Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I found this Mosaic Maze stitch as I was swatching a variety of slip-stitch and Mosaic patterns and thought it would be the perfect choice for a cowl.

It is actually quite easy to knit. Only one color is worked for each round and the stitches not worked are slipped. The color changes every other round.

The piece begins and ends with a row of eyelets – with a purl row on each side. The size is 23 inches in circumference and 12 inches in height (58.5×30.5 cm).

Your favorite fingering weight yarn could be substituted for the Jamieson Spindrift.

The pattern is available on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mosaic-maze-cowl

You can see from the back view photo that the design includes 2 stitches in every round that are not part of the actual Mosaic Maze stitch pattern. These stitches create 2 columns of interrupted horizontal lines at the back of the cowl. The reason for including these stitches is to avoid the jog that occurs in changing colors when knitting in the round.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

Summer in Bloom – a lace knit shawl that’s just in time for summer! This easy-to-knit, large triangular shawl is perfect as a summer evening wrap – or works equally as well as an after-beach cover up!

Pattern on Ravelry at: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-in-bloom

This shawl is knit in stockinette stitch with panels of eyelet flowers. The yarn is  listed as a thick and thin fashion yarn. It yields an open-and-opaque fabric, with the eyelet stitch patterns creating additional open spaces.

The King Cole Opium yarn is a blend of 54% cotton with acrylic and polyamide added making it an easy-care as well as light-weight accessory.

Worked on US8 (5mm) needles, the shawl required around 1-2/3 balls of the yarn in the color Peacock. It was actually quite pleasant to work with and very interesting to see the fabric patterning develop.

Size: 80×30 in (203×76 cm)

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

This bandana-style scarf is basically a triangle knit from the top down, alternating stripes of color with bands of an eyelet Roman Stripes pattern and a final edge that incorporates a Fireflowers slipped stitch pattern.

It’s perfect as a summer evening wrap – or works equally as well as an after-beach cover-up!

The yarn I used in the sample is Blacker Yarns Lyonesse 4-ply that’s a blend of linen and Corriedale wool. It used most of 1 ball of Tourmaline and 1 ball of Citrine. The yarn produces a crisp fabric with excellent stitch definition.

Raspberries and Lime – because there’s a refreshing and fruity feel about this combination of colors and stitch patterns. It’s sure to add a welcome and eye-catching touch to your neckline at any time of the year!

Measurements: 41×15.5 in (104×39.4 cm)

Pattern available on Ravelry and the scarf itself is available on Etsy.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

This traditional cabled Aran hat was the last of the 2 final projects for my Master Hand Knitting Program of The Knitting Guild Association.

It was designed and knit by hand by me. I knit the hat in the round using Donegal Yarns Original Aran Natural Yarn in natural light cream white (báinín).

This is a view of the top, showing the patterned decreases:

The hat is an adult’s size L and measures 9.5in / 24cm from beginning of brim to top of crown. I’ll be working up a pattern for it if anyone’s interested.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I just finished knitting this all-over Fair Isle-patterned gansey. It was designed following a traditional shape I found in Michael Pearson’s Traditional Knitting and some patterns I found in A Shetlander’s Fair Isle Graph Book in Colour.

The first photo is on its own; the second is the gansey worn by the recipient; and the third is the piece of Asian embroidery that inspired the color palette.

The finished measurements:
Chest – 45in (114.3cm)
Length – 25.75in (65.4cm)

I’m working up the pattern for a man’s size L (US).

This is one of the final two projects for my Master Hand Knitting Program of The Knitting Guild Association.

The other project is a traditional cabled Aran hat. I’ll be posting some photos of that project soon.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

Right sleeve done! This is the progress to date on my traditional Fair Isle-patterned gansey.

I’m posting this to keep myself motivated – and honest. I’m quite pleased overall with the result but frustrated with how long it’s taking.

I can’t believe that I still have another sleeve to do!

Hopefully I’ll be able to show the completed garment soon.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I’ve been bitten by the Fair Isle bug and am designing a man’s traditional Fair Isle patterned gansey. As you can see this is a work in progress!

This design is for The Knitting Guild Association Master Hand Knitter Program.

I still need to pick-up stitches for the sleeves , cut the steeks at the armholes, finish the gussets, knit the sleeves, and add the neckline trim. I’m taking a vacation first though!

As I work through this garment I’m preparing a pattern with charts that I’ll make available when it’s completed and reviewed. This is a man’s size large and knit with Jamiesons of Shetland Spindrift wool.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

I’ve just finished a knit doily sample and wanted to share the cast-on method I used in case anyone plans to tackle this type of project in the round. It’s certainly suitable for circular shawls as well!

The technique creates a really smooth, neat, round center as you can see in the photo above of this piece being blocked.

Here’s one of the best tutorials I found on the the Magic Ring Cast-On:

Emily Ocker’s Circular Cast-On (Magic Ring Cast-On)

Hope you find it useful.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH

Patterns available on Ravelry
Accessories available on Etsy

Here’s a photo of my first kep finished, blocked and tasseled.

Here’s a photo of the same kep being worn in the wilds of coastal Thailand!

I joined a knit-a-long on Facebook because I wanted to build my stranded colorwork skills and thought an online group would be a good way to do this.

It’s been a great experience, and in the process, buying the pattern has helped support the museum on Fair Isle – a very worthy cause indeed.

If you’re interested in knitting one of these hats, you can visit The Fair Isle Fisherman’s Kep Page on Facebook and ask to become a member.

The pattern you purchase gives a lot of helpful guidelines and allows you to choose from a selection of Fair Isle designs to create a masterpiece of your own, also choosing colors that interest you.

For my kep I used a range of colors from Jamiesons of Shetland, in their Spindrift range: ginger, cinammon, buttercup, flax and mermaid.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH