Week 4 – Salt and Pepper Tweed

Salt and Pepper Tweed (not to be confused withSalt N Pepa) makes a firm fabric with an interesting wrong side.

It is so stiff that I would be hesitant to use it for a garment, unless it was a very tailored jacket. I usually use #6 or #7 needles for Cascade 220, and I used #8 for this swatch. I suppose in a drapey fiber like alpaca it might be suitable for garments, but in wool I would be more inclined to use it for a cushion or a purse.

Week 3 – Macedonian Stitch

This is Macedonian Stitch from the Second Treasury. I think this pattern would be nice for a man’s sweater, because it’s somewhat interesting to work but simple enough for a guy to wear (particularly if the color contrast was more subtle).

Initially I thought that it looked better with the darker color as the background, but now I think they look equally nice. It has a more subtle look when the background is the lighter color. The texture and the lighter color both “pop” against the rest of it, so when the texture is in the darker color it balances out.

Note: I’ve decided to switch “Swatch Saturday” to “Swatch Sunday” because it fits my schedule better.

Week 2 – Pythagorean Pattern

This is Pythagorean Pattern from the Second Treasury. Since it is perfectly reversible, I might use it in something like a scarf, stole, or dish towel, where reversibility would be a big advantage. It’s very easy to make. The one challenge is remembering whether you’re working on one side or the other, since the two sides look the same.

Week 1 – Mosaic Sampler 1

Welcome to Swatch Saturday!  This is Mosaic Sampler 1 from Barbara Walker’s A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns  (showing three repeats across and two down, separated by the green band). In keeping with my theme of “try something new” I tried mosaic knitting for the first time.  I’m not sure what took me so long, as it is a simple enough concept.  Indeed, as you can see here, the pinstripes on the DPP are formed with slipped stitches.

I think a pattern like this would be appropriate as a subtle accent to a hem, cuff, or edge of a cardigan.  I’m not sure I would ever use this particular pattern for anything, as I find the motifs to be somewhat swastika-like in shape (my husband doesn’t see it and thinks I’m being too sensitive).  I guess it’s not so bad, and some mosaic patterns are much worse in that respect (I’m talking to you, number 43!).

What would you use this pattern for?

Swatch Saturday: Moss Stitch

Moss stitch is similar to seed stitch, both functionally and how it is worked.  It can be used as a “plain” panel between cables.  Like seed stitch, it can be used to emboss designs on a field of stockinette.  It can be used as an all-over pattern for such things as berets and jackets. It can get a bit tedious to work, but the results are worth it. Since it has an equal number of knits and purls in each row it tends to lie flat.

Swatch Saturday – Fir Cone Lace

 
Today’s swatch is Fir Cone Lace, which I added to the WTP a very long while ago. I chose to revisit it this week because it is the lace pattern featured in the ever-popular Shetland Triangle, which I just started today.

I’ll be using a Cherry Tree Hill mill end that I got from my awesome SP Fiberfool more than a year ago, and I’ve been wondering what to make with it ever since. I’ve always thought of this color as “spruce” so a pattern with Fir Cone Lace seemed perfect!

It is coming along nicely so far.

Swatch Saturday: Openwork Leaf Pattern

I will bookend my bloggiversary week by talking about one of my favorite patterns in the Walker treasuries: Openwork Leaf Pattern. As you can see, I love it so much I used it for my banner image above.

I’m a huge nature lover, and I really enjoy botanical motifs. This is my favorite of the lace patterns that are supposed to look like leaves or ferns, because I think it best approximates a real leaf. The double decreases mimic the vein at the center of a leaf, and the yarn overs that separate the leaves give the appearance of a serrated edge seen on many real leaves.  I can’t imagine a better way to render a leaf like this one in yarn.

This is the pattern that I used in Foliage, and it has had numerous other uses.  Brynne of All this by Hand has a lovely scarf pattern that uses it.  A slight variation is used in the famous Forest Canopy Shawl.  I know I’ve seen it as the turtleneck on a sweater, but I can’t for the life of me find that now. I have a bunch of ideas for it rattling around in my head, I hope to have some of them out for fall.

Swatch Saturday: Seed Stitch

I am working on my first true deadline project, so I have not made much progress at all on my other knitting goals.  I am extremely excited about the secret project though, so it’s worth it.

As I’m beginning my Bloggiversary week, I want to introduce a new weekly feature: Swatch Saturday.  In this feature, I will take a swatch I’ve knit for The Walker Treasury Project and discuss various uses for it.

This is Seed Stitch. It is an oldie but a goodie, a true classic pattern.  It is just as easy to work as K1 P1 ribbing, but has a completely different look.  Since it is such a contrast to stockinette, it can be used to emboss shapes on fields of stockinette. It can also be used as a background to cables, as a border, or as an all-over texture. 

Seed Stitch is also a beautiful New Hampshire-based knitting and fiber blog.