Archive for the ‘My Patterns’ Category
Grow Like a Weed Jacket
Thanks to a great collection of test knitters - Andrea, Danielle, Erin, Jennie, Mai, Svenja - the Grow Like a Weed Jacket pattern I previewed last fall is now ready!
I hope this heavy sweater will last two winters. It will be a little long the first winter, with sleeves cuffed. The next winter, it should fit as a sweater might, with the sleeves left uncuffed. Both the cabled and the twisted 1×1 ribs have incredible stretch to them and will expand to fit a growing child’s arms and belly.
The garment is knit from the bottom up in the round and then steeked open. The sleeves are knit first and then joined to the body. I largely followed Elizabeth Zimmermann’s saddle shoulder construction for the armhole and shoulder shaping. The text is wordy but it should be clear once you begin the decreases. The neck opening is a bit wider than average and the back neck is shaped by short rows, with the cabled and twisted ribs extending up to form a collar. Rolled edges are knitted on to provide a place for the sewn in zipper.
Those unfamiliar with crochet steeks are encouraged to read Eunny Jang’s definitive steeking tutorial before proceeding. Only feltable wools with plenty of grip should be used for steeking purposes. Neither superwash wools nor plant or synthetic fibers will hold. Although it would be easy to modify the pattern to work back and forth without steeking, the instructions are written for construction in the round.
This pattern is available as a Ravelry download for $5.00.
Difficulty: Advanced
Skills used: knitting in the round, increasing/decreasing, reading a chart, cabling, steeking, picking up stitches, stitching down facings, and hand sewing a zipper
Sizes:
1 yr (2-3 yr, 4-5 yr, 6-7 yr)
Finished Measurements:
Gauge:
21 stitches and 26 rows = 4” in cabled (body) pattern when stretched
24 stitches and 26 rows = 4” in 1×1 rib (sleeve) pattern when stretched
16 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stockinette
Yarn:
Ram Wools Selkirk (100% wool; 272 yd [249 m]; 4 oz), 2(2, 3, 4) skeins
Needles:
US 8 (5.0mm) circular needle, length appropriate for size
US 8 (5.0 mm) double pointed needles
Materials:
Separating zipper, size as needed
Crochet hook, any size between 3.25 – 4.0 mm will do
Small amount of sport or fingering weight, sticky wool for securing the steeked edge.
tapestry needle
needle and thread
Enjoy!
Down the rabbit hole
Filed under: fair isle, My Patterns, stash busting, stranded, UFOs, vests |
Comments (18) What started as a casual, ongoing, secondary project quickly grew into a terribly addicting, compelling project not long after I wrote about it.
It was bound to happen. I wanted my stashbusting vest to be a project to work on slowly throughout the year, adding scraps as they became available. Well, let’s face it: there is no shortage of Nature Spun Sport scraps in my house. Shortly after I posted about my Ultimate Stashbusting Vest, I felt a tremendous urge to FINISH! Right away! Sadly, a stranded vest with six colors and no repeated peeries requiring large amounts of math at regular intervals does not make for a good portable project. Alas! I have been dying to finish this for six weeks. Now, it is almost ready!
With the major knitting done, I steeked the vest yesterday and picked up stitches for the first armhole edging this morning.
The other armhole and the neck edging remain to be done. Oh, and then there’s this little matter of weaving in ends…
Pod of Cetaceans Cardigan
Filed under: baby knits, child, FOs, My Patterns, stranded, sweaters |
Comments (24) 
Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1980s, I have many memories of nautical themed sweaters, with boats, anchors, captain’s wheels, or whales forming the yoke. With these sweaters came Nantucket jewelry baskets, alligator polos (collars flipped up, of course), plaid pants, embroidered pants, and any other garment with the shape of the Cape Cod arm littered gratuitously about.
This cardigan was inspired by a pullover my mother started for me and finished several years later for my brother, if I am not mistaken. I thought it might be a fun design to revive. Since winter is almost over and I will soon be packing away her size 2 winter clothes, I knit Beatrix the size 3-4 yr for next year. The garment is knit from the bottom up in the round and then steeked open. Those unfamiliar with crochet steeks are encouraged to read Eunny Jang’s definitive steeking tutorial before proceeding. Only feltable wools with plenty of grip should be used for steeking purposes. Neither superwash wools nor plant or synthetic fibers will hold. Although it would be easy to modify the pattern to work back and forth without steeking, the instructions are written for construction in the round.
Note of caution: Any knitter who chooses to abuse this pattern by making matching whale sweaters for the family Christmas card should be flogged, or at the very least have his/her knitting needles confiscated.
This pattern is available as a Ravelry download for $5.00.
or add to cart
Difficulty: Advanced
Skills used: knitting in the round, increasing/decreasing, reading a chart, stranded knitting, steeking, picking up stitches, hand sewing facings, and optional duplicate stitching
Sizes:
0-3 mos (6-9 mos, 12-18 mos, 2 yr, 3-4 yr, 5-6 yr)
Finished Measurements:
Gauge:
17 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stockinette on US 7 (4.5 mm) needles
20 stitches and 25 rows = 4” in stranded pattern on US 7 (4.5 mm) needles
Note: Swatching the stranded pattern in the round is imperative. I chose to cast on 36 stitches for three whale pattern repeats plus 7 stockinette stitches for a steek. In addition to checking gauge, this extra swatching will provide a valuable opportunity to practice steeking.
Yarn:
Harrisville Designs New England Highland (100% wool; 200 yd [183 m]; 100 g [3.53 oz]): 1(2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins #33 Midnight Blue, 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skein #44 white, 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skein #7 Tundra.
Needles:
US 7 (4.5mm) circular (length appropriate for size) and set of DPNs
US 6 (4.0 mm) circular needle (length appropriate for size) and set of DPNs
Materials:
Crochet hook, any size between 3.25 -4.0 mm will do
Wool waste yarn in contrasting color (not superwash wool or any plant fiber)
tapestry needle
5 (5, 7, 7, 9, 9) 3/4″ buttons
Shown here with optional duplicate stitched water spouts over each whale:
The steeked facings are tacked down with a simple blanket stitch.
Day projects
Filed under: fair isle, FOs, gifts, hats, manly knitting, My Patterns, stash expansion |
Comments (23) 
In a blaze of stash busting this week, I whipped out two hats, one for my brother and the other for his girlfriend. I had almost forgotten the thrill of seeing a project to completion in less than a day. I love knitting hats! Why do I not knit hats exclusively? Perhaps if I wore hats myself, I would knit more of them. Still, they are so much fun to make.
About once a year, I knit my brother a nice, warm hat in a dark color. However, single-color hats are so dreadfully boring to knit! And since I only wear hats when it is really, really cold, I find hats with a single thickness of wool utterly insufficient. The only solution worth my time is, of course, a stranded project. When I saw Tuulia’s beautiful Alise Mittens (Ravelry link), I decided to use a similar XOXO pattern in a hat. You may find a link to my free hat pattern here but really, all you need is the 8 stitch x 8 row pattern repeat and a little common sense. Alternating gray and black provided enough visual interest for the knitter while the overall effect is dark and subtle. After all, my brother does not need a hat that screams, “My sister made this!” I also knit a 2.5″ lining to be tucked inside the brim for extra warmth around the ears.
Pattern: XOXO Hat (Ravelry link here)
Yarn: Approximately 200 yds of worsted weight for each color; I used Bemidji Woolen Mills Original Homespun (in some shade of dark gray) and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (in “Coal”)
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm), either DPNs or DPNs and 16″ circular
My scrap bag is rife with browns: coffee, taupe, chocolate, mocha, chestnut, tan, you name it, it’s brown. All year, I have been meaning to put my scraps to good use and knit a Chevron Love Hat by Knitterly Things’ Julia. The chevron mittens Julia made for Maritza at our October mitten swap only further convinced me: I need to knit zigzags. Finally, with the array of brown scraps in front of me, it was time. I knit this one up for my brother’s girlfriend last weekend. I could not be more pleased with the result! It’s a good thing I have plenty of brown left over because I see another chevron hat in my future! Julia’s pattern is easy and fun and the knitting flies by! I heartily recommend this one to anyone interested in using up leftovers!
Pattern: Chevon Love Hat (Ravelry link)
Yarn: a mix of Rowan Magpie Aran, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Top of the Lamb Lionspun, Plymouth Encore Worsted.
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)
The fiber content is not entirely pure: this hat has some acrylic blends in it. I doubt it will be much of a problem; after all, winter hats are not routinely tossed in the dryer, are they? These zigzags are my favorite! Thanks for the wonderful pattern, Julia!
Well? What are you waiting for? Go stash busting and knit some quick hats!
Stash busting hats
Filed under: baby knits, fair isle, FOs, hats, My Patterns, stash busting |
Comments (22) My regular knitting has temporarily been placed on hold. After tripping over a bag of worsted weight wool scraps, I decided to engage in some much needed stash busting projects. I am too cheap to toss out my scraps so it appears as though there will be many striped projects in my immediate future!
First up is a pattern of my own design.
I had less than 100 yds of these colors so I put them together for a striped hat with an 8-point, star crown. The size shown Beatrix is modeling the 18″ version.
Pattern: December Stripes Hat (Ravelry link here)
Yarn: scraps of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes and Cascade 220
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)
I still had a good deal of Cascade 220 left over after this hat so I used up the rest in a Norwegian-style star hat with a hidden liner, also in the 18″ size.
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Cream and Blue Heather
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)
Beatrix is pretty excited about her new hats! And there will be more to come!
