Mom’s Improvised Sweater – Knitting Instructions Included

 

Mom's Improvised Drop Shoulder Ribbed Sweater

To show that I come by my ability to visualize and adapt knitting patterns naturally, I am showing off my mother’s grey improvised sweater. 

I gave my mom this wonderful grey linen blend which contains flecks of white since my mother always has room for one more grey item in her wardrobe. One of my uptown knitting buddies had given it to me when she was destashing. It seems that my knitting friends all know that I can envision how to turn some longer cherished stash into something wonderful. 

Since there was sufficient yarn for a sweater, my mother decided to adapt a simplified pattern that she had used before. At its core, the pattern consists of two rectangles which are sewn together at the shoulders forming a boat neck. Then stitches are picked up for sleeves which are knit down. This has the great advantage of allowing the knitter to measure the length as she goes which is good because the sweater has a dropped shoulder.

Before she started, my mom knit a swatch and we measured it. The swatch allowed my mom to try out a couple of variations of stitches. Then I took her measurements and applied some easy math to get the basic cast on. And she was off and knitting. 

You’ll note that my mom used a variety of ribbed stitches to make the sweater more fitted. 

If you’re interested in trying it, follow these easy steps:

1] Knit a swatch of at least 20 stitches using the appropriate needle for the yarn and your gauge.

2] Take your measurements. Add 2 inches to your widest measurement and divide that number by 2.

3] Multiply the number of stitches per inch by half of your measurement to get your cast on number of stitches.

4] Knit 2 rectangles to the length that you want your sweater to be. My mom knit about 24 inches.

5] Sew the shoulders together (Take the measurement from step 2 and subtract 8 inches. Then divide by 2 this is the number of inches that you need to sew on each shoulder.)

6] Pick up stitches at the armhole. My mother used 8 inches * her stitch gauge (with half of the stitches picked up on either side.) She then slowly decreased to her wrist. I usually decrease every 10 rows a couple of times, then 8 rows a couple of times, etc. until I have the appropriate amount for my wrist.

Happy knitting!

Gail Lace Shawl in Carnation Pink Cashmere

Carnation Pink Cashmere Lace Weight from Silk City Fibers

One of my close friends had a milestone birthday last year. Since it was close to our wedding, I promised her a hand knit lace shawl within a year. I taped a piece of the lace weight cashmere to my card. It’s carnation pink just like the color of the Crayola Crayon. 

 

I have spent a lot of time looking through my lace knitting books, the web and Ravelry for ideas. Earlier this week, I was inspired by a photo of the Gail aka Nightsong Shawl on Ravelry. Further, it’s a free knitting pattern which takes about 450 yards to make. Since my yarn, bought as a mill end at Silk City Fibers, is too thin to measure, I am guessing based on comparison with the ball of Lacy Alpaca by Classic Elite.

The shawls on Ravelry are beautiful although there are a few comments on the pattern. It is an interesting triangle in that it doesn’t have a plain stitch running down the center of the spine. The one difficulty I encountered was the fact that there are a couple of rows where there is a double yarn over. Of course, had I read the instructions all the way through, I would have realized that I needed to use a knit and purl combination on the reverse side. Despite a few mis-starts, it’s relatively easy to follow and I am making slow progress due to the delicate nature of the yarn.

 

Nightsong Lace Shawl in Carnation Pink Cashmere Lace Weight

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Lace Collar – Free One Ball Knitting Pattern

 

Two Row Lace Stitch Close Up

To coordinate with the grey mohair lace cuffs, I decided to make a lace collar. Using the cuffs as a measuring guide, I determined that the collar was just under three times the size of a cuff.   

 

I realized that this collar makes a great one skien wonder. It’s a quick knit (mine took me two days to knit plus finishing time so it’s good when you need that last minute gift.) 

For my collar, I used a grey mohair with silver twisted in it that I bought at Silk City Fibers. Rowan’s Kid Silk Haze is a good substitute and may yield enough for you to make the matching cuffs (although be warned that I didn’t measure.)

I used a size 5 needle and didn’t check my gauge. 

Lace Stitch Pattern from The Point About Cuffs by Vicki Square in Interweave’s Lace Style:

Multiple of 6 stitches + 1 Stitch

Row 1: *K1, yo, K1, sl1 K2tog, PSSO, K1, yo* to last stitch K1

Row 2: Purl

Lace Collar Pattern
CO 163 stitches. (Note: You can use a multiple of 6 and add 3 stitches (2 are the selvage stitches and one is the last pattern stitch which is a knit).

Knit 4 rows.

Follow rows a & b for the next 16 rows.

Row a: *K1, yo, K1, sl1 K2tog, PSSO, K1, yo* to last stitch K1

Row b: Purl

Row 21: K1, K2tog for the rest of the row. 

Row 22: K1, Purl until last stitch, K1.

Follow rows c & d for the next 18 rows. Until row 40.

Row c: K1 *K1P1* until last stitch. K1.

Row d: K1 *P1K1* until last stitch. K1.

Bind off loosely.

Block by pulling out the points of the lace. 

Sew on three small buttons (more like tiny).  Opposite each button make a loop for buttoning. Using a crochet hook, make a 4 stitch chain loop and use single crochets to enhance the loops.

 

Pull out points on Lace Collar

 

 

Lace collar closed at the side

 

Lace collar buttoned in the front

 

Lace collar closed in the back

Unfortunately, I had already given my mother the sweater and cuffs for her birthday. This piece was just a bit delayed. As a result, I don’t have a picture of the ensemble.

For those of you who are adventurous, this pattern would probably look good in cotton as well. 

Please let me know what you think! 

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Recession Buster Knitting- Free Shetland Scarf Pattern

 

Shetland Scarf Detail - Razor Stitch

As I was knitting my mother’s black Shetland Lace Scarf, I realized that this pattern makes a great recession buster project since it can be made with only one ball of lace weight yarn. Lace weight yarn for those of you who have used it has great yardage per skien and it’s usually reasonably priced. 

 

While lace weight yarn is thin, you can use larger needles than you might think to enhance the lacey quality of your finished project.  Since I knit loosely (I usually go down 2 needles sizes), I go up 2 needles sizes from the package for lace. Although I strongly recommend that you not use black since it’s tough on your eyes.

I am making slow progress on Mom’s Shetland Lace Scarf. To ensure that I finish it in the near future, I added a few rows each knitting session since I needed a well lit place to knit.

FREE SHETLAND SCARF PATTERN
Here are the instructions:

1 ball of Silky Alpaca Lace Weight – About 460 yards. (Any type of yarn will work. Just change your needles and consider how wide you would like the scarf to be. Also, more yard may be needed for thicker yarns.)

Size 5 needles.

Cast on 69 stitches.

Knit 8 rows.

Row 1: Knit 4 stitches, K1 YO, k4 Slip 1, K2Tog, PSSO, K4 YO K1, Repeat 4 times [ YO, k4 Slip 1, K2Tog, PSSO, K4 YO K1] Knit 4 stitches.

Row 2: Knit 4 stitches, Purl 61 stitches, Knit 4 stitches

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length about 56 inches. 

Knit 8 rows

Bind off. 

Note: Post blocked length is about 20-25% longer. To determine the finished length use the following formula:

Blocked length = Pre-blocked length divided by 0.75

 

Shetland Scarf for Mom-Free Knitting Pattern

Finished and blocked Shetland Scarf for Mom. It’s 76 inches by 11.5 inches. More than the 6 feet she requested. I soaked the finished scarf in hair conditioner for over 20 minutes and it’s really soft!

 

I am excited that I finally finished this project since the black is a killer on my eyes! I hope that my mom likes it.

Starry Gift – Free Knitting Pattern

 

Classic Elite Star Wash Cloth -Free Pattern!

Classic Elite’s newsletter contains free knitting patterns. This week’s pattern is a keeper. It’s a star shaped washcloth. It’s a useful project for those leftover balls of cotton and linen (if you don’t have any of Classic Elite’s Provence).

This washcloth makes a great Christmas tree decoration that doesn’t sit in your basement most of the year. Knit up a few of these stars and keep them for that last minute tree trimming party.

Alternatively, it makes a wonderful house warming gift with a few bars of your favorite soap.

Photo source: Classic Elite Yarns (www.ClassicEliteYarns.com)

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

More Estonian Lace Inspired Shawl KAL Eye Candy

While I didn’t have a lot of time to stop by The Point this week, I was able to get a photo of Georgia’s first repeat of the Estonian Lace in magnificent purple. Other knitting friends have been joining us on this lace journey. 

 

Estonian Lace Repeat in Purple

 

Looking at several repeats, we thought that the Estonian lace pattern for the center of the shawl looked a lot like a cathedral. Initially, I thought that the loopy line looked like a serpent. What do you think?

For your copy of the free Estonian Lace Scarf Inspired Shawl instructions, click here.

Entry submitted by Heidi Cohen, Editor in Chief of Knitted Yarns

Estonian Lace Scarf Inspired Shawl KAL

A few of my knitting buddies and I are planning to start an Estonian Lace KAL inspired by the Triinu Shawl that I made my mother.  As the basis for the pattern that we plan to knit, we are using The Estonian Lace Scarf by Helene Wallin 2006. It has 21 projects on Ravelry.

The Estonian Lace Scarf contains three different lace patterns and requires grafting (a no-no in my book, at least for now). Therefore, I’ve made some modifications to create a no-grafting needed Estonian Lace Shawl.

Estonian Lace Scarf Inspired Shawl Notes Source: http://entill.typepad.com/estonian_lacescarf.pdf

Two other online sources that might be of use:

Estonian Lace Study Good for visual help

Create Along Good for documenting lace patterns

Disclaimer: I am knitting this shawl for the first time as my friends in yarn and I progress. I am working ahead of them to ensure that any potential glitches will be worked out in advance.