I read that style experts declared Marsala as the color of the year for 2015, so I bought some lace weight (superfine) yarn that’s 40% silk, 50% merino, and 10% kid mohair in that color and decided to try the yarn with my Blossoms and Vines lace knit scarf pattern.

I like the color with this design, and the stitch definition with this yarn.

To make the scarf you need 1-1/2 25g balls of ICE Yarn Silk (around 300 yards/275 meters) check. I used 3.0mm needles (US size 2.5)

The finished scarf measures 6 x 54 inches (15 x 137 cm).

Give it a try and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

You can find this pattern and my other original scarf, shawl, and bandana designs on Ravelry, Craftsy, and LoveKnitting – and some of my finished accessories for sale on Etsy.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

I’m pleased to say that my patterns are now available on the LoveKnitting site – 29 patterns and 1 ebook!

In addition to the reasonable prices of my patterns (and some free), LoveKnitting is offering 10% off yarn when you buy any indie designer pattern through the end of May. Just a few days left, so check it out now!

I’m also proud to announce the release of my first ebook collection of patterns: Four of My Favorites: Lace Knit Shawls for All Seasons

You save 25% percent on the total price of the individual patterns when you purchase the ebook.

My patterns and the ebook are available on Ravelry and Craftsy as well, as are my original hand knit (by me) accessories on Etsy.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

It took a while to knit this, especially with the travel interruptions (!) but for me the result was really worthwhile.
I feel that my design concept of iconic Parisian landmarks linked by the Seine translated well into the lace stitch patterns in Parisian Links: des liens étroits making for a lovely beaded shawl or seriously oversized bandana.
If you have some experience with lace knitting and consider yourself an advanced beginner or intermediate knitter, you should find this pattern enjoyable to knit. It’s available on Ravelry and Craftsy along with many of my other patterns.

Give it a try and let me know if I can help!

If you’d like to wear this light, colorful, summer-weight accessory, but aren’t in the mood to knit it yourself, you can find the finished item for sale on Etsy!

Happy knitting!
MikeH

I went to Hokkaido, Japan for a long weekend recently and my Parisian Links bandana/shawl has not progressed all that much because I didn’t take it with me on the trip.

There’s plenty of inspiration in the natural beauty of Hokkaido and I hope to be able to capture some of it in upcoming designs. We were there in time to see both snow-capped peaks and sakura or cherry blossoms as well.

So, now I’m back in Bangkok and can report some progress on the Paris project, as you can see from the photo below.

Come back for a visit next week and I might be able to show you the finished product – and provide links to the pattern and product!

In the meantime you might like to have a look at my patterns on Ravelry and scarves and shawls for sale on Etsy.

Happy knitting,
MikeH

It’s so easy to be inspired by Paris. Over the years I’ve been taken in by the city’s landmarks,  the architecture, and the ever-present sense of style.

In particular, I’ve formed a mental image of how the Seine River links the landmarks, and thought that would be the perfect theme for my newest project.

Parisian Links: des liens étroits

The design is for a top-down, heart-shaped, oversized bandana/shawl. The top and bottom sections will be knit in lace patterns that evoke the architectural similarities of the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Pyramids. The middle area will be a section of lace stitching representing the Seine River and its bridges (with beads interspersed in the borders).  The beads include 3-4mm, 3-sided sterling silver beads and 8mm translucent cathedral crystal beads with gold and blue/green highlights.
In addition, I’ll be inserting a narrow transition area, in the third stitch pattern (in the first color, Emerald, bordered with the second color, Emerald Blue).

The yarn is a luxury Malabrigo Lace Baby Merino, and the design will require 1 skein of Emerald and 1 skein of Emerald Blue. The architectural elements and transition will be knit in Emerald and the river and bridges in Emerald Blue.

Overall dimensions of the finished accessory are anticipated to be approximately 65 inches (165cm) across top; 55 inches (140cm) wide at widest point; 28 inches (70cm) from top edge to bottom point]

Follow this blog for progress on my Paris project.

Happy knitting!
MikeH
http://www.ravelry.com/designers/michael-harrigan

I’ve been traveling in Italy and Croatia for a couple of weeks and away from knitting for that amount of time as well. As you can see from the photo, I’m trying to make up for that now!

In the middle is a work-in-progress that’s based on my Blossoms and Vines Lace Scarf pattern. The yarn is a lace-weight silk and merino blend and the color is marsala (the color of the year).

On the right is a new design in progress in an emerald blue  – Malabrigo Lace Baby Merino – a wonderfully soft yarn to work with. And on the left is the first few rows of a variation on a design in a yarn I love – a Bordeaux gradient, also in merino wool.

I’m looking through my trip photos for inspiration for new designs. In the meantime, if you’re looking for scarf and shawl patterns for spring and summer, get your needles out and take a look at my designs on Ravelry.

For any Game of Thrones fans out there, here’s a photo of me standing by Neptune’s Fountain in the Trsteno Arboretum, near Dubrovnik, Croatia. This is one of the locations featured in an episode of the popular series.

Happy knitting,
MikeH

For this half-circle shawl I chose a color range that made me think of spring, and I created a design to go with the yarn that’s simple but casually elegant.

You’ll find rows of quatrefoil eyelets at regularly-spaced intervals, and at the bottom of the shawl, a knit-on edging with a single eyelet in each row.

I love knitting with this luxurious fine merino yarn, Araucania Botany Lace, because it’s a bit heavier than lace and a bit lighter than fingering, and produces such great stitch definition.

It also produces a finished accessory that’s lightweight yet maintains its shape.

It’s knit from the top down on 3.25mm US 3) needles, and the interior increases are done with M1L and M1R to keep them nearly invisible. I used almost all of the 100g skein.

There are rows of quatrefoil eyelets at regularly-spaced intervals. At the bottom of the shawl, you’ll add a knit-on edging that’s a simple garter edging with a single eyelet worked in each right-side row.

The dimensions after blocking are: 43 x 19 inches (109 x 48.5 cm)

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.  This accessory and others are available in my Etsy store as well.

I’ll be traveling in Italy and Croatia during the first half of April, so I probably won’t be posting patterns or knitting tips for the next two weeks.

I will probably post some photos of monuments, architectural details, and natural wonders that will hopefully inspire future patterns!

Happy knitting!
MikeH

This bandana is a fun knit, watching the color bands appear with the yarn I chose for the project. It’s a variation on my Buds and Flowers Shawlette pattern.

I knit this accessory using 1 50-gram ball of La Doro 2-ply, lace weight, 100% superwash wool yarn (300 meters/328 yards) – hand-dyed (colorway 6). You could easily dip into your stash and pick a few colors you’d like to combine.

The bandana measures 40 inches (101.5 cm) across the top; 15 inches (38 cm) from top midline to tip of bottom point.

I knit the top-down bandana with 2.75mm needles, knitting from the outside of the ball: the colors develop as you knit. I did make sure that the new color began at the beginning of a row (with the right side facing me) and this meant cutting the yarn a few times.

Adjusting the pattern to make this bandana is quite straightforward. Continue according to the pattern through Row 107, and knit Row 108 as a normal wrong-side row.

Then,
Row 109: (K1, YO) twice; K158, YO, K1, YO, K158, (YO, K1) twice (327 stitches)
Rows 111-119 following the formula for Row 109, substituting the number of K stitches shown for each of the rows:
Row 111: K161 (333 stitches)
Row 113: K164 (339)
Row 115: K167 (345)
Row 117: K170 (351)
Row 119: K173 (357)
Row 120 same as 108
The rose color then appears as if by magic, and it’s time to BO using a picot bind off technique.

So, now if you have this pattern, there are 3 accessories you can knit  with it!

The colorful bandana is also available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Happy knitting!
MikeH

This scarf is knit with alternating horizontal lace and tweed stitch panels. If you have a moderate amount of experience with lace knitting you’ll likely find this an enjoyable knit.

There’s enough variation to keep you from getting bored, yet the repeats of the pattern keep you from having to concentrate too intensely!

I love working with Araucania Botany Lace (Colorway: 3006, rainbow), and used most of a 100g skein for this scarf that measures 57 x 7 inches (145 x 20.25 cm) after blocking.

Most any type of yarn would be fine as long as the stitches are well defined. I’m trying a solid color sport-weight alpaca yarn now as you can see in this work-in-progress below (before blocking, which is important to open up the lace design):

You can download the free pattern from my Ravelry page or Craftsy pattern shop.

If you’d like to modify the width or length of the scarf and need help, let me know.

Happy knitting!
MikeH