Tag: knitting from a chart

Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: A Shawl for Laura

Posted on by Laura Kate

It’s a lovely day for casting on a new project. Today I started knitting a capelet for my granddaughter. Last May she asked me to make her a shawl. I chose this pattern

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-whiskey

instead of a shawl, in the theory that the button will help keep on her shoulders while she rushes about her business. She specified that it be white – a bit of a surprise, but then, maybe her favorite princesses and fairies wear white capes. She also handed me a button, obviously found and scrupulously saved for just this moment.

The yarn was purchased at my number one favorite yarn store, North Wind Book and Fiber Store in Spooner, WI.

It is a light dk. Incredibly soft, it is made from 80% Merino Superwash wool and 20% bamboo. I was keen to see how well it performs.

There are four sections of lace in the body of the cape, so I don’t think this project will work for travel knitting. For our up-coming trip, I will continue working on the improvised shawl project that I carried while cruising through Canada in early July.

Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: World Traveler Socks

Posted on by Laura Kate

Here we go a-stashbusting among the leaves so red. Fall is here in all its glorious splendor. I am working my stash again – this time to eke out a new pair of socks for Bill. He is down to one pair of LauraKate knit socks, the poor man.

This time I have three (3!) skeins from the stash. I am working from a Kate Davies pattern called Mary Delany.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mary-delany

This project’s yarns originate from three different continents.

My North American selection is a multi-hued beauty purchased at the farmer’s market in North Madison three years ago. Two skeins were acquired from a British native who was rearing sheep in Wisconsin, spinning and dyeing the wool. In 2020 I worked one skein into a hat called Rose Window.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rose-window-2

I honestly do not know anything else about this yarn, except that it is a two-ply sport weight. I know that the maker eventually returned to her native land.

My South American yarn is an alpaca blend from Peru.

I was given several skeins by friend Kathy who is allergic to wool. Its composition is alpaca, wool and acrylic. This may be my third project using this yarn. I do hope to high heaven that I can finally use it up.

And from Europe comes the remains of a skein by West Yorkshire Spinners.

I purchased this in Madison also and made Bill a pair of socks last year. He absolutely loves them. There is enough left of the skein to form the toes and ribs of this pair.

This sock is constructed from the toe up. I am using the 2-needle system, superior to working with four straight needles in avoiding dropped stitches.

I found that the stranded pattern used in the Delaney socks was too feminine looking for Bill’s taste. Instead, I chose to use Diamond Link and Dot from the 750 stitches ultimate knit bible – my well-thumbed reference book for stitch patterns.

I marked out the chart onto big graph paper to make it easier to use. This will become important when I’m travel knitting, something I see in my near future.

Posted in knitting

Cast Off Monday: Parade of Mittens

Posted on by Laura Kate

It didn’t take long for me to work up TWO pair of mittens sized child medium.

Once I got into the rhythm, I completed a mitten in a few hours each evening. The pattern made it easy to match each one to its predecessor. The yarn was soft and bouncy with a good contrast of values.

My mascot mouse approves highly.

And here is the left-over yarn. Just enough to save for future repairs.

It was a good week for busting stash!

Posted in knitting

Friday Finish: Summer Smoke Biome Hat

Posted on by Laura Kate

I’m a slow poke on this reveal. I actually cast off the Biome last week. Here he is:

Making this hat took a bit more work than I had expected, and while fun at times, it also was tedious at times. The chart was generated by an algorithm, subject to a few parameters I selected from the designer’s file generator. The resulting file was problematic to print. I also felt that the color changes were too far apart, causing really long floats. So, I copied the printout on to normal sized graph paper and inserted “sprigs.” My personal rule was to allow no more than seven stitches before inserting the contrasting color.

Here I am enjoying Summer Smoke Biome on a warm but blustery fall afternoon.

I discovered that the hat is warm and soft. It sort of hugs the head gently. To see how it would look on a child, I put the hat on a stone model – my garden statute Dicken.

This hat is so cool, I believe all family members will want one.

If you’d like to try knitting from a randomly-generated chart, please visit Biome and download the pattern. It’s Free. Then share your results with designer Rianna Suen.

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