Shawl/Shawlette

Lady Lismore

| Elanor

One of my patterns has made it into Knitty! And I am running a KAL with prizes!

My beautiful sister models the crescent-shaped shawlette in St. Pancras station.

Lady Lismore features a trio of wrapped-stitch stitch patterns. Wrapping a stitch is a way to make a longer-than-usual stitch. The more times you wrap the stitch as you make it, the longer it will be. On the next row, you drop the extra wraps and just work with the elongated stitch. In Lady Lismore, different ways of manipulating the wrapped stitches give different effects. Each band of wrapped stitches is separated by some gratifyingly easy stocking stitch (stockinette) sections. Increases are at the edges only, and are consistent.

The Large sample for Knitty was worked using a variegated purpley-red and an almost-completely-solid grellow.

Dragonfly Fibers Pixie 4-ply [100% Superwash Merino; 475m/4oz skeins]
[MC] Redbud; 1 skein
[CC] Weaverknits Grellow; 1 skein

The above Large shawl used up less than 100g (422yds/386m) of MC and 61g (256yds/234m) of CC.

I originally worked up the Small shawl in electric blue and shocking pink.

West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply [40% Wool, 35% Blue Faced Leicester, 25% Nylon; 400m/100g balls]
[MC] Sarsaparilla; 1 ball
[CC] Bubblegum; 1 ball

In fact the Small shawl used about 80g (350yds/320m) of MC and 40g (175yds/160m) of CC.

Now for the KAL info

If you would like to join the Lady Lismore KAL, it starts on May 1st and you can sign up here. There will be some great prizes, including yarn, pattern vouchers and a handknit Loom Band Hat by me.

Start Date: May 1st – this should give everyone enough time to source yarn and materials 
End Date: July 20th – this will give me enough time to wrap up the competition before my kids go on school holidays! 
How to enter: Sign up by introducing yourself and showing or describing the yarn you’d like to use 
Prizes: To be announced, but categories will include

  • Most “loved” – as voted by people reading the FINISHED!!! thread (automatically entered by signing up below)
  • Most “helpful” – as voted by clicking the “helpful” button on the project pages (automatically entered by signing up below)
  • First to finish – no cheating! If you’re entering this category, we need to see a pic of your unused yarn next to a date (on or after May 1st) in a newspaper or in a bank or similar (entry by posting date pic on your project page and signing up below, first to post a project with pics in FINISHED!!! thread wins)
  • Best riff – I just love it when people take an idea of mine and really make it their own, whether by changing up the colours, changing the shape, adding beads, shells, whatever – I will pick a handful and then ask for votes (entry by signing up below and stating your intention to riff)

If this sounds like your kind of -along, then please step right this way and sign up here! I’m so excited to see what you do!

Please ask questions if you have them, pop ’em into a comment below.

Xxx Elanor

Splish Splash

| Elanor

It’s Autumn, ’tis the season for splashing about with your wellies on, catching the falling russet leaves. Add a bright splash to your outfit on dull days with a Splish Splash Shawlette.Splish Splash Shawlette

A simple garter st shawlette with a raindrop fringe. This shawlette is a great way to show off a skein of hand-dyed or self-striping yarn. The pattern is easily memorisable, so you can take it to the pub or work it up in front of the TV. It widens slowly, which makes it long and narrow, perfect to wrap around your neck a good few times and stop up any gaps the rain might find.

for £3.00

Sizes

Size will vary depending on your tension and the amount of yarn you start with. The sample measures 26cm at the widest point, and the wingspan is 132cm. It was made with 2 balls (100g) of Regia 4-ply, but not to worry if you have more (or less) yarn: just increase till you have used up half your yarn, then decrease with the other half.

Yarn

Regia Colour 4-ply (4-ply; 75% wool, 25% nylon; 210m/50g balls)
Pink/Purple/Green 2 x 50g balls

Needles and Accessories

1 pair 3.25mm (UK 10/US 3) knitting needles

Tension

27 sts and 44 rows to 10cm over garter stitch pattern

Abbreviations

K: knit
Kfb: knit front and back
Rep: repeat
Rem: remain
St(s): stitch(es)

_DSC0468 (2)_a

Released: Undone Capelet

undone capelet
| Elanor

I have released a new pattern! This is a pretty little capelet that only needs one skein of yarn (1 skein for sizes S & M; L needs 2). You can easily grow it if you have more yarn available. The capelet ties closed with a ribbon. The ribbon is woven through the collar with the clever use of one-row buttonholes. Here’s the ravelry link.

undone capelet
undone capelet

The capelet is pretty enough to wear to a wedding, but I have found myself wearing it whenever I just want something to throw over my shoulders. The colour is so punk it jazzes up my outfits without going too girly. The yarn is Uncommon Everyday in POW! by The Uncommon Thread.

Available to buy now for £3

_DSC0163 _DSC0175 _DSC0177

If worked up in cotton to a longer length (800 yds 4-ply), it could also double as a beach skirt. I would also love to see how it turns out with a contrasting colour collar.

If you want to knit it up with a contrasting colour collar or as a beach skirt & can put pics on rav, drop me a line and I’ll send you a free copy.

Mwah!
– Elanor

Undone_1_a

Apples and Pears Stole

| Elanor

Knit Now 31 has 2 of my patterns in it; Biennial Jumper and Apples and Pears Stole.

20140207-095322.jpg
(Photo (c) Practical Publishing by Dan Walmsley)

This is knit in an alpaca/merino mix, which means it’s lovely and warm and has great drape. The yarn is Rooster Almerino DK available from laughinghens.com.

This stole was a very easy knit, if large. The pattern is completely predictable and memorisable, there’s no shaping and it’s all stocking stitch except for the garter stitch border. The “stairs” divide the pattern into sections, so you can easily see how much progress you’re making. For some reason, I find that knits with clearly defined sections go much faster than knits that just say “keep going until it’s x long” – perhaps because I keep getting out the tape to measure it!

Here’s a pic of it blocking so you can see it full-length.

20140207-094544.jpg

This is a great project to practise intarsia. There are a manageable number of yarns to work on each row – up to 4. The blocks are straight-edged, so there’s no worrying about carrying yarn or stranding, and if you have yarn to use up, there’s no reason you have to stick to the colour scheme given; you can put the colours in whatever order you like. Stashbust, anyone?

Swept off my feet – Kaava Lace Shawlette

| Elanor
Kaava - swept off my feet
Kaava – swept off my feet

This light little lace shawlette is quick to start, with just enough challenge to keep you interested. It uses up as much yarn as possible from that special skein of hand-dye you’ve been saving.
Kaava features a beautiful open band of Shower Stitch, an old French lace pattern. The lacy rib section frames the shawl and a nifty crochet bind-off adds the final castellated touch.

Kaava Shawlette
Kaava Shawlette (Moody shot!)

Get it now for £3

I love the phrase “to be swept off one’s feet”. It’s been running through my head since I was at the wedding of a beautiful Irish girl (whose name I’ve jumbled up for this pattern) and a very witty man earlier this year. I couldn’t tell you who did the feet-sweeping between the pair of them, but this shawl is what I plan to be wearing when my own feet next get swept under!

A wide, crescent-shaped shawl that is ideal for showing off a skein of glorious hand-dyed 4-ply yarn. The shawl features Shower Stitch, which is a beautiful old French Lace stitch.

A wool-rich yarn is recommended as this shawl needs to be blocked aggressively to bloom to best advantage.

Size
Shape: Crescent
Wingspan: 148cm / 58in
Depth: 50cm / 20in

Yarn
Shamu Makes Hand-dyed British Blue-Faced Leicester (4-ply; 100% wool; 400m/438yds/100g skein). Colour: mauve/denim, 1 skein.

Needles and Accessories
1 set 4mm (UK 8/US 6) circular needles, 80cm / 32in long
4mm crochet hook
Blunt tapestry needle
Optional, but recommended:
Stitch markers
T-pins and blocking wires

Tension
20 sts and 36 rows to 10cm/4in over stocking stitch, relaxed after hard blocking.

Wildacres Wild!

| Elanor

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!

That’s me lookin’ like a twit, cos I can’t model for toffee.

I’m so excited about this pattern. I spent AGES calculating yardage(metreage) estimates. I’ve had 11(!!!) testers try it out and the pattern is lookin’ goooooood.

This baby will eliminate your DK stash. You’re going to be buying MORE DK so you can make extra capelets. It’s warm, practical, and it’ll go with everything. Cos you can make it in one colour, three colours or as many colours as you like!

I’m so enthusiastic about this one, I’ve even taken out ads!

So go on, give it a whirl, ‘cos honest to betsy, this pattern is so well written (I’ve had such great help), you’ll be using it for years.

Hugs ‘n’ kisses for my lovely tech editor Steph Boardman and testers rwilliams, ting-ting, gothknitty, msoyster, shan79m, whatifknits, winemakerssister, marjos, podruha, puddleduckproduce, and anniepuffin.

X e