Summer Top

If you have read some of the patterns published on this blog, you'll know that I like short rows ... and I usually apply the to make scarfs or fingerless gloves, i.e. small accessories. However, I wanted to apply this technique to something more substantial and wearable: a summer top.

For this project, I measured an old sweater that fits me well and I actually knitted a swatch ... something I usually avoid. Then I "calculated" the stitches to be cast on and started from the top as with any Raglan sweater. 

As far as I can tell, the new top will fit nicely - I only have to finish the arms (they'll be short) and to weave in ends ... Right now it looks a bit crumpled, it's been in a bag while I was travelling, but I'm sure it will look better after blocking :)

Not sure whether I will manage to write this down as a readable pattern or rather knitting recipe.

EDIT August 2016: I have published a (slightly altered) version on my blog - it's called Summertime Garter Stitch Top.

Ojos de Bruja Scarf

Something warm, yet light for spring or summer evenings – easy to knit but with a certain “lacy” optic, the Ojos de Bruja scarf is the perfect accessory. It is knitted from side to side and all in garter stitch.

It is great for using the beautiful yarn in the wildest colors that has been in your stash for so long. Due to its short row construction and varying width, colors will be distributed nicely and color pooling isn’t very probable.




This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



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Fellow raveler mariarosaknits (from Fili & Colori - The Knitting Room) has written an Italian version of this pattern - it is available here.
She also made a YouTube video to explain the techniques (with "subtitles" both in english and italian) - here on YouTube. Thank you, this is great!

A Danish translation of this pattern was written by Marianne Holmen from strikkeglad.dk - it is available here.

Materials

• about 210 grams of fingering weight yarn, however, the pattern is written in a way that it can be adapted to any yarn weight (therefore, gauge doesn’t really matter).
  The yarn that I used here (Jitterbug 400 by Colinette - colorway Jamboree) is listed on Ravelry as a fingering weight yarn - however, it has only 400 yards to 150 grams (whereas all the fingering yarn I used before has 400 yards to 100 grams) - that gave me a scarf of about 175 cm length, and 42 cm width at its widest point.
• 3.75 mm needles

Techniques

• Short rows with double stitches (German short rows, t+p): when you turn, bring yarn to the front and pull it back so that a sort of "double-stitch" is created, then knit back as usual - when you have to knit the double-stitch, make sure to knit it as one stitch (see also this YouTube video); this method has the advantage the no picking up of stitches is necessary. In the pattern, this stitch will be called t+p (turn and pull).
• Backwards Loop CO: See this YouTube-Video from planetpurl.

• Both techniques (German short rows and backwards loop CO) are shown in mariarosaknits YouTube-video.

Instructions

CO12
Row 0 (WS): sl1, k to end

Increasing Section

For each section, you will have to calculate a number X, that tells the distance between the "t+p's . It is calculated as
    X = (number of stitches when beginning the section PLUS 3) DIVIDED BY 5

This looks more complicated than it actually is, for the first section X is 3 = (12+3)/5 ... and X will increase by one for every knitted section (i.e. for the second section X is 4, for the third section X is 5 etc.), because the stitch count increases by 5 for each section.

Rows 1, 2 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 3, 4 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 5, 6 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end

Rows 7, 8 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 9, 10 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before last wrap t+p, k to end
Rows 11, 12 (RS, WS): sl1, k to end // turn // sl1, k to last 10 sts, BO5, k5
Rows 13, 14 (RS, WS): sl1, k4 // turn (do not wrap) // sl1, k4
Rows 15, 16 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 17, 18 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 19, 20 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 21, 22 (RS, WS): sl1, k4, CO7 (backwards-loop CO), k to end // turn // sl1, k to last before CO, ktbl, k7, ktbl, k to end
Rows 23, 24 (RS, WS): sl1, k to 2*Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
     ["2*X" = X multiplied by 2]
Rows 25, 26 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end

Row 27 (RS): sl1, k to end
Rows 28, 29 (WS, RS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 30, 31 (WS, RS): sl1, k to Xth st before last wrap t+p, k to end
Rows 32, 33 (WS, RS): sl1, k to Xth st before last wrap t+p, k to end
Rows 34, 35 (WS, RS): sl1, k to Xth st before last wrap t+p, k to end
Row 36 (WS): sl1: k to end

Repeat increasing section until you have reached about half of the desired length of your scarf.
(I knitted a total 13 increasing sections.)
Then knit the middle section once.

Middle Section

For the middle section X is calculated as for the increasing section - it will be one higher than it was for the last increasing section.

Rows 1, 2 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 3, 4 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 5, 6 (RS, WS): sl1, kfb, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end

Rows 7, 8 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 9, 10 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before last turn, t+p, k to end
Rows 11, 12 (RS, WS): sl1, k to end // turn // sl1, k to last 10 sts, BO5, k5
Rows 13, 14 (RS, WS): sl1, k4 // turn (do not wrap) // sl1, k4
Rows 15, 16 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 17, 18 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 19, 20 = Rows 13, 14
Rows 21, 22 (RS, WS): sl1, k4, CO5 (backwards-loop CO), k to end // turn // sl1, k to last before CO, ktbl, k5, ktbl, k to end
Rows 23, 24 (RS, WS): sl1, k to 2*Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 25, 26 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end

Rows 27, 28 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 29, 30 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 31, 32 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end

After finishing the middle section (once), knit start with the decreasing sections.

Decreasing Section

The number X for this section is the number of stitches minus 2, and that result divided by 5.
For the first decreasing section, it will be as high as for the last increasing section - decreasing by one for each section.

Row 1 (RS): sl1, k to end
Rows 2, 3 (WS, RS): sl1, k to 4*Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 4, 5 (WS, RS): sl1, k up to and including last wrapped stitch, k X sts, t+p, k to end
Rows 6, 7 (WS, RS): sl1, k up to and including last wrapped stitch, k X sts, t+p, k to end
Rows 8, 9 (WS, RS): sl1, k up to and including last wrapped stitch, k X sts, t+p, k to end
Row 10 (WS): sl1: k to end

Rows 11, 12 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 13, 14 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before last wrap t+p, k to end
Rows 15, 16 (RS, WS): sl1, k to end // turn // sl1, k to last 12 sts, BO7, k5
Rows 17, 18 (RS, WS): sl1, k4 // turn (do not wrap) // sl1, k4
Rows 19, 20 = Rows 17, 18
Rows 21, 22 = Rows 17, 18
Rows 23, 24 = Rows 17, 18
Rows 25, 26 (RS, WS): sl1, k4, CO5 (backwards-loop CO), k to end // turn // sl1, k to last before CO, ktbl, k5, ktbl, k to end
Rows 27, 28 (RS, WS): sl1, k to 2 *Xth st before end, t+p, k to end
Rows 29, 30 (RS, WS): sl1, k to Xth st before end, t+p, k to end

Rows 31, 32 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 33, 34 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end
Rows 35, 36 (RS, WS): sl1, ssk, k to end // turn // sl1, k to end

Repeat decreasing section as many times as you knitted the increasing section (there should be only 12 sts on your needles now). Bind off.

Weave in ends and block.

This pattern has been featured on the Knitting Love Monthly Link Party! Thank you!

Yet Another New Scarf Idea

One of my current knitting projects, the Random Seifenblasen Scarf, is a bit tedious and it needs LOTS of concentration. Furthermore, it's knitted in laceweight yarn and needs lots of (re-)counting, i.e. progess is slow. 

To set a counterpoint I started another new project that's far easier to knit: a garter-stitch-only scarf knitted with heavier yarn. I love the colors, the shape and the fact that I actually can see it grow.

Shaped Random Lace Scarf

Since the Random Lace Scarf came out so well, I thought it might be a interesting to explore the random approach a bit further still.

This time, I tried it with the shaping of my Seifenblasen Lace Scarf - but with random lace panels. So far it looks OK, but a bit crumpled. Looking forward to seeing it blocked ... (but this will take a while ...)

 

Suburban Yarnbomb

As seen in Cologne ... :)

Random Lace Scarf

After knitting a few e-book sleeves in a random lace technique (see blogpost here), I decided that this could be explored a bit further and with a bigger project - a lacy scarf for summer.

This tutorial explains how to knit a scarf in the random lace technique. The result is a beautiful and unique piece of lace to wear on summer evenings.

Please note that this is not a pattern in the classic sense with detailed stitch by stitch and row by row sequences, but a set of instructions and tips that allow you to knit a scarf and achieve a similar result.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



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What do you need?

• Some yarn that blocks well, i.e. yarn with a high percentage of wool. I recommend using fingering weight or lighter yarn and knitting needles that are slightly bigger than what your yarn calls for.
  I used about 100 grams fingering weight yarn and 3.75mm needles.
  Since this is meant to be worn in summer I recommend to use anything between lace and sport weight.
• The ability to count - and the patience to count your stitches again and again. Since everything looks quite similar while you're knitting it, it can be a bit of a boring project ... if you need something to give you instant gratification, this project might not be the right one for you. Furthermore, you really need to concentrate or to recount really often - so it's not a project to take to your local Stich'n'Bitch.
• The stamina to go on knitting a piece even though it will look really strange and crumpled while you're knitting it ... but it will miraculously turn beautiful when it's on the blocking board.

Stitches that you should know

I've linked to a few YouTube videos (not mine!) that show how to knit the following stitches.

For RS I used these stitches (stitches with a knit-look)

• k2tog (right-leaning decrease): https://youtu.be/ptZsAT770i8
• ssk (left-leaning decrease): https://youtu.be/RGwcYW3GG3M
• centered double decrease (or sl2tog, k1, p2sso): https://youtu.be/en3Yq2er4RI
• yo (increase): https://youtu.be/3QbFhh8u4L8
• yo twice (double increase): https://youtu.be/8NEAw0qtR70
• k yo k into one stitch: https://youtu.be/yAQxguVIRYY

For WS I used these stitches (stitches with a purl-look, i.e. in order to have a knit-look on RS)

• p2tog (looks like a right-leaning decrease on RS): https://youtu.be/M7RtzEDw6Xc
• p2togtbl (looks like a left-leaning decrease on RS): https://youtu.be/aLI4_u3T9Fo
• p3tog (double decrease): https://youtu.be/6ob7wn18MJI
• yo (increase on the purl side): https://youtu.be/_6zqcAJtORY
• yo twice (double increase on the purl side)

Basically, you can use any stitch that produces a holey increase and any decrease.

How to Knit the Scarf

CO50 sts and start with a WS row.

Start any WS row by slipping the first stitch purlwise and any RS row by slipping the first stitch knitwise. This will give a nice regular edge

On WS knit the stitches at random that I have listed under WS of the "Stitches that you should know" section - similarly, on RS knit the stitches at random that I have listed under RS of that section.
It is important to make sure that at the end of the row, you have the same number of stitches than you had at the beginnig (50 sts).

• I counted only the increases and decreases, i.e. starting from zero, adding one for each increase and substracting one for each decrease ... and finishing the row with a total of zero. But even this is a concentration exercise ...
• If you want a neater pattern, do one increase and corresponding decrease next to each other. For a more organic or slanted look, do a few increases and only then the necessary decreases. I would advise, however, not to do this too much, since then your piece will be askew.
• To make the pattern as holey as in the pictures, I usually made 10 to 15 yo's per row (and the corresponding number of decreases).
• I guess it is important to not overthink this technique, i.e. just to try making increases and decreases without any plan - and let yourself be surprised by the outcome.
• It might be a good idea to try this technique on a smaller object, such as a doily (or a sleeve for your e-book)

Go on knitting until the scarf has the desired length, then bind off loosely.
Please note, that the scarf will grow on the blocking board.

Weave in ends and block! (Blocking is really important here.)

Motivation Tip: 
While knitting the piece you don't actually see your progress. You can measure it with a tape measure but you don't see it in the number of repeats or anything visible or easily countable. This can be a bit frustrating (... it certainly was for me). To keep myself motivated, when I started for the day I would put in a stitch marker (safety pin) to mark my starting point so that I could easily see my progress for the day.

This blogpost was featured at Oombawka Design Link & Share Wednesday - Link Party 93:

The Miracle of blocking

Up until recently, I hadn't done much lace knitting. I tried a few free patterns on Ravelry (e.g. enja's scarf stole by Åsa Tricosa, Ella by Wendy Wonnacut and Nori by Carissa Browning - all beautiful and well written patterns that I highly recommend), but I ended up frogging most of them because I was too lazy to count, didn't want to concentrate too much on my knitting or rather wanted a pattern that I could easily remember - thus avoiding to carry the printed out pattern with me. 

About a year ago, I designed a lacy scarf myself (Seifenblasen Lace Scarf), but the lace pattern wasn't too sophisticated (only two different rows, i.e. really easy to remember :).

Just a while ago, I started experimenting with randomly knitted lace and used it to make e-book, tablet and phone sleeves that I really liked (see tutorial here). However, these are small enough projects (i.e. with a knitting time of a few hours), so it wasn't such an exercise in patience to see the crumply piece on the needles and wait for the blocked and lovely looking end-product.  The picture below shows how a small piece of random (or freeform) lace looks before (left hand side) and after (right hand side) blocking.

Moreover, the counting the total number of stitches wasn't much of a problem because there were only about 25 stitches on my needles and I could easily concentrate on the numbers of increases and decreases I had made (the number of increases and decreases needs to be equal in one row to keep the stitch count) or recount the whole row in a jiffy. Plus, there was no pattern to remember, since I made it all up as I went along :)

I really liked the technique and the outcome, so I decided to knit a freeform lace summer scarf or wrap. 

Having found some fingering weight yarn in different shades of red, I cast on 50 stitches and started ... however, I didn't exactly go as I planned. I hadn't anticipated that it would be an exercise in concentration to keep track of the increases and decreases during one row - even though I only counted the difference to the original count (i.e. "minus one" after a decrease and "plus one" after an increase). So I ended up counting each row at least once ...

Moreover, it took quite a while to finish the piece - the random lace pieces I had knitted up until then had measured 40 cm max. A scarf or wrap for an adult of my size must be at least 160 cm long and even though the technique is fun, after a while it got a bit boring and repetitive (this is not an instant gratification project, definitely not), I didn't see much progress ... and while knitting it, it wasn't exactly nice to look at. Here's how it looked about half finished. Crumpled and rather unattractive ... 

But I gritted my teeth, went on knitting and was really (really, REALLY) happy when yesterday I could finally put it on the blocking board. And I do like the look of it now.

The most ironic thing is, that with that kind of freeform lace, I ended up counting MORE than with regular patterns ... and I had to concentrate much more. However, I think the result made it worth its while. I'm looking forward to wear it as a summer wrap and I guess I will publish a tutorial soon.