Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

Progress on the first cardigan jacket:

The right side is finished and blocked, and the first sleeve is finished, but not yet blocked. I’ve cast on for the final sleeve, and expect to have that finished by next week.

Here’s a photo of the right front – placed on top of the back and next to the left front.

The sleeves call for increases after the the cuff ribbing, and they’re worked on both the right and wrong sides of the sleeve. I chose the KFB and PFB (knit front and back; purl front and back) methods, and placed the increases inside the selvedge stitch at each end of the rows.

The sleeves also call for decreases as the sleeve cap is shaped. These are done only on the right side rows. I chose to use SSK (slip, slip, knit) at the right edge, as it’s a left-leaning decrease that follows the edge of the fabric. At the left edge, I chose to use a K2tog (knit 2 together), as it’s a right-leaning decrease that follows the edge of the fabric at that edge.

Again, the decreases are worked inside the selvedge stitches at each end of the rows.

Here’s a photo of what I’ve done so far:

After I finish the second sleeve and block both sleeves, the next (final!) stage I’ll be working on is finishing .

Finishing involves seaming and creating the pocket bands, collar, and front bands. This is all new to me and it’s become clear that the quality of the finishing will make or break this project!

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

PRICED ORIGINALLY AT USD 127.50!

Now available at just USD 80.00 plus reasonable standard air postage, my Dayflowers and Honeybees Lace Knit Shawl is the perfect summer evening accessory.

This rectangular-shaped wrap features a central panel of a dayflower stitch pattern surrounded by mermaid mesh lace and running edges of a honeybee pattern.

At one end of the shawl you’ll find a final section of Shetland lace diamonds as a bit of a surprise.
This was knit in 100 percent merino wool, in purple. Note that the first image that appears above is the truest representation of the color.

The full-sized wrap measures 68in long x 20 in wide (172 x 50 cm).

Send me a message if you’re interested!

Next week I’ll have the right front of the man’s cardi jacket to show you.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

My adventure in knitting a man’s cardigan jacket continues this week after a pause last week to introduce my newest wrap: East and West: Lotuses and Roses. I was also finishing up work on another design submission that has been purchased by a yarn company. That makes 2 of them!

Here’s my progress on the man’s cardigan jacket so far:

1. The back is finished and blocked. The stitch patterns tend to pull in so it was especially important to use a wet blocking technique to ensure that the piece met the specified measurements. Here’s a photo.

2. The pattern called for knitting the left front next, so that’s what I did. Here’s a photo of it finished and blocked – and this time I double-checked by consulting the specified measurements and also matching the piece against the back.

And here’s the left front placed on top of the back, and you can see how nicely they match up!

3. Notice the vertical opening in the lower right of the photo above. This is the pocket opening, and the design calls for knitting the lining as part of working the left front. Here’s a photo that shows the pocket lining.

So, now I’ve cast on the stitches for the right front, and I’ve progressed as far as the pocket opening.

I’ll share my progress next week, although there may not be a lot to share as I’m preparing the pattern and sample accessory for the yarn company that purchased my first design.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I haven’t stopped working on my cardigan jacket, but wanted to use this week’s post to let you know about my newest lace knit wrap pattern – because I like it so much!

The cardigan jacket is coming along nicely The back is finished and blocked and the left front is nearly done, so by next week I’ll have lots more to show.

East and West: Lotuses and Roses

I’ve lived in Thailand for quite some time now, making frequent visits to Europe and the US, and feel that my life has become of blend of western and eastern cultures. With this lace knit wrap design I wanted to celebrate that blend, combining elements of both cultures, and chose lotus and rose flower stitch patterns to achieve this.

In addition to the lotuses and roses, the design incorporates an open-work lace edging along the sides and Japanese feather stitch panels between the rose panels. The feather stitch pattern was added to create a series of undulating lines along the length of the wrap.

In all there are 9 columns of lace stitches, representing 4 different stitch patterns.

At the end of the main body of the wrap I have included a section that features three rows of flowers –rose, lotus, rose.

I knit this in 3 skeins (950 yards or a bit less than 900 meters) of a lace weight blend of merino and silk.

Measurements:
16×56 inches/40.75×142.25cm

Pattern available here.
Wrap available here.

More on the cardigan jacket(s) next week.
Happy Knitting!
MikeH