Tag: bulky yarn

Posted in knitting

Unravelled Wednesday: 3-11-26

Posted on by Laura Kate

Joining As Kat Knits and others to share updates on my reading and knitting efforts for the week.

The project I cast on last week is quite a bit further along.

This interesting vest in a mosaic stitch is knit on big needles with bulky/chunky yarn. You see here the front and, peeking through the front opening, a bit of the back. I am within a few inches of finishing the back. The next step will be I-cord edgings around arms and outer edges. My big decision will be which of the three colors to use for the edgings – light gray, dark gray or gold. Do any of you have a favorite?

I’ve gone through most of the balls of yarns (no yarn chicken game is expected, as I have another ball of each color still in reserve.)

On to reading. For those who are Michael Pollan fans, I can suggest his latest book: A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness. Ever since I read In Defense of Food, I have been a big fan and consume everything he puts out. This topic was a bit unexpected, until I read the preface, in which he explains how he came to write about it. I was dubious from the start. After all, scholars and scientists often can’t even agree on how to describe the state of being conscious, let alone how to study it. Most often, that effort is compared to a fish trying to describe water. There’s no way to get outside of it. It’s impossible to be objective or to apply the scientific method. Anyway, I got through the first two chapters as a sample on my virtual library. As soon as a copy is available, I’ll carry on where I left off.

This post is linked to As Kat Knits Unraveled Wednesday 3-11-26.

Posted in knitting

Dropped and Found

Posted on by Laura Kate

Dropped and found

My friend Kathy tossed this knitting pattern at me a few weeks ago with a plea.  She really liked it, but was intimidated by the instructions to drop several stitches and then pick them up again.  I couldn’t understand what she was afraid of.  So I agreed to test knit this pattern.

Here is it, as designed by Jesse at Home.

Dropped and Found Wrap

Frankly, this is one of the easiest patterns I have ever knit.  It is a basic garter stitch rectangle.  The dropping and picking up takes place at the final two rows. I chose to use a bulky 2-ply yarn from Universal Yarn called Marled. I theorized that the frequent color changes would keep me from getting bored while knitting plain garter for several hours. Fortunately, I had a long, easy car trip during which most of the work took place.

120519a
My test wrap is roughly 15 in. wide by 50 in. long before blocking.

Here’s how the braided sections are completed.  On the second to last row, drop three stitches roughly every 12 stitches.  Knit one more row, leaving the needle in place.  Now gently pull the dropped stitches apart all the way down to the bottom row.  Starting with the bottom four floats, use fingers or a crochet hook to braid the floats in groups of four back up to the top.  Put the top loop of each braid back on the needle and bind off.  Voila!

120519b
I made mine narrower than the pattern called for, hence only three braids.

I can imagine several other uses for this decorative technique.  It would make an interesting treatment up a sleeve, or flanking the button band or center back of a cardigan. How else can you imaging using the dropped and found design element?