Knitty is not alone

The world of online knitting magazines and pattern stores has evolved. I have listed down my findings below:

Free Magazines much like Knitty

Petite Purls

Vintage Purls (NZ website)

Knotions

Daily Knitter

Pop Knits

For the Love of Yarn

Paid Subscription Magazine:

KnitNet

Knit Circus

Love of knitting

Pattern Shop:

Twist Collective

PatternFish (a little like Twist Collective but more like etsy/ebay for pattern pdfs)

quinceandco.com

Ysolda

Fluid - A Scarf

'Fluid' describes the movement in this scarf perfectly. If left un-blocked, it turns, bends, twists and curls with a mind of its own. This fluidity is encouraged by diagonal construction and blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette. It is kept in check by rows of eyelets with garter borders that separate the blocks. When blocked, it drapes elegantly, with a touch of glamor.

You can customize the scarf by changing the number of cast on stitches and the length of stockinette and reverse stockinette blocks. Suggested numbers for each of these dimensions are in brackets.

(scroll to the bottom for index of abbreviations.)

Gauge: 14 S x 18 R for 4"x4" in stockinette
Final width of scarf: approximately 4"

Pattern Notes:
knit-DIAG: sl1, M1, knit till last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
purl-DIAG: sl1, inc1 by ptfb, purl till last 3 stitches, p2tog tbl, p1
eyelet-row: sl1, rep [yo, k2tog] till end, k1
stockinette: knit RS, purl WS
reverse stockinette: purl RS, knit WS

First stitch is always slipped. Slip purlwise for purl row and knitwise for knit row to keep it consistent.

Setup:
CO even number of stitches. (18 S)
WS: knit

Alternate next 2 blocks of pattern until the scarf is 55" long.

Stockinette Block:
ROW 1 (RS): eyelet-row
ROW 2 (WS): purl
ROW 3 (RS): purl-DIAG
ROW 4 (WS): purl (begin stockinette)
Continue stockinette for next even number of rows (18 R), end with WS
Next Row (RS): purl-DIAG
Next Row (WS): purl


Reverse Stockinette Block:
ROW 1 (RS): eyelet-row
ROW 2 (WS): knit
ROW 3 (RS): knit-DIAG
ROW 4 (WS): knit (begin reverse stockinette )
Continue reverse stockinette for next even number of rows (18 R), end with WS
Next Row (RS): knit-DIAG
Next Row (WS): knit

Bind off:
Bind off in-pattern instead of the last row of the block. You can choose either block as the last one. I ended mine with Stockinette Block to keep it symmetric.

Abbreviations:
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
R: rows
S: stitches


Protected by Copyright.
Note from author: You may use this original pattern free of cost on condition that you mention the source deepthoughtworkshop.blogspot.com or provide the link to this page.

Brioche Trim Vest

Two color Latvian braid (search for video on youtube) is used to finish all edges of this vest. The bottom and neck bands are knit with 2-color brioche knit in the round.

This vest is knit in the round upto the arm shaping. Bust shaping is achieved by short rows.

Ganache - a mosaic vest

Mum made this vest using a Barbara Walker mosaic pattern. The trickiest bit was to keep the pattern going despite the neck and armhole shaping. The back of the vest is knit in a simpler color-work pattern, highlighting the lone band of Barbara's mosaic at the very bottom. The other detail in this vest is the dark-chocolate color of the neckband and armholes while the rest of the vest is knit with brown-gray and milk-chocolate. I can see this vest enjoying a fulfilling life of wear.

Shower of Lace

While browsing through the patterns in Ravelry, I came across Murcia, a free download shawl pattern by 'They Call Me Stacey'. The lace pattern of that shawl is what I used to make this curtain. The tension rod is a 14 dollar purchase and fits snugly in the shower window.

For the cast on, I used the Estonian method, but with single strand of yarn, following it up with 2 rows of knit stitches. I mimicked the look in the bind off by creating a similar garter band before casting off.

Here is a video demonstrating the cast on method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frc5_9AIVy0

Recipe
Cast on stitches for N repeats of the pattern + 4. Use Estonian method to cast on.
2 stitches on each edge are knit in garter for the selvage. Determine the number of repeats for required width, given your specific gauge.

Continue knitting in lace pattern to achieve desired length. End with WS. Purl all stitches the next 2 rows to create the ridge. Bind off in purl and weave in ends.

Weave the tension rod through the holes in the lace.

Neck-Turtle

I was in Vancouver last November. The snow, the coffee, more snow and oh the coffee - I had to knit, darn it! I located an LYS, bought some yarn and a circular needle and knit this up free-form, with no notions whatsoever, not even tape measure. I loved this project every stitch of the way; it completed my picture: snow, coffee and knitting. Perfect!

Recipe
This project is knit top-down, flat and seamed in the end. Check the gauge on a swatch of 2x2 ribbing. Cast on enough stitches so when the ribbing is relaxed, the total width is 10 inches. It should stretch to over twice that for it to accommodate the head circumference while wearing it.

My pattern has 3 rib columns create a single section that is repeated around for symmetry. So my CO number of stitches is a multiple of 6.

Knit 2x2 ribbing. Continue for 5 inches. Start the increasing. I used cable cross-overs to add interest while increasing with yarn overs and make one stitches. The key is to repeat the pattern in sections around.

Continue increasing over the next 3-5 inches depending on the length you need. Picot bind off adds a ruffle-like finish.

Tri-oche Scarf

Brioche is fascinating. It looks deceptively like stockinette and yet, conspicuously like not. Strong and architectural visually, yet squishy and stretchy to wear. BriocheStitch.com was my go-to reference for this scarf. I used soft Valley Yarns merino in worsted weight.

Mum knit this scarf so beautifully. It was to be a gift for my sister. Greedy pays - its mine now. :)



Recipe
Select 3 colours that have a fair amount of contrast to create a bold look. Mine were gray, blue and coffee.
CO an even number in coffee
Next row: knit the regular brioche stitch in gray
Next row: knit the regular brioche stitch in blue
continue knitting in brioche with every row a different color. Drop the color you knitted the row with, pick up the other yarn available on that side (there will only be one other yarn on that side) and continue knitting.
Continue for about 55 inches. The scarf builds slowly as it takes 2 rows of knitting to create 1 row of brioche. Bind off with the same color that you cast on with. Weave in ends.

Golden Eggs of the Angry Easter Bird

My niece continues to be in love with Angry Birds. She sings the tune non-stop, obsesses about unlocking golden eggs and demos the latest holiday flavor of the game. So guess what she asked me to knit for her Easter holiday.. 2 golden eggs. Ofcourse!





Recipe
CO 6 stitches over 3 DPNs, with 2 stitches per DPN. Join, making sure there is no twist. Place marker to identify start of row.
Next 2 rows: Kfb in every stitch - 24 stitches
Next 3 rows: Inc 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 42 stitches
Next 3 rows: knit even
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 36 stitches
Next row: knit even
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 30 stitches
Next row: knit even
Next 3 rows: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 12 stitches
Stuff with cotton fill
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 6 stitches
Leave a length of yarn, snip it and thread a tapestry needle with it. Run this yarn through the 6 live stitches using the tapestry needle and pull out the knitting needle. Pull tight and weave in the ends.