Tag: luxury yarns

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Simple Summer Wraps

Iris Rose

This time of year I am always, as I am sure most of us that live with at least four months of winter are, ready to ditch the heavy jackets and scarfs. It is time to break out the light and lovely things of spring. We have snow in the forecast again, but I am going to ignore that.

I have been looking through my designs to see if anything that I have written for winter could be double purposed as a summer wrap. I have a couple that, I think, will do very well in a lighter colour and a cotton blend or bamboo yarn.

The first one is a paid pattern, Simple Stripes Wrap, that is an easy knit with a touch of simple blossom lace for the border. The main wrap is knit lengthwise which is my favourite way to work a long piece. I get so bored working side to side that I usually end up with a wrap that is too short to drape properly.

I think that this pattern will look lovely knit up in a light colour with pastel stripes, maybe cream with peach to light blue or white with dark yellow to mauve. A gradient for the stripes will be very pretty too.

My next choice for a light summer wrap is my Latte Scarf (free pattern, even better). Even though I called it a scarf, with a couple of pattern repeats, it will work very well as a shawl. This one is made with one Caron Cake but, I think, will look lovely made with a single colour bamboo, cotton blend, or acrylic. Any yarn that will give you a nice drape when blocked will work great. You will need to increase the amount of yarn that you use to about 400m from the 350m that are included in the Cake.

I hope that you are inspired to get out the needles and give either of these a try. Both are worked with larger than normal needles, 6mm and 6.5mm respectively so are a little bit faster to work up than your average lace shawl.

Thanks for reading and have a happy week filled with yarny, crafty goodness.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

On Vacation So Don’t Expect Much!

Iris Rose

Okay, I am on vacation so can’t promise you much but here goes. Two weeks in Aruba, are you jealous yet? We have only been here two days and already I feel like mush, good mush but mush none the less.


I finished up the craft sale season and am ready to move on to pattern writing. Look ahead to January for that. I think that I am over my pattern writing block and ready to move forward now. I have a few machine patterns and a couple of hand knit as well as crochet patterns to publish for you.

I had some fun with my LK 150 machine in creating an easy poncho that will translate well to hand knitting too and, as a bonus for those of you that are multicraftual, the edging is crocheted. Look forward to that pattern before the end of the month.

In the meantime, have a great week ahead and I should have a real post for you next week. By the way, I have reached a milestone in my blog life. Last post was number 100 and now I am on to the next century of posts.

Happy crafting and remember to be kind to everyone you meet whether you believe they deserve it or not.

Knitting

Gift Wrap Up!

Iris Rose

If you are anything like me, you use that last minute that everyone talks about to get the most work done. We are sneaking closer to Christmas and all the fun (and stress) of gift giving. I have a couple of patterns in my Ravelry and Etsy stores that fill the handmade gift and last minute criteria both.


Free is always a good thing, well mostly anyway. Sometimes free advice is not welcome and freeloaders definitely not but free patterns, okay! I have a few suggestions from my catalogue. First is the Curved Shoulder Scarf. Easily made in a couple of evenings, or one if you stay up very late, it is a very pretty way to make a gift without breaking the bank. You likely have a suitable yarn in your stash just waiting to be used!  Also in the four hour category and also free, is my Simple Shawl pattern.  Use up those fancy bulky yarns in an evening with this one.  I made the pictured one with one skein of Lion Brand Landscape.


Next, may I suggest the Delphinium Shoulder Scarf? This one is a paid pattern but you will want to knit this one more than once. It is a little more involved than the Curved scarf and more shawl like in size and fit. I used less than one skein of Red Heart Super saver to make the sample for the pattern. It uses short rows for shaping to hold it on your shoulders with the wrap and turns nicely hidden in the seed stitch body. I really don’t like the look of wrap and turn except when they are hidden in the stitch pattern.


Also free is my Latte Scarf, made with one Caron Cake. You could make this into a wrap by increasing the number of pattern rows if you have a second cake. You could also use a plain or variegated yarn for this one and have a very pretty present. It has been a very popular pattern judging by the number of downloads, thank you, and is still being chosen regularly.


Okay, now you have some inspiration, get stash diving and start crossing those handmade gift projects off of your list! I, however, intend to wait for the last minute ’cause that is the only time I get anything done.


Have a happy week with kindness all around you.

Knitting

How Summer Flies By and Part 5, The End

Iris Rose

Seems like I just posted yesterday and already it is Thursday again. Summer is just too fleeting! I wonder why I always comment about the weather. Could it be that I am a true Canadian? All kidding aside, I do love the seasons and the wonderful ideas and opportunities to create that they bring. Fall means shawls to me and that is what I have tunnel vision about right now.


I am still chugging away at the next shawl pattern as well as retesting the current one, this time in solid colours rather than a gradient. I am making the colour changes at each section but am running out of enough different shades in the stash yarn that I am using so may make it every two sections. Because I have more yardage, I may increase the number of repeats in the last two pattern designs as well to make the shawl a little larger. I will post photos and my modifications when it is complete. I am on section three and so far so good on the writing. I will keep you up to date on any corrections in the next few sections although I am confident that the directions are right.

Changing the subject, I have a shining example of the importance of maintaining gauge. I am knitting some topsy turvy dolls and thought that my midgauge machine might handle a Jean Greenhowes pattern. It worked out beautifully with a few mods for avoiding garter stitch. Except, and this is a big one, I made one side of the doll at tension dial 2 and the other at tension 2.5 as tension 2 seemed a little tight in the dk yarn I am using. Did I think about the size difference that .5 might make? Nope. Now I have to try and fix the skirt, the only obvious part, and I have already sewn it all up. I think it is time to break out the crochet hooks, trim the bottom edge with a pretty edging and call it a day. I really wanted to throw the whole mess against the wall but told my inner child to behave. I hope to finish them up this weekend and will show you my solution.

Big note to self: ALWAYS check your gauge whether machine knit, hand knit or crochet. ALWAYS!!!

Here is the final part of my latest shawl design, the edging. In this part you will still keep increasing at the border edges as before but you will remove the markers at the spine and keep going straight across.  Here you can see how much yarn I had left over.


Row 1: (right side) Work border stitches as before, slip marker, YO, P all stitches across to the last marker removing the centre spine markers as you go, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.
Row 2: (wrong side) Work border stitches, slip marker, K all stitches to last marker, slip marker, work border stitches as before.

Now we start the lace pattern which is version of Old Shale or Feather and Fan.
Row 1: Work border stitches as before, slip marker, YO, K2tog twice, YO, K1 four times, (K2tog four times, YO, K1 four times), repeat the stitches between the ( ) across to the last four stitches, K2tog twice, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.
Row 2: Work border stitches as before, slip marker, P all stitches across, slip marker, Work border stitches as before.
Repeat these two rows three more times. You will have extra stitches at each end before the border stitches from your YO increases. Just work these stitches as knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side.

For the final edge:
Row 1: (right side) Work border stitches as before, slip marker, YO, P all stitches across to the last marker, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.
Row 2: (wrong side) Work border stitches as before, slip marker, K all stitches to last marker, slip marker, work border stitches as before.
Row 3: repeat row 1.

Cast off: Working from the wrong side, K2, slip these stitches back onto the left needle and knit them together. Knit the next stitch, slip the two stitches back onto the left needle and knit them together across to the end. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch to fasten off.  Weave in your ends and block yarn shawl to open up the lace.

I hope that you like my latest pattern and please contact me if you have any questions on this or any of my other patterns or if you just want to chat.

Have a great week and enjoy the remainder of summer with some crochet or knitting!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Buying More Gradients, Oh No! and Shawl Part 4

Iris Rose

I seem to be on a trend lately. I have acquired a number of gradient yarns and have a couple of more cakes on the way. I found a new online vendor, Hobbii, on Facebook and decided to give them a go. The yarn has not yet arrived but I am expecting it this week and will review it next post for you. They are a Danish company and seem to have customer service top of mind. The yarns appear to be good quality with fair prices and free shipping to Canada if the order is over $74.00 USD and only $6.50 if under that amount. Anyway, I ordered some (okay four) of the cotton/acrylic gradient cakes that they had on sale and one of the gradient cotton cakes. If they are anything like Scheepjes Whirl, I will be a happy woman.


Okay, now the pressure is on to design and write patterns for the gradients that are piling up in my stash but I think that I am up to it. I am on a shawl trend lately too; I have started a new one that is knit from Caron Cotton Cakes (a gift from DD1), not a gradient but close enough. I hope to include crochet in this one too. I am in the mulling stage but will get there eventually I am sure. It is very pretty so far; maybe photos will follow in the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, I bet that you are wondering when I will get to Shawl Part 4. Here it is.

Row1: Work border stitches as before, slip marker, YO, (K3, S2K1PSSO, K3, YO, K1, YO) to 3 stitches remaining, K3, YO, slip marker, K5, slip marker, YO, K3, (YO, K1, YO, K3, S2K1PSSO, K3) to next marker, YO, slip marker, worker border stitches as before.

Row 2 and all wrong side rows: Work border stitches as before, P all stitches to last marker, slipping markers at centre spine, slip marker, work border stitches as before.

Row 3: Work border stitches as before, slip marker, YO, K1, YO, (K2, S2K1PSSO, K2, YO, K3, YO) to last 4 stitches, K2, K2tog, K1, YO, slip marker, K5, slip marker, YO, K1, K2tog, K2, (YO, K3, YO, K2, S2K1PSSO, K2) to end, YO, K1, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.

Row 5: Work border stitches as before, YO, K2, YO, (K1, S2K1PSSO, K1, YO, K5, YO) to last 5 stitches, K1, S2K1PSSO, K1, YO, slip marker, K5, slip marker, YO, K1, S2K1PSSO, K1, (YO, K5, YO, K1, S2K1PSSO, K1) to end, YO, K2, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.

Row 7: Work border stitches as before, YO, K3, YO, (S2K1PSSO, YO, K7, YO) to last 5 stitches, S2K1PSSO, YO, K1, YO, slip marker, K5, slip marker, YO, K1, YO, S2K1PSSO, (YO, K7, YO, S2K1PSSO,)to end, YO, K3, YO, slip marker, work border stitches as before.

This is one repeat of the lace pattern for this part. Work these 8 rows once again working another repeat of the lace in after and before the markers as you can. If this is difficult for you, just work these extra stitches in stocking stitch but don’t forget your YO at the beginning and end of each lace section between the markers.

And there you have it, Part 4 which is a simple horseshoe lace. As always, if you find any errors or need help, contact me here or on Ravelry.  Next week we have the border, the last section of the shawl. My finished and blocked shawl turned out to be 160cm x 56cm or 62” x 22”.  I used the full skein with very little left!

Here is a sneak peak of the finished shawl.  Have a happy week full of yarny goodness!