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

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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)

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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.

Catchloops Update – And it’s also post #100!

| Elanor

Half the reason I don’t post as often as I should is that I feel like I must have pics every time I do. That’s another of the “golden rules” of blogging. 1) Post often, 2) Have pics 3) Be interesting. 3)’s kinda optional.

Of late, I’ve been working on a secret design for Knit Now 27; getting submissions together – can’t show you any pics of them either for much the same reason, and I have two designs in testing at the mo too. One of those (le sigh) is also secret, but the other is the Kaava Shawlette that I flashed the other day.

bottom_croppedThis is my first lace shawl and I’m going to release it just as soon as it’s tech-edited and tested. Could be as close as two weeks away or as much as a month, but either way looks like it’s going to be my next released pattern.

I’m stoked to say that the response to Kaava has been overwhelmingly good. The yarn is 100% blue-faced leicester, handdyed by a friend and member of The Harrow Knitters, Shamu Makes, who has a fab eye for colour. I made it originally to go with a purple dress, but actually, it looks gorgeous with turquoise. I blocked it really hard and it has graceful, flowing drape. The main stitch patterns in it are Stocking Stitch, Shower Stitch and Lacy Rib, and the crochet bind-off reminds me of castle crenels or cogs. Something very engineering-y, anyway :)

My next projects are lots and lots of proposals – sketching, swatching and specc’ing, but I do also has some more of my own patterns in the pipeline. I find it hard to prioritise my own patterns over everything else that needs to be done – any one out there want to be my drill sergeant?

I’m looking forward to the Summer holidays – I’ll be home in Dublin for a week in August, so I’d love to catch up with the Irish yarny world, aon sceal nua for me?

Hugs, and proud to get to post #100! (It’s the little accomplishments!)

x Elanor

 

 

 

 

 

Kaava Shawlette – Testers Needed!

| Elanor

Here’s a shawlette that’s a little bit of a challenge, but in manageable doses.

Moody, arty shot follows:

Kaava Shawlette
Kaava Shawlette (Moody shot!)

The Kaava shawlette is knit flat, top-down, starting with a garter st tab CO. Then there are three featured sts: st st, shower st (a double-sided lace) and Lacy Rib (which is a super simple one-sided lace). Then a crochet bind-off gives the shawl edge the appearance of a clockwork cog.

bottom_cropped

I’m looking for testers now, so drop by the Free Pattern Testers group if you’re interested! I’ll put a link here when the request is approved.