Summmer Travels Inspiration Part Five - Lady's Tresses Shawl

So this is the final pattern in our series inspired by my travels in Summer 2016 (yes, I am that far behind on my pattern writing!) This pattern was inspired by a biking trip near Aviemore in the Scottish Highland where we came across a patch of beautiful Lady's Tresses orchids (yes, we do have orchids in Scotland!)

I absolutely love looking for unusual wildflowers, and finding wild orchids is always very special. Lady's Tresses shawl has a pretty floral motif and pointed edging, inspired by their delicate flowerheads. And the rest of the bike ride was very scenic too, through Scot's pine forest.

The shawl itself is very quick to knit, using less than 380yds / 350m of laceweight yarn. It starts with a garter stitch band shaped with short rows, then a band of floral lace which blends into a delicate lacy edging. Here's the pattern information:

Yarn:  Gemini Knits 2 ply Laceweight Baby Suri Alpaca/Merino (50% Baby Suri Alpaca, 50% Merino, 1097 yards / 1200m per 100g)

Colourway Stormclouds

380yds / 350m required

Dimensions: 9" / 22.5cm wide at the ends, 11" wide at the centre and 70" long.

Needles: US 6 / 4mm circular needle.  

Gauge: 16 sts = 4" / 10cm in stocking stitch after blocking.

Extras: Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends, mat and t-pins for blocking.

 

Purchase the pattern on

Ravelry

Etsy

Craftsy

 

 

Summer Knitting Inspiration

Two new pattern releases to celebrate!

Loch Katrine Shawl is a pretty little shawl with stunning zigzag edging. Short row shaping gives this shawl a delicate curve and “mini-nupps” add interest to the lace section. This shawl is quick to knit and only uses 50g of laceweight yarn – perfect gifting material!

Castle Sands Scarf is a stunning wide scarf in a pretty Estonian lace stitch pattern with a gorgeous edging, blocked into delicate points. It's worked from the centre out so that both sides are perfectly symmetrical. The yarn is an unbelievably soft and buttery heavy lace weight yarn, almost a 4ply. Its luxurious softness and fabulous handdyed colourways work so well with delicate lace.

And if you need more Summer knitting inspiration, please check out our post about our all time Top Ten Summer Knitting Patterns. There's something for everyone - simple linen tees, pretty wraps and intricate lace. 

Wishing all our readers a happy, knitting filled Summer!

Quick Knits Sale and a Chunky Cowl Pattern

Christmas Gift Sale Part Three

Our last sale of 2015 is for Quick-to-Knit patterns - a December essential! This week I've been knitting lots of little gifts: worsted weight socks, bulky slippers and hats, and a superchunky cowl (more on that below!) And I know I'm not alone, lots of knitters across the globe are putting the finishing touches on handmade presents. But for those of us who have left things to the last minute, not to worry! Our last sale is for super quick knits, either small projects like hats or mittens, or larger items in chunkier yarns. Get 30% off in our Ravelry Store with coupon code "QuickKnit" until Saturday 19th December. 

King's Park Cowl 

Our latest pattern is a superchunky winter warmer. Made up of a pretty collection of textured stitch patterns, it looks much more complicated than it really is! And as it certainly falls into the category of quick knits, it's also available at a 30% discount until Saturday with the coupon code "QuickKnit". Available to purchase from Ravelry.

Year of Lace Knitting

Three of my oldest and dearest friends turn thirty this year. I've set myself a challenge to knit each of them a truly timeless heirloom piece to mark the occasion. 

For my friend Gill, I knitted Sineabhar, a stunning shawl that looks amazing but is actually quite straightforward to knit. The pattern gives two sizes, for a 50" and 80" shawl. Using only 65 and 35g of yarn for each size, it's the perfect pattern for using up leftover laceweight yarn.

Sineabhar is available to purchase from Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

For my friend Jo, I have knitted up Northumbria. A gorgeous rectangular shawl with zigzag stripes of delicate lace. This would work just as well as a truly beautiful everyday scarf as it would as a wrap over an evening dress.

Northumbria is also available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

And my third friend? Her birthday isn't for a few more months, so it's still a bit of a work in progress! 

Asphodel Shawl

I've just released a new lace pattern, Asphodel Shawl:

 

A stunning lace shawl with a geometric design. There are three distinct bands of lace in the shawl, working from larger to smaller diamonds with a lace edge. The shawl is constructed as a traditional triangular shawl, with the lace patterns to the right and left sides of the spine mirror images of each other.

Asphodel is available on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace or other laceweight yarn. Two skeins = 840 yards / 768m.

Gauge: 21 sts = 4” with 4mm / US 6 needles after blocking. Exact gauge isn't crucial though.

Needles: One 40”/100cm 4mm / US 6 circular needle.

Extras: Two stitch markers, crochet hook and yarn in a contrasting colour for provisional cast on, 4.5mm/US7 needle for bind-off, pins and a large towel for blocking.

Dimensions: makes a triangle 58” across

and 29” high after blocking.

Winter Warmers

Two new patterns out at the moment:

Snowcloud Cardigan

A soft, warm cardigan to keep you toasty when the snow starts falling. Featuring chunky cuffs and wraparound front in double moss stitch for extra cosiness. Seamless construction and aran yarn make this a quick and satisfying knit. Available to purchase from Ravelry and Etsy.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran 8 (10, 11, 13, 15, 16) skeins at 91m / 100 yds per skein
Needles: One 5mm/US8 100cm circular needle, four 5mm/US 8 dpns or one 16” 5mm/US 8 circular needle. 
Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stocking stitch

Dimensions: 
To fit bust 32” (34”, 36”, 38”, 40”, 42”)
Sleeve length: 14” (14½”, 15”, 16”, 16½”, 17”)
Cuff Circumference: 10” (11”, 12”, 13”, 14”, 15”)
Upper Arm Circumference: 11½” (13”, 14”, 15”, 16½”, 17½”)
Back Width: 16” (17”, 18”, 19”, 20”, 21”)
Length Armpit to Hem: 14½” (15½”, 16½”, 17½”, 18½”, 19½”)

Buachaille Scarf

A cosy winter classic. Knitted up in chunky Bluefaced Leicester yarn for the ultimate in warmth and comfort. This is an easy knit, but lace stitches and cables keep it interesting. This design uses “fake cable” stitches – they’re much easier than using a cable needle but practically indistinguishable! Full instructions for all stitches are included in the pattern. Pattern available on Ravelry and Etsy. 

Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky (Bluefaced Leicester) 3 skeins = 330m in total.
Needles: 6.5 mm / US 10 ½ 
Gauge: 12 stitches = 4” in stocking stitch
Dimensions: 8” x 70”

Rainclouds and Forest Walks

Here in Scotland, Summer has been over for a while now (since June if you're interested), so I'm thinking it's high time to break out the autumnal knitting patterns. And here they are! Both are knitted up in Shilasdair Luxury DK, which is an absolutely gorgeous yarn naturally dyed on the Isle of Skye. It's fantastic value too, the skeins are giant!

First up is the Raincloud Cardigan. I really love this one, it has become my number one wardrobe staple. I am glued to it. It's cosy, but the single fastening and three-quarter length sleeves mean you don't overheat. It's available to purchase for $3 from Ravelry and my Etsy shop. Sizing details can be found there too.

Next there's my Forest Walk scarf. I knitted this one up as a birthday present for a friend. It's a quick knit but looks very impressive. It uses just over one skein of the Shilasdair luxury DK, but you could squeeze one out of a single skein. My version is around 6 feet long so it'd be fine to make it a bit shorter. I made both the cardigan (smallest size) and the scarf from 3 skeins. Again, it's available to purchase from Ravelry and my Etsy shop.

Cocoa Wrap

An easy wrap pattern that's quick to knit in chunky yarn. The slipped stitches make the fabric extra dense. This is sure to keep you cosy when you're curled up with your cocoa! The wrap pictured was knitted with my own handspun Bluefaced Leicester yarn, but Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky is the correct gauge and would be just as nice. Pattern is available to download from Ravelry.

Yarn : Five skeins Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky = 550m in total.

Needles :  5mm/US 8 straight needles

Gauge:  14sts = 4" in stocking stitch

Size: 12" x 60"

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

sl = slip 

kw = knitwise

pw = purlwise

CO = cast on

RS = right-side

WS = wrong-side

Twisted Slip Stitch Rib Pattern:

Row 1: sl1 pw, *p1 k1* to end of row (don't "untwist" twisted stitches by knitting into the back of them!)

Row 2: sl1 pw *k1 sl1 kw with yarn held forward* to last two stitches, k2

Directions:

CO 61 stitches. Work in Twisted Slip Stitch Rib Pattern until wrap measures 60", ending on row 1 of pattern. Bind off all stitches on wrong side. Weave in any loose ends and you're done!

Speedwell Scarf

Naming patterns is hard. I really struggle to think of a name that "suits" the pattern. I've picked up a habit lately of naming things after places that I associate with the pattern, but I worry that these names won't resonate with many people. So, I'm moving on to wildflowers (mainly because I picked up a secondhand collins-gem guide recently...) 

And here's the latest scarf pattern. It's a lovely bright blue, so, I look at the index for blue flowers and find sheep's scabious, viper's bugloss and speedwell. I think it's got to be speedwell: this pattern isn't really edgy enough to be called "viper's bugloss scarf"....

Yarn : Regia Hand-Dye Effect, 1 ball (=420m)

Needles :  4.5mm/US 7 needles

Gauge:  20sts and 28 rows in stocking stitch

Size: 6" x 52"

Extras: Four buttons.

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

sl = slip purlwise

wyf = with yarn held forward

wyb = with yarn held back

CO = cast on

RS = right-side

WS = wrong-side

Directions

Garter Slip Stitch Pattern:

Row 1(RS): knit

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k1 *sl1 wyb, k1* to end of row

Row 4: k1 *sl1 wyf, k1* to end of row
Row 5: knit

Row 6: knit

Row 7: k2 *sl1 wyb, k1* to last stitch, k1

Row 8: k2 *sl1 wyf, k1* to last stitch, k1

To make scarf: CO 45 stitches. Work in Garter slip stitch pattern until scarf measures around 50", ending on row 8 of the pattern (a wrong-side row). Now work in garter stitch (i.e. knit every row) for 10 rows, again ending on a WS row. Work buttonholes as follows:

Buttonhole Row: k3 k2tog yo k10 k2tog yo k11 yo ssk k10 yo ssk k3.

Now work 8 more rows of garter stitch, ending on a RS row. BO all stitches on WS. 

Sew four buttons on the RS of the scarf, equally spaced about 1" up from the CO edge. Weave in any loose ends and you're done!

What to do with art yarn...

So, those of you who follow this blog will be aware that I've been spending a lot of time spinning and dyeing lately (at the expense of coming up with new knitting patterns, sorry about that!) And now that I've spun up a large pile of beautifully coloured yarn, I need to come up with something to do with it. This is a tricky task for all those early skeins of thick-n-thin "art yarn" that I've amassed. And here's what I came up with, a one skein cowl made from my handspun merino. It's a little crazy looking, but that's kind of a given if you're working with art yarn. Also, if you like the colour but are looking for a more sensible yarn, there's a skein of bluefaced leicester yarn in my Etsy shop in the same colourway.

Needles : 10mm / US 15 needles.

Yarn: 100 -150m or so of thick and thin art yarn (check out Etsy for handspun, thick n thin goodness!)

Gauge:  15 sts = 4'' in stocking stitch on average (but with thick and thin yarn gauge varies).

Size:  21'' around and 8" across

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

sl = slip purlwise

wyb = with yarn held at the back of your work

wyf = with yarn held to the front of your work

CO = cast on

Directions

Garter Slip Stitch Pattern

Row 1: knit

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k1 *sl1 wyb k1* to end of row

Row 4: k1 *sl1 wyf k1* to end of row

Row 5: knit

Row 6: knit

Row 7: k2 *sl1 wyb k1* to last stitch, k1

Row 8: k2 *sl1 wyf k1* to last stitch, k1

To make the cowl, CO 29 stitches. Now work in garter slip stitch until your work measures just over 20", ending on row 8  of pattern. Knit one row, then bind off on wrong side. Turn cowl onto wrong side and sew cast on edge to bind off edge using whip stitch (art yarn looks crazy enough that you'll never notice the seam). Weave in loose ends and you're done!

Now for the shameless advertising. There's a couple of skeins in my Etsy shop that I think would be perfect for this, although they're not as crazy as some art yarns, they'd give you a more wearable cowl. There's a lovely blue skein here, and a white skein for all you dyers out there here.

Mae Geri Scarf

Please note: this pattern is now available to download as a pdf from Craftsy for $2. It will still be freely available on this blog, but I thought people might want the opportunity to download a pdf version. 

 I knitted this scarf for my dear old mum. The name sounds very poetic and Japanese, maybe you'd guess it meant cherry blossom or something similar, something suitable for a lacy silk scarf. It means front kick. You see, my mother is in fact a third dan black belt in shotokan karate (i.e. she means business). But, like the ninja she is, she keeps this quite well hidden: a lacy scarf is just part of her disguise...
 

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. Two balls =250m

Needles: 4.5mm / US 7 needles

Gauge:  22 stitches = 4'' in stocking stitch with 4mm/US 6 straight needles
 
Size: One size, 6'' x 60''

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

CO = cast on

k2tog = knit two stitches together

yo = bring the yarn to the front of your knitting on knit rows and the back on purl rows

k2togtbl = knit two together through the back of the loops

p2tog = purl two stitches together

p2togtbl = purl two stitches together through the back of the loops

Directions:

CO 29 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 8 rows. Now work pattern as follows:

Row 1: k6, *k2tog, yo, k5* to last 2 stitches, k2.
Row 2: k2, p3, *p2togtbl, yo, p1, yo, p2tog, p2* to last 3 stitches, p1, k2.

Row 3: k4, *k2tog, yo, k3, yo, sl1, k1, psso* to last 4 stitches, k4.

Row 4: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.

Row 5: k4, * yo, sl1, k1, psso, k5* to last 4 stitches, k4.

Row 6: k2, p1, *p1, yo, p2tog, p2, p2togtbl, yo* to last 5 stitches, p3, k2.

Row 7: k3, *k3, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, yo,* to last 5 stitches, k5.

Row 8: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.

Repeat these 8 rows until scarf measures 60'', or as long as desired. Knit 8 rows and bind off on wrong side. Weave in loose ends.