Tis the Season

It's time once again for... 

The Fasten Off Yarn Along!!

Where has this year gone?? We're almost to the end of November! And that means the return of one of my favorite events: Fasten Off Yarn Along, the fun off-Rav sale and make along!

This year's FOYAL runs November 25th through December 31st, with the pattern sale running November 25th through December 8th. Yes, I said pattern sale! We have 109 indie designers of knitting, loom knitting, crochet, and Tunisian crochet patterns signed up with a selection of their patterns in the 25% off sale! 

I'm happy to say FOYAL has attracted more designers and crafters each year of its existence! 

Where can you find all the details? The official Fasten Off Yarn Along site 🔗, of course! We're running games (with the possibility of winning prizes!) on the official Discord server, Twitter, and Instagram accounts too.

And yes, I'm a participating designer once again :) You can see the Fasten Off Yarn Along tab at the top of this page, taking you directly to the patterns I'm offering in the sale. 

Please keep in mind that my patterns are priced in Canadian dollars, and the Fasten Off site lists everything in American dollars, so the difference in conversion can result in some discrepancies when applying  the 25% off code. The code this year is FO2022. 

I hope you'll join us for the fun of the Fasten Off Yarn Along to end 2022.

Due to some health issues (thankfully not Covid-19) in both me and my photographer, my pattern Hornpipe Bag hasn't been released yet. But it will be out some time during the Fasten Off YAL. I'm aiming for early in the sale period so you can take advantage of it. I keep you in the loop on this.

As for personal projects, I'm happily onto the first sleeve of my Twist Again sweater (pattern by Robynn Weldon). Here's the latest photo, right after I completed the front of the body:

Aren't the cables great? I'm using Bernat Satin in "Grape", which I just love working with. 

How are your projects shaping up? Are you making gifts for anyone? Perhaps something for that important person who looks back at you in the mirror? ;) 

Until next time, fiber friends!

Yours in yarn, and Fasten Off updates,

Síle

Beginnings & Endings

To begin: I'm nearly over, and very much done with, a nasty sinus cold that invaded my ne'er-do-well head cavities last Monday. Thankfully it wasn't anything worse, but as someone whose colds tend to turn into sinusitis it was bad enough.

And of course nearly over means I have some lingering bits of it. Like the cough that woke me up far too early on a Sunday. I really dislike waking up feeling like I'm choking. Add in that it's Sunday is insult on top of misery. 

Once awake, it can be hard for me to return to sleep, especially if pre-sleep I was pondering some interesting little yarny puzzle or another. Thankfully there is yarn in my room. Sadly, at the moment the only free needles I had to hand were the 6.0mm (US 10) monstrosities I bought a few years ago to knit a quick blanket for an erstwhile relative. I learned that bulky yarn and thick needles make my hands throb and turn interesting shades of red; I don't recommend the experience!

I digress. 

With the plastic vampire stakes and a ball of unlabelled but seemingly worsted weight, maybe heavier, yarn I casted on enough stitches to try what I had been pondering. I give you the first 9 rows:

The cables are doing what I expected. I don't care for the fuzziness of the yarn but it was the best option with these needles. What I don't like is that weird canyon between the cast-on and the rest of the piece. Luckily this is just a "try it with what's on hand" thing that I planned on frogging anyway.

Of course that canyon put me in mind of how we begin a project. I mean quite literally. The cast-on. 

Chances are you, like me and the seemingly majority of knitters, go with your first learned cast-on as your default. For me that's the cable cast-on; how appropriate is that for someone who loves to knit cables? And it works pretty well for me other than times that the needles are too big for the yarn, and I'm not really as awake as I should be when casting on. Like this morning! 

But as I worked on this little bit that might become part of something larger, I began to ponder cast-ons, and how a large number of us stick to a few, most notably the first one we learned. Do you rely on the same tried-and-true cast-on for most times you need to start something? When do you change it up and go with your second choice option? 

I find it interesting to think of such things when the cats are snoring and everything is only semi-light and I find myself knitting in bed without my glasses on.

Cast-ons turned my mind to cast-offs. It's always exciting to finish a project, isn't it? The mystery knit-along of my Practice Makes Perfect🔗 (link stays on this site) scarf is nearing its cast-off! I'll be releasing the final Step on Tuesday (November 1st), and the intrepid knitters have until November 15th to post photos of their completed scarves to be eligible for the prize draw. I'll be random generating a winner of the prize pack I put together this summer on November 16th.

What's in the prize pack? Some lovely goodies! Take a look:

What do I have for the lucky knitter? First off, a hank of Windswept Fibres' Best Kind BFL Sock yarn (75% superwash BFL wool/25% nylon; 425 yards/400 metres = 100g) in their Limited Edition colorway "Come Home 2022". I just love the bright colors sun n this so much! And Windswept Fibres is from right here on the island of Newfoundland too. A little piece of my home going to the winner.

I'm sure you can tell the two other parts of the prize are stitch markers but you'd probably like to see them a bit better. I'll go left to right. So here's the first set:

These I ordered via the Etsy store of The Knitting Bag PEI🔗 (link goes to Etsy); an Atlantic Canadian neighbor! I wanted to find something to tie knitting and Irish dance together. I didn't quite get the dance part but I definitely got the knitting and Irish in! I like that this set isn't all matchy-matchy and comes with a lobster-claw progress keeper along with the 5 standard ring markers.

And these are just cute, and once again from close by:

What are they? Newfoundland mummers! This adorable set of 4 markers features little figures dressed in their plaid flannel-look pajamas, with yellow or green mittens on their feet, and pillowcases with eyeholes cut out over their heads! And no, they're not for Halloween. Mummering is an old Yuletide tradition from the bays and outport communities of this wondrous island. Let me link the video for Simani's (pronounced sim an eye) "The Mummers Song"🔗 (link goes to Youtube) for you to get a feel for what mummering in Newfoundland is about. These cuties were made by Dawn's Creations, and if I'm remembering right she's from near St. John's. I ordered them through Cast On! Cast Off! just before the yarn store relocated from St. John's to Triton, Newfoundland. COCO is also where I ordered the hank of Windswept Fibres yarn from. You can find at COCO at their website here🔗.

So that's the little package the winner of the random draw of finished scarves will get in their mailbox. Oh, and a card with a local scene, and a quick congratulatory note from me. I can't send a parcel without a note! I think that'll bring my little mystery knit along to a close nicely. 

Speaking of endings, October is done tomorrow! Where has this year gone?! Before you know it, it'll be New Year's Eve!

But wait, there's a little beginning before we get to that ending. You've heard me mention the Fasten Off Yarn A Long before. And I'm happy to say the gang is back together for 2022! 

We're already gathering ideas and going over last year's feedback to put on year 3 of the little craft along that could. I can tell you things will kick off on November 25th, and run through every conceivable hour of December 31st. If you took part in last year's New Year's Eve Boonanza, you know I mean that quite literally! Designer signups will be coming soon, so if you want all the details be sure you're signed up for the emails; you can do that at this link🔗.

I have one other beginning that's sort of an ending. My Hornpipe Bag pattern is just awaiting photos before its November release. Yes, really! Between a wedding, birthdays, illness, musicals, and bad weather, it seems everything has been set upon hampering the photography of this one! But we (that is, me and my trusty photographer) shall prevail! And I have a self-imposed deadline: the pattern will be out before designer sign-ups for FOYAL start. Watch this space for the exact date! That will bring my year's new releases to a close.

Want to know what else is starting to close? My eyes. I think I'll end this to post, and begin a morning nap 😉

Yours in yarn and a warm fleece blanket with two cats,

Síle

P.S. I wasn't kidding about the fleece blanket, or the cats:

Announcing a Mystery

Today's the day!

My mystery knitalong is live! Practice Makes Perfect is available in the Patterns tab above! 

The knitalong begins August 30th, and the Warm Up packet is ready for you now. It includes all of the details for the knitalong.

Practice Makes Perfect is a scarf pattern knit in knit/purl patterns commonly associated with ganseys. It is worked in worsted weight yarn and I recommend using a solid or semisolid colorway to show the textured patterns to their best advantage.

My sample scarf, worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 34 rows in 4 inches/10 cm of stockinette stitch, measures 11 inches/27.5 cm wide and 81 inches/202.5 cm long. I used Briggs & Little Tuffy (80% wool, 20% nylon; 215 yards/197 m = 113g), an Aran weight yarn. Any worsted or Aran weight yarn will work for this pattern, in any fiber or fiber blend. You'll want to swatch to get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn. I recommend a blocked gauge close to what's listed above (and in the pattern) to keep your yardage use similar to mine. I've listed 895 yards/818 m in the pattern; this includes a 10% buffer amount because our individual gauges are often just enough off to not use the exact same amount of yarn.

Practice Makes Perfect will be released in ten Steps, released weekly starting August 30, 2022 and the final Step being out on November 1st. The knitalong runs on Instagram, using the hashtag #PracticeMakesPerfectMKAL to find the various projects, until November 15th. I will be keeping track of completed scarves posted with photo(s) and the hashtag on or before November 15th, and on November 16, I will select the winner of the knitalong prize pack. I'll be using a random number generator for the winner selection.

There are more details on the pattern page🔗 (link stays within this site).

I will add that Practice Makes Perfect has two pdfs for each portion, including the Warm Up. The first is a standard (line by line written and charted instructions) pdf, and the other is low vision and screen reader accessible. The second pdf is in 24pt sans serif, all-black type with fully written line-by-line instructions, with minimal abbreviations. Having the two pdfs for each portion of this pattern means it is ready to be knit by most knitters, no matter their needs and/or preferences in knitting instructions.

Until the first Step is out on August 30th, Practice Makes Perfect is available for $5 CDN, no coupon or code required. Once the Steps have started, Practice Makes Perfect will be available at its regular price of $6.50 CDN.

I hope you'll join me in knitting Practice Makes Perfect this late summer into the autumn. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Yours in yarn and Warm Ups,

Síle

Finished Project & Some Teasing

I'm happy to report that the lovely testers are nearly finished with their Hornpipe Bags! And not only that, they've given me some excellent feedback that I think will give this pattern a bit more ease in the working of it. I need to finish up the photo tutorial for one section. It's in progress but time got away on me with the weather.

Are you melting where you're to? There's nothing worse for a yarn crafter than dealing with high temps and humidity without an air conditioner. I've nearly got my days and nights reversed from trying to stay up to work in the coolest part of the night. 

With all that said, I've finished my sample project for my upcoming mkal (aka mystery knitalong)!

I can say it's a scarf that I've named Practice Makes Perfect. It's knit in worsted or Aran weight yarn in any fiber/blend you choose. My sample was knit in Briggs & Little Tuffy, a wonderful 80% wool/20% nylon blend. It comes out rather long, around 2 metres/6.5 feet, and a bit wide, making it a very warm and practical accessory for anyone you care to keep warm. 

Once I have the final measurements, and check over all the details, I'll be ready to release the Warm Up file! This has all the gauge and yarn information, (plus the list of abbreviations in the standard file) so you don't need to go searching for it as you shop for yarn, whether in person, online, or in your own yarn hoard. The full clue schedule, I call them Steps, is included to, along with other details. You'll be able to get the Warm Up and every pattern update for $5 CDN until the first Step becomes available. At that time the price will go to its regular amount of $6.50 CDN. 

This mkal will have a low vision, and screenreader, accessible file along with the standard one. This means any knitter who wants to knit Practice Makes Perfect, can knit it. I'm really happy to be able to offer both files for the Warm Up and every Step too so that everyone can take part.

Speaking of taking part, I'll be running the mkal on Instagram via my account @knit1dance2. Tag your WIP and finished photos with #PracticeMakesPerfectMKAL (don't forget the camel case so everyone can read the tag 😊). I'll also have a Step specific post each week where knitters can ask questions and/or chat about that Step. I plan to show off participants' posts in my stories too, if that's alright. 

That's all my teasing for now.

Keep your eye out for a similar graphic to the one above, announcing the first Step release date. I'm excited to share this adventure with you!

Turning to my personal projects, I started the granny square cardigan/jacket I've been wanting to make, and it's going well so far. I have the bottom row of squares done for the back. This one off idea has squares of different sizes and color combinations throughout. The back's bottom row is made of 4 four round granny squares, with two colors split diagonally in each; left to right I used royal & orange, purple & yellow, red & dark mint, and hot pink & light blue. This photo shows me crocheting them together using black and slip stitches:

I decided to call this sweater my Rainbow Granny Hug, as it's colorful, granny squares, and it'll be cozy like a hug in worsted weight yarn. Next up is the big 16 round square which will sit above these four. It uses all the colors! 

And that, good fiber folk, is all my crafting news. I go to a doctors appointment tomorrow for one of my ongoing issues. I'm a bit stumped what to take with me to work on. I don't have anything too portable on needles or hook. Maybe I need to start something? ;) What's your favorite waiting room/portable project? 

Yours in yarn and mystery,

Síle

It's Been a Hot (& Humid) Minute

Where does time get to? Too much summer relaxing that's the culprit ;)

Not really! I've been hard at work here knitting samples and working new ideas into clearer pictures of what I want to do next.

And checking in with the three absolutely fantastic test knitters on Yarnpond who're flying through my Hornpipe Bag pattern. I'm majorly impressed with both their knitting skills and speed, and their feedback about the pattern. This was definitely a good decision on my part to check out Yarnpond for running my test knits. I'm so pleased with things so far.

And that means the Hornpipe Bag pattern will be out sometime in August; exact date not fully determined just yet. Absolutely certain on August though, so be sure to pop back here or turn on notifications for my account on Twitter and/or Instagram (links in the sidebar) to get the news as soon as it's ready!

Ok, I confess to this year's North American Irish Dance Championships (affectionately known as NANs and/or NAIDC) stealing my attention away from my yarny pursuits earlier this month; July 1st to 5th. Held in lovely Montréal this year, they showcased the top talent in the CLRG's North American region. My Instagram feed ranneth over with so many fantastic photos and video clips! *insert starry-eyed emoji here* I do not envy the judges their task to pick the absolute pinnacles amongst such talented dancers! And the outfits! The bling! Love love love seeing all the color everywhere! Orange and red seemed particularly popular; particularly appropriate for the summer heat. Congratulations to every dancer that qualified to dance in Montréal and the absolute best of luck to those who qualified for Worlds next Spring.

Alright let's come full circle and come back to yarny things, like my patterns ;) One of the samples I've been working diligently on (well when the yarn hasn't been physically sticking to my hands; I dislike humidity.) is that for my mkal!

And I can say it's coming along very nicely, as is the pattern writing portion of the job. Quite honestly, I should have the sample done later this week or early next week. 

What can I tell you about the mkal? 

It's for an accessory that is suitable for anyone, roughly teenage and older, especially those that experience colder temperatures; think under -10°C/14°F. I live in Canada; I know those temps are coming back in the Fall. 

I can tell you the pattern uses worsted or Aran weight yarn. The sample I'm working on now is being knit with a wool and nylon blend (80% wool, 20% nylon) yarn. The one I plan to knit along with everyone during the mkal will be knit using a 100% acrylic yarn. I'm pretty certain any fiber or blend of fibers will work with this pattern. I'm not fully sure of the yardage just yet. I have my swatch result number and will soon have my actual yardage used number. I like to compare the two before I give an amount to anyone. Same with the gauge and finished measurements. My version of "measure twice, cut once". I think that's some good starting information for you to start thinking about an mkal with a late Summer/early Fall start date. 

Furry nephew Jakey is starting to walk on me, so that tells me I've been typing for what he considers too long. Aren't cats fun to live with? :D I got this photo of him next to me while I was knitting yesterday:

Sleeping like a furry angel. I can report his health has been perfect the last quite awhile, which is a relief to his humans and his sisfur Silver. 

So that's all my news! Unfortunately I haven't been working on any personal projects enough to show you anything today. Hopefully next post!

Hope you're staying cool and enjoying the summer, or winter depending where you live. Are you working on any interesting projects? I'd love to hear about them!

Yours in yarn and cat fur,

Síle

Accepting Testers!

What a happy day! My Hornpipe Bag pattern is ready for preview knitters!

What is preview knitting? Usually called test knitting, preview knitting is when a designer has had their pattern techedited but would like there to be more than their own sample project associated with a pattern they want to release. It's also a chance to see if your instructions are really as clear as you and your techeditor think they are. As always, the Hornpipe Bag pattern was techedited by the wonderful Heather Folkner of Crafty Ferret Techediting.

As I've mentioned before, I'm running this on the Yarnpond site, which is a new experience for me! I've heard good things about Yarnpond so I'm hopeful this will be a good match for me and my patterns. You can find the test for the Hornpipe Bag by following this link: Yarnpond Hornpipe Bag test

If you have double-knitting experience, enjoy testknitting, and/or want to knit the bag pictured here, be sure to apply!

At some point this spring/summer the weather is going to cooperate so that I can get proper photos of my Hornpipe Bag by my brilliant photographer, Krista of KristaDani Photography. Until then I've got the above photo and another one. I snapped both using my phone in bad indoor lighting. 

In other Knit Dance Repeat Designs news, I've received the first couple prizes for my upcoming mystery knitalong (mkal)! I will share photos when the mkal is officially announced and on sale. Until then I'll just say these are suitable items for knitters and crocheters, and one is very pretty. Like I want to get at least one for myself kind of pretty. Aren't I a dickens dropping hints like this? ;)

And that's everything on this Thursday morning! Mid-June already! Where does time get to?

Yours in yarn, and sample knits,

Síle

Picking Up and Working Stitches Reversibly, a double-knitting technique

This tutorial is for my Hornpipe Bag pattern, and shows how I went from knitting the base flat in rows to knitting the sides of the bag in the round.

For this tutorial, I'm using two colors of worsted weight yarn, Fresh Green as the Main Color (MC) and Charcoal (gray) as the Contrast Color (CC), and two circular needles: the working needle is a 3.75mm (US 4), while the needle used for picking up the selvedge stitches is a 2.5mm (US?). I used a 3.5mm crochet hook for casting on my stitches. (Need a photo tutorial for the crochet cast-on? I have one on this blog here.)

(Please note that the demo piece has a different stitch count and motifs than the base in the pattern. I've given the correct numbers for the pattern throughout this tutorial.)

This is where your base is at:

The work is ready to work a right side row. You're going to pick up and work the stitches reversibly, working the first round of the sides chart instead of continuing to work flat.

Step 1:

With MC K2tog (this is the first MC st and the double stranded selvedge st), then with CC P1. Here's working the K2tog:

And how things look after working the P1:

Work across the next 74 sts (37 st-pairs) on the needle according to the chart.

With MC, K 1, with CC P2tog (this is the last CC st and the double stranded selvedge st). This is positioning the needles to work the P2tog:

And here's the result:

You have 78 sts (39 st-pairs) on your working needle. Place a marker and don't turn the work.

Step 2:

You'll notice the selvedge on each side of the base looks like a column of Vs. This is the left side:

Note that the yarns are in position to start working down this side.

Starting at the bottom of the left side, thread the spare circular needle through all of the right legs of the selvedge edge stitches until you reach the top. Here's the first 12 or so picked up:

And here they're all picked up:

Using the opposite end of the spare circular needle, thread it through all of the left legs of the selvedge edge stitches. You'll want to turn the base over to do this; here's the left side of the Vees getting started:

Once you've picked up everything, you should have 27 legs on each end of the holding circular needle. Here are all of mine picked up:

Hold the two ends of the holding needle together, as if you're going to work a 3 needle cast-off:

You'll be working the stitches off the holding needle onto the working needle. This does feel very tight and awkward. I recommend using a pointy needle for this, even if you use a double pointed needle to "grab" the new stitches and slip them onto the working needle. This is what I did with the fingering weight yarns and smaller needles of the bag; I didn't need to with the worsted weight yarns in this tutorial.

*Make sure both colors are at the back of the work. Using CC, K the first leg on the front needle:

Bring both colors to the front of the work and using MC, P the first leg on the back needle.

Bring both colors to the back and using CC, K one strand of the first leg on the front needle. Here's what it looks like to work into only one strand of a leg:

(It doesn't matter which strand you work into first. I go for the closest one rather than lifting one over the other. The strands were twisted together as you worked the selvedge so do what's easiest and don't stress.)

Bring both colors to the front and using MC, P one strand of the first leg on the back needle.

Bring both colors to the back and using CC, K the remaining strand of the first leg on the front needle.

Bring both colors to the front and using MC, P the remaining strand of the first leg on the back needle.

What do you have at this point? You've turned 2 selvedge Vees into 6 sts (3 st-pairs). Which is the proper ratio for picking up sts along a stockinette edge: 3 picked up sts on each side for 4 rows of knitting.

Repeat from * until 3 legs remain on the front and back tips of the holding needle.

Work the last 3 legs without separating the strands so you end with 78 sts (39 st-pairs) on the side.** PM. Here's what you have along that side:

You're halfway through!

Step 3:

Here's what the crochet cast-on edge looks like:

It has a similar row of Vees like the side selvedge did.

Work across the cast-on edge of the base section, using MC for the Ks (legs closest to you) and CC for the Ps (legs away from you) working without separating the strands of the legs. You’ll have 78 sts (39 st-pairs) across the cast-on edge. PM. Here's the cast-on edge all worked into:

Note that the top and cast-on edges match. This is also setting up the color blocking of the sides.

Step 4:

Starting from the top of the base section, thread the spare circular needle through the legs of the selvedge sts as you did for the first side. The right legs of the (upside down) Vees picked up:

And both legs picked up:

Work from * to ** above. (This is exactly what you did for the first side, the legs just slant the other direction.)

PM for beginning of the rnd:

There are 312 sts (156 st-pairs) in total. You've picked up and worked all of the needed stitches from the base reversibly, and worked your first round of the sides chart. 

Continue working rounds 2 through 63 according to the chart.

I'll have another photo tutorial on working the eyelets for the drawstrings on rounds 64 and 65 for you soon.

Celebrating KIP

Did you get out to celebrate World Wide Knit In Public Day (WWKIP Day) yesterday? There wasn't an event near me this year, but I'm now thinking about next year. Well, depending on where I'm located anyway. Not leaving Newfoundland; possibly changing locales. And yes, I've been saying this for about 9 years now lol. I digress.

I've seen a lot of fantastic photos on Insta of various gatherings yesterday and it looks like everyone had a great time. I know I really enjoyed past events with my knit night pals (waves to Lindsay, Susie, Sara, and Michele 👋🏻) before my big move. We'll see if I keep track of time better and remember before 3 days before the next one. Next year's WWKIP Day is June 10, 2023. If you'd like more information about WWKIP Day, the official website is here: WWKIP Day🔗

Bringing things closer to home, I'm getting the photo tutorial done for my Hornpipe Bag before I release it for testing. The pattern is ready to go but I think having the tutorial ready first will be a benefit to testers as well as knitters. Stay tuned for the announcement that the test has gone live, later this week! I'll be conducting this test via Yarnpond, which is a new venue for me. I'm quite excited to give it a try! Now if only my helper wouldn't help quite so much...

Speaking of giving things a try, I'm at work on the sample for the mystery knit-along I'm planning to host later this year. And I'm putting together some prizes for it too ;) My current timeline for this is to announce the mkal and have it on sale next month, and then the Steps will be released weekly starting in late August/early September. 

I picked up my Twist Again (pattern by Robynn Weldon; pattern page in her Payhip shop 🔗 recently and have a bit more done on the body. I really love this cable panel. Hopefully I'm better at staying focused the next while and I'll have a new sweater for when colder temps reappear! (Unless of course another design idea jumps to the forefront of my brain)

Did you attend a WWKIP gathering yesterday? What's on your needles or hooks? I'd love to hear about it :)

Yours in (fur covered) yarn, and upcoming news,

Síle

Spoke Too Soon

On the weather, that is! Bright sunshine and 9°C here today. Brrr! Happily I have warm knits to help me through this. I really hope we avoid "Juneuary" this year! Keeping my fingers crossed!

My Countess Cathleen cloak is starting to take shape. I was playing with it a bit last night and took these photos:

I think Silver was getting concerned about me. :,,,D Isn't she precious? Sweet girl

Anyway! In the second photo you can just make out the cloak body starting to come out from under the hood's folds. Hopefully I'll have more to show off very soon!

Are you waiting to hear more on my Hornpipe Bag pattern? I should have it ready for testing soon! I've decided to give Yarnpond a try for this test, which gives me a collective spot to run the test and gather feedback. This is more akin to when I had my Rav group and everyone involved could see questions and answers as they came up, which I found to be a much better way to communicate. As compared to when I tried running a test via email; that was a nightmare for everyone, I think. I didn't enjoy it as much that's for sure. And I had brilliant testers! Couldn't have been better! Yarnpond is free to signup to, and it's quite nominal in fees for a designer to run a test. So I'm going to give it a go. 

This will be the year of experiments! Not only am I going to be giving Yarnpond a try for running a test/preview knit, but I'm working on the sample for a mystery knitalong (mkal) I plan on launching in the late summer/early fall. That will be run on Instagram, which I'm hearing is pretty good for craftalongs since they're really about seeing the projects take shape. I think it'll be fun!

That's what's keeping me busy, what about you? What's on your needles right now? What are you looking forward to making and/or finishing over the warmer months? 

Yours in yarn, and calendars,

Síle 

Starting & Finishing Cabled Motifs

I was recently contacted by a lovely knitter who was puzzled about knitting my hat pattern, Anchors & Ropes. I was able to help her through email but it occurred to me that others might find a little photo-tutorial a useful thing when knitting the anchors. And there'll be a knotwork motif in my Countess Cathleen that you haven't seen as yet. Considering I've only just recently finished knitting the hood ;)

I learned to knit knotwork cabled motifs from Alice Starmore's brilliant books "The Celtic Collection" and "Aran Knitting". And while the anchor in my Anchors & Ropes hat came from a stitch dictionary published in around 2005 (I knit the original Anchors & Ropes hat in the fall of 2009), it uses pretty well the same method put forward by AS. This has continued to be the way I start, and end, motifs that need this rounded shaping.

Enough background! Let's jump into how to start a motif.

I'm working with worsted weight yarn on size 4.5mm (US7) needles for both sections of this tutorial. The knotwork shown is a swatch for my Countess Cathleen pattern; the final pattern may not look the same. I haven't decided which of my knot motifs I like best. I've only created five possibilities for this design ;) 

(For knitting in rounds, you'll need to knit where it says purl in steps 3 and 4 of the starting a motif section.)

Starting a motif:

Step 1:

Work to where the pattern says to start your motif.

Step 2:

In the next stitch, you'll work 3 stitches. First by knitting into the back and then the front of the stitch:

Then by knitting into the vertical line that sits on top of those  2 stitches:

Here's the 3 sts completed:

Step 3:

In the next row, purl the first new stitch, work (purl, yarnover, purl) into the second new stitch, and purl the third new stitch:

Step 4:

On the next row, work the stitches as the pattern tells you, remembering to purl the yarnover through its back loop to twist it and avoid a hole:

And there you have two 2-stitch strands to work your cables from. The anchor motif I used in Anchors & Ropes has a pair of additional increases on either side of the first 1-into-3 stitch, which are knit on the next round; the anchor's arms are made of 3 stitches rather than 2. A slight variation that shouldn't cause you any pause.

Ok, now how do you close up those stitches that you've added into the fabric of your knitting? You could decrease them away over a few rows, but if you're working a knotwork motif it won't resemble the beginning.

Ending your motif:

Step 1:

Look at the stitches of your motif; you have 5 needing to be reduced down to 1. I've numbered them for you in this photo:

Note that stitch 3 is a purl stitch between the two pairs of stitches that have been the strands in your motif. 

Step 2:

Slip stitches 1, 2, and 3 to the right needle, purlwise (don't twist stitch 3 throughout this process):

Step 3:

Lift stitch 2 up and over stitch 3, letting it drop off the needle as if you cast it off:

Step 4:

Slip stitch 3 back to the left needle:

Step 5:

Lift stitch 4 up and over stitch 3, letting it drop off the needle:

Step 6:

Slip stitch 3 back to the right needle:

Step 7:

Lift stitch 1 up and over stitch 3, letting it drop off the needle:

Step 8:

Slip stitch 3 back to the left needle:

Step 9:

Lift stitch 5 up and over stitch 3, letting it drop off the needle:

Step 10:

Purl stitch 3:

Ta-da! Your decrease is complete, and the top of your motif has a similar rounded shape to the bottom of it.

If your motif has more stitches per strand, alternate passing stitches over the center stitch until all of the strand stitches are gone.

I hope this helps you with the start and end of these types of cabled motifs! They're so much fun to knit :)

Yours in yarn and woolly knotwork motifs,

Síle