Tag: tutorial

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Free Pattern – Wee Pumpkins

Okay, it’s not Free Pattern Friday yet, but we just couldn’t resist sharing this free pattern.

Poems Pumpkins blog

These are the Wee Pumpkins.  We’re sharing them now so you have plenty of time to work one up by Halloween!  Or what about Thanksgiving ?  Wouldn’t these look great on a dining room table?

They’re made in self-shading Poems 100% wool, which has some great fall colors.  The purple/green one on the left is 577 Bramble and the orange-toned one is 585 Autumn.

Poems Pumpkins bottom shot blogThe pumpkins are knit sideways, with short rows making up the wedge sections.  Take a look at the bottom and you can see how it all comes together.

Never done short rows before?  This is a great project to get your feet wet.  Amy Gunderson shares a video in how to do the wrap and turn.

Also of interest in there is the SSP (slip, slip, purl).  I’ve made things with short rows before, and inevitably had one side look seamless and one side marred with a big bump.  I’m delighted to learn a technique to make both ends of my short row look smooth.

Often, we’ll loan our knits to local yarn stores for them to share in trunk shows, but it’s going to be hard to part with these.  They’re just so pretty!

Happy knitting!

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Sunday Swatch – Jubilation Kettle Dye Worsted

Today’s swatch is in Jubilation Kettle Dye Worsted.  This is a buttery-soft single ply spun from extra fine merino.  It comes 208 yards per 100g, enough to make a nice accessory from just one skein.

Sunday Swatch - Jubilation Kettle Dye 

I decided to try a smock stitch today, just to see how the long wrap would look going across the variegated stitches.  I like it!

The swatch uses the smock stitch over 2×2 rib.  For our purposes, we treat each section of eight p2,k2 stitches like one unit.  We purl 2, then do the smock stitch: with yarn in back, insert right hand needle between the sixth and seventh stitch on left hand needle (this should be between a knit and purl stitch), wrap working yarn around right hand needle and pull it through.  Then put the yarn on the left hand needle, and knit the wrapped stitch with the next stitch on the left hand needle.

This is one of those things that’s easier to demonstrate than explain, so we made a video.

Make better sense?

Here’s how this swatch was made.

Rows 1-3: k1 [p2, k2] to final stitch, k1.

Row 4: k1, [p2, smock stitch, pull smock stitch wrap across and knit together with next stitch, k1, p2, k2] across row to last stitch, k1.

Rows 5-7: k1, [p2, k2] to final stitch, k1.

Row 8: k1, p2, k2, [p2, smock stitch, pull smock stitch wrap across and knit together with next stitch, k1, p2, k2] across row to last five stitches, p2, k2, k1.

Really, you’re doing the same thing on rows 4 and 8, you’re just alternating which sections of the ribbing you wrap to stagger the appearance of the smocking.

Jubilation Kettle Dye AccessoriesThis swatch is 8” long unblocked and only took a quarter of a ball of Jubilation Kettle Dye.  I can definitely see using this pattern to make a one ball scarflette or cowl.  In fact, we’ve got an inexpensive e-book of accessories that take one or two skeins of Jubilation that you can find on Ravelry or Craftsy.

Although I made this swatch on size 7 (4.5mm) needles, I think next time I might use size 8 (5mm) and maybe try eight fewer stitches to narrow it just a little.  Extending this swatch would be an easy way to keep warm!