Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I just got back from an enjoyable 12-day break in Europe. It’s the hottest time of the year here in Thailand and it was a pleasure to trade the 38C/100+F heat and humidity for the cool spring weather in northeastern Spain and southwestern France.

As you can see from the photos above, spring was definitely in the air and the leaves were just beginning to appear on the trees.

Montserrat (Spain) selfie

I was quite restrained and only went yarn shopping twice, buying enough for a couple of projects (as yet to be decided).

Both of these purchases were made in Zaragoza, Spain: one at the popular El Corte Ingles department store, which has quite an extensive selection of yarns and knitting supplies and equipment; and the other at a small boutique called El Sindrome Lanar.

More next week.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

This is the first time I’ve designed a shawl using cables and wanted to combine this traditional element with lace stitches. In this Cables and Lace Shawlette pattern you’ll find 5 cable columns surrounded by an openwork design of lace stitches – on each half of the shawlette.

It’s a relatively simple pattern to follow and shouldn’t present any problems to knitters who have learned how to knit cables and have learned the basics of lace: yarn overs and decreases.

I used a bit less than 1 full skein of this fingering weight merino yarn and it yielded an accessory that measures 47×22 inches/119×55.75 cm) after blocking.

You’ll find that wet blocking is essential to open up the lace and even out the shape.

Did you know…?

The bind off you choose for a lace stitch pattern is important. You want to be able to stretch the piece to open up the lace pattern when blocking, allowing the beauty of the design to appear.

One of my favorite bind off techniques to accomplish this is a variation of the Russian bind off. Here’s a link to  the instructions for this, that works from the right side of your work, but using purl stitches.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

This light-as-air, soft-as-silk Garden at Nighttime scarf is an original design hand knit by me. The inky blue yarn is a washable blend of silk, extra-fine merino wool, and kid mohair. The color is a deep, vibrant blue, and it measures 9.5×56 inches (24×142.25 cm).

On a recent trip to England I stayed at a country hotel that was surrounded by traditional gardens of flowers, vines and shrubbery. Fortunately jet lag woke me up in the middle of the night and I spent some time looking out into the garden after dark and was inspired by the outlines of blossoms and tracings of vines and branches.

This design attempts to incorporate some of what I remember.

The scarf pictured here, which is available on Etsy, is a bit of a variation on the original pattern in that I used needles one size larger (US3/3.25mm instead of US2.5/3mm) as I wanted the lace pattern to be more open and prominent.

“Did You Know…?”

Using a larger-sized knitting needle in a lace pattern can mean using less yarn to achieve the finished size and also knitting fewer pattern repeats. For example, in the scarf pictured above, only 21 pattern repeats were required with the larger sized needles rather than 27 repeats.

You might want to consider this in rectangular shawls and wraps if you’d like the design to be even lacier than pictured in the original pattern. Be sure to use the weight of yarn called for if you want to achieve this.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

This is a variation on my Country Chic Semicircular Shawlette pattern.

Head into spring in style with this heathery tweed combination of silk and fine merino wool.

I knit this shawlette/scarf with 2 strands of lace weight yarn. One yarn is a semi-solid charcoal grey (silk/merino bend) and for the upper part the other yarn is a blue-green variegated colorway (100% merino).

For the lower part of the shawlette, I combined the charcoal grey with a lighter blue-green colorway.

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.

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

Pattern on Ravelry. Accessory available on Etsy.

Did you know…?

You may already know how to work increases in your knitting, but did you know that in knitting a semicircular shawl you can separate the 3 sections (or wedges) with increases that resemble a column of eyelets?

This is done with a combination of M1R and M1O stitches.

Immediately before the increase stitch separating the wedges/sections of your shawl, do the following:

• in the horizontal bar between the stitch on your right needle and the stitch on your left needle, insert the left needle under the horizontal bar from the back to the front, placing that bar on the left needle (being careful to stretch it as little as possible). Knit the stitch from the front. This is an M1R increase, and is nearly invisible;
• knit the next stitch; and then
• in the horizontal bar between the stitch on your right needle and the stitch on your left needle, insert the left needle under the horizontal bar from the front to the back, placing that bar on the left needle.  Knit the stitch from the front. This is an M1O increase, and leaves an eyelet opening.

I’ll look at other types of increases next week.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I have a variation on one of my earlier patterns on the needles. It’s a semi-circular shawl called Country Chic, and this time I’m knitting it with two strands of lace-weight yarn.

There’s one strand of a semi-solid charcoal grey (merino and silk) and one strand of a variegated blue-to-green colorway (merino). The color’s about to change as I’m moving on to a lighter blue-to-green colorway with a strand of the grey, for the bottom and border of the shawl.

I’ve also introduced a different increase method along the two internal increase points and will explain that in detail when I show you the finished product!

Now,  for the tips of the week!

Did you know…? Stitch tension:

1. Stockinette stitch tension
   Uneven stitches on either the front or reverse of stockinette knitting (or both) is a result of uneven tension.

   Some experts say that this can improved with practice, practice, practice, and that the stitches will likely become more even over the years. This may not be such an appealing remedy if you’d like your work to look better now, however!

   The situation may be improved by addressing the purl side of the stitch pattern. Consider the fact that most knitters purl more loosely than they knit, and that more yarn is required for a purl stitch, leading to an uneven overall pattern.

   You can try to tighten up on the yarn when making purl stitches by holding the yarn a bit more snugly and giving a bit of a tug on the yarn before working the purl stitch.

   If this doesn’t help, another possibility is to change the type of knitting needles you are using, as tension can be uneven if the yarn slips or sticks to the needle material.

2. Seed stitch pattern tension
   Working in seed stitch should produce fabric that is tightly woven, without holes in between the knit and purl stitches.

   If you’re finding that you’re getting spaces or holes between the knit and purl stitches, this can be quite easily corrected by bringing the yarn forward more tightly between a knit and purl stitch.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I wanted to reflect nature in a black-grey-white monochrome and decided to use this carbon gradient wool yarn for my newest shawl.

The rectangular Monochrome Wrap incorporates leaf and wing geometric lace patterns and the 100 per cent Blue-Faced Leicester yarn creates tonal shading and shadows throughout.

This unique accessory measures 56×15 inches (142.25x38cm).

The beads shown in the photograph are from the Ecuadorean Andes and are not included in the price (but are available for purchase).

If you’d like to buy the accessory, visit my Etsy shop.

Now,  for the tips of the week!

Did you know…? Stitch tension:

1. K2P2 ribbing stitch tension
   In K2P2 ribbing many knitters find that the second K stitch (before the first P stitch) is larger than the first K stitch – sometimes quite a bit larger. You can improve the look of the knit stitches in your K2P2 ribbing by using this simple tension-improving technique:

   After the K2, move your yarn tightly to the front of your work for the first P stitch, giving the yarn a bit of a tug, and this will provide a better finish to the second K stitch that you’ve just completed.

2. Selvedge (beginning and end of row) stitch tension
   You can improve the look of your knit stitches (in stockinette patterns) at the beginning and end of rows (selvedge stitches) by using another simple tension-improving technique:

   If your problem with loose, oversized stitches is limited to the first and last 1-2 stitches in the row, try this. At the beginning of the row, work* the selvedge stitch and leave it on the left needle. Then insert your right needle into the second stitch and give the working yarn a bit of a tug. Work* the second stitch and then remove both stitches from the left needle.

   [By “work” I mean K or P, depending on the row]

   If you have any questions or comments, please log in and let me know.

   Happy Knitting!
   MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I’m about 3/4 of the way through a new rectangular lace wrap that I’m knitting in a fingering-weight Blue-Faced Leicester wool in a carbon monochrome. Design/pattern in progress and should be ready to go by the end of the week! It’ll be a much more attractive pattern after it’s blocked (and easier to see).

In other news, I just started The Knitting Guild Association’s Master Hand Knitter program. I’m looking forward to critique of my work by the experts and improving my skills as I work my way through the 3 levels. I have set a goal of achieving Master Knitter status by the end of 2017!

The program requires quite a bit of research, and I thought I’d start to share some of the hints, tips, and techniques I come across.

That leads to this new section of the blog that I’m calling…

Did you know…?

Tension in knitting terms quite often refers to gauge, but it also refers to how consistent your stitches appear throughout the knitted piece.

Actually tension relates to the way the yarn feeds from the ball to the needles and subsequently the stitches. Uneven tension can result in  taller, shorter, looser, or tighter stitches in parts of your knitted piece.

I’ve come across a few tips for improving tension and I want to share the first of these this week (and some other, more specific, tips next week):

Yarn bowls are a great way to keep tension even as you knit. The bowl pictured above is a re-purposed rice/noodle bowl holding a ball of the fingering-weight yarn I’m using for my current wrap project.

The slot and holes in the bowl are for holding chopsticks, but do just fine with yarn as well. It helps if the bowl is glazed, as the yarn slides more smoothly off the ball and to your needles!

Did you know…? next week will provide tips on

Improving tension in K2P2 ribbing
Improving tension at the beginning and end of rows in stockinette stitch

Until then,
Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

On the Wing – This shawl design was actually inspired by the hand-dyed, light, and lofty yarn I purchased from WooSheeps, an indie dyer in Scotland. What a joy to work with!

It’s a 4-ply baby alpaca, silk, and linen blend in a semi-solid strawberry color (coral, to my eye). 

It spoke to me of flight and this pattern that’s meant to resemble the wings of a bird took shape.

The first photo best represents the color.

Measures: 56×22 inches/ 142×55.5 centimeters

Elevate your style to a whole new level!

On the Wing is for sale on Etsy and the pattern is available on Ravelry.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I live by sea in Thailand and have been trying to get plants to grow here for a number of years now. Waves tend to splash on whatever we plant and we’ve learned over the years what will – and will not – tolerate salt!

In a tribute to this effort, and the hardy and colorful shrubs, plants, and trees that now share this space, I’ve designed this Garden by the Sea triangular shawlette that’s meant to represent the leaves, flowers, and waves that I see from where I knit.

This casual Garden by the Sea shawlette is a practical accessory to wear when you’re gardening and for other outdoorsy activities as well.

The easy-care accessory was knit with a wool-blend yarn (80% wool, 20% nylon) in a medium to dark teal. It measures 49×21 inches/124.5×53.5cm

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

Garter and Lace: Silky Wool

I used a bit less than 100 grams of DK weight yarn for this scarf that’s knit from the top down (or sideways, if you prefer), rather than the traditional way of knitting from one end to the other.

You’ll see that the first half is knit in garter stitch and the final half is a lace pattern.

The pattern is written and should be quite easy for someone who has done a bit of eyelet/lace knitting.

This design is the second of two in this series. The first is called Garter and Lace: Fruitcake and is available on Ravelry as well.

The finished size, after blocking, is 6.5×66 inches / 16.5×167.5cm.

It’s also available for sale in my Etsy shop if you don’t have the time or inclination to knit one yourself.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH