Hi everyone! Finally, at long last, the pattern for my Bijou Shawlette is available!
You can get this through my shop, or as a free Ravelry download, or from Craftsy.
Here is more info:
This is a triangle shawl knit from the top down.
It uses only one skein of my Springy Sport, or you may substitute any similar yarn you like.
Materials:
1 skein 3 ply sport weight yarn - 328 yds/299 m - 3.5 oz/100 gr
US size 10 circular needle at least 32”
Cable or DPN
8 locking stitch markers
194 Japanese glass seed beads, size 6/0
Yarn needle for weaving in ends
Blocking pins, mats, wires or whatever you use to block your projects and wool wash such as SOAK are useful but not required.
Depending on your preferred method of stringing beads, you may need a piece of scrap yarn, crochet hook, etc.
Skills:
You should know how to knit, purl, make yarn overs, k2tog, p2tog, and ssk, and feel comfortable with cables. You should also feel comfortable working with beads.
I wanted to share this shawl pattern with you. This is knit with my wonderful Silk Camel yarn! So soft, and the drape is amazing.
This is a crescent shaped shawl for the intermediate knitter.
The lace edging is knit first, then stitches are picked up and knit along the edge to work the main body of the shawl.
You will need just 1 hank of my Silk Camel fingering weight yarn, or you may substitute any similar weight yarn. You will also need a US size 10.5 needle; the edging can be knit on a straight needle, but a 32" circular needle is recommended to accommodate the stitches for the body of the shawl.
The shawl measures appx. 46" x 19" after blocking.
The skills required to knit the shawl are:
•Short row shaping
•Pick up and knit
•I-cord bind off
•Knit/K2tog/K2tog tbl/K3tog
•Purl/P2tog
•SSK
•Yarn overs – single/double/beginning of row
•Slip and pass stitches over
There are several ways to get the pattern:
From my Storenvy shop, add the pattern to your cart and checkout. An email will be sent with the download link. CLICK HERE
MY YARN SHOP HAS CLOSED. THIS YARN AND PATTERN ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Here is a free shawl pattern for you! This is super easy and pretty quick to knit up. I wanted a shawl that wasn't just another triangle, or shaped in the usual way. I had fun with shaping on this, and absolutely love how it turned out.
I used some of my Shimmer yarn, but you can use any fingering weight yarn you like. (The color I used has sold out, but I do have a few other colors available in this yarn if you would like to use the same yarn!) This is knit in garter stitch, so even a beginner can do this.
I used yarn overs as my increases, but you can use any increase you like. The yarn overs at the beginning of the rows are for increasing, and you won't even see them once the shawl has been blocked. If you will be using another increase, I would knit the first stitch, then work the increase - kfb just as an example.
I wanted to use up as much yarn as possible, without ending up having too little to finish my bind off, so my last increase section is significantly smaller than the others. You can stop and bind off before the last increase section, or you can even continue on if you want the shawl to be bigger.
Here is a new free pattern for you all. This uses Patons Roving yarn and US 11 needles, so it is a super quick knit.
You will need to know how to knit, knit through the back loop, slip stitches, and slip stitches purlwise through the back loop. This is knit in the round, so you should also be comfortable using circular needles. That said, it is a fairly simple pattern.
I did a video on this stitch pattern back in August of 2012, and have wanted to make something with it ever since. It took a while to get around to it :-)
You can download the pattern for free from my Craftsy store by clicking on the picture below.
I hope you like the cowl! If you make it, feel free to stop by my facebook page and share a picture!
At long last, here is the tutorial on Entrelac! Below you will find a printable guide, with which you can knit a small sample of entrelac fabric. When you feel comfortable with entrelac, you can use the directions here to create your own project. Just substitute the number of stitches in the sample for however many stitches you want to use.
There is also a video demonstrating the small sample you can knit with the entrelac guide. The video is in two parts, each about half an hour long. I show the sample knit from cast on to bind off - how to knit the base or foundation triangles, the right side triangles/rectangles, the left triangles and wrong side rectangles, and finally the bind off triangles.
This tutorial is for knitting entrelac flat. I also have a tutorial for Seamless Entrelac / Entrelac in the Round HERE.
This tutorial is just bare bones entrelac; there are many creative ways to expand on the basic entrelac I show you here. As I mention in the guide, there are a couple of books on Entrelac that I know of (the first one I have), and a Craftsy class on Entrelac. Here are the links:
Happy Friday everyone! For those who don't follow me on Facebook, or maybe just didn't see the post, I have decided to redo all of my old knitting videos. I have been making how-to videos since early 2008. It is going to take a while to get them all done! At the beginning, I only had a digital camera to record with. The camera would record for 3 minutes and then stop. So in addition to poor quality video, there were many stops and starts in the videos. Not long ago, I got a real video camera! I am now able to record clear, HD videos from start to finish. If you are familiar with my videos, I'm sure you noticed the difference! I have also been playing around with different editing music, etc. on the videos trying to decide what I like best. I think I finally have a format that works well and most people seem to like. I will be adding these videos on the weekends, along with the regular stitch videos that I do.
So. I have added a new tab to the top of the blog which will have links to all of my videos. Not all of them are available right now. It is going to take time for me to redo everything; I will be adding the links as I go. The videos are not being done in any particular order. Also, all of the stitch pattern videos I have done in the past will be going into a new tab on The Weekly Stitch.
I have also finished my entrelac project that I will be giving away as a free pattern to go with the tutorial. I hope to have that up this weekend.
Hope everyone likes the new videos and tutorial. Thanks for visiting my blogs. Happy Knitting!
Hi everyone! Here is a free pattern for you to knit for the Fourth of July, which is right around the corner. This uses Lily Sugar n Cream self striping yarn, so all you have to do is knit.
The stitches you need to know for this pattern are: knit, purl, yarn over, purl three together. If you don't know how to do the star stitch, here is a video:
June 20, 2012 - I used my cloth for the first time tonight, and the red has bled a little bit into the white. There is also a little bit of bleeding from the blue, but not much. This doesn't bother me, but I wanted to let everyone else know in case it may be an issue.
If you plan to make a lot of Pom Poms, then you will probably want to invest in some of the hard plastic pom pom makers you find in the craft stores. They are easy to use and come in all different sizes. I find the instructions that come with Clover's tool a bit lacking, so here is a video.
This pom pom was made using materials you probably have around the house
If you only want to make a pom pom here and there, then it really isn't necessary to purchase a pom pom maker. All you need to make your own pom pom maker is some cardboard, a pen or pencil, and two circular objects. One should be a bit smaller than the other. The size of your circle determines the size of your pom pom. And you need scissors, of course.
With the larger circle, trace two circles on the cardboard. Then, place the smaller circle in the middle of the larger one, and trace it. Cut out each circle using the line of the larger circle. Then, cut straight up to the line of the smaller circle, and cut that out as well. Finally, all you have to do is place the pieces of cardboard on top of each other, making sure the straight cuts line up. Wrap your yarn around the forms until they are covered. The straight cut you made will allow you to easily wrap the yarn around the cardboard. The more yarn you use, the fluffier your pom pom will be. When you are done winding, cut the yarn. You will then need to cut a length of yarn to tie your pom pom together. But before you can tie it all together, you need to cut it. Make sure your scissors are sharp, and stick them in between the cardboard and cut all the way around. Once all of the yarn has been cut, slip the length of yarn between the pieces of cardboard and tie a couple of tight knots. Remove the cardboard and you have a pom pom ! Trim it up a bit if necessary. Use the strands you used to tie the pom pom to attach it to hats, scarves or whatever you like.
You could use a plastic lid (from a coffee can, etc.) to make your pom pom forms if you want something a bit more sturdy than cardboard.
Hi everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to thank all who stop by and read my little blog. Also, The Weekly Stitch blog too! You may not have noticed, but both blogs are now just a .com, instead of the .blogspot.com!
I will soon be posting a tutorial on entrelac knitting. I will have a free pattern to go along with the tutorial, and a video as well.
I am also working on a couple patterns which will be available for sale in my little area of Craftsy. I am really excited about these ones!
This is just a little tutorial I put together to help you out if you would like to knit something in the round, but aren't sure how to get the stitch pattern to work out. I will be perfectly honest - this is not an easy thing for me! It does take me a little while before I "get it" with some stitch patterns. So, you are not alone if you aren't able to convert stitch patterns easily. I do get a thrill when I finally figure out some of the trickier ones, which is what makes me keep trying different patterns. Practice makes perfect - so don't get discouraged if something doesn't work out the first time. Keep trying!
Of course I did not come up with this information on my own. This all can be found in Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting, as well as various other places on the web. Also, Margaret Radcliffe has a new book due out in just a few short weeks, called Circular Knitting Workshop: Essential Techniques to Master Knitting in the Round. I pre-ordered this back in December and have been so anxious to get it, I keep checking to see if maybe it will be released sooner! This book is supposed to have information on converting stitch patterns for knitting in the round, which is the reason I want it.
Below are instructions along with a few stitches for you to try out to get your needles going if you have never converted flat to round knitting. You can print this tutorial out so you can have it in your hands - which I find is a lot easier than having to constantly looking at the computer. There is also a free hat pattern using Star Stitch for you to print out too. Last but not least, there is a video briefly going over the tutorial and I will show you the stitches given in the tutorial.
I hope this tutorial is helpful, and that you like the hat pattern. Happy Knitting and Enjoy!
Flutter Scarf in Mongolian Cashmere, 2 Ply from Jade Sapphire. I used the color Candy Girl. - Free Pattern is below. Want more ruffles? Check out my Amazing Curly Scarf!
Potato Chip scarf, spiral scarf, ruffle scarf - whatever you call it, this scarf is girly and cute. The first time I saw this type of scarf was in a yarn shop in New Jersey a couple of years ago. I was looking at it, trying to figure out how it was done. The shop owner said it was done with short rows. I had only briefly played with short rows at that point, and wasn't really that sure how to knit something using short rows. I was afraid to ask, and too cheap to purchase the pattern. I have now sort of figured out short rows, and came up with this scarf.
There are many ways to make a potato chip scarf. Below I have some links so you can see some of the different methods - they are really all very similar and produce a scarf that looks like mine.
Knitting short rows creates wedges, which in turn creates the ruffles, or waves, or potato chips on the scarf. This scarf does spiral, but not quite as much as the Amazing Curly Scarf pattern I posted a while back. I did not wrap my stitches before turning, however you may do so if you like. You can find more info on short rows and wrapping and turning here if you don't know how.
For my scarf, I started out by knitting a small number of stitches, then worked up to a larger number before knitting all the way across to work the other side. I left one stitch up the middle which is only knit on the full row - it is left unworked as I knit the wedges on the sides. Some patterns use over lapping wedges, others do not have a middle, unworked stitch. Some start out working more stitches and then wind down to a fewer number before the full row. I recommend playing around and trying different methods to see what you like in whichever yarn you choose to use. Keep in mind that your ruffles will not appear right away - you will be a good several inches in on the scarf before you begin to see the ruffles. And, when you bind off, the scarf will shape itself to match the cast on edge. I like to refer to the edges as bows, because that's what they look like to me.
Sunday Afternoon Dish Cloth - Get the pattern below!
Experienced knitters may not think much about how to do a simple project, like a dish or wash cloth. New knitters, however, probably don't know where to start. I know I didn't. So, if you are a new knitter, here is a tutorial for you. If you aren't a new knitter, then here is a quick and easy project if you need a little instant gratification.
There are really no rules for knitting a dish or wash cloth - you can use whatever stitch pattern you like, any size needles, make it big or small, it's all up to you. You don't even need to make a gauge swatch or block the finished cloth. I like to make dish cloths to get familiar with new stitch patterns, or just make it up as I go.
There are many yarns to choose from: Lily Sugar and Cream, Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Bernat Cotton Tots, Lion Brand Baby's First, Patons Grace to name a few. If you are just going to be using your cloth to do dishes, I recommend using a cheaper cotton such as the Sugar and Cream. You can use the same for a wash cloth, of course, but if you'd like to pamper yourself then use perhaps the Patons Grace or another nicer cotton yarn.
I usually use the needle size called for on the ball band; if you would like a denser, tighter fabric then try a smaller needle, and a larger needle if you'd like a less dense fabric. Of course, you can always do a small swatch in the yarn you like with different needle sizes to see what results each gives you.
Now, pick a stitch pattern. There are many to be found on the web, or if you happen to have stitch pattern books, grab a cup of tea ( or something stronger ), sit back, and spend time looking through them. Maybe there is a stitch you like but have been afraid to try - now is the perfect time to give it a whirl! Since cloths are so small, there won't be much wasted time if you end up not liking it and can easily frog it and try something else.
Once you have your stitch pattern, you are ready to cast on. Use any cast on you like. I like to add borders on my cloths - you do not need one, but if you are going to do a stocking stitch fabric, a border will keep the edges from curling. I usually like to knit the first 2-4 rows in seed stitch, and then keep a 4 stitch border on each side in seed stitch. A simple garter stitch border will also do nicely. Depending on which yarn and needle size you choose, the number of stitches cast on will vary. In the Sugar and Cream yarn, 40-45 stitches gives me a large sized cloth; 30-35 makes a cloth that is a bit smaller and is just a tad bigger than my hand and feels most comfortable to me. I cast on depending on what mood I am in that day.
When the cloth is as long as you want it to be, bind off. If you have added a border, knit as many rows on the top as you did along the bottom edge and then bind off. You can use any bind off you like, and then weave in the ends. You can also make a loop to hang the cloth if you wish. Just cut an extra long tail, about 6 inches or so (better to have too much than not enough), and then single crochet to the end of the tail and attach it to the corner of the cloth.
I made the cloth in the picture in about an hour, on a Sunday afternoon, so that is the name I chose for it. This is a smallish cloth - I find it easier to do dishes with something that is relatively the same size as my hand, as opposed to having a lot of extra cloth flopping around. You can view and download a PDF the pattern for the cloth I make in the video here:
There are oodles of other patterns out there, just Google or Bing away and you will find them.
Also, I will once again be watching my favorite Halloween movie several times between now and Halloween.
This is a favorite of my sister and I - for some reason we just love it and must watch every October. It's fun and something you can watch with the kiddies, if you have any.
I think I mentioned last year, I have some black and orange Sugar n Cream floating around in my stash somewhere. I never was able to track that down, otherwise I would have my own pattern posted here. I will have to check again and if I find it see if I can come up with something quick.
I've been making an effort to finish up my UFO's that are lying around. If you follow me on facebook, you may know that I finally joined the sleeves to my sweater a couple weekends ago! Yay! It was a lot less scary and much easier than I anticipated. So, I now only have about 8 inches or so and it will be done! I am a little apprehensive about doing the collar for some reason, but I am sure that will be like the sleeve fear - easier than expected!
I've also been thinking about breaking out the Kool-Aid and dying some yarn. I have some Lion Brand Fisherman Wool that I'd like to dye some autumn colors - maybe brown, dark orange and orange-red. I'd like to do that this coming weekend, if I have time. I may need to do a Kool-Aid run to make sure I have enough of the flavors I need to get these colors. I would like to try and get some deeper, richer colors this time than I have in the past. I've heard coffee or tea will make a nice brown - I may have to do that in conjunction with the Kool-Aid. Either way, I am excited - I love dying yarn!!
Well, fellow knitters, I am going to go and do some work on that sweater! Here are a few pictures of where I am. I will certainly be posting pictures once it's complete. Hopefully by the end of this month!
This is the quite the order I wanted the pictures posted, but blogger is not cooperating and letting me arrange them how I'd like. Until next time, Happy Knitting!
Sleeves with the underarm stitches on waste yarn to be seamed with the body later
Close up of the sleeve and body joined, with the reserved stitches waiting to be seamed up later
Here is the body, with a portion of stitches reserved to be seamed with the underarm of the sleeves later
This is just a close up of the body with the reserved stitches
This is a few rows after the sleeves have been joined
Hey everyone! The latest episode of the podcast is up.
Links for all of the magazines I talk about are in the Magazines tab at the top of the blog. Also, I talk a little bit about the shawl and entrelac throw I am currently working on, as well as the new knitting videos up on YouTube. You can find the link to the YouTube channel on the left sidebar.
Magazines covered in this episode:
Sandra Knit Trends Issue 2, Vogue Knitting, Simply Knitting, Love of Knitting, Knitting Today, Knit'n Style, Verena, Knitting, Let's Knit, Knit Today, Filati Handknitting, and The Knitter
Ok, here is the picture of the completed item. This was my first real attempt at shadow knitting. Much easier than I expected, but it does take some thought when charting out the pattern. I've been using mine as a large coaster, but it really is meant to go on my counter whenever I have something from the oven that needs to cool down. This will come in handy for Thanksgiving dinner this year because I always seem to run out of potholders/dishtowels to set my hot dishes on. If you made this as well, I hope you had fun knitting and like the end result. I will have a new mystery project around the middle of December, so be sure to check back!
Pattern for the Heart Shadow Hot Pad is below the picture.
