I wanted to show you another variation on a pattern this week. This time, a casual bandana-style lace knit scarf becomes a feminine shawlette in a lovely pastel shade, enhanced by jadeite beads.

The changes to the basic Heart Shaped Reversible Buds and Flowers Shawlette pattern included a change in yarn color, an increase in the size of the knitting needles, and the addition of beads across one pattern row.

I used larger sized needles than the pattern calls for: 3.75mm instead of 3.5mm (US 5 instead of US 4). I knit shawlette with the same weight yarn, but changed to Araucania Ranco, hand-dyed in aqua shades, using a bit less than 340 yards/310 meters – less than 1-100g skein.

A final touch was the addition of 18-6mm dark green jadeite beads. I used the crochet hook method to insert a single bead in the middle of each flower across the width of the shawlette.

Dimensions after blocking:
21 inches (53.5cm) from the center of the top to the tip of the bottom point
47 inches (119.5cm) across, at the widest point
51 inches (129.5) measured across the top edge

The pattern is one of mine on Ravelry. You’ll find instructions for the variation on that page.

If you like, you can buy this accessory from my Etsy shop.

Happy knitting!
MikeH

The first time around I knit my Not-Your-Garden-Variety Shawlette I chose a West Yorkshire Spinners fingering-weight yarn (color: cayenne)  I bought on a trip to the U.K.

I wanted to see what the design looked like in a heavier-weight yarn, with a few beads added as an embellishment, and in a color that actually reminded me of a flowering garden.

In knitting this variation, I used the same size needles that pattern calls for (US 6/4.0mm), chose a DK-weight yarn (Artesano British Wool; color: bluebell) 3-50g skeins, and incorporated 16-8mm translucent glass beads (color: wheat), to resemble beads of dew on one of the rows of blossoms.

Measurements after blocking: 43 inches (110cm) across the top; 24.5 inches (62cm) from top to end of bottom point.

The pattern is one of mine on Ravelry. You’ll find instructions for the variation on that page.

The shawlette is also available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
MikeH

Palm trees grow everywhere in Thailand, from the sea to the mountains, and the landscapes are a lush green throughout the year.

For my newest shawl pattern I decided to incorporate these elements in the design of a shawl that’s a suitable accessory in the tropics year-round, and for spring and summer in less tropical climes.

This soft and elegant rectangular Thai Tropics shawl is knit with Manos lace (2-ply), a blend of baby alpaca, cashmere, and silk, and it’s as luxurious as it sounds! It features a panel of palm fronds and a panel of palm leaves, set against a background of open lacework.

Dimensions after blocking: 18×64 inches (46x162cm)

As you can see from the photos the lace design elements are clearly defined and the piece has a very finished look to it.

It doesn’t come off the needles looking like this, however! That’s one reason the dimensions are noted “after blocking.”

Wet blocking of lace knit items is necessary to stretch out and give shape to the piece, and to open up the lace stitch structure. If you simply stretch the item when it is dry, it will spring back and not maintain the desired shape and size.

Here’s a look at the palm fronds end of my Thai Tropics shawl before blocking:

I should add here that I resisted the blocking step of producing lace knit accessories for quite a while, even though I knew this step was an important one.  The whole process looked too difficult and I didn’t have the tools I needed, so I stretched and smoothed the scarves and shawls and went back to my knitting.

I’ve since gone back and wet blocked these pieces, and what a difference it makes!

The process is not complex and the tools are relatively easy to acquire. It helps if you have:

1. Interlocking play mats or blocking mats –  I use play mats simply because they cost less and are easy to find in toy stores and many discount or department stores. Blocking mats are considered a specialty item and are considerably more expensive.
2. Knitting blocking wires [or a knitting blocking kit (with pins)] – Threading these wires along the edges of a shawl or scarf ensures a straight edge and helps in the stretching process. Using wires also means using fewer pins.
3. Stainless steel T-pins – If you didn’t get pins with your wires, you should buy some good quality stainless steel pins (to keep them from rusting and staining your knitted item).

There are lots of helpful websites and videos to take you through the wet blocking process, so it doesn’t make sense for me to repeat the steps here.

Here’s an article that I have found to be particularly useful:
http://www.knittersreview.com/article_how_to.asp?article=/review/product/120322_a.asp

And here’s a look at my new Thai Tropics Lace Knit Shawl in the wet blocking process.

I hope you give the pattern a try, and try out the wet blocking technique on your next lace knit accessory.

If you’d like to purchase this shawl, rather than the pattern, it’s available in my Etsy shop (ScarvesShawlsandMore).

Happy knitting – and blocking!
MikeH

Unbelievably light and soft, this Blossoms and Vines Lace Scarf was designed to be knit with lace-weight alpaca yarn on US 2-1/2 (3mm) needles.

The amount of yard required is 275-290 yards (251-265 m) for a finished accessory that measures around 6.5 x 55 inches (16.5 x 140cm).

This is the second of two patterns I created that were inspired by traditional English gardens I was fortunate enough to encounter on a trip to the U.K. earlier this year. The design is based on my impressions of trellised vines and a multitude of blossoms and is meant to have a vintage feel.

The pattern is quite straightforward and can be knit by anyone with a bit of lace knitting experience.

If you have limited experience with lace knitting, you might want to practice a few of the rows from this scarf pattern to improve your technique before taking on the whole pattern.

The following abbreviations are used in the instructions. If you don’t understand how to perform the actions after reading the descriptions, try searching on YouTube for relevant videos.

Abbreviations:
K2tog (knit 2 stitches together from the left needle – to decrease 1 stitch)
SKP (slip 1 stitch, knit the next stitch on the left needle, and pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch – to decrease 1 stitch)
SK2P (slip 1 stitch as if to knit, knit the next 2 stitches together, and pass the slipped stitch over the 2 stitches that were knit together – to decrease 2 stitches)
YO (yarn over, to increase 1 stitch)

You might want to try knitting the pattern rows seen below with larger needles and heavier yarn, to make it easier to see what you’re doing as you practice. [Note that the actual pattern will emerge after you’ve blocked the finished scarf. I’ll talk about blocking lace knit items in next week’s blog.]

Repeat these four rows as many times as you’d like until you’re comfortable with the various stitches and satisfied with the result. These will not produce the full 12-row pattern seen in the scarf, and are meant for practice only.

Cast on 39 stitches and knit across all stitches for 4 rows
Then:
Row 1: K2, YO, SKP, P1, K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SKP, P1, K7, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SKP, K1, P1, K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SKP, P1, K2tog, YO, K2
Row 2: K2, P2, K1, P7, K1, P13, K1, P7, K1, P2, K2
Row 3: K2, YO, SKP, P1, K2, YO, SK2P, YO, K2, P1, K6, K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SKP, P1, K2, YO, SK2P, YO, K2, P1, K2tog, YO, K2
Row 4: Repeat Row 6

Now it’s time to knit the scarf! You can find the pattern on Craftsy or Ravelry for USD 2.25.

Let me know if you need any help.

See you next week,
MikeH

If you’d like to create a striped knit shawl but don’t want the fuss of changing yarns every couple of rows, you can achieve a similar effect with the right choice in self-striping yarn.

For the body of the shawlette pictured above I used Lang Mille Colori Baby merino (4-ply, fingering weight). When you choose a self-striping yarn it’s important to see a photo or sample of a swatch or item that’s been knit using the yarn, to ensure that you’re happy with the look.

This colorful Leaf Edged Half Circle Eyelet Shawl is knit from the top down from a pattern that forms a half circle. The body is knit in one piece in a simple paired eyelet stitch, and then the lacy leaf border is knit using the live stitches at the bottom edge of the shawl. The top edge is finished by picking up and knitting stitches across the top, finishing with a picot bind-off.

The simple eyelet lace stitch allows the color to be the focus of the shawlette, and the top and bottom edging in a complementary solid color provide a bit of elegance and interest.

I used nearly 2 full skeins of the Lang Mille Colori Baby merino yarn for the body (415 yards/380 meters) and less than half of the Manos Fino silk/wool blend (approximately 100 yards/90 meters) for the edgings. Both are fingering weight (4-ply) yarns and were knit with US 4 (3.5mm) needles.

The overall dimensions after blocking: 42×20.5 inches (107×52 cm)

An intermediate level knitter will find this pattern enjoyable. The edgings may prove to be a bit challenging for a beginner.

If you decide to use a different brand of yarn for the body, remember to check the self-striping pattern to ensure you’ll be happy with the result!

Colorways:
Lang Mille Colori Baby: 845.0039
Manos Fino: Topaz

The pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry and Craftsy. I hope you try it out and enjoy knitting the shawl as much as I enjoyed designing it.

Happy New Year!
MikeH

My original design, Thailand Memories Knit Lace Scarf is one of my favorites. It features temple roofs, unopened lotus buds, and the leaves of the sacred Bodhi tree, which are all elements found in the country’s Buddhist temples.
Thailand’s natural environment, iconic images, and architecture inspire some of my designs, as you can see in the temple roofs, elephants, leaves, and blossoms in the patterns.

I like experimenting with stitch patterns and creating designs that incorporate images from my travels also. Lace knitting in particular interests me and in my scarf and shawl patterns you’ll find fall colors from the US, temple roofs from Asia, camels and elephants from Morocco, and flowers and garden images from England.

Working from memory, photos, graphics, and actual objects, I translate what I visualize onto graph paper in lace stitch patterns. For some reason, although I create my designs with charts, the instructions for all of my published designs are written. Maybe I’ll make the transition to charted patterns in the near future!

For the Thailand Memories pattern I wanted to integrate the leaf edgings into the overall pattern of temple roofs and lotus buds, so that they were knitted along with the body to the scarf, rather than added on later. This added some complexity to the pattern, but a satisfying result.

The yarn for this scarf project is Manos Silk Fino (a blend of fine merino wool and silk) in the color Topaz, which is similar to the color of the robes worn by many monks. You’ll see a range of tones in the piece as the yarn is both hand-spun and hand-dyed.

This scarf is knit in 2 pieces that are grafted by using a simple Kitchener garter graft. I used most of 2 50-gram skeins knitting the scarf with 3.5mm knitting needles (US 4).

When completed the Thailand Memories scarf measures 8 x 55 inches (20 x 140cm).

If you have some previous lace knitting experience you should enjoy knitting this pattern, and I will be happy to help with any questions you might have.

The Thailand Memories Knit Lace Scarf pattern is available on Craftsy and Ravelry and the scarf itself can be purchased on Etsy.

Happy New Year!
MikeH

I enjoy traveling and often pick up the work of local artisans. After doing a fair amount of lace knitting earlier in the year, I wanted to knit a scarf/shawl/wrap based on a painted cloth I found in South Africa several years ago.
Tribal Traces African Sampler Scarf/Shawl was my first design incorporating eyelet lace stitches, and has so far been the most popular.

I have knitted the pattern in both laceweight (2-ply) and fingering weight (4-ply) wool. The scarf pictured was done with 2-ply yarn on 3.25mm needles and measures 25x160cm (10×63 inches).
This one, which I think is a better representation of the actual painted cloth, was knit with 4-ply wool on 3.5mm needles, and measures 35x230cm (14×90 inches).

I used 1 80-gram skein of 2-ply superwash wool for the lace-weight wrap, with a fair amount left over. For the fingering weight shawl I used 2 100-gram skeins, with just a bit left over.

Two identical panels are knit and then grafted together using the Kitchener stitch. There are 6 sections to each panel.

I’d enjoy seeing your results if you decide to knit Tribal Traces, perhaps with a different type of yarn.

MikeH

Guests coming for the holidays? Want to add a fresh new touch to the guest bath? Here’s a free pattern for my Seed Stitch Chevron Reversible Guest Towel.

I decided that I wanted to knit a guest towel and wanted it to be reversible but couldn’t find a pattern I liked, so I designed this one.

This reversible knit towel measures 28x43cm (11x17in) and is soft with a nice nubby texture from the seed or moss stitch. The chevron pattern looks great on both sides.

I knit this on US 5 (3.75mm) needles using a DK weight yarn – King Cole Cottonsoft in Coral. It used around 2/3 of the 100g skein. (I’ve also seen this knit in a worsted-weight yarn, which I liked as well, as the heavier yarn gave the towel additional body and increased the size.)

There’s a mate to this pattern: Seed Stitch Chevron Cotton Knit Towel – Reversible.

(Note that this pattern is available for USD 0.99)

This one has some lace eyelet features in the edging and internal borders and is the perfect mate for the free pattern.

This reversible knit towel measures 28x43cm (11x17in) and is soft with a nice nubby texture from the seed or moss stitch. The chevron pattern looks great on both sides.

I knit this on US 5 (3.75mm) needles using a DK weight yarn – King Cole Cottonsoft in Coral. It used around 2/3 of the 100g skein.

Enjoy!
MikeH

If you’re looking for an easy pattern for a scarf as a Christmas gift, look no further!

I had 100 grams of Colinette Hand Dyed Mohair sitting around for a while and decided I’d make a simple scarf, so I did a reversible garter zigzag design and thought I’d post the 2-row pattern for the scarf:

What you’ll need:
100 grams (193 yards/175 meters) Colinette Hand Dyed Mohair (78% mohair, 13% wool, 9% nylon)
Weight: Aran
Color: Tapis (this colorway has been discontinued by the supplier, but it’s often available at online stores and eBay)
6mm (US size 10)

Note: You can use any yarn you like, but your final dimensions may differ from my result.

CO 33 stitches
Row 1: (K4, YO, K1, YO, K4, SK2P) twice; K4, YO, K1, YO, K4 (35 stitches on needle)
Row 2: K2togTBL, K31, K2tog (33 stitches on needle)

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you’ve nearly run out of yarn.
BO loosely
If you’d prefer a pattern that you can download, it’s available for free in my Ravelry shop.

Abbreviations:
CO (cast on)
K (knit)
K2tog (knit 2 stitches together from the left needle – to decrease 1 stitch)
SK2P (slip 1 stitch as if to knit, knit the next 2 stitches together, and pass the slipped stitch over the 2 stitches that were knit together – to decrease 2 stitches)
K2togTBL (TBL means through the back loop, so when you knit these 2 stitches together, instead of going in from the front side to knit 2 together, you go in from the back of the needle (through the back loop of both at the same time) and then knit – to decrease 1 stitch)
YO (yarn over – to increase 1 stitch)
BO (bind off)

The finished size is around 7-1/2×60 inches (19×153 cm). I’m sure you could add several more inches with blocking.

If you like the scarf and don’t have time to knit, you can buy it from my Etsy shop.

Happy knitting,
Mike H