Why cosign? Two reasons. 1, when I first saw this hat it was sideways, and the patterning looked like little cosine waves. 2, someone mentioned that they loved this pattern, and I immediately cosigned on that.
The pattern is written and charted, and contains a variation on cabling you might not have seen before – the right slipped cross and left slipped cross. You’re using a cable needle as with traditional cables, but instead of knitting both stitches, there’s a slip involved.
It creates an elongated stitch that slants left or right. Neat effect, and a useful tool to add to your cabling repertoire.
The crown keeps using slipped stitches without cabling, to continue the elongated stitches into the gathered top. A lovely finish to a charming topper, made even more charming by the little nubs in the Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash. Only one ball required.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of beauty and warmth.
There’s a sweet story behind today’s sweet design, so I’m going to let designer Rachel Brockman tell it in her own words.
“The Tamara Triangle is named after a dear friend of mine – one who inspired me to learn to knit (and one who has been pining for an oversized shawl).
“As such, this pattern goes out to all of the people in our lives who have inspired and encouraged the craft of knitting – whether it’s a family member, a friend, a local yarn shop, or yourself – I think we can all agree that it’s great to reflect and feel grateful for those influences. ”
The shawl is worked from the top down in cotton/silk Papyrus, beginning with a garter tab cast-on. Most of the shawl is worked in stockinette stitch, making it excellent for a knit night with friends.
The edging requires a bit more concentration, as the lace is worked on the right and wrong sides of the work. Fear not, though, the pattern is a repeat of just six rows. As a bonus, the lace is aesthetically reversible. If you prefer the look of reverse stockinette, flip it around.
We hope you have an excellent weekend, and find time to connect with old friends.
A couple of weeks ago, I very briefly mentioned our new e-book, Small Pleasures. It’s a set of designs using what is fast becoming a favorite, Bella Cash.
This collection is perfect for me, because I am all about the accessories. I like instant gratification, and I’m always paranoid that I’m going to get to the end of a sweater and I will have miscalculated somewhere and it won’t fit. Not that this has ever happened to me. Ahem.
But let us not dwell on the failures of the past, let us move on to newer and more beautiful things – namely, my new shawl obsession, Blue Oak.
I asked designer Rachel Brockman about this, and she kindly shared her original swatch and concept.
“It all started with my playing with slip stitches and stripes, but wanting it to have a little something special. I’m a sucker for triangular shawls, too. They are easy to wear and soothing to knit. It was never my plan to make this in pink and white, as shown in my swatch – but I think it gets my design through quite well and I was thrilled about the final results.”
Rachel’s concept for the edge lace was inspired by the Blue Oak tree. The triangular shape of the shawl itself mirrors that.
Soothing indeed.
It sits nicely on the shoulders worn loose to the front…
…and is long enough to wrap for other styling options as well.
The grain pattern in this top-down piece is just a 4-row 2-stitch repeat. I cast on for this yesterday and knitted a bit, and it only took about five rows after the garter tab before I didn’t have to think about it any more.
Colors: 122 Amethyst and 119 Apricot.
The pattern is broken up by a band of contrasting color in the middle and in the ending lace. Everything in the pattern is written and charted, except the grain pattern, which needs no chart.
Rachel offers some Bella Cash color suggestions:
“My choices for a personal project would have to be 126 Forest combined with 106 Oat or 116 Sage, as used in the sample. Of course, there is always 121 Cabernet and 124 Mustard (shown) if you’re feeling the Gryffindor love!”
Well, now I’m not sure whether to keep going with what I’ve got, or maybe go Ravenclaw blue. Decisions, decisions.
The Blue Oak Shawl is available on Ravelry as a single pattern, or as part of e-book Small Pleasures. This won’t be the last time we talk about this e-book. I’m a sock fiend, and there’s a pair in there I’m dying to cast on for.
Combine a top-down triangular shell stitch pattern with self-striping yarn, and what do you get?
Gradually widening color repeats in a beautiful shawl.
The border is added afterwards, for narrow bands of color in glittering superfine Alpaculence.
You can easily adjust the size of this shawl, taking care to ensure you’re starting from a multiple of 8 plus 2 chain stitches. The pattern is both written and charted, for your convenience.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend full of beauty.
When we launch a new yarn, as we did this year with Finn, we also publish free patterns made in that yarn so that crafters can have instant inspiration. Halfway Home was one of several published this Spring that never got their day on the blog. Time to fix that!
It’s lovely worn, but I also had to take a picture of it here in the studio just to show its striking shape.
The corner that the model is holding is the starting point for this slightly oblong shawl. It begins with just 7 stitches. Five Herringbone Lace Columns grow out of the left side of the shawl and are continued up to the top edge.
Increases occur only at the left side of the piece, creating a right triangle shape. The lace pattern is an easy-to-memorize 4-row repeat.
We use Finn, a blend of acrylic, superwash merino, and enough alpaca to give it a bit of a halo. It’s a nice touch of luxury.
It’s easy to customize size in this shawl, as most of the body is maintained in garter stitch. Just be sure to reserve enough yarn for the final 10 rows of garter stitch and you’re good!
We hate to give up an entire category of projects, just because the temperature’s risen a little. That’s what makes Little Bird and Little Bird Colors great for this project. They’re 100% microfiber acrylic, so you won’t overheat with the project in your lap while knitting.
The Tidal Shawl uses one solid color and one self-striping, for a nicely coordinated feel. A textured stitch is combined with little eyelets for a texture that lets individual stitches of the solids and stripes show through each other – a nice blending of colors.
Work it top-down, and finish with a neat i-cord bind-off. Presto. A gorgeous shawl you can wear year-round.
I love the blues that give the Tidal Shawl its name, but you might like something different. Maybe a Sunshine Shawl?
Hot enough for ya? It is here, so we’re looking with delight at some of the great designs in Yashi and Yashi Iro 100% raffia that are out there. We saw Gwen Buttke McGannon’s First Light Rug in the Summer 18 issue of Interweave Crochet and thought, “yes. that’s what we need.”
Something cool and light. And as always, designer Rachel Brockman does not disappoint.
These fun summer accessories don’t take much work, but they look great.
All the notions you need are some jewelry findings, and a crochet hook to pull your favorite colors of Yashi into a loop.
If you can make fringe, you can make this jewelry.
A few beads to finish them off, and you’re set.
We hope you have a fantastic weekend, and that you stay cool.
This is Amy Gunderson’s design, but she kindly let me name this shawl Right Turn. At the time, it reminded me of a particularly colorful city street. However, I may have mis-named it. Sure, it looks like it veers sharply, but that’s not what the construction actually does.
You start at the top, and do an increase on either side of the center spine and at each edge. So really, it’s more like a gradual broadening of the horizon as you keep going.
Begin with garter stitch, then move to slip-stitch to easily make the two-color stripes. Back to garter, then polish it off with an i-cord bind-off.
It’s made in Bamboo Pop, a great summertime yarn that has 52 colors. It’d be easy to have the stripes accent whatever color is most prevalent in your wardrobe.
