

Needles: 4mm / 6 US

Gauge:  4.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Butterfly Motif

Source: BW4, p. 234.

Comments: Wouldn't this look cute as the back panel of a little girls shrug/cropped cardigan?  Motifs like this are really good for demonstrating decrease/yarn-over combinations worked on the wrong side of the fabric.  The slanty lines they make (when combined with right-side decreases) are so much more defined than when you work them only on the right side.

August 5, 2011

Yarn: DROPS Karisma 100% Superwash DK Wool in Black

Needles: 4mm / 6 US

Gauge:  5 stitches and 7 rows per inch

Stitch Pattern: Lace Ladder and Twist

Source: BW1, p. 122.

Comments: This is a simple little twisted stitch and yarn-over pattern.  Not sure what I'd use it for - maybe an edging for a larger blanket or something?  Its a bother to block though, so not something you'd need to wash on a regular basis.