December in Thailand is one of the only times that the temperatures cool and the humidity drops. The stars can be seen clearly at night and the sea takes on its special once-in-a-year appearance as well. We come to appreciate this very brief respite from the heat – that’s gone all too soon.

I designed and hand knit this shawl with this well-loved season in mind. The basic stitches are an Estonian asynchronous lace stitch for the starry background and a dainty eyelet chevron for the sea’s waves.

The generously sized shawl measures 71 inches (180cm) across top; 62 inches (157.5cm) wide at widest point; 28 inches (72cm) from top to bottom point. It was knit with a hand-dyed alpaca and wool blend yarn. The colors range from light blue through the blue spectrum.

Enjoy this wrap any cool evening – whether you live in the tropics or in a more temperate climate.

If you’d like to purchase the shawl, it’s available in my Etsy shop.

If you’d like to knit one yourself, the pattern is available on Ravelry, and there are notes about adding beads to the original pattern.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

A work in progress!

This is my Buds and Flowers lace knit bandana/shawl in Biscotte & Cie’s Super Bambou in Lavande. It’s a hand-dyed fingering weight yarn that a blend of merino and bamboo and is one of my favorites to work with.

If you’d like to see a finished shawl in this design, visit the Ravelry page to see photos (and you can purchase the pattern here as well).

I’ll have another shawl to show you next week, after it’s been blocked into shape.

I’ve been away for the past week at my niece’s wedding in the U.S. – so knitting wasn’t my top priority!

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

I love to travel and I love to knit, and look for inspiration for my designs around the world as I look for new and interesting yarns to work with as well.

In this collection of patterns you’ll find a year’s worth of scarves and wraps in both lace and texture designs, including a scarf that the man in your life would be proud to wear.

The designs in Lace and Texture: Scarves for the Whole Year feature patterns that knit up into accessories that are perfect for everyday wear, special occasions, and even Christmas!

All four patterns require a bit of knitting experience, but advanced beginner and intermediate knitters should find both the lace and texture designs enjoyable to knit.

You’ll find Tribal Traces, an African sampler design that features an elephant and a variety of tribal symbols, and is one of my most popular patterns. Blossoms and Vines is another favorite, and is an open-work pattern of flower and trellised leaf lace stitches.

Get in the holiday spirit with Christmas Trees and Snowflakes. This rectangular lace knit scarf incorporates trees and snowflakes, as the name implies, and is made even more festive with the placement of a glass bead atop each of the Christmas trees.

Speaking of Christmas, for the man on your list I’ve included Textured Geometrics, a reversible knit scarf that’s generous in size and masculine enough to ensure that he’ll wear it!

Save over 30 per cent on the price of the individual patterns by purchasing the eBook. Click here!

Happy Knitting!
Michael

Marsala is a perfect color for fall/autumn accessories – and it’s been named the 2015 Color of the Year as well!

Knit this Tribal Traces African Sampler Scarf for a stunning addition to your seasonal wardrobe.

I enjoy traveling and often pick up the work of local artisans. The original design for this wrap is based on a painted cloth I found in South Africa several years ago.

This was knit using around 630 yards (575 meters) of a featherweight blend of silk (50 percent), merino wool (40 percent), and kid mohair (10 percent), and is as luxurious as it sounds.

Its design features 2 panels, each with 6 sections representing symbols from tribal culture.

This unique piece measures a generous 11.5 x 69 inches, or 29 x 175 cm.

The Tribal Traces Wrap is also available for purchase on Etsy, if you’re short on knitting time.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Fall (or autumn if you prefer) doesn’t come to Thailand but I’m originally from the northeastern U.S. and it’s a season I miss a lot.

The Lots of Leaves scarf combines two subtle fall colors in a lace leaf pattern with an open-work edging. Knit with lace-weight alpaca, the piece is lightweight while providing some warmth for the cooler fall days.

Knit this colorful accessory and add some easy colorwork skills to your knitting abilities and perfect some lace knitting skills at the same time!

The 6-1/4 x 53 inches (16 x 135cm) scarf required around 100 meters (110 yards) of the light gold color (about 12.5 grams or ¼ skein); and 200 meters (220 yards) of the rust shade (25 grams or ½ skein).

You’ll find the Lots of Leaves pattern along with lots of other patterns for scarves and shawls for all seasons in my Ravelry store. If you’re looking for a finished accessory, be sure to visit my Etsy shop!

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

I wanted to enlarge my Cosmic Blues shawl design without altering the pattern and decided to use a fingering weight yarn with larger needles.

For a larger shawl, measuring 56 x 27 inches or 142.5 x 68.5 cm, I used 460 yards/420 meters of a fingering weight yarn with US4 (3.5mm) knitting needles.

It required 1 115-gram skein of Biscotte Yarns Super Bambou, hand dyed in the color Violette. The yarn is 70% super wash merino, 20% bamboo, and 10% nylon. The bamboo adds an elegant sheen and drape to the knit fabric.

This is one of my paid patterns on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cosmic-blues

You can also purchase this unique Cosmic Blues shawl that’s sure to be a conversation starter! Visit my Etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ScarvesShawlsandMore?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

The Forest Fantasy Shawl knitting pattern is now available on Ravelry.

Choose your favorite fantasy colors and create the forest or jungle of your dreams.

This asymmetrical (sideways knit) shawl incorporates the bamboo stitch, open lace stitch patterns, double running leaf stitch patterns, and a loose and leafy lace edging.

When you’re finished, wrap yourself in this light and luxurious lambswool and cotton blend that’s sure start some conversations!

The finished measurements after blocking are:
60x54x37 inches (152.5x137x94 cm)

I used 2 coast ombre packs available from the Tangled Yarns UK website (color range: geranium to ecru).

Intermediate knitting ability with some lace knitting experience is needed for this project.

If you don’t have the time to knit the shawl, you can purchase the finished accessory as shown here on Etsy.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Last week’s work in progress is still in progress (see last week’s blog post) and I have added another one.

This is a variation on my free knitting pattern: ZigZag Garter Stitch Reversible Knit Scarf using 2 strands of yarn and larger needles.

If you download the pattern from Ravelry all you need for this larger and thicker version is to knit with 2 strands throughout on US 11 or 8mm needles. I’m using 1 100g skein each of an Aran-weight mohair blend and a light fingering-weight yarn.

Until the scarf is finished I won’t know how much of the light fingering yarn is required, but I’m sure I’ll use all of the 190 yards/175 meters of the mohair blend.

Come back for a visit next week and see some finished photos. I should have last week’s feature finished – and maybe this one too.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

My newest design is knit with a light fingering-weight yarn in five colors, and is a fantasy vision of a forest landscape, incorporating lace patterns of leaves and other forest foliage.

The shawl is asymmetrical (knit sideways), and progresses from geranium to red currant and then begonia, fairy and finally ecru.

In this photo, you see the first two colors: geranium and red currant.

The accessory requires 2 Coast Ombre Packs (purchased from tangledyarn.co.uk). The yarn is a light fingering weight in 55% merino lambswool and 45% cotton).

Be sure to come back for a visit to monitor the progress.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

The free pattern for this lace knit scarf is called Skinny Leaves not because the leaves are skinny – and it’s not designed for skinny people – it’s a skinny scarf that measures 4.5 inches (11.5cm) wide, and is 68.5 inches (174cm) long.

Knit with Araucania Botany Lace, which is actually a light fingering weight yarn, the scarf is lightweight but has enough substance that it’s perfect for cool autumn days.

The yarn is a hand-dyed wine color (colorway 2118).

Two basic lace stitch patterns are involved, with some eyelet rows where the wooden beads are placed (3 beads), and a knit-on edging.

You’ll need some lace knitting experience for this, but it’s a good practice piece if you’d like to improve your lace knitting skills, knit-on edging skills, and bead placement skills!

Download the free pattern from Ravelry, or the purchase the scarf on Etsy.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH