Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: Now for something Completely Different

Honestly, the project itself is not completely different. It’s a hat. It’s a 2-color hat. It’s a 2-color hat knitted in fair-isle technique. The difference lies in the chart.

It was generated by computer using a program coded by designer Rianna Suen.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/biome-hat

@ Rianna Suen

In her words, “Simplex noise is a clustered randomness algorithm. When translated into knit stitches, it produces a colorwork pattern with an organic look.” The upshot of it is that no two patterns will be alike. Each time you click on the link, the algorithm runs and displays a new chart. If you don’t like what you see, move a variable and run it again. Save a few runs and use the pattern that you like the most.

My chart looks hand drawn, because it is. I was unable to get a workable print-out of the computer-generated image. So, I hand copied it, just like the monks did in an era prior to the invention of printing. Ha, take that! 21st century.

Here are my yarns.

Ultra Alpaca is an old friend. I used it and loved it many years ago in making a skirt with a colorwork band at the hem. The beige skein I selected is natural undyed fiber. The forest green was selected by Henry, who will receive the hat when completed.

I’ve got the band finished.

It’s now ready for me to start working from the chart. I’ll expect that the work will go slowly. There is no pattern repeat that can be memorized. Each row is unique and there are 50 of them.

If you like to experiment with your knitting, check out the Biome Hat on Ravelry.

Posted in knitting

F.O. Friday – Cowl

I finished the Show Me Your Spots cowl a few weeks ago, but was unable to get myself photographed wearing it until this week. So here we are, in all our glory.

As I mentioned in my cast-on blog post, this pattern was chosen because it is a stash-buster. Lauren Sauvage publishes it on Ravelry, but also makes it available on her blog as a free pattern.

Now that it’s finished, I kinda like the way it fits and looks on me. So I reserve the right to keep it for myself, and not gift it.

Next week you get to see the stash-busting shawl that I am making. It is also a stash-buster. I’m improvising the design as I go along. It is looking great and I’m very keen to finish it up and show it off.

Posted in knitting

Cast On Monday

Yarn is Plymouth Encore

Good morning. The sticklers among you will point out that today is Tuesday. But yesterday I didn’t have time to write this post, due to a shopping trip to Tulsa.

My original idea was to make up my own design. It was to be a loose wrap-like cardigan, knitted from the top down, incorporating both cables and lace. I had a few false starts that didn’t please me. So I searched Ravelry for something similar and came up with this delightful pattern by Michelle Porter.

It has all the features I require and I can begin knitting immediately.

The lace pattern has no name, and it isn’t charted. But I am finding the row by row instructions pretty easily to follow.

The color number is 686. While it looks brown, in sunlight it is a heather merlot.

Increases are made by yarn-overs. I love the round motif that progresses into a twining cable. The original pattern has only two pattern repeats. I am considering modifying the back to take the cables all the way down to the waist.

Michelle’s pattern can be found here:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/finial-cardigan-ep60