Knititude

Errata for Wrought Iron Tote

In 2014, shortly after my Wrought Iron Tote pattern was published in Knitting Architecture, Tanis Gray's collection of architecture-inspired designs, I realized that I had omitted the instructions for the contrasting strap edging (an attached I-cord). So I emailed Tanis, and she forwarded my email with the missing instructions to Interweave, to be added to the Interweave website book errata page. (If you scroll down the page to "Knitting Architecture" and click on the link, that will download a zip file that contains the book errata; the file with the Wrought Iron Tote errata is titled "KA_p46-47_web.pdf." Or just click on the link at the bottom of this post.)

I just realized this, because yesterday I got an email from a knitter, saying that the instructions for the strap edging in the pattern photos seemed to be missing from the book pattern. So I found my five-year-old email to Tanis and her response, and then went to the Interweave website. I got excited when I saw the errata file, because it appeared that the book PDF had actually been corrected, and I thought that maybe, if you now purchased the e-book, you would receive the corrected version. How cool would that be! 

Unfortunately the book is no longer available from Interweave; which now has only 32 of their many knitting book titles available on their website. Amazon and Barnes & Noble had both the paperback and the e-version (Kindle and Nook, respectively). After some consideration (and looking at the free sample, hoping it would include the Wrought Iron Tote pages), I decided satisfying my curiosity was worth $10.99, so I purchased the Kindle version. Sadly the corrections WERE NOT THERE. Oh well.

Anyway, click on the link below for the corrected pattern pages.

Download Wrought Iron Tote corrections

Blue Ridge Sweater

The new Spring 2016 issue of Interweave Knits includes my Blue Ridge Sweater. It's worked in the round from the bottom up with a round yoke. The highly textured stitch pattern alternates a bobbled cable with a not-too-open lace panel. I suggested using Juniper Moon Farms Sabine for this project; Sabine is a heathery 40% cotton/30% merino wool/30% royal llama blend, which means it's great for multi-season use, and it comes from a very special yarn producer. 

I discovered Juniper Moon Farm (JMF) almost eight years ago, when I purchased a share of their Fall 2008 yarn harvest for $100; JMF offered the country’s first yarn CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The farm was founded in 2007 by Susan Gibbs, a former network news producer, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, with an initial flock of just five sheep. Over the years, the JMF flock has grown to include Cormo, Babydoll Southdown, Cotswold, and colored Border Leicester sheep, as well as Mohair goats. In addition, the farm is home to a number of Maremma sheepdogs, including Sabine, after whom Sabine yarn is named. In 2009, the farm moved to Virginia, and at the end of 2015, the yarn CSA ended, and the JMF flock retired to live out the rest of their days in leisure. However, Susan remains the Creative Director of Juniper Moon Farm Yarns, which use fibers grown in Peru, Argentina, Nepal, and Italy.

When the issue became available, I asked the publisher for some higher resolution photos than those that were on their website, and I am so glad I did! They emailed me some gorgeous photos, some of which I've included in this post; many thanks to Interweave Knits and Harper Point Photography.

My working name for the sweater was the Granola Pullover, because of the rich texture of the fabric. But I love the name Blue Ridge Sweater-- the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia is one of my favorite drives in the world. And even though the photo shoot for the magazine was done in Colorado, some of the photos really look like they could have been taken in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains; the last photo, with a garden and house in the background, reminds me of a friend's home near Asheville, NC.

 

Prow Pullover

Once again (as for the Zephirine Cardigan), I'm about a year late in posting about one of my designs: the Prow Pullover, which appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of Interweave Knits. This pullover has a wide V-neck bordered by knitted lace, 3/4-length sleeves, and an easy, flattering A-line shape, which is created by decreases that shape the front inverted pleat into a triangle. I used a wool/cotton blend yarn which holds its shape well. Below is my original sketch from the design proposal I submitted (clearly drawing skill did not have a lot to do with the design being accepted, AND the editors made sure I knew that they did not want sleeves of different lengths!).

The focal point of the pullover is definitely the neckline. In developing the design, I started with the lace stitch pattern: it has a diamond-shaped motif, which lends itself to stacking diagonally along the neck edge, AND to having the neckline decreases worked into the lace stitch pattern. These decreases have the bonus effect of creating a nice subtle scalloping along the neck edges.

The decreases are also the reason neckline is so wide: normally I prefer to decrease every 3rd row to shape a V-neck, because I find that decreasing every 4th row creates a "V" that is too narrow, while every 2nd row creates a "V" that is too wide. (And apparently many ready-to-wear sweater makers agree with me; I took a look at my husband's Malo and Ralph Lauren V-neck pullovers, and they all had decreases every 3rd row along the front neck edges.) But I haven't yet found a lace stitch pattern into which you could incorporate decreases every 3rd row and not mess up the stitch pattern-- or a textured or cabled stitch pattern, for that matter. (I suppose I could have placed the neck decreases between the lace border and the pullover fronts, but that would have been a totally different look). 

In writing up the pattern, I also had to take into account the fact that the lace pattern has a different gauge than the stockinette stitch used in the body and sleeves. But knitting the rest of the pullover is pretty simple, with garter stitch edgings at the hem and cuffs, a bit of ribbing at the back neck to help it keep its shape, and set-in sleeves. There's no side waist shaping, which makes it easy to change the length of the pullover (although you would have to take into account the fact that the front pleat decreases by 2 stitches every 6 rounds).

Incidentally, my original name for this sweater was "Espalier"; I thought the diagonals of the neck edges were reminiscent of an espaliered tree or shrub. 

 

 

 

Zephirine Cardigan

The Zephirine Cardigan pattern appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Interweave Knits-- yes, one year ago. I never got around to writing a blog post about the design process, so this seemed like a good time to remedy that. It may be hard right now to even think about going outside with just a sweater, at least here in the snow-buried Northeast! But this is a great three-season cardigan, perfect for cool spring days, chilly summer evenings, and crisp fall afternoons. Part of its versatility comes from the yarn (Universal Yarn Nettle Lana), an unusual organic wool/nettle blend; the wool provides warmth and shape, while the nettle fiber (related to hemp and flax) adds drape and a pleasing dry hand.

Looking back, it seems that I was obsessed with garments with yokes at the time that I came up with the idea for this design: at the time, I was also working on the Plumage Wrap, the Bell Yoke Tee, the Facet Pullover, and the Cabled Capelet (which will be included in the book Wanderlust, coming out in both a print and an e-book version in March 2015). In all of these designs, I was having fun with how to work the yoke decreases into different stitch patterns. (Photo below, clockwise from top left: Facet Pullover, Plumage Wrap, Cabled Capelet and Bell Yoke Tee; all images courtesy of Interweave Press except Facet Pullover: courtesy of Twist Collective and Linus Ouellet.) For Zephirine's lace yoke, I did two things: omitted some of the yarnovers in the last repeat of the lace pattern, and changed to a smaller knitting needle halfway through the yoke. 

There are several other design elements that I really like in this cardigan. I like the way the yoke is fastened only at the center, allowing the neckband to separate into a flattering "V" at the top front edge, and allowing the lower front edges to gracefully fall away to the sides. To avoid having to add a front edging that would interrupt the lace, I simply added button loops to one of the front edges of the lace section. And finally, I like the subtle textured vertical lines that extend from the yoke down the body and sleeves. To allow these lines to continue uninterrupted, I decided not to taper the sleeves or shape the waist; the angled fronts still create a flattering silhouette, and the sleeves are 3/4 rather than full length to allow for wider cuffs. This makes knitting the body and sleeves quite simple! It did require some math to make sure that when I added all of the stitches from the body and sleeves (and subtracted the stitches held for the underarms), I ended up with the right number of stitches for the yoke lace repeat-- especially since those textured vertical lines flow right into the lace.

Above is a photo taken in my yard, just before I sent the sample off to Interweave; below is the same yard, about a week ago! 

 

 (1st, 2nd and 4th photos courtesy of Interweave Press)

 

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Honey Pullover

Honey Pullover

 

My Honey Pullover design is in the just-released Spring 2015 issue of Interweave Knits (1st, 4th and 5th photos courtesy of Harper Point and Interweave Press). I got the idea for the set-in sleeves when I was looking at a swatch of a lace pattern (see below), and realized that the lace stitches pulled the fabric into a shape which looked a lot like a sleeve cap on the top. I also liked the curve created along the bottom of the swatch, and thought it would be a flattering shape for a sleeve cuff. 

This design was rejected by the first publication to which I submitted it (not an unusual occurrence!). So I set it aside, and when I got the submission call for this issue of Interweave Knits, and one of their storyboard themes seemed a good match, I sent it in again-- and this time it was accepted. 

When it came time to translate my sketched design into X number of rows and stitches, I was a bit concerned about how I would figure out how much of the sleeve cap shaping I could just leave up to the distortion caused by the lace stitches, and how much I would have to add with the usual shaping decreases-- and how to adjust this for each and every size. This didn't turn out to be too complicated: I just measured the height and width of the curved top of my lace swatch, and then added the additional shaping needed for each size. I should say it wasn't complicated IN ADDITION TO the usual calculations for set-in sleeve cap shaping. BUT although these are a bit time-consuming, working out the math ahead of time is always faster than knitting by trial and error. Carpenters like to say "measure twice, cut once;" for knitwear designing, it's "math twice, knit once."

Also, I was glad that I had visualized this design with a 3/4 length sleeve, because the lace panel would not have looked right except with a full repeat of the lace pattern, which meant that the sleeve length could only be changed in increments of about 1 1/2 inches. The 3/4 length sleeve was more forgiving than a full-length sleeve as far as setting the sleeve length for each size.

My original name for this pullover was "Mattina," which means "morning" in Italian; the editors of the magazine decided to change the name to "Honey." When I choose a name, I consider how the name sounds, the appropriateness and versatility of any references to color or design elements (keeping in mind that knitters will often choose a different color yarn), and then I do a search on Ravelry to see how many times that name has already been used. I try not to choose names that have been used a lot, to make it easier for knitters to find a particular design by name. "Mattina" has never been used. "Honey," on the other hand, has been used over 50 times*. Just sayin'. 

*as all or part of the name of a design, i.e. "Honey Bunny" or "Raw Honey"

Kit & Kat Pullovers

The pattern for the Kit & Kat Pullovers was recently published in Interweave Knits Gifts 2014 (first three photos courtesy of F&W Media/Interweave Press). The doll's version, sized to fit American Girl-type dolls, uses sport weight yarn, and the girls' version uses aran weight yarn, so that the stitch patterns are of similar scale for both girl and doll.

I didn't choose the name "Kit & Kat," but it does remind me of a story from my veterinarian days: I was working at South Bay Veterinary Group, in Boston's South End, when a woman brought in a cat named "Spic." When I first saw the name on the medical record, I thought "Well, that's kind of offensive; I'm surprised someone would give a cat a name like that." But then a few minutes into the examination, the woman mentioned that she used to have another cat, which had recently died. And that cat's name was Span. "Spic & Span," get it?

Anyway. The working name I used for this design was the "Lucina Shell Pullovers," because the lace edging around the hem and cuffs is the "Lucina Shell" pattern from one of Barbara Walker's Treasuries. I like the three-dimensional quality of this stitch pattern, which results from stitches being rapidly increased and then decreased to form the "shells." Once I had the idea of having the shells flow into ribs, the rest of the design followed: the shell borders form a slight peplum and belled sleeve cuffs, and the ribs give a more fitted look to the body and sleeves.

Cascade 220 Superwash Sport yarn was used for the doll's version, and Aran for the girls'. These are great yarns for children's clothes because they are machine washable, and can even be tumble dried (although for this design, you would be better off reshaping and drying flat). They also come in a big range of colors.

I finished the sample for the doll's version last spring, while visiting my granddaughters, and they were kind enough to let me use one of their American Girl dolls as a model. As you can see, the camera loves her! 

 

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Plumage Wrap

Amphorae Shawl

Plumage Wrap

The Plumage Wrap pattern was published in the spring (Interweave Knits Spring 2014), but it is also a great project for the colder months: it would make a lovely little shawl to throw over your favorite LBD, or a T-neck and jeans-- or even to wear around the house if you need a bit of warmth.

It's a good thing that the Plumage Wrap is so versatile, because honestly, it's not a quick knit: there are a lot of twisted stitches, and that narrow ruffly border is pretty, but it is time-consuming. But it's worth the time invested; this shawl really has an heirloom quality to it.

I found the stitch pattern in a Japanese stitch dictionary and immediately wanted to use it in a design. I think the intricate texture really partners well with the Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb yarn, which is an aran weight silk/wool blend. The yarn is a bit heavy and drapey, which works well for this wrap, but this did mean that I had to rework the neck decreases a few times: the weight of the fabric kept stretching the neckband, meaning that I had to keep recalculating the stitch gauge to get the neck opening to the circumference I wanted. (This was a good lesson for a couple of the yoked designs that I worked on after the Plumage Wrap: the Zephirine Cardigan and the Bell Yoke Tee).

I just got the pattern sample back from Interweave, so I'm looking forward to wearing it to a holiday party or two!

Barnard Raglan in Interweave Knits Fall 2013

I haven't blogged much in awhile, partly because I've been busy designing and knitting! And I've just had a number of designs published, so this will be the first in a series of FIVE posts about newly available patterns.

The Barnard Raglan, a top-down, in-the-round, A-line pullover, is available in the Interweave Knits Fall 2013 issue (the first two photos are from Interweave Knits), and I am very fond of it-- in fact, I kind of wish I had negotiated to get the sample returned to me. It uses a wonderful yarn, Dream in Color Everlasting DK (100% merino), which is springy and soft and a joy to work with. And the colors are gorgeous. When I first saw the yarn for this pullover, I was afraid that (though lovely) the colors would be too dark to photograph well. But I think the true colors come across nicely in the photos.

Simple in line and relatively simple to knit, this pullover was not so simple to design (and a bit tricky when it came to writing up the instructions). Early on I decided on an A-line silhouette, relatively deep raglan armholes so the sweater would be easy to wear over another layer, and sportswear-inspired pockets, at both the hips and on one upper arm. When I hit upon the idea of using cables to accent the sweater's shape, and hiding the pockets behind the cable edges, the design really came together.

At least as a sketch!--when it came time to figure out how to keep those cables moving on a consistent diagonal from neck to hem, I realized that best way to do this was to make regular increases between the cables on front and back, but when I plugged these increase numbers and then the raglan increase numbers into Excel, I couldn't get the yoke, sleeve and bust dimensions of all the sizes to work out properly. That's when I added the point-of-shoulder (POS) increases-- which turned out to have the advantage of helping to shape the shoulder and to remove bulk from the underarm area.

I did realize that having three kinds of increases going on at once was going to be tricky to describe AND tricky for knitters to figure out, so I tried to keep it as simple as possible by making the A-line increases every 10 rounds, on the same pattern row as the cable crosses. And I kept the POS increases every 4 rounds-- only the raglan increases change in frequency. 

Even though the increases happen simultaneously over the course of working the yoke, they don't all start at once, so it just takes a little patience to go round by round, figuring out which increases happen on each one*, and it does get easier as you go along, because the POS increases end fairly quickly. So hopefully knitters won't get discouraged by this part, because the body and sleeves are easy! Well, except for the pockets.

I do love pockets, and they are actually not that difficult, but it takes a good chunk of the pattern to explain how to work them, and yes, if you've never knitted pckets before, it may take reading through the instructions a time or two to picture in your mind how to proceed. 

Will it be worth the trouble to figure out the yoke and the pockets? I think so! The Barnard Raglan flatters many body types, and is so versatile, as a layering piece in the winter, or as an outer layer in the fall or spring: tuck a couple of bills, a key and a cell phone in the pockets, and you are ready to walk the dog or run a quick errand! 

*There is an app called Jknit which does this for you-- that is, you input the pattern info somehow (I have never used it, but I know other knitwear designers who love it), and then it gives you round-by-round instructions. 

Edited to add: Email me for a chart showing which yoke increases occur on each round, for all sizes. To use the chart, look at each yoke round # for your size (numbering begins with first round AFTER transition round from neck ribbing); if charts says, "R, SS" it means for this round you must do both raglan and shoulder shaping increases.

Menemsha Pullover: Interweave Knits Summer 2012

I have a pattern in the new Summer 2012 issue of interweave Knits: the Menemsha Pullover. The lace cable pattern I used for the yoke is one of my all-time favorites. It was created by Norah Gaughan for the "Open Rib Cable Pullover," first published in VK Summer 2005. I loved this pullover's vertical lines, and when I spotted the lace cable stitch pattern again, in the VK Stitchionary 5, I knew that if I were to include it in a design, I would have to come up with a very different way of utilizing it. So I played with several ways of using it sideways as a sweater yoke, and while swatching, discovered that openings could be gracefully incorporated into the stitch pattern. 

(photo courtesy of interweave Press)

I was lucky enough to meet Norah Gaughan in person at the last VK Live, and told her I had incorporated her original stitch pattern into one of my designs. I wasn't sure how she would respond, but she told me that she feels that once a garment pattern has been published, stitch patterns used in that garment may be utilized in other designs. Good to know, for any Norah Gaughan fans like me!

I also was lucky enough to meet Stacy Charles at VK Live-- yes, that Stacy Charles, of Tahki Stacy Charles and S. Charles Collezione yarns (producers of Solaris, the lovely linen/rayon blend yarn used in Menemsha). Unfortunately when I mentioned to him that I had just used one of his yarns for a design for Interweave Knits, he asked me which yarn it was, and I couldn't remember. Duh.

Anyway. I noticed that in the IK photos, the neck opening looks extremely wide. I think it was photographed like that so that the edges of the neck opening are straight. But as you can see in the above photo, the sweater also looks very nice with the neckline draped slightly, and in fact the sweater sits more naturally this way-- and then the ends of the neck opening are not so close to slipping off the shoulders. 

By the way, Menemsha is a fishing village on Martha's Vineyard; the interwoven cables and netlike panels within Menemsha's yoke reminded me of a fisherman's nets and lines, heaped on a dock and bleaching in the sun.

Serpentine Cowl and Corinthian Tam patterns now available!

Interweave Knits Accessories 2011 is now available, both as a download and as a print magazine. It includes two of my patterns: the Serpentine Cowl and the Corinthian Tam. Both use heavy worsted/aran weight yarn, so they work up quickly-- perfect for holiday gifts or for a treat for yourself! The Serpentine Cowl pattern calls for Cascade Cash Vero, a lovely cashmere blend yarn, but when I made the above version for myself, I used some stashed Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb (a silk/wool blend) in the color Harvest (a gorgeous deep gold).

 

Now, I realize that $14.99 is a lot to pay for one pattern (or even two)-- luckily both the Serpentine Cowl and the Corinthian Tam can be purchased as an individual downloads, as well as in the print or digital edition of the magazine.

May 5, 2016: EDITED TO ADD: The Serpentine Cowl has been included in the book Easy Knitted Accessories, available from Interweave Press as a either a paperback book or as an eBook, and also in the Favorite Cowls to Knit Now pattern pack.