Category: Knitting

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Superior Cowl

 

Although delicate and light, the Superior Cowl is incredibly warm.  The design is very versatile, in how it can be worn. Wrap it twice around your neck for a close fitted cowl. Pull it up as a hood to cover the head or wear it loosely. The cowl takes only one ball of a very luxurious yarn. When the yarn is this stunning a simple pattern is needed to display its beauty. This simple design is fast and fun to knit on larger needles than this very fine yarn regularly calls for.

Needles – 40 cm 5mm circular needles 

Yarn – Filatura Di Crosa Golden Line Superior

Cast on 120 sts very loosely. join in the round. place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of round.

Border (6 rounds)

Rnd 1 knit

Rnd 2 purl

Repeat Rnd 1 and 2 twice more.

Lace section (6 rounds)

Rnd 7 knit

Rnd 8 ( yo, k2tog)

Repeat 7 and 8 twice more

Stocking stitch section (6 round)

Rnd 13 – 18 knit

Repeat above 12 rounds, seven more times**

Work Lace section once more.

Border

Rnd 1 knit

Rnd 2 purl

Repeat Rnd 1 and 2 twice more.

Cast off VERY loosely 

 

 

 

** I worked nine in my sample and ran out of yarn and only knitted 4 rounds of the border
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Vintage Pattern Love

I have a not so secret vice. I love vintage knitting books.

I learn so much from vintage books and find inspiration from the pattern stitches and designs. Many are still classic to knit today.

Nigelle-ann from Miss Gracie Taylors was gifted a box of vintage knitting patterns and kindly let me have my pick. I came across the New Idea Knitting Favourites No 2. A mix of adult, baby and children’s patterns. The baby shoes caught my eye. They are constructed sideways. The soles are knit, then the top of the shoe and then the shoes are seamed into shape.

I was fascinated by the construction and picked up my needles and some Patonyle I have had since before I opened the shop and had to cast on and try the pattern.

Baby Shoes

Vintage patterns assumed the knitter was capable and are very succinctly written. Even an experienced knitter would find them challenging to follow at times. This was no exception and without the aid of detailed photos I’m betting a few threw down there needles in frustration.

8ply sideways knit baby shoes

After knitting my 4 ply sample I tweaked the pattern and came up with an 8 ply variation. As detailed in the drawing above. Instead of crocheting around the opening of the shoe I picked up stitches and knitted a rib cuff.

I may never knit these again and one bootee isn’t particularly useful. I did learn a fair bit and enjoyed the challenge of reworking a vintage pattern into an easy 8 ply knit. I’m sure any self respecting baby will have these off in less than 30 seconds but I’m of the opinion it’s the gifting of bootees to an expectant mother that is the satisfaction, rather than giving a practical gift.

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Woven

A luxuriously warm beanie. Combining sumptuous cashmere and silk lace weight yarn with a super soft squishy merino singles yarn. The fold up brim adds warmth and flexibility of fit. Hat fits an adult sized head. Fun and fast to knit in the round.

Needles: 

1 x 5mm 40cm circular needles, 

1 set of 5mm set of double pointed needles for reducing crown

Yarns:

 Filatura Di Crosa Superior lace 25 gms 300 mts

Malabrigo Worsted 210 yds (190 mts) 100 gms

 Hat uses approximately 150 mts of yarn

Work with one strand of lace and one strand of worsted held together 

Abbreviations:

  • Rnds – rounds;
  • k -knit;
  • p – purl;
  • p2tog – purl two stitches together;
  • k2tog – knit two stitches together; 
  • (…….) brackets mark repeatable instructions

Cast on 88 sts

Join in the round, place marker for beginning of round.

Band

Rnds 1 – 29 (K2,p2) repeat to end (12cms from cast on)

body pattern chart

Body

Rnd 1 knit

Rnd 2-4 (k3,p5) repeat to end

Rnd 5 knit

Rnd 6- 8 (p4,k3,p1) repeat to end

Repeat above 8 rounds twice more. For a total of 3 times

Crown

Rnd 1 knit

Rnd 2 (k3, p2, p2tog,p1) (77 sts)

Rnd 3 & 4 (k3, p4) repeat to end 

Rnd 5 knit

Rnd 6 (p2tog, p1, k3, p1) repeat to end (66 sts)

Rnd 7 & 8 (p2, k3, p1) repeat to end

Rnd 9 knit

Rnd 10 (k1, p1, p2tog, p2) repeat to end (55 sts)

Rnd 11 (k1,p1,p2tog, p1) repeat to end (44 sts)

Rnd 12 (k1, p3) repeat to end

Rnd 13 (k2, k2tog) repeat to end (33 sts)

Rnd 14 & 15 (P1, k1, p1) repeat to end

Rnd 16 (k2tog, p1)repeat to end (22 sts)

Rnd 17 (k2tog) repeat to end(11 sts)

Break yarn and thread through stitches. Pull to close and secure end

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Witch

Materials

Abbreviations

  • k – knit
  • p-purl
  • kfb – knit front and back into the stitch to increase
  • rnd – round
  • sts – stitches
  • k2tog – knit 2 stitches together
  • (….) repeats

Legs

Cast on 4sts in stockings colour and work Icord for 20 cms

Break yarn and sew end though stitches and gather. Sew in ends and tie knots either end of the Icord to form the feet

Body

Cast on 32sts in the dress colour, join in the round. Leave a long end.

Rnd 1 Purl

Rnd 2 – 8 knit

Rnd 9 ( k6, k2tog) repeat around, decrease of 4 Sts (28sts)

Rnd 10 – 16 knit

Rnd 17 (k5, k2tog) repeat around (24sts)

Knit until dress measures 8cms from cast on change to skin colour leaving a long tail of the dress yarn.

Head

Knit 10 rounds in skin color, change to hat colour.

Hat

Rnd 1 – knit

Rnd 2 purl

Rnd 3 &4 knit

Rnd 5 (k4, k2tog) repeat around (20sts)

Rnd 6, 7 and 8 knit

Rnd 9 (k3, k2tog) repeat around (16sts)

Rnd 10, 11 and 12 knit

Round 13 (k2, k2tog) repeat around (12sts)

Rnd 14 &15 knit

Rnd 16 (k1, k2tog) repeat around  (8sts)

Rnd 17 and 18 knit

Rnd 19 (k2tog) around (4sts)

Rnd 20 knit

Break yarn and thread though stitches to secure. Sew in end.

Stuff hat and head, using a running stitch and long end left of dress yarn gather neck and secure.

Stuff body.

Sew across base of body catching in the Icord folded in half to create the two legs.

Sew through body at sides to form arms

Hat Brim

Pick up and knit the purl bumps on hat, with point of hat towards you.

Rnd 1, (k1 kfb) around

Rnd 2 knit

Rnd 3 (k2, kfb) around 

Cast off the brim. Sew in ends

Add  3 lengths of yarn doubled using a crochet hook to create hair

Embroider face. Add eyes in black and stitch nose in skin colour.

  • legs and body ready to stuff and assemble
  • pick up and knit stitches with hat towards you
  • attach yarn for hair
schematic

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Butterfly – draft

This pattern is untested. Any errors please let me know.

Yarns: dazzle 8ply – scraps for colour of body

Scraps of hand dyed sock yarn – wings

Needles: 3mm double pointed needles

Abbreviations : K – Knit p- purl kfb – knit front and back into stitch. k2tog – knit two stitches together. w&t – wrap and turn ( with yarn in back, insert the right needle tip purlwise into the next stitch, and slip it to the right needle. Bring the yarn to the front, slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle. Turn the work and work the next row.) SR – short row

Body

Cast on 4 sts join in the round. ( I work as i-cord)

Rnd 1 knit

Rnd 2 (k1, kfb) repeat (6sts) ( I now seperate onto three needles)

Rnds 3 and 4 knit

Rnd 5 (k1, kfb) repeat twice more (9sts)

Rnds 6 – 8 knit

Rnd 9 (k2, kfb) repeat twice more (12 stitches)

Knit until body is 8 cm

Stuff butterfly body

Next rnd (k2tog) around (6sts)

Break yarn and thread yarn through stitches to close head.

Shape head by sewing a gathering row, 2 cms from head end.

Wings – worked with short rows in one piece

Cast on 30sts. And Knit one row

Wedges

Row 1 k14, w&t

(Short row 1) knit to end

( SR 2) K 10 W&t

(SR 3 )knit to end

(SR 4) k 6 w&t

(SR 5) knit to end)

Row 2 knit to end- across all w&t

Row 3 k14, w&t

( Short row 1) knit to end

(SR 2) K 10 W&t

(SR 3) knit to end

(SR 4) k 6 w&t

(SR 5) knit to end)

Row 4 knit to end- across all w&t

Repeat Above 3 rows 4 more times, 5 short row wedges are now worked on each side.

Cast off 

Assembly – Sew wings onto the body of the butterfly. Embroider eyes and use a stand of yarn with a knot tied to create antenna

schematic