When I have a few spare minutes I really enjoy picking up some needles and an odd bit of yarn from the stash and experimenting with different kinds of stitches. One afternoon I got thoroughly hooked on playing with some simple patterns using twisted stitches. I have 3 different patterns in the photo below, all based on using a cast on of an even number of stitches and a pattern of 4 rows. The bottom stitch I will call the Knit Twist. It is worked as follows:
Row 1: *K2tog, leave stitches on LH needle, twist to right and reknit first stitch slipping both stitches off needle* Row 2: Knit Row 3: K1, *K2tog as before, twisting to right to reknit first stitch to last stitch* K1 Row 4: Knit The second stitch I will call the Purl Twist. Work as follows: Row 1: *P2tog, leave stitches on LH needle, twist to right and purl first stitch again, slip stitches off needle* Row 2: Knit Row 3: P1, *P2tog as before, twisting to right to purl first stitch again as before, to last stitch* K1 Row 4: Knit The third stitch I will call the Bias Knit Twist. Work as follows: Row 1: *K2tog, leave stitches on LH needle, twist to right and reknit first stitch slipping both stitches off needle* Row 2: Purl Row 3: K1, *K2tog as before, twisting to right to reknit first stitch to last stitch* K1 Row 4: Purl The effect of purling every alternate row is to give the pattern a lovely bias slant to the right. Note that the knitting or purling 2 together and then twisting to reknit (or purl) the first stitch gives a highly dense, textured effect which would be ideal for a wintry scarf, afghan, blanket or cushion cover. It is a workout for the fingers. The reverse side has a garter stitch look:
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I recently had the privilege of completing a vest begun by my grandchildrens' late grandmother, Ellen Ireland.
This was a Patons pattern in 5 ply yarn, style 1 from the Kids' Classics Book 1307. This is a charming classic cabled vest and now much loved by my grandson Tristan. Ellen was an accomplished knitter and seamstress, having many years of experience working in Hong Kong and also as a distinguished tailor for the House of Worth in London. She had many outstanding projects including my son's wedding where she completed not only the bride's dress but all the the men' suits, bridesmaids outfits and her own dress. Her work has really inspired me. I was honoured to be able to complete what she could not due to ill health. This was knitted with much love and some sadness as I pondered her passing and kept her in my prayers. The photos show the lovely result. A beaming Tristan would do his grandmother proud I'm sure. RIP Ellen. I found this very neat rib stitch which is easy to work and is knitting up beautifully into a scarf for John. The interesting thing is that there are no purl stitches, just knit stitches and slipping stitches purlwise with the yarn in front. You really have to resist the urge to purl!
It's called the Cartridge Belt Rib and is worked over a multiple of 4 + 3 stitches. Row 1: K3 * slip 1 wyif, K3 * Row 2: K1 *slip 1 wyif, K3 - repeat until last 2 stitches, slip 1 wyif, K1 This little pink neck scarf has a loop and is fully reversible. Just the thing for a granddaughter who is mad keen on anything pink. Worked in garter stitch, seed stitch and something known by a couple of names - the mock rib stitch or the checkmark rib stitch this is a quick knit. If you are wondering how to do the mock rib stitch it is just a 2 row repeat:
Row 1: K1, *P1 K1* Row 2: P1, *Slip 1 (purlwise), P1* My granddaughter Olivia saw her brother's wonderful hat and so wanted her own hat. Cleckheaton have some easy beanie patterns and so using one of these I came up with this little number complete with stripes and a flower. The Beanies can be found here: www.fullofbeanies.com.au and a great little tutorial to make the flower can be found at: http://mackandmabel.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/knitted-flower-tutorial.html
Th I have just finished a lovely aviator style hat for my grandson Alexander. This one buttons up under the chin and covers the ears so a good choice for the colder weather. I've used the same grey and blue 8ply woolen yarn in a previous jumper knitted for him so he now has some lovely coordinated clothing. The cables are very easy. The design is by Julie Taylor and it's called the Dayton-Cabled Baby Aviator Helmet. This is the link if you would like to purchase the pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dayton---cabled-baby-aviator-helmet This is for my grandson Alexander who is 18 months old. A classic raglan sleeve design with a button opening in the back, I've revamped it with some contrast colour in the sleeves and a couple of fancy stitches. Added a little touch of knitting stitch embroidery (often called duplicate stitch), on the grey sections on the sleeve. The embroidery is a great way to add some interest to areas of stocking stitch. This is a link to You Tube to show you how to do it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE5X-sLq7X8 There are some lovely chevron stitches which used to be used for baby layettes. These lacey stitches are sometimes referred to as chevron layette stitches or chevron lace. I have been enjoying knitting this pattern with some 8 ply variegated woollen yarn. It will make a lovely scarf and has a nice scalloped edge. The reverse side is great too, very different to the right side but could also look good in a cowl.
Multiple of 10 + 9 stitches Knit 3 rows before commencing pattern Rows 1 & 3: * Wrn to make 1, K3, Slip 1, K2 tog, psso, K3 * Row 2: Purl Row 4: Knit There are times when you need to knit something quickly where you want an open, lacy effect. Maybe a light summer neck scarflette or more glamorous evening shawl. For this scarf project I used a combination of 2 yarns knitted together the whole way. One was a plain 8ply acrylic and the other was a multi-coloured metallic train track fancy yarn that added a touch of glam. The finished effect was quite lovely as the oblique openwork stitch used has a natural tendency to slant and this creates sloped ends which drape beautifully.
Knit in multiples of 2 Row 1: K1, * YO, K2 tog*, K1 Row 2: Purl Row 3: K2, *YO, K2 tog* Row 4: Purl I love some of the fancy yarns that are available, especially the eyelash yarns. These make beautiful garments with a fur like look. Because the yarn is so interesting they just need really simple stitches to show off the texture of the yarn itself. I came across the drop stitch look recently and thought how well this could work with eyelash yarn so what I am doing at the moment is a scarf using the following pattern:
Moda Vera Jazz 5.5m needles Cast on 38 stitches. Row 1 to 4: Knit Row 5: K each stitch winding the thread three times around the needles Row 6: K each stitch letting the extra loops drop off the needle Repeat the pattern until the desired length finishing with 4 rows of garter stitch. Cast off. I have held it up to the light in the photo below to let you see the effect of the dropped stitches. All up very simple to do and it knits up super fast. You could try more yarn wraps if you wish. |
AuthorGrandmother and knitter from the land down under of fine merino wool. Archives
July 2021
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