Sonntag, 12. April 2015

Random Lace - E-Book Sleeve

When my Dad bought a new ebook reader, I promised to make a new sleeve for it and bought some foam sheets to knit around them. However, While I was deciding what to knit, I remembered the beautiful lace patterns at String Geekery Blog, Some of them look so nice and organic, and I wanted to do something similar.

But I'm very lazy ... too lazy in fact to decide upon a pattern, to print it out and to count stitches and rows. So I decided to knit a completely random pattern, with yarn-overs, k2togs, double yarn-overs, p2togs, ssks etc.. I just had to make sure, that the number of stitches stayed the same.
Here's how it looked after a few centimeters. But even "real" lace patterns look a bit crumpled before blocking, so I persevered :)



After I blocked it and glued it around the foam sheet, it looked much better.


I started a second one that I even like better.


Moreover, I really think the random approach has potential and I like the organic look. Plus, it's really fun to knit. I'm trying to do a scarf or stole next.

I later googled at bit and found some resources on random lace knitting - a tutorial (also linked on Ravelry) and a book (that I haven't read, but according to the description at amazon it seems to pursue a similar approach).

Freitag, 10. April 2015

Kleine Rechtecke Schal

Endlich wird es Frühling - daher möchte man auch buntere Kleidung anziehen und vielleicht diesen hübschen, leichten Schal aus Sockengarn stricken.

Gratis-Strickanleitung: Kleine Rechtecke-Schal (knitting-and-so-on.blogspot.com)

Dieser Schal ist modular gestrickt, d.h. es werden einzelne kleine Teile (hier kleine Rechtecke) gestrickt, die während des Strickens verbunden werden. Er besteht aus kleinen krausrechts gestrickten Rechtecken, die nur 12 Maschen breit sind.

Diese Anleitung ist die deutsche Version meiner Anleitung "Little Rectangle Summer Scarf".

The original english version of this pattern is available here: Little Rectangles Summer Scarf.



Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
Dieses Werk von Knitting and so on ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht-kommerziell - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen 4.0 International Lizenz.



Benötigtes Material
  • ca, 150 Gramm 4-fädiges Garn (ich habe Sockenwolle genommen)
  • 3.25mm Stricknadeln (ganz kurze Nadeln reichen, denn man hat jeweils nur 12 Maschen auf den Nadeln)
  • Nähnadel, um am Ende die Fäden zu vernähen

Techniken



Konstruktion des Schals

Der Schal wird in Schichten gestrickt. Jede Schicht besteht aus fünf Rechtecken - jedes ist 12 Maschen breit und 8 Rippen hoch (d.h. 16 kraus rechts gestrickte Reihen).

Gratis-Strickanleitung: Kleine Rechtecke-Schal


Mit Ausnahme der allerersten Schicht, werden die Rechtecke 1 bis 4 durch 8 abgekettete Maschen beendet. Die erste Reihe des nächsten Rechtecks bildet sich aus den überbleibenden 4 Maschen zusammen mit 4 neu angeschlagenen Maschen (Schlingenanschlag) und 4 Maschen, die am Rand des darunterliegenden Rechtecks aufgenommen werden. Am Ende des letzten Rechtecks jeder Schicht werden bis auf die letzte Schlinge alle Maschen abgekettet. Aus diesem letzten Stich wird dann der Anschlag für das erste Rechteck der nächsten Schicht herausgestrickt (getrickter Maschenanschlag).

Strickanleitung

Erste Schicht

Rechteck 1:
Mit gestricktem Maschenanschlag 12 Maschen aufnehmen
Reihe 1: rechte Maschen
Reihen 2-14: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 15: 8 Maschen abketten, es sollten noch 4 Maschen auf der Nadel sein

Rechtecke 2 bis 4:
Reihe 1: die vom letzten Rechteck übriggebliebenen 4 Maschen rechts stricken, mit gestricktem Maschenanschlag 8 Maschen aufnehmen
Reihe 2: rechte Maschen
Reihen 3-15: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 16: 8 Maschen abketten, es sind noch 4 Maschen auf der Nadel

Rechteck 5:
Reihe 1: die vom letzten Rechteck übriggebliebenen 4 Maschen rechts stricken, mit gestricktem Maschenanschlag 8 Maschen aufnehmen
Reihe 2: rechte Maschen
Reihen 3-14: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 15: 11 Maschen abketten, es bleibt nur eine Masche auf der Nadel übrig

Zweite Schicht und weitere Schichten

Rechteck 1:
Die Masche zur anderen Seite der Nadel schieben, d.h. das Strickstück nicht wenden, sondern den Maschenanschlag auf dieser Seite starten.
Mit dem gestrickten Maschenanschlag 7 Maschen anschlagen, d,h. jetzt sind 8 Maschen auf der Nadel (siehe Bild A)
Reihe 1: 7 rechte Maschen, 1 Masche rechts verschränkt stricken, 4 Maschen aus der Seite des letzten Rechtecks aufnehmen (siehe Bild B)
Reihen 2-15: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 16: 8 Maschen abketten, es sind noch 4 Maschen auf der Nadel

Rechtecke 2 bis 4:
Reihe 1: die vom letzten Rechteck übriggebliebenen 4 Maschen rechts stricken, mit Schlingenanschlag 4 Maschen aufnehmen und 4 Maschen von der Seite des darunterliegenden Rechtecks aufnehmen (dies ist für Rechteck 2 das Rechteck 4 der darunterliegenden Reihe, für Rechteck 3 ist es Rechteck 3 der darunterliegenden Reihe usw. - siehe auch das Bild im Abschitt "Konstruktion des Schals"). Die Reihe sollte nun so aussehen wie in Bild C.
Reihe 2: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, 2 rechte Maschen, 1 rechte Masche verschränkt, 4 rechte Maschen, 1 rechte Masche verschränkt, rechte Maschen bis zum Ende der Reihe.
Reihen 3-15: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 16:  8 Maschen abketten, es sind noch 4 Maschen auf der Nadel

Rechteck 5:
Reihe 1: die vom letzten Rechteck übriggebliebenen 4 Maschen rechts stricken, mit Schlingenanschlag 4 Maschen aufnehmen und 4 Maschen von der Seite des darunterliegenden Rechtecks aufnehmen
Reihe 2: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, 2 rechte Maschen, 1 rechte Masche verschränkt, 4 rechte Maschen, 1 rechte Masche verschränkt, rechte Maschen bis zum Ende der Reihe.
Reihen 3-14: erste Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben, rechte Maschen bis ans Ende der Reihe
Reihe 15:  11 Maschen abketten, es bleibt nur eine Masche auf der Nadel übrig

Diese Schicht solange wiederholen bis der Schal die gewünschte Länge hat. Beim allerletzten Rechteck der allerletzten Schicht alle Maschen abketten.

Anschliessend Fäden vernähen und vorsichtig aufspannen.

Gratis-Strickanleitung: Kleine Rechtecke-Schal (knitting-and-so-on.blogspot.com)


Garn

Das hier verwendete Garn ist Lang Yarns Jawoll Color (Farbe 132.0458). Ich habe relativ lange herumprobiert, bis ich für diese Garn ein gutes Projekt gefunden habe - dies habe ich in zwei Blogposts (hier und hier) beschrieben.
Aber jetzt bin ich mit dem Ergebnis sehr zufrieden.

Gratis-Strickanleitung: Kleine Rechtecke-Schal (knitting-and-so-on.blogspot.com)

Donnerstag, 9. April 2015

Little Rectangles Summer Scarf

Here, in the middle of Europe, spring is just starting. So here's a thin and lightweight scarf that's just right for the season.

This scarf is made up of little garter stitch rectangles - that are connected as you go, making it an example of modular knitting (if you want to see my first modular pattern, it's here: Queen of Diamonds Scarf).

Little Rectangles Summer Scarf - A free knitting pattern by Knitting and so on




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



A german version of this pattern is available here.

Die deutsche Version dieser Anleitung gibt es hier.

A crochet version of this pattern is available on my blog as well. It is called Rettangolini Scarf.


Materials:
  • about 150 grams fingering weight yarn
  • 3.25 mm needles (I used small dpns, because you only ever have 12 sts on your needles)
  • tapestry needle (to weave in ends)


Techniques:

General Construction:

The scarf is knitted in layers, each layer consists of 5 garter stitch rectangles that are 12 stitches wide and 8 ridges (i.e. 16 rows) high - see picture below.


With the exception of the set-up layer, at the end of rectangles 1 to 4 there are 8 bind-off stitches and 4 stitches left over. These 4 start the new rectangle, together with 4 newly cast-on stitches and 4 stitches picked up from the side of the corresponding rectangle in the layer below. At the end of rectangle 5, all but one stitch are bound-off - this leftover stitch will be the basis of the first rectangle for the next layer.

Free Knitting Pattern: Little Rectangles Summer Scarf


Instructions:

First layer (set-up layer)

Rectangle 1:
CO12 (with knitted cast-on)
Row 1: k
Rows 2-14: sl1, k to end
BO8 sts

Rectangle 2:
Row 1: Knit the 4 sts that are left over from the last rectangle, CO8 (with knitted cast-on)
Row 2: k8, ktbl, k to end
Rows 3-15: sl1, k to end
BO8 sts

Repeat rectangle 2 twice (i.e. knit it a total of three times).

Rectangle 5 (or last rectangle in one layer)
Row 1: Knit the 4 sts that are left over from the last rectangle, CO8 (with knitted cast-on)
Row 2: k8, ktbl, k to end
Rows 3-14: sl1, k to end
Row 15: BO11 sts -> you have one stitch left on your needles


Second layer (and next layers)

Rectangle 1:
Move the leftover stitch to the other end of your needle (i.e. don't turn, but start the CO on this side)
CO7 sts with knitted cast-on -> you have now 8 sts on your needles (see picture A)
Row 1: k7, ktbl, pick up and knit 4 sts from the side of the last rectangle (see picture B)
Rows 2-15: sl1, k to end
Row 16: BO8 sts

Rectangle 2 to 4:
Row 1: Knit the 4 sts that are left over from the last rectangle, CO4 (with backwards loop cast-on) and pick up 4 sts from the side of the next rectangle in the layer below (i.e. for rectangle 2 connect to rectangle 4 in the layer below, for rectangle 3 to rectangle 3 etc. - see picture in General Construction section)
Row 2: sl1, k2 ktbl, k4, ktbl, k to end
Rows 3-15: sl1, k to end
BO8 sts

Rectangle 5:
Row 1: Knit the 4 sts that are left over from the last rectangle, CO4 (with backwards loop cast-on) and pick up 4 sts from the side of the next rectangle in the layer below
Row 2: sl1, k2 ktbl, k4, ktbl, k to end
Rows 3-15: sl1, k to end
Row 15: BO11 sts -> you have one stitch left on your needles

Repeat 2nd layer until you're scarf is long enough.
In the very last rectangle of the very last layer bind off all stitches in row 15.

Weave in ends and block gently.



Yarn
The yarn that I used for this project is Jawoll Color (colorway 132.0458) by Lang Yarns. It was quite a challenge to find the right project for this yarn - as described in this blogpost and this blogpost.
I'm really pleased with how it turned out.


This post was featured at Pinbellish Pinparty 34 at purfylle.com and at the New Tuesday PINspiration Linkparty No. 6. Thanks!

   Tuesday Pin-spiration Link Party

Sonntag, 29. März 2015

How to Use this Yarn? Part II

In a post in October of last year, I wrote about the problems ... ehm ... challenges I had in finding the right pattern for some Jawoll Color (colorway 132.0458) by Lang Yarns. The funny thing about it is, that even though I have frogged this yarn more times than I dare to count, playing around with it has actually prompted a few new knitting pattern ideas.

The picture below contrasts the prototypes with Jawoll Color on the left (i.e. the versions that turned out not so nice) with the finished objects done with another yarn on the right (i.e. the versions in another yarn, that turned out much nicer).

(I have tried (and failed) to make this a clickable image ... so instead here are the links to the patterns shown above: Through Thick and Thin Scarf, Almendra Cowl, Queen of Diamonds Scarf, Zoom Out Fingerless gloves.)

I think at least the yarn works well for testing out ideas and it's really durable. Due to its color changes, any patterns made by short rows or other shaping methods come out very clearly.

However, I guess (!) I have finally found something that works for this yarn. I think this modular design - together with the rather big gaps - gives the whole thing a neat and tidy look - a bit like a tiling pattern.

On second thoughts, maybe I'm foolish to commit this yarn to a finished object since it has inspired so many patterns. Not sure yet :)


Has anybody else had similar problems in finding the right pattern/idea for some yarn? I'd love to hear your stories.

Montag, 23. März 2015

From Both Sides

I've had this idea for quite a while: how to avoid carrying up the yarn when knitting with two colors, I thought it might be possible to start knitting each color on one side of the piece. It seems to work ... and really like the result - especially that there are no stranded strings on either side.

I also like the way the two colors contrast and how the color pattern develops.

This is going to be a scarf - even though I'm not sure yet whether it will only get wider or whether it'll be something symmetrical, i.e. growing in width up to a point and then narrowing again ...


Sonntag, 22. März 2015

Fingerlose Handschuhe "Zoom Out" - Deutsch

Gratisstrickanleitung: Fingerlose Handschuhe "Zoom Out"
Mykoya (Ravelry-Name) hat sich die Zeit genommen, die Anleitung für die Zoom-Out-Fingerless Gloves zu übersetzen (vielen, vielen Dank!). Nebenbei hat sie dabei auch noch korrekturgelesen und so geholfen, einige Fehler in der Originalanleitung zu eliminieren.

Die Anleitung ist hier als PDF verfügbar.





Diese fingerlosen Handschuhe werden in einem Stück gestrickt - man muss pro Handschuhe also nur zwei Fäden vernähen :). Man startet mit einem kleinen Kreis (Nähe Handgelenk), strickt kreisförmig weiter und endet schliesslich am Daumen.

(Edit 03.10.2021: Update des Links auf die PDF-Datei, da sich offenbar die Links auf GoogleDrive geändert hatten.)

Freitag, 20. März 2015

Crochet U-Turn Mitts

Do you like constructions a bit out of the ordinary? And are you - as me - not really fond of weaving in ends? Then this crochet pattern is made for you.
These fingerless gloves are worked in on piece, starting at the outer wrists and ending at the thumb - in an interesting construction that great to show off your variegated yarn.
A knitted version of these mitts can be found in this blogpost.

Free Crochet Pattern: U-Turn Mitts



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




Other Languages
Thanks to sannemethorst (Ravelry user name) a dutch version of this pattern is available here.


Materials
  • about 40-45 grams of fingering weight yarn
  • 3mm crochet hook
  • 5 removable stitch markers (e.g. safety pins) 
  • tapestry needle to weave in ends

Abbreviations

How the half-circle is worked in this pattern?
Basically, in each RS-row, you have to increase by 4 stitches – evenly distributed whereas in WS-rows no increases occur. It is important to start the increases at different points in each row to avoid a visible edges, so I started increasing at a random stitch in the first quarter
So, if you start with 4 stitches that will form the half-circle, you start off as follows
row 1: [inc]*4
row 2 and all even-numbered rows: sc all sts
row 3: [sc inc]*4 (i.e. there is a distance of 1 st between the increases)
row 5: [inc sc*2]*4 (i.e. there is a distance of 2 sts between the increases)
row 7: [sc*2 inc sc]*4 (i.e. there is a distance of 3 sts between the increases)
row 9: [sc inc sc*4]*4 (i.e. there is a distance of 4 sts between the increases)


Gauge or what to measure beforehand
You should measure the circumference of your wrists.


Construction
Free Crochet Pattern: U-Turn MittsThese mitts are knitted in three parts (see picture on the right):
  • Part 1 covers the wrists, it is worked with a 10 stitch wide ribbing (always working into the back loop) and a single crochet body which includes the half-circle. This part ends with a row that join the two sides together (1st join).
  • Part 2 covers the palms up to the knuckles. It is worked back and forth and consists of an upper ribbing edge (also 10 stitches that are worked into the back loop) and its main body. It also ends with a row where the two side of the upper ribbing are joined together (2nd join) - leaving a hole for the thumb. 
  • Part 3 is worked around the thumb - to create the same stitch pattern than parts 2 and 3, it is also worked back and forth with a slip stitch to join the "rounds" together.


Instructions
The pictures numbered 1 to 6 will give you and idea how the piece looks like during the stages of creation. On the pictures you see stitch markers. Strictly speaking, it’s not necessary really to use them, but it may be convenient as they provide a visual (and haptic?) aid. Therefore, I have included instruction for working with stitch markers in brackets. Since this is crochet, the marker must be carried up to the current row. I'd also advise to mark the RS (e.g. with a safety pin).

Part 1
Chain 23 (22 stitches and 1 turning-chain)
Row 1 (RS): sc 10, (place marker) sc 10, (place marker), [inc]*2, turn piece by 180 degrees and continue on the lower edge of your chain, [inc]*2, sc 10 (place marker), sc 10, (place marker), 1 turning-chain
Row 2 (WS): sctbl 10, sc 10, sc 4, place marker (="middle-marker") sc 4, sc 10, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain
Row 3 (RS): sctbl 10, sc 10, from here to the last 20 stitches (or between the current and the next marker): increase by 4 stitches – evenly spaced out and started at a random point to form the half-circle, sc 10 sctbl 10, 1 turning chain
Row 4 (WS): sctbl 10, sc 10, sc until the last 20 stitches (or until the last but one marker), sc 10, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until the lover edge fits around your wrists - for me this was the case after row 17. After a few repeats, your piece should look similar to the one in picture 1. End with an odd-numbered row.

If you're not comfortable with the instructions above, here are the first odd-numbered rows spelled out:
Row 3 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 1, inc]*4, sc 10 sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 1 stitch distance between the increases)
Row 5 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [inc, sc 2]*4, sc 10 sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 2 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 7 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 2, inc, sc 1]*4, sc10,  sctbl10, 1 turning chain (-> 3 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 9 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 1, inc, sc 3]*4, sc10, sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 4 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 11 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 3, inc, sc 2]*4, sc10, sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 5 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 13 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 1, inc, sc 5]*4, sc10,  sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 6 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 15 (RS):  sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 4, inc, sc 3]*4, sc10, sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 7 stitches distance between the increases)
Row 17 (RS): sctbl 10, sc 10, [sc 7, inc, sc 1]*4, sc10, sctbl 10, 1 turning chain (-> 8 stitches distance between the increases)

Fold in half with right sides together and join the first 20 stitches, i.e. inserting your hook into the front and the back stitch at the same time (see picture 2). Remove all markers except for "middle marker".



Part 2
Turn mitt back right sides out (be sure to secure your last loop while you're doing this) and start working a small triangle on top of the joined stitches as follows (see picture 3):
Row 1 (RS-WS-RS): sc 3, turn, sc 5, turn, sc 2 (you're back at the point where you started this row)
Row 2 (RS-WS-RS): sc 5, turn, sc 9, turn, sc 4 (you're back at the point where you started this row)
Row 3 (RS-WS-RS): sc 7, turn, sc 13, turn, sc 6 (you're back at the point where you started this row)

Row 4: crochet (sc's) up to middle-marker and chain 11 (i.e. 10 + 1 turning-chain) (see picture 4)
Row 5: sc 9, dec, sc 2, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain (and turn - this is a short row),
     sctbl 9, dec, sc 22, dec, sc to end (i.e. middle-marker), sc 1 from gap between last st and last row's chain, sc 10 into the lower edge of chain, 1 turning chain (see picture 5)
Row 6: sc 9, dec, dec, sc 1, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain;
    sctbl 9, dec, sc 5, dec, sc to the last 17 sts, dec, sc 5, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain
Row 7: sctbl 9, dec, sc 1, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain;
    sctbl 9, dec, sc 1, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain;
    sctbl 9, dec, sc to last 10 sts, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain
Row 8: sctbl 9, dec, sc 1, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain;
    sctbl 9, dec, sc 1, turn; sc 1, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain;
    sctbl 9, dec, sc to last 10 sts, sctbl 10, 1 turning-chain

Repeat rows 7and 8 a few times and end with an odd-numbered row -  until there are only about 36 stitches left (2x 10 ribbing, and about 16 for the thumb hole.  For me this after two more repeats (i.e. row 13, if counted on).
If it feel as if the mitts gets too wide, you can always do a row with two decreases (similar to row 6).

You can - if necessary - now widen the upper ribbing by working 1 or 2 widening-rows as follows:
Widening-Row: sctbl 10, turning-chain"; sctbl 10, turning-chain

If you want to avoid cutting yarn, it is necessary that your last stitch is a the top of the ribbing before you start joining the sides. That's why the widening-row is actually two rows - back-and-forth

Now hold the right sides of upper ribbing together and join 10 stitches (see picture 6) - this will look and feel odd, but only for the 10 join stitches.
Turn the upper ribbing back (inside-out) making sure to secure the open loop while you're doing this - now you can start the thumb.



Part 3 (Thumb)
I decided to work the thumbs back and forth, to get a consistent "stitch pattern" with the rest of the mitt. If you don't mind the change in the stitch pattern, you can also work this part in the round.

Hold your mitt so that the upper ribbing is down, i.e. that you can work stitches into it.

Row 1: work sc's into the edge of the upper ribbing (the number depending on the number of widening-rows you worked at the end of part 2) - at least 1 (if you didn't do any widening-rows) or the number of widening-rows+1, place marker; work sc's into all sc's that are left over from part 2, work 1 sc into gap, and join with sl st to first stitch of row, turning-chain and turn
Row 2: sc 1, dec, sc to one before marker, dec, sc to end, join with sl st to first stitch of row, turning-chain and turn
Repeat row 2 until the the hole fits snugly around your thumb - I repeated until there were 16 sts.

Row 3: sc into all sts, join with sl st to last st, turning-chain (except for very last row)
Repeat until you have worked a total of 6 thumb rows.

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Make two.


Free Crochet Pattern: U-Turn Mitts


Yarn
The yarn I used here is called Zwerger Opal Hundertwasser - colorway "Blinde Venus" (yarn link on Ravelry).

This pattern was featured at Pinbellish Link Party at Purfylle.com.