. . . botanica . . .

Trying a new yarn, a very local one: Les moutons bruxellois.
The sheep are ‘zwartbles’ and the yarn is surprisingly soft and a very beautiful dark brown.
The second sheep is a bluefaced leicester 😀

This is how this collection started. I had 2 skeins of the zwartbles and one pair of gloves used exactly 1 skein. I had enough left for another pair…

with another flower, of course

And then, I couldn’t stop drawing and charting other flowers, 😀

another pair, this time as fingerless mits in another local and plant dyed yarn

I changed the dark color in the round where the flowerhead starts in the chart…

It gives this effect in the palm…

Another …

two pair of gloves and two pair of fingerless mitts …

Yet another flower… very tiny rounds on a very long needle

And another … Two more pairs of gloves

The whole collection: Botanica

I am ready for the cold …

Botanica is a pair of gloves or fingerless mittens knit seamlessly in the round from the cuff up to the fingers featuring a botanic illustration in stranded knitting.
The colorwork is charted only.

Choice between 6 different wildflower charts.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The gloves/mitts are fully charted per size and for left hand and right hand.
Tips on colorwork and stranded knitting included.

Sizes
S/M/L Finished measurement hand circumference: 18 / 19 / 21 cm (7 / 7½ / 8¼”)
to fit hand circumference: 18 to 19 cm /19 to 20 cm /20.5 to 22cm ( 7 to 7½ “ / 7½ to 7¾ “ / 8 to 8½ “)

What you’ll need
fingering weight
Dark color: ± 200 m / 220 yards
Light color: ± 100 m / 110 yards
2.5 mm (US 1½) circular needle
3 markers
tapestry needle

Gauge
34.5 sts and 38 rows in stranded pattern = 10 x 10 cm / 4” x 4”

Read more about it here, here and here

. . . pythagoras’ new socks . . .

Pythagoras’ new socks are ready. The pattern has been published 😀

I first made this pair with two greys from Wolmeise Twin.

But then, I wanted to change some small details to the pattern and make a pair with the leftover yarn from pythagoras’ tee: some matching socks …

Pythagoras’ socks are worked from the cuff down with a short row heel and a heel gusset.

Special, cleverly placed increases following the colorwork pattern are worked in the heel gusset.

They disappear in the all over patterning and are ´almost’ invisible.

The basic sock pattern is written out; the colorwork stitch pattern is charted only.

Sizes
S / M / L to fit foot circumference: 20 / 22 / 24.5 cm (8 / 8½ / 9.5 “)
Length of foot and leg is adjustable.
Finished height as pictured = ± 23 cm / 9”.

What you’ll need
fingering / 4 ply
D (dark color): ± 220 to 250 m / 240 to 275 yards
L (light color): ± 175 to 200 m / 190 to 220 yards
2.25 mm (US 1) circular needle or 5 double pointed needles or size to obtain gauge
tapestry needle

Gauge
fingering / 4 ply
34 sts and 43 rows in stranded knitting and blocked = 10 x 10 cm (4” x 4”)
If you can’t reach gauge with the smaller needle and your color work is a bit tight, it is a good idea to go up a needle size.

More info here

Pythagoras’ outfit is now complete:

a hat, a beret, a pullover, a tee, a pair of fingerless mitts and socks…

. . . sock – ô – mousse . . .

Happy New Year…

Happy New Socks…

This is my first pattern of 2020.

Sock ô mousse is worked toe up with a short row heel and heel flap.

The leg features a fun colorwork with randomly placed bubbles. The colorwork is charted only. Don’t worry if you make mistakes in this part, nobody will see it 😀

The blue bubbles on the foot and heel flap are added using duplicate stitch.Sizes
S/M/L to fit foot circumference: 20 / 22 / 24.5 cm (8 / 8½ / 9.5 “ )
Length of foot and leg is adjustable.
Finished height as pictured = ± 23 cm / 9”.

What you’ll need
fingering / 4 ply
color A (white in the sample): ± 250 to 300 m / 275 to 330 yards
color B (blue in the sample): ± 70 to 100 m / 77 to 110 yards
2 mm (US 0) circular needle or 5 double pointed needles or size to obtain gauge
2.25 mm (US 1) circular needle or double pointed needles for the colorwork
tapestry needle

Gauge
fingering / 4 ply
32 sts and 48 rows in stockinette stitch = 10 x 10 cm (4” x 4”)

Read more here

Looking forward what 2020 will bring. Hopefully it will be as bubbling and sparkling ;-D as the socks …

. . . pythagoras’ tee . . .

Do you remember these ?

Pythagoras’ mitts, beret, hats and pullover. I can’t stop playing with these triangular shapes… They have something fascinating.

So now there is a new item in the collection: Pythagoras’ tee with triangles in stranded colorwork. I had this in my mind since I made the berets and the hats…

It is so fun and interesting to try out different increases to make them as unnoticeable as possible…

I am quite enjoying stranded colorwork now, since I learned to knit with one color in each hand – and I am getting better and better in it. 😀

Gosh, I see a mistake in the photo above that I never noticed before 😉

Pythagoras’ tee is a cute, slightly oversized tee or pullover with a nearly invisible sleeve inset.
It is worked top down and seamlessly in one piece. The colorwork pattern is easy, it consists of light and dark stitches that form a mix of triangles (pythagoras !). Tips on colorwork and stranded knitting are included.

Special, cleverly placed increases are worked following the colorwork pattern and that makes them nearly invisible.

Little striped pockets, a large hem with a checked pattern and a striped, turned hem finish the body.

The checked pattern gives the body a natural flare and a gentle A-line (no extra increases are worked).

A photo of the WIP (work in progress). It looks cute with short sleeves, doesn’t it ?

Not sure what I will do wih the sleeves. Short is cute, but I think I will get more wear of it has longer sleeves…

Short ?

Long ?

Both options are included: short sleeves or 3/4 sleeves at the same length as the body.

In the meantime, I am getting quite used to the different sleeves, haha.

Sizes
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
finished measurements chest: 34½, 37, 41, 45, 50, 54 “ (88, 94, 105, 114, 127, 138 cm)

Intended to be worn with some positive ease (6 to 15 cm / 2½ to 6 “) at the high bust (under the armpits).
The sample is size M worn with 16 cm / 6¼” of positive ease at the high bust.

What you’ll need
fingering weight
Total yardage for the short sleeved tee: ± 1250, 1380, 1500, 1600, 1800, 1950 m (1370, 1500, 1650, 1750, 2000, 2150 yards)
Half of each color (D and L)
If you add 3/4 sleeves, you will need about 200 m / 220 yards more per color.

3 mm (US 2½) circular needle or size to obtain gauge
two 3 mm (US 2½) double pointed needles or straight needles
2.5 mm (US 1½) circular needle
crochet hook
6 markers
tapestry needle

Gauge
29 sts and 34.5 rows in stranded stitch pattern = 10 x 10 cm (4” x 4”)

The pattern has been tech edited by Sue-Cat on Ravelry.

Check it out here

All pythagoras’ patterns are bundeled in one e-book: Pythagoras

I think Pythagoras needs a pair of new socks too…

 

. . . A walk in the fields . . .

Ha, a new pattern and I am particularly happy with this one.

I knitted these socks (photo below) two years ago with a very nice stitch pattern. Color is lovely too.

But … it is missing something.

It is a little too dull to my taste, it needs some punch and spices…

Then suddenly I had a lightbulb moment…

I made a little swatch to check if my idea would work … Drew a little chart …

And finally frogged !!! the top of the socks (luckily they are knit toe up ;-), and reknitted the top and the cuff.

Much better now, don’t you think ?
A little bit of cabling and a little bit of colorwork 

Me definitely loves them.

They make me smile and think of summer …

The socks are worked toe up with a reinforced heel flap and a short row heel. The foot and leg feature a cabled ‘stem and leaves’ stitch pattern.

The small cables can be worked with or without a cable needle. Instructions for both methods are given. The ‘stem and leaves’ pattern and the ‘flowers’ are charted and fully written.
The 3rd color in the flowers’ hearts is added using duplicate stitch. Tips on colorwork and duplicate stitch included.

Sizes
S/M/L to fit foot circumference: 20 / 22 / 24.5 cm (8 / 8½ / 9.5 “ )
Length of foot and leg is adjustable.
Finished height as pictured = ± 23 cm / 9”.

What you’ll need
fingering / 4 ply
MC: ± 280 to 320 m / 300 to 350 yards
CC1 and CC2: small rests of fingering weight
2.25 mm (US 1) circular needle or 5 double pointed needles or size to obtain gauge
2.5 mm (US 1½) circular needle or double pointed needles for the colorwork
tapestry needle

Gauge
32 sts and 48 rows in stockinette stitch = 10 x 10 cm (4” x 4”)

See more here

. . . from braided leaves (bis) . . .

Ahah, and there is a matching hat: braided leaves hat.

It features the same stranded colorwork with delicate outlined leaves, perfect to work up some little rests.

Worked bottom up, it starts with Jenny’s magic cast on as a provisional cast on. A doubled brim with – at the bottom – a small chart of ‘tilted’ lines refers to the pullovers ‘twisted / tilted details’.

It comes in three sizes: kids, medium and large. Instructions for a beanie or a more slouchy hat are included.
The samples are medium size: slouchy fit and beanie.

slouchy fit

beanie

The colorwork is charted only.

Tips on colorwork and fair isle to successfully knit the leaves are included.

Find out more here.

Get both patterns: braided leaves and braided leaves hat together.

. . . from braided leaves . . .

I am a bit (a lot) behind presenting my latest patterns. This post will cover the patterns from the last months of 2018.

Let’s start with ‘braided leaves’. I adored knitting and designing this pattern.

Looking at all the photos I took to illustrate this design, I think it’s better to make one blog post per pattern after all.

Braided leaves is a pullover with stranded colorwork and eyelets at the yoke. Some nice, colored or ‘twisted’ details make this a uniquely designed pullover.

tilting eyelets at the yoke

It is worked top down and seamlessly in the round. It starts with a twisted neck band followed by a few short rows to shape the back neck. The circular yoke is build up using eyelets on top of each other giving the yoke a dynamic twist.

A few more increases are added while knitting the colorwork of the braided leaves. The same idea of twist is used for the pocket bands, the cuffs and ribbing at the bottom.

twisted pocket band

A simpler version of the leaves is added to the sleeve cuffs and the inside of the small pockets is worked in stranded knitting.

stranded pockets and ’tilting’ hem

The colorwork is charted only, (no written instructions).
Tips on how to successfully knit stranded colorwork are included.

This pattern has been tech edited by Sue-Cat and test knit.

Sizes
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
finished measurements (chest): 31½, 35½, 39½, 43½, 47½, 51” (80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130 cm)
Intended to be worn with some positive ease.

What you’ll need
fingering weight / 4 ply
MC: ± 1000/1100/1200/1350/1450/1600 m (1100/1200/1310/14750/1600/1750 yards)
CC: ± 140/155/170/190/210/230 m (155/170/185/210/230/255 yards)

two 3 mm (US 2½) circular needles
3 mm (US 2½) double pointed needle
3 mm (US 2½) straight needles for the pocket bands
3.25 mm (US 3) circular needle for the stranded colorwork, if necessary
2.5 mm (US 1½) circular needle for the ribbing

4 markers
or 10/11/12/12/13/13 markers if you wish to place markers between repeats

Gauge
27 sts and 38 rows stockinette stitch with the 3 mm (US 2½) needle = 10 x 10 cm (4” x 4”)

Check it out here.

. . . pythagoras . . .

a² + b² = c²

Remember that formula ?

Three new patterns have been published based on that idea:

pythagoras’ pullover

a cozy, slightly oversized pullover with a turtle neck and (nearly) invisible sleeve inset.

It is worked top down seamlessly in one piece. The stitch pattern is easy, it consists of purl and knit stitches only that form a mix of triangles (pythagoras !). Special increases are placed in clever spots following the stitch pattern to make them invisible.

Sizes
Intended to be worn with positive ease (10 to 25 cm / 4 to 10”). Take the measurement at your high bust just under the armpits.
The sample is size M worn with 15 cm / 6” of positive ease.

There are only four sizes available due to the kind of the increases and their placement. But it is easy to alter the stitch gauge and thus obtain the best size. (instructions are provided)
S, M, L, XL: finished measurements: 35” / 40½” / 46” / 52“ (89 / 103 / 118 / 132 cm)

These photos are of the unblocked pullover

What you’ll need
DK weight
Total yardage: ± 1150, 1290, 1470, 1670 m (1250, 1400, 1600, 1820 yards)

4 mm (US 6) circular needle or size to obtain gauge
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle
5 markers

Gauge
22 sts and 34 rows in stitch pattern (see page 3) with the larger needle and after blocking = 10 x 10 cm (4”x 4”)

 

Find out more here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then there is his hat …

This is the first hat I made … But what if I used 2 colors ?

Or the whole hat in 2 colors ? Maybe in a lighter yarn weight too ??

Three hats made from the same pattern …

Pythagoras’ hat is worked bottom up. Instructions are given for a beanie (length = 20 cm / 7¾”) or a bit of slouch (length = 24 cm / 9½”) and for 2 different yarn weights. Two options are included: a close fitting brim (2 color sample) or a loose fitting brim (red sample).

Due to the stitch pattern and the placement of the decreases there are only two sizes: one with 96 stitches for a heavy yarn weight and one with 128 stitches for a light yarn weight. If you use larger or smaller needles and a heavier or lighter yarn weight, the gauge will be different and most head sizes can be covered.

The stitch pattern is very easy and uses only purl and knit stitches – a perfectly good excuse to start playing. Work one repeat in stranded color knitting (see 2-colored hat), or knit the whole hat in 2 colors (or more). Instructions to personalize your hat are included.

Gauge
Finished measurement circumference is ± 50 cm / 19½” to fit head 54 to 57 cm / 20½” to 22½”
worsted weight
19 sts in stockinette stitch = 10 cm / 4” with the larger needle
or fingering weight
26 sts in stockinette stitch = 10 cm / 4” with the larger needle

Using another yarn weight results in a different gauge and size (instructions and maths included)

What you’ll need
worsted weight
± 100 to 130 m / 110 to 145 yards
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle
4 mm (US 6) circular needle

or fingering weight
± 180 to 220 m / 200 to 240 yards
2.5 mm (US 1½) circular needle
3 mm (US 2½) circular needle

tapestry needle

Find out more here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 And then there is his beret …

This one really is my favorite …

Pythagoras’ beret is worked bottom up starting with a Latvian braided two-color cast on aka Kihnu braided cast on.

Written instructions are included and a photo tutorial can be found in the separate pdf. It’s a lovely way to start colorwork, but you can use any cast on method you might prefer.

Due to the stitch pattern and the placement of the decreases there are only two sizes: one with 144 stitches and 6 repeats of the crown chart and one with 168 stitches and 7 repeats of the crown chart. Instructions are given for both sizes.

at the left is the small beret and at the right the large beret

Sizes
Finished measurement circumference at the brim is ± 56 cm / 19½” to fit head 55 to 58 cm / 20½” to 22¾”
Diameter small beret = ± 24 cm / 9½”
Diameter large beret = ± 27 cm / 10½”

What you’ll need
sport weight or light DK weight
± 160 to 200 m / 175 to 220 yards (half of each color)
3 mm (US 2½) circular needle
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle
tapestry needle

Gauge
21 sts and 33 rows in stranded pattern with the larger needle and blocked = 10 x 10 cm / 4” x 4”

Check it out here

I have the feeling there will be more of these . . .

… miss boule …

Miss boule is here. I wrote about her here

Miss boule is a seamless pullover worked from the top down in 1 piece. Starting with shaping the back and shoulders, I picked up stitches for the front and sleeves and those are worked following the contiguous sleeve method, developed by Susie Myers.

The ‘boules’ are worked as intarsia color blocks ‘in the round’. It is much easier than it sounds, really. I found an easy way to work do it.

I knitted the hems and cuffs in corrugated ribbing and I added a separation knitting an ‘estonian braid’