ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Take a punt – look at those yarns you have – Gather together the yarns that you have in the weight you wish to knit, mix fibre, mix colours – and play.

Choose the correct needle size for the average yarn weight.

Play with the yarn – sort it in rows to see how the colours work together, change the order, check that you love the colours together – follow your gut feeling.

Weigh the yarn. Divide your yarn into 2 piles, with 1/2 the weight of yarn in each pile, one pile for each half of the throw. It is important so that you can see how far the yarn goes as you are knitting and be alerted early to the fact you may need more yarn than you have to hand, early enough to add maybe add another colour on the first half if needbe.

This baby blanket was knitted using yarns left over from other baby projects. It was large enough to be folded over as a pram cover, and when used flat as the correct size for a cot blanket. Because it is knitted on the diagonal it looked great whichever way it was used.

Pattern: the throw is knitted from a corner to opposite corner.

Cast on 4 stitches
K3, YO, K1, turn
Slip 1, K2, YO, knit to end, turn

Slip 1, k2, YO, knit to end, turn – repeat this row until the side is the right width for your throw.

Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2tog PSSO, k to end, turn (decreases one side only)
Slip 1, K2 YO k to end

Continue with these 2 rows until the side still being increased is the correct length for your throw.

** At this point it is a good idea to weigh the knitting as it is halfway through, if you didn’t at the beginning that is. Check the weight of your remaining yarns and see if you need any additional yarns to complete the piece.

Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2 tog, PSSO, k to end, turn
Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2 tog, PSSO, k to end, turn

Continue with the decreases on every row until 4 stitches remain.

Cast off 4 stitches.

NOTE: note the decreases are on both edges – so that the knitting will converge at the point directly opposite the Cast on point.

It is not possible to give yarn quantities – as it depends on your yarn weight and the needle size you choose as well as the intended size of the finished baby blanket or throw.

I will set this up later as a formal pattern and provide it as a pdf – in the meantime – just give it a go.

Shepherd Waistcoat – cream and white free form knitting in a unisex piece

This piece was created with an idea of the organic shape – growing and changing by the changes in my stitches. I gathered all my whites and creams together – and there were quite a few. Some were knitted as is, and some were knitted with two or three strands to make up the required yarn thickness to more or less match in tension.

The knitting stitches include garter, loop, stockinette, Yarn overs, drop stitch, rib, etc to create the organic shape but still keep the stitch numbers overall correct to the pattern. I did increse my stitches strategically and then remember to decrease them again to add some of the curves into the knitting. The yarns and stitches were generally changed on a whim – as I created and viewed the piece while I was knitting it in one piece from the bottom.

I used a basic waistcoat pattern and then I played.

You can do that as well – give yourself permission to play with yarn and stitches and see just what transpires. The trick is to maintain the stitch count and not have stitches that will make the piece wider where the armholes should be. There can be freedom there as well – but you do want a reasonably normal area around the arms. The front has a V shape on one side and the other went straight up to a more rounded neck line – but the shoulders had the same stitch count for the 3 needle cast off.

Click through to the Etsy listing here

more photos of the Shepherd Waistcoat on Facebook

I will not provide a pattern for the piece as it is a truly free form creation.