Let's Knit Series #13

New book out - beautiful lace and unusual combinations of stitches.

Links in Amazon Japan and YesAsia in the side bar.

Click the Amazon Japan icon (in the side bar) and you can look inside the book. Anyone up for the white sweater, with a high neck?

I'm in!

Sylvia,
It's those little things we don't remember--like in the past when I already signed up for the Knitting Elegance KAL. So sorry for the trouble. Glad to be involved.
Sharon from Michigan

Elegance Knit Cover - Episode 3: Body Parts finished

Not much to blog about this, it's going much easier than I thought. I followed the book charts for all decreases. Here is the front ready for the crochet border (did I mention I'll have to learn crochet soon?)

Knitting Patterns Book - Pattern 133

It looks like this

and that's one thing you could do with it:

It does involve a very impressive stitch combination ( page 123 bottom) but in real life it's quite easy, as the symbols have quite a clear logic.

The 'hook' symbol over 3 stiches, in row 17, will be the theme of the pattern and it goes like this:

drop the third st over the first 2 sts then k,yo,k. It is well described in the book.

Row 21, first grey block ( from right to left):

First start with an yo. What follows next is a decrease symbol: two lines merging : one line is the next st and the other is the stitch coming from the far end of the block, from pos. 5. So just slip the next st on the right needle, then save the next 3 sts on a cn at front and now, that we have access to the st in pos 5, slip the stitch from the right needle back and work a left slanted decrease. Next just work the 'hook' symbol using the 3 sts from the cn.

Row 21, second grey block ( from right to left):

Save the first st on cn at back (it will be used in the decrease later on). Work the 'hook' symbol as above, transfer the cn st back on the needle, right slated decrease, yo.

Row 25, first grey block ( from right to left):

Transfer 3 sts on cn, keep at front. Purl the next st ( see the little horizontal line? that's for 'purl'), then work the 'hook' symbol as above using the cn sts.

Row 25, second grey block ( from right to left):

One st on cn at back, the 'hook' symbol then purl the st from cn.

Easy !

Elegance Knit Cover - Episode 3: The Math

I needed to resize and go up a bit, so I just added two more rows of twisted stitches at each side. One row is over 3 stiches.

This gave me 144 + 6x2 = 144 + 12 = 156 stitches. It measures 49 cm unblocked and I hope to go to 53cm after washing and blocking.

And here it is what I've managed in about 6 rainy days.

A closeup.

The pattern is easier than I thought. Each side of the butterfly has one yo and one decrease in each row and it's quite obvious where to place them, as the pattern flows in continuous lines.

I am using Addi Lace needles and they are GREAT for the job, with all these twisted stitches. Do not even think of attempting this pattern or anything similar without lace needles.

Intermezzo

Finished the leaf white top.

and the indoor shot.

Easy knit, easy pattern.

Zarina is a bit too thin for this pattern and doesn't give much 'body' - I should have gone for a DK weight yarn but overall it's not very bad.

Elegance Knit cover - Episode 2: Swatching

I've swatched today and here is the result.

The pattern asks for a provisional cast-on, that's the blue border. At some point I will start the new adventure called 'crochet' and I'll try the border.

My swatch is over 28 stitches (needles size 4 mm) and measures between 9 and 10.3 cm - so I guess more or less I got the pattern gauge...

I need to achieve 55 cm across my hips, so I'm going to start the chart for the front part the way it is in the book( 5 repeats of the main pattern plus those filler rows) , PLUS 2 extra filler rows at each side. If this will still be small, then I'll declare it to be the 'back' and I'll start another front with another 2 extra rows of filler stitches. Obviously I could do a diet instead.

If this is still going to be too small (!) , there is always the magic of blocking. After all, we are talking lace here.

I 'kind of' like the yarn - apart from the fact that it splits badly in between the yos rows. I have no idea what to do about it - it happened with all yarns I've tried before ( Rowan 4ply soft, Jaeger extra fine merino and Zarina). I can't keep buying and trying new yarns, so this will have to do. But I am bit upset about it.

Otherwise it looks good.

A few words about the chart and symbols. Well, the pattern is easier than you might think, but challenging, as you'll work in pattern on both sides.

Here is a small part of the chart for the sake of discussing the symbols.

The 'swimming fish' is a twisted stitch : knit tbl.

The leaning 'swimming fishes' merging into a short line are decreases, where the stitch on top needs to be twisted. My general approach to this is to first twist the stitch that needs twisting by doing a 'slip knitwise - slip back' operation, then perform the decrease.

Apart from the twisted left leaning decrease, which is easier done with a k2togtbl.

Confused?