Tag: mosaic stitch

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

12-03-25 Unraveled in DBQ

Posted on by Laura Kate

It’s time to share my second CuscoCozzy Kimono project with the band of faithful Unravellers. On Wednesdays, As Kat Knits provides a link for sharing – Thanks, Kat.

By Monday, I had finished knitting both halves.

The pattern calls for these to be joined at the center back using 3-needle bind-off. I tried to work this step, with no real success, giving up after about an half hour. The edges were so curly that I couldn’t pick up the stitches. It was clear to me that the pieces would need to be blocked now. Because I had only one set of drying blocks, I washed and blocked each piece separately.

First half pinned out to dry.

Two days later, after both sides had dried, I completed the maneuver: Using two long cable needles, pick up stitches at each center back edge. Align the two edges right sides facing. With a third (short) needle knit together a stitch from each needle. Repeat. Pull first stitch up and over second stitch. Do this until all stitches are worked into the bind off.

Viola:

I know, friends, the finished object is enormous. And the intended recipient is narrower than I am. (sigh) Hopefully, she will not mind being swamped. At least the sleeve length looks good.

For those who are curious, here is a link to my first kimono knit from this design. My yarn for this version is Cascade 220 in Teal and KnitPicks Chroma in Lava Party.

To see what the other Unravelers are making this week, click here.

Posted in colorwork, knitting

Cast-on Monday: By Request

Posted on by Laura Kate

Last week my yarn order from Knitpicks arrived, so I cast on the balaclava requested by my daughter. But before that, I sent her photos of several color options.

She chose:

Gold Rios by Malabrigo, natural Hawthorne and RainForest Heather Stroll by Knitpicks.

It’s a bold choice but not surprising selection.

Here you see the Dice check colorwork design that Gretchen Tracey used in her pattern. It’s a simple slip-stitch – one worked in three colors over six rows.

Interesting construction – the piece starts out with an odd-looking rectangle that forms the crown. Stitches are then picked up on the two long-edges, with the live stitches carrying on down the center back.

At this point, the piece reminds me of a horse-shoe crab. Strange to think of wearing a crab on one’s head. But I have faith that it will sort itself out and look more like a helmet when finished.

I’m modifying this Kid’s Balaclava pattern to fit an adult. There will be a bit of suspense as to whether my changes will be enough to give a good fit. On the plus side, it knits up so quickly I won’t be too distressed if I have to frog it back.

Posted in colorwork, knitting

C.O.M. * Stashbusting Mania

Posted on by Laura Kate

Okay my friends, I have been concentrating on knitting projects that use up stash yarn for just about seven months now. I have knit two-color cowls, socks and mittens; three color scarves; and four-color shawls. Yet, based on the looks of my yarn closet, I still am not making a big dent in the wool. Soooo much remains. Argh! 

At this point, I am dropping my careful technique of pulling full skeins of compatible colors, weighting the volume of yarn then selecting a pattern that will make use of the mass. Now it’s just grab anything and cast on, then think about what it will become. Hence my current cast-on using these pitiful pieces of yarn.

There’s not much to work with and the weather is getting colder. The obvious answer is fingerless gloves. I happen to have a quick and easy pattern sourced from Klamath Basin Wool Works. It’s called Off-the-grid mitts.

Wool stories

As I recall, these are available as a free download from the site.

Here’s my start, using size 3 double point needles.

Off the grid is an appropriate name for this pattern. It is a playful reference to the grid-like texture which results from the mosaic stitch. (Slip one and knit one for two rows, then knit two rows of the main color.) In the end, you will have something to warm your hands if you live off the grid.

This knit should go fast, satisfying my manic need to keep knitting. Then, in a cooler frame of mind, I can return to a more methodic way of using up my left-overs.

* C. O. M. = cast on Monday.

Posted in colorwork, knitting

Cast-Off Monday

Posted on by Laura Kate

Shaking things up a little bit, with a Cast-Off Monday post. Since I have failed utterly to document my progress on this knit, I’ll start at the end of my work, and just mention the beginning.

This colorful wrap is a result of raiding my stash. Much earlier this year, I pulled full and partial balls that sorta went together. After matching the resulting yardage up with a pattern, yarn and copy of said pattern were shoved into a bag. Eventually I had five bags of future projects hanging in my yarn closet.

It was time to start this one. Sorrento Wrap is designed by Sian Price-White and calls for two colors of yarn – dark and light.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sorrento-wrap

https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CloudForestStudio/674348453/webp/20200114_083517_small2.webp#jpg

I had selected five different yarns for this project, with the intention of working the extra colors into various sections of the shawl.

Almost immediately I discarded the rayon blend red (in the upper left of the bowl) when it proved to be too flimsy. All other yarns, with the exception of the warm pink yarn, are by KnitPicks. The two blues are Gloss in fingering weight. The multi is a Stroll hand-painted. I’ve forgotten where I got the warm pink fingering weight.

After I finished my cast-off today, I stepped outside for a quick photo shoot.

Diamond and chevron sections are visible here. That diamond stranded section gave me trouble while reading from the row-by-row instructions in the pattern.

I ended up charting it out.

Another modification made was to add a few matching beads to the chevron border.

The section with the light blue stripes features diamond mosaic stitch pattern. That was my favorite. I’ll want to work this mosaic pattern into a future project.

Fresh off the needle, the shawl looks pretty awkward. Once I’ve blocked it and woven in ends, I’ll get another photo, then decide if I like it or not.