An easy-to-memorize lace pattern in a single skein of soft, shimmering Alpaculence creates a beautiful, lightweight cowl that can easily be dressed up or down.
Be aware: the cowl shown took 92 grams of a 100 gram ball. Be sure your gauge is correct to prevent the possibility of running out of yarn! Swatching in advance can prevent trouble at the finish.
If you’re like me, you love cables. Cables are especially exciting when the fabric is reversible. Yep, the Reversible Cable Blanket really is reversible (did you think we were kidding with that name?).
The backbone of this pattern simply is K2, P2 Rib framed by a border of garter stitch. Every 8 rows two sets of K2, P2 stitches are crossed, creating an elegant cable and reversible fabric. That’s really all there is to this pattern!
Cables, glorious cables!
Major is a perfect medium for this pattern. It’s quick to knit, incredibly soft, and easy to care for. Major is a bulky weight, 100% acrylic yarn that comes in a generously sized 200-gram ball. There are many beautiful, self-shading colors of Major ranging from perfect pastels to bold, vibrant beauties, and no-nonsense neutrals. It’s no wonder that this yarn is a customer favorite.
Better yet, this pattern is written in two sizes: a baby blanket and throw blanket size. Make one as a gift and another to keep for yourself. After all, you surely deserve to cuddle up to a squishy, cabled blanket.
Look at how simple that is. This is exactly the kind of pattern that I would have loved as a beginner, and that I still love when I want to make something beautiful and not look away from binge-watching Jessica Jones.
Because it’s dropped stitches on a larger needle (US size 10 1/2), this pattern makes the yarn go a long way. One ball of Whisper Lace wool/silk for the solid bands, two balls of self-striping Cotton Supreme Batik for the wider variegated stripes.
Because the fabric is so loose and drapey, it scrunches up effortlessly – hence the name Scruncher Scarf. Here it is in an alternate colorway, folded in half and wrapped for an accessory that straddles “skinny” and “full.”
Obviously, this would be a great one to experiment with, colorwise. I’ll bet your LYS could put together some fantastic color combos.
Sized from 3 months to 2 years, this clever cardi uses machine washable Little Bird and its self-striping sibling Little Bird Colors to easily create a bright little jacket for baby.
The front and back are knit flat, as are the sleeves. Then, they’re seamed together.
Add the edging, and your favorite buttons, and you’re ready to go.
Though we like to celebrate Pi Day with a slice of cherry here at the office, that’s not actually what this math holiday is all about. But I will take any excuse to eat pie. Not that I need an excuse.
But seriously, Pi day is the annual recognizing of the awesome constant number we know as Pi, and that is recognized by this Greek symbol: π. Pi is approximately 3.14, and is the ratio of a circle’s circumference (the length around the entire outer edge of a circle) and the diameter (the width of a circle).
I am a pretty big math geek. Math is logical, useful in so many facets of life, and it never lets you down. Pi is especially cool because it helps to solve the mystery of the unknown. For example, by knowing the formula for pi, and, say, the diameter of a circle, you can calculate the circumference of said circle.
As a knitting designer, I have relied upon Pi on many occasions. Here are a few examples:
The semicircle shawl in Deluxe Worsted begins with a sideways, short-row lower edge, and is then worked upward from there. In order to make a half circle shape considering all of the other aspects of this piece, I applied my love of Pi and magic was made.
Perhaps the most common and well know way of shaping a circular shawl is called the Pi method. Developed by knitting genius Elizabeth Zimmermann, this shape is worked from the center outward and involves only a handful of increase rounds. The basic principle involves doubling the stitch count as the diameter of the circle increases. Typically, a pi constructed piece of knitting begins with 9 stitches, doubles to 18 on round 3, doubles to 36 on round 7, up to 72 stitches on round 13, and so on.
The Burst blanket is purely pi knitting. There are just 6 increase rounds in the entire thing, allowing you to focus solely on the repeating stitch patterns.
I actually have a lot of thoughts about this pattern, because
1) I love cables, and
2) I heard the “colorful language” around here as the pattern swelled to 4… 5… and finally to 9 pages. That’s what happens with extended sizing (although we don’t really consider it “extended”), and full charts and written instructions.
The consensus is that it was worth it.
There are quite a few things to love here, like sizing from Small to 4X in the pullover…
detailing like twists along the sleeve and texture within the front cables…
and how nicely this does in Uptown Worsted Mist, which is variegated enough to add interest but not so much that it overwhelms a lovely design.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and that you take time to do something for yourself.
Such a beauty. The Bellissima Cardi is a classic lightweight cardi with classic construction.
Knit it from the bottom up in pieces, then seam.
Bella Cash superwash merino/nylon/cashmere blend creates a soft, lightweight material that moves with you and looks flattering. We love it on size 2 (2.75mm) needles for the Fair Isle yoke. Crisp and well-defined, with a beautiful, smooth texture.
Even though the stitches are delicate, the fabric is machine washable and durable, thanks to the nylon and superwash merino content in Bella Cash. Sized small through 4X, this is a great wardrobe staple. Hard to believe it’s a free pattern!
You know those pretty balls of yarn that you look at and love, but you also think, “this looks neat, but what would I do with it?”
Voila. The Wraparound Blankie answers this question by pairing self-patterning Uptown DK Magix with solid Uptown DK to create mitered angles and panels bordered by coordinating bands of vibrant color.
The nice thing about self-patterning yarn is that you really don’t have to do much work to make a complex design. Pick two colors of the solid, two colors of the self-patterning, and go! This pattern is worked in pieces and seamed together, making it a good travel project. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to work on a blanket without actually having a full blanket on your lap.
We hope you enjoy this project, and have a great weekend.
This scarf is a good example of how in a simple design, the placement of color can make a dramatic impact.
The lighter parts are Uptown Worsted Mist, with subtle shading. It’s accented by solid Uptown Worsted, with elements like the end stripe placed to tie the whole thing together. That said, it’s actually an easy knit – all knits and purls. Give it a try!
When we have a model that’s this great to work with (and she really was great), we’re always happy that we can have something comfy and fun for them to wear.
The Lounge Pullover is knitted in Bella Chenille, a soft and fuzzy bulky-weight yarn that’s popular for baby and home decor projects. However, we recently added some more grown-up colors (like the 119 Misty used here), and we wanted to show what else this yarn can do!
This roomy sweater is knit in pieces from the bottom-up. Shoulders are joined using the 3-needle bind-off, then the sleeves are picked up and knit from the top-down. The cables are written and charted.
Such a wonderful piece to slip into – like a big fuzzy hug!
