Knitting 101 - Part 3: Binding Off

This series is designed to help you learn the basics of knitting technique in a way that will smoothly transition your skills to future projects. To best use this guide, don’t try to make anything meaningful at first. Spend at least an hour making a few oddly-shaped bits of knitting about 10-12 stitches wide and 10 rows high (I call them gerbil coasters) before you dive into a real project. The key to even-looking knitting is developing muscle memory in your hands, so practice each technique several times until you get the hang of it. Remember that this is supposed to be fun, so if you’re feeling frustrated, take a break and come back to it later.

When you feel comfortable with the techniques in the series, I’ve designed a pattern, The Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty, specifically for brand new knitters. The Kitty is designed to be made up of several small parts, so if you don’t like the way a piece is looking, there’s no harm in tossing it aside and starting again.

More of a print than screen reader? The complete series (including the Itty Bitty Kitty Pattern) is available as a PDF, printed booklet, and complete kit to get you started off with high quality materials.

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Binding-Off

Binding-off secures the end of your knitting so it won’t unravel. Just as there are many cast-ons, there are many bind-offs, some more stretchy than others. Here, I’ll show you a basic bind-off that provides a firm edge.

1. Bind Off the First Stitch

At the start of a row, (a) knit two stitches as normal. On the RH needle, (b) pull the rightmost stitch up and over the other stitch, (c) dropping it off the needle. You should now have one stitch on the RH needle.

2. Continue to Bind Off

Continue as in Step 1: knit one stitch, pull the rightmost stitch on the RH needle up and over the new stitch. You should still have only one stitch on the RH needle. Repeat until there is one stitch on the RH needle and no more stitches to bind off on the left.

3. Secure the Bind Off

(a) Enlarge the final loop slightly and remove from the needle. Cut or break the yarn leaving at least a 6” tail (more if you intend to seam with it). (b) Pull the tail through the final stitch and (c-e) pull tight to secure. If not using the tail to seam, use a tapestry or darning needle to hide the tail on the back side of your knitted fabric. (For a helpful tutorial on various methods for weaving in ends visit https://www.purlsoho.com/create/weaving-in-your-ends/)

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With your knowledge of casting on, the knit stitch, and binding off (plus a little bit of seaming) you could make an endless number of square or rectangular objects from coasters and cowls, to scarves and ponchos. I’ve designed a simple, fingerless glove pattern to put your new skills to use!

Continue on to Part IV - Beginner’s Mitts (COMING SOON)>>>

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Knitting 101 & Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty

Sale Price:$8.00 Original Price:$12.00

Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty - PDF Pattern

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Knitting 101 - Part 2: The Knit Stitch (Continental Style)

This series is designed to help you learn the basics of knitting technique in a way that will smoothly transition your skills to future projects. To best use this guide, don’t try to make anything meaningful at first. Spend at least an hour making a few oddly-shaped bits of knitting about 10-12 stitches wide and 10 rows high (I call them gerbil coasters) before you dive into a real project. The key to even-looking knitting is developing muscle memory in your hands, so practice each technique several times until you get the hang of it. Remember that this is supposed to be fun, so if you’re feeling frustrated, take a break and come back to it later.

When you feel comfortable with the techniques in the series, I’ve designed a pattern, The Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty, specifically for brand new knitters. The Kitty is designed to be made up of several small parts, so if you don’t like the way a piece is looking, there’s no harm in tossing it aside and starting again.

More of a print than screen reader? The complete series (including the Itty Bitty Kitty Pattern) is available as a PDF, printed booklet, and complete kit to get you started off with high quality materials.

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The stitch from which knitting gets its name, the knit stitch (combined with the purl stitch) is the basis of all knitting. For now, we will focus on the knit stitch only. Something that is worked with all rows knitted (where the back and front look the same) is called Garter Stitch. There are two main styles of knitting Continental Style/“Picking” or English Style/”Throwing.” Both work equally well. I’ll be showing Continental Style because that’s how I knit (I also think knitting Continental makes it easier to keep an even gauge, and is more efficient and ergonomic, but that’s just my opinion).

1. Tension the Yarn

Make sure you have about 1 yard of yarn pulled out between the cast-on needle and the ball. (a) At about a hand’s width away from the needle, drape the end of the working yarn (the strand closest to the ball) over the pinky finger of your left hand with your palm up. (b) Flip your palm down so the yarn forms a loop around your pinkie and (c) scoop up the strand near the needle with your index finger so it rests on the back on the finger. (d) Pick up your cast-on needle with the thumb, middle, and ring finger of your left hand and adjust yarn around your fingers so it is slightly taut as it runs from needle to index finger to pinkie. The yarn should be BEHIND the left hand needle. Pick up the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Form a Knit Stitch

(a) Insert the tip of your right-hand (RH) needle into the front (from palm to fingertip) of the loop closest to the end of the left-hand (LH) needle. (b) Slide the tip of the RH needle out past the yarn strand running over your left index finger, then scoop the RH needle tip toward your palm, “picking" up the yarn strand and (c) pull it through that first loop. You should now have a new loop on the RH needle. (d) Using your right index finger to push the LH needle down, (e) slide the old loop off the LH needle and let it drop. You’ve just knit your first stitch!!

Repeat Step 2 until you’ve worked all the stitches on your LH needle. Move the empty needle to your RH and the full needle to your LH and keep going!

NB: To count the number of rows you have worked in Garter Stitch, look at the front of your work (the tail from the cast on will be on the RH bottom edge). Each row of “bumps” or Garter ridges (above the cast on edge) equals two rows knitted. In Figure 2f, there are 6 rows knitted

Continue on to Part III: Binding-Off >>>

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Knitting 101 & Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty

Sale Price:$8.00 Original Price:$12.00

Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty - PDF Pattern

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Knitting 101 - Part I: Casting On (Long Tail)

This series is designed to help you learn the basics of knitting technique in a way that will smoothly transition your skills to future projects. To best use this guide, don’t try to make anything meaningful at first. Spend at least an hour making a few oddly-shaped bits of knitting about 10-12 stitches wide and 10 rows high (I call them gerbil coasters) before you dive into a real project. The key to even-looking knitting is developing muscle memory in your hands, so practice each technique several times until you get the hang of it. Remember that this is supposed to be fun, so if you’re feeling frustrated, take a break and come back to it later.

When you feel comfortable with the techniques in the series, I’ve designed a pattern, The Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty, specifically for brand new knitters. The Kitty is designed to be made up of several small parts, so if you don’t like the way a piece is looking, there’s no harm in tossing it aside and starting again.

More of a print than screen reader? The complete series (including the Itty Bitty Kitty Pattern) is available as a PDF, printed booklet, and complete kit to get you started off with high quality materials.

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Materials

To start with, I suggest the following materials:

• US Size 5 or 7 (3.75 mm or 4.5 mm) straight (single point) knitting needles in wood, bamboo, or metal.

  • Wood and bamboo are the most “grippy”

  • Metal is more slippery, but solid

  • I do not recommend plastic, as it has a tendency to bow.

• A Worsted Weight Yarn in 100% Wool

  • Wool yarn is the most forgiving to work with at first. Some inexpensive options for 100% wool yarns are available from Brown Sheep, Lion’s Brand and Quince & Co. in the US. My personal preference is for Brown Sheep Nature spun Worsted, which is used in these photos.

  • Avoid cotton (it’s inelastic) and any hairy Angora/Alpaca/Mohair) or specialty yarns (hard to see stitches).

  • A wool/acrylic blend is preferable to straight acrylic, but either will work.

• Want to save yourself a shopping trip? Pick up my Knitting 101 Kit!

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The Long Tail Cast On

1. Estimate the “Long Tail” length

As the name indicates, you’ll need a long tail of yarn to work this cast-on. To estimate of the length of the tail, estimate 1-2” of tail for each cast-on stitch (the bigger the needles, the longer the tail). Over time you’ll get better at guessing the tail length. Better to have too long of a tail, which you can cut, than too short a one.

2. Form a Slip Knot

(a) Fold the yarn in half, forming the top of a loop, so the tail (the half of the loop that is not attached to the ball/skein of yarn) is the length you estimated in step one. (b) Wrap the tail around the folded yarn, and then (c) pull the tail through the loop you just made, forming a slip knot. (d) Pull on the tail, until the loop closes to a size slightly larger than your needle.

3. Insert your Needle into the Slip Knot

(a) Insert the tip of your needle into the slip knot and (b) pull until the loop is snug, but not tight.

4. Tension Yarn in Your Left Hand

(a) With the needle above your left hand, pinch the tail and the yarn attached to the ball (the working yarn) with the pinkie/ring/middle fingers of your left hand so they are lying parallel to one another, with the tail on the right side. (b) Slide your thumb and index finger in between the two strands (above your middle finger and below the needle), forming a diamond shape. The working yarn should be behind your index finger and the tail should be behind your thumb. (c) Pull the needle down toward your palm, forming a loop around your thumb.

5. Cast on a Stitch

Keeping your thumb and pointer finger in a firm “L” shape, (a) insert the tip of the needle into the bottom of the loop on your thumb, going from palm to fingers, then (b) coming from fingers to palm, scoop up the strand on your index finger and (c) pull it through the loop on your thumb. (d) Drop the thumb loop over the edge of the needle and (e) pull to secure – again, going for snug, not tight. You have now cast on one new stitch.

Repeat Step 5 until you have the desired number of stitches cast on. When counting stitches, include the initial loop you made with the slip knot. There are 10 stitches in Fig. 5f.

Continue on to Part II: The Knit Stitch: Continental Style >>>

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Knitting 101 & Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty

Sale Price:$8.00 Original Price:$12.00

Itty Bitty Knitty Kitty - PDF Pattern

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Knitting Vertical Pleats and Pintucks

It’s no secret that I learned to sew long before I learned to knit, and I still love them both, but while sewing is essentially the art of taking a flat piece of fabric and manipulating it into a 3-D structure, the magic of knitting is that you can work that structure into the very fabric itself.

The simplest example of this is knitting in the round - rather than knitting a flat piece and seaming it into a tube, you just make the tube to begin with. Similarly, increases, decreases, and short rows can be used to form curves and undulations. I love designing my stuffed animals in the round, because it forces me to think in three dimensions from stitch one. But when it comes to garments, I’ll admit to finding a bit of a thrill in translating traditional sewing techniques, like pleats and pintucks into knitted forms.

Just like with sewing, working a knitted pleat involves securing folds in the fabric. To work a horizontal pleat, like in my Bob & Wave Cowl (see bottom of post), you pick up and knit a stitch from several rows down together with every active stitch. The vertical pleat, as used to shape the hands of the Turning Leaf gloves, is worked across two rows and is a tad more involved, so I’ll walk you through the process step by step.

Here I use the the term “tuck” to cover pintucks (which are very narrow tucks) and any other vertical pleat.

The Turning Leaf Gloves (used as an example here) have a series of three tucks across the back of the hand. The tucks start at three stitches wide near the wrist, and then decrease to a two-stitch tuck, and then one-stitch tuck just below the fingers.

I’ll be showing the three-stitch tuck throughout, but the same technique can be applied to a tuck of any width. A tuck with more stitches being folded will be more visible and decrease more fabric.

In the image above, I’ve already worked four rows of the three-stitch tuck pattern. You can see the three tucks, and the four recessed “channels” that fall on the sides of the tuck. Worked over two rows, the tucks are formed by slipping the tuck stitches on every other row and pulling the working yarn very tightly across the back, which pulls the stitches on either side of the tuck closer together, essentially folding them and holding the fold together.

ROW 1

1. Knit to the start of your first tuck.

2. Slip the tuck stitches (here, three stitches) on to a spare double-pointed needle or cable needle held in front of your work. [NB: if your tucks are small, you can use the same spare needle for all the tucks in a row]

3. Tension the working yarn tightly as you work the first stitch post-tuck. The more snugly you work the stitches together on either side of the tuck, the more visible your tuck will be. Continue knitting normally until you reach the next tuck.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the end of the tuck section.

In the example shown, the tuck section is 11 stitches wide: three tucks three stitches wide, plus one spacer stitch on either side of the center tuck. When you finish working your first row of tucks, you should have nine stitches (width of tuck x number of tucks) on your spare needle (or needles, if your tuck is very wide).

ROW 2

1. Knit to the start of your first tuck.

2. Pick up and knit the tuck stitches (here, three stitches) off the spare needle.

3. Knit normally to the next tuck.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all stitches are back on the main needle.

It will take a couple of rows until the tucks start to look like anything on the right side of the fabric. On the wrong side of the fabric, you should clearly see where the working yarn has held behind the slipped stitches. Try to keep that horizontal line the same length for tucks of the same width, and the short it is, the more prominent your tucks will be.

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GET KNITTING!

Try out the pattern below which incorporate tucks, horizontal pleats, or smocking!

Turning Leaf Gloves - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Bob & Wave Cowl – PDF Pattern

$6.00

Smocked Tank - PDF Pattern

$0.00

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Embroidery 201: Coloring Your Embroidery

I often describe doing embroidery as "Coloring with Thread" and more specifically, to think about working satin stitch as coloring with a very sharp colored pencil.  Turning that one it's head, today I'm going to talk about how to color your embroidery with colored pencils, crayons, and watercolors.

All the coloring implements used in this tutorial are your basic Crayola crayons, colored pencils, and watercolors, which I borrowed from my five year old (like you do). The techniques will work with whatever materials you have on have, but I chose to use the Crayola products because they're inexpensive and widely available - all of which is to say, you don't need fancy art supplies to make these techniques work. 

Skin tones in colored pencil makes the suits "pop"

Skin tone in satin stitch makes a bolder statement

If embroidery is like coloring, why would you want to color your embroidery? 

A reasonable question.

One of the great things about embroidery is that is provides a fabulous texture and dimension to your work, but that texture isn't always want you want. For me, this usually happens in regards to skin and backgrounds.  I don't want a heavily textured background, because I want my primary image to "pop." I don't always want to stitch in the skin tone, because it can make the skin look "lumpy". 

Other times, it may just be that your hoop needs a bit more color, and you don't fill like satin stitching inches of sky or dirt. Either way, it's a good technique to have in your toolbox. 

A few things to keep in mind when using any of the three techniques below:

• Test your color on a corner of your fabric - it may not look the same as on paper.
• Just because the crayon/pencil/marker/etc says it's washable, doesn't mean that it's totally washable. Once you start coloring, you're probably committed, so keep that in mind and test first.
• It's  easier to color your fabric before you do the stitching. I'm terrible at following this tip, but it is true.  And if worse comes to worse, you can always cover up a color you don't like with stitching, rather than having to pull out stitching because your watercolors bled. 

Crayon

• Crayons give a nice soft color and are easy to blend and build to darker colors.
• The higher the amount of pigment the better - avoid waxy crayons.  
• Crayons will pick up on any texture under them including the texture of the fabric. You can use this to your advantage - if, for example, you want a wood grain texture, place your fabric on top of a piece of plywood. If you don't want additional texture, make sure to work on a smooth surface.

Colored Pencils

• This is my personal favorite, easy to do, hard to screw up. 
• The fine point of a pencil makes it easier to do detail work, especially if you've already stitched your piece.
• It won't pick up texture as much as crayon, but tends to create stroke lines. 
• Build in layers to get darker tones.

Watercolor

The prettiest results are often the trickiest techniques. With watercolor, you're essentially spot-dying the fabric and it can be tricky to control. I literally went through four versions to get this technique right for this tutorial - so try on scrap fabric and don't get frustrated if you don't get it the first time. 

Some tips for success:

• I'd only recommend watercolor for larger areas.
• Put a dry paper towel under the fabric - it will soak up the extra fluid and help control the bleed.
• Try to get your brush as dry as possible when working near the edges of the design.
• Barely touch the brush to the fabric. A tiny touch is all that's needed for the fabric to wick the fluid/color off the brush.
• Work from the outside in and start at least a quarter inch out from the line you're trying to color up to. This will give you a chance to figure out how much the fabric bleeds.
• Embrace the imperfections. Watercolor is going to give a mottled effect - if you want a solid color, go with crayon or pencils. 
• Let the work dry completely before adding additional layers of color or beginning stitching.

Experiment and Have Fun!

Using traditional art supplies can be a fun way to add color to your embroidery pieces. And don't limit yourself to these three - try markers! Glitter glue! Have a mixed media field day!! 

To get started on the next step of the process, check out the tutorials below or click here for a downloadable PDF of basic stitches

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Beach Beauties - Complete Kit

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Seed Sower

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Reading Lace Charts: A Tutorial

When a non-knitting colleague or friend sees me knitting with an open pattern in front of me, they’ll often take a quick glance and ask if I’m a) taking a multiple choice test or b) cracking a code. 

I always get a good laugh because, in some ways, they’re absolutely right! If I’m knitting up a multi-sized pattern, and I’ve circled or highlighted the stitch counts for my size, that’s pretty much multiple choice and if you’re never come across the language and abbreviations for knitting before, it might as well be a foreign language. 

The same goes for knitting charts - they are little boxes of code - but once you’ve cracked it (and have a few tricks up your sleeve) they’re a great tool!

Today, I’m going to walk you through reading a lace chart for soup to nuts. And all you need to do is ask yourself three simple questions.

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THE KEY

A lace chart comes with two pieces: the Chart and the Key. The Chart shows you the stitch pattern and the Key shows you what all those little symbols mean. 

Before you do anything, look at the Key. Some knitting symbols are fairly standard (a blank box is a knit stitch, a dot or a dash is a purl, a circle is a yarn over), but how different increases and decreases are displayed can vary by designer and publisher. 

Generally, increases and decreases are going to lean in the direction that the knitting will eventually lean, so something more or less looking like this: 

\

can be any kind of left leaning decrease. Slip, slip, knit is a common one; but it could also be slip 1, knit 1, pass the slipped st over; or k2tog through the back loop. 

The designer will have made a choice in designing - so check the key and ask yourself our first question. 

Question #1: What do these symbols mean for this pattern? 

There’s a reason the designer chose that particular decrease - it could be that it plays to the design best, or it could simply be their personal knitting preference. If the design calls for a SSK but you prefer k2tog tbl - feel free to switch it up! It might result in a slightly different look, but it’s your knitting. 

(Is the Key missing? It totally happens sometimes in the process of getting something to print. Your best bet is to email the designer/publisher or you can see if there is a written out version of the chart and extrapolate from there).

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THE CHART 

Now that you know what all the little symbols mean, you can start to read the chart. But before you get into the nitty-gritty (knitty-gritty?) of individual stitches, it’s best to look at some big-picture items first.

ORDER 

First, unlike text, you read a lace chart in the direction you knit. That is, right to left, bottom to top (see red arrows above). The stitches and rows should be numbered in this direction to guide you. 

ROWS/ROUNDS

A lot of lace patterns are designed so you don’t have deal with any yarn overs or increases/decreases on the wrong side of your knitting - you focus on all the “tricky stuff” on the front, then mindlessly purl your way across back.

Even if a lace pattern in worked in the round, you often alternate between a lace round and a non-lace round. (Fun fact: patterns with yarn overs on every round are called openwork). 

But those “spacer rows/rounds” aren’t just nice from a mental break perspective, they make a big different in the way the lace looks - skip it and you’ll have a really squat-looking pattern. So they’re important to remember.

Knitting designers and publishers like to save space (especially magazines), so they often truncate charts to the most pertinent information. Which leads us to…

Question #2: Is this chart showing every row/round or every other row/round?

To tell, look at the numbers along the side the chart.

If it’s a chart for knitting flat, right side row numbers (usually odd numbers) are generally listed to the right hand side of the chart. Wrong side row numbers (usually even numbers) are generally listed to the left hand side of the chart. 

The chart above is for openwork, there’s yarn overs on both right and wrong sides. All rows are shown, because you need to know what’s happening on every row. 

But a lot of times, there’s nothing interesting happening on a wrong side row. So to save space, the chart will omit it. 

On this chart, every wrong side row is purled, so the chart only shows the information on the right side. The numbers on the right read 1, 3, 5, etc, but instead of having a “spacer row” between them (as in the openwork above), they’re right next to each other. 

The same rules go for lace worked in the round. If all you’re doing on an even-numbered round is knitting, the chart probably won’t take up space to show you that.

This chart is an example where every row/round is knitted, but there’s only lacework (i.e. yarn overs) done on the right side. So why bother with showing all the rows/rounds? 

Take a closer look at those wrong-side rows (in blue). The pattern combines purl bumps with the lace, so to carry that pattern, the bumps need to be worked on every row/round. 

REPEATS

The next big-picture thing to look at is repeats. If a shawl is 100+ stitches wide, showing all those stitches in impractical, and, honestly, not that helpful if the pattern repeats every 6 stitches. Repeats help break down the pattern into manageable chunks. So next you want to know: 

Question #3: How does this pattern repeat? 

Since they’re generally both horizontal and vertical, repeats are typically shown with a box that  outlines the repeat area. 

If we take another look at the chart above (which is designed for the top of the foot of a sock) - the full lace section (only 35 sts) is represented, but even with that there are repeats. Each repeat is 10 stitches wide and 9 rows high). But here’s where it can get tricky - you have a 10 stitch repeat over 35 stitches - there should be three full repeats, plus 5 extra stitches, right? 

Not always.  

If you look at the chart above, sts 24-33, they are almost exactly the same as sts 14-23 and 4-13. It acts like an additional repeat. But there's one important exception with stitch 33 on row 5. Instead of a double decrease, like the other repeats, it’s a single decrease. The other “half” of the double decrease is at stitch 3 on row 5. SO if you're marking out a repeat (on your page or in your mind) make sure it's a true repeat. 

Now, assuming that the item this chart is for something taller than 10 rows/rounds high. When you get to row/round 11, just start back at row/round 1.  

Here’s another chart (for a shawl), which shows only a portion of the lace section. Section A1 is worked across about 439 stitches, B1 across 411 stitches, and C1 across 387 stitches. But the charts for each section look about the same width.

This is possible because each section uses a 6 stitch wide/12 row high repeat. The stitches on the left and right of the repeat box are just to get to to that repeating section.

For example, to knit chart A1, row 1: you’d knit the first 11 sts to the right of the repeat box as charted (SSK, k4, yo, k2tog, k4) and then you’d repeat the section within the box as many times as you needed until you were 6 stitches from the end of the row (or marker, whatever the design dictates) and then you’d finish up with the last 6 stitches of the chart (yo, k2tog, k3, k2tog)

And that's basically how most lace charts work!

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TIPS AND TRICKS

KEEPING YOUR PLACE

With a large lace (or colorwork) chart - the trickiest part is keeping your place. There are a lot of tools available to help.

You can purchase some pre-made items like magnetic boards or copy holders.

OR

You could also be a little more DIY and use highlighter tape, washi tape, post its notes (my go-to) or a ruler. Basically anything that’s straight, long enough and easy to move (but won’t slip when you’re in the middle of a row!) 

If you are using something opaque (like a post-it), arrange it so the bottom of the marker is ABOVE the row you’re working on, so you can still see the rows you’ve already worked. That way you can continually check to see if everything is lining up appropriately.

LIFELINES

If you want some extra security when working lace, you can always put in a “lifeline.” To insert a lifeline, thread up a darning needle with some high-contrast colored yarn and slip it through the live stitches on your knitting needle, as if to put them on a holder. 

But instead of removing the stitches from your knitting needle, remove the darning needle and leave the “line” in and continue knitting normally. If you make a mistake you can’t easily fix, rip out back to the lifeline which will nicely hold your stitches for your while you put them back on the knitting needle. Only insert a lifeline into a row you’re confident is correct, and if you’re going to use them, I’d recommend inserting it after every repeat or more often if the rows are really long. 

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RECAP

To read a lace chart go right to left and top to bottom. Before knitting, ask yourself the following three questions:

Question #1: What do these symbols mean for this pattern? 

Question #2: Is this chart showing every row/round or every other row/round?

Question #3: How does this pattern repeat?

With those answered, you should be ready to tackle some charted lace! 

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GET KNITTING!

For some beginner-friendly lace patterns, check out the following designs:

West Branch Cowl - PDF Pattern

$6.00

The West Branch Cowl was designed to show off a special skein of handspun or hand-dyed yarn and is a great beginner lace project - the lace is only on the right side and has a short repeat. 

Ferrous Shawl - PDF Pattern

$6.00

The Ferrous Shawl uses simple motifs that are easy to memorize and was designed for the complete beginner to lace shawl knitting in the traditional triangle shape.

Maian – PDF Pattern

$6.00

The Maian shawl consists of two 4-stitch repeats and all the increases are done on the edge with a backward loop cast on, meaning you won’t get your lace yarn overs confused with your increase yarnovers.

Cresting Waves Shawl - PDF Pattern

$6.00

The lace border on the Cresting Waves Shawl is only 21 stitches wide and is knit separately from the body of the shawl, so if you make a mistake, you only have to tear back a few stitches (instead of the whole body of the shawl) to fix it.

Want a little challenge?

Alaria - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Alaria uses the same construction as Ferrous, but adds some more complex motifs.

Rambling Eden - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Rambling Eden uses the same construction as Cresting Waves, but with a really wide border and openwork lace.

Bracteole Sock - PDF Pattern

$6.00

Bracteole takes lace into the round and adds some purls into the mix. (And it’s the main chart we’ve been looking at throughout this tutorial!!)

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Transferring Embroidery Patterns to Opaque Fabric

Generally, when it comes to transferring a printed pattern on to fabric for embroidery, my favorite (easy and cheap) method is to tape it to a window and trace.  But what do you do if you can't see through the fabric, even with a window/light box? 

Enter tracing paper. 

A pretty common notion in the sewing world, my mother taught me to mark my sewing fabric with tracing paper and a jagged edged wheel. For transferring embroidery designs, we'll skip the transfer wheel and use a pen, pencil or stylus to do pretty much the same thing.

Transferring an Embroidery Pattern to Opaque Fabric

To transfer an image to opaque fabric you will need the following:

• Fabric
• Embroidery design printed to appropriate scale and facing the finished direction
• Single-sided transfer/tracing paper in a contrast color (I used double-sided here, because it's what I had on hand. In a pinch, you could rub a piece of chalk generously across a sheet of paper and use that.)
• A pen, dull pencil, or stylus. Something with a decent point to get details, but not so pointy you poke through the paper.
• Chalk pencil or water-soluble pen (optional)

1. Sandwich the transfer paper, chalk side down, between the fabric.
2. Trace over the pattern using your pen, pressing firmly and going over each line several times as needed to make a clean mark. 
3. Remove pattern and transfer paper.
4. The chalk marks can be very light and easy to brush off - if desired, trace over your marks with a chalk pencil or water-soluble marker for a more clear line.

That's it! Easy-peasy, right? 

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Felt Ornament PDF Pattern

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Corrugated Ribbing Tutorial (for Two Hands)

Corrugated, or two-color ribbing, is a common decorative edging on many colorwork designs, including my Woodland Mittens. It has a great effect, but it can be a bit trickier than regular colorwork, which is usually done all in knit stitches.

I'm typically a "picker" or continental style knitter, but this tutorial will use both the "picking" and "throwing" techniques for the most efficient way to work this pattern. Not familiar with continental style? This is a helpful tutorial. 

By working the rib with two hands this way, you don't have to fuss with dropping and picking up a different color for each stitch.

For the purposes of this tutorial, the green will be our contrasting color, or CC; and the grey will be the main color, or MC. This tutorial also assumes you will be working in the round.

One important thing to know before you start, two-color ribbing will have less recovery/elasticity than regular ribbing, so you may wish to go down a needle size, especially if you're replacing a solid rib with a corrugated one.  

To start, cast on in your CC and join in round. Knit one round in CC.

Join your MC at the start of the round. From here, you will knit in the CC, and purl in the CC.

Take your CC, or the color you will be doing knit stitches with, and hold it in your right hand. Take the MC, or the color you will be doing purl stitches with, and hold it in your left hand, tensioning the yarn around your pinky finger as in Continental style. To begin, both yarns should be behind the needles, with the CC in front of the MC. 

Step 1: With the yarn held in your right hand, work a knit stitch by "throwing" or wrapping the yarn around the needle with your right hand. 

Step 2: Shift the left hand needle, so the MC yarn is in front of the work. Purl the next stitch Continental-style. Shift yarn back behind work.

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you reach the desired length of rib! 

Ready to Get Knitting?!

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Embroidery 101: French Knots, Shading, Blanket Stitch and Finishing

Today we'll look at more fill stitches, namely the French knot and using satin stitch to blend colors. Then it's on to the last step - finishing your hoop to hang! 

FRENCH KNOT

The classic stitch for adding texture, the French knot is a great addition to your stitching vocabulary.

FRENCH KNOT

1. Secure thread at back of fabric.
2. Bring up needle through fabric at desired position.
3. With needle pointing away from fabric, wrap thread around shank of needle 2-3 times. (The more wraps, the bigger the finished knot).
4. Holding onto the yarn tail until it becomes too short, push the needle down through the fabric just next to the spot it came up in. Pull snugly against fabric.

Repeat steps 2-4.

Excellent for eyes, textured fill on things like hair, clouds, sheep.

SHADING

To create blended or shaded colors, I use "hairy" satin stitch, but instead of using one color for the entire section, I use a contrast color for one or two "rows".

Again, think of it like coloring with a very sharp colored pencil.  Using a single ply will give you a more blended look than 2 or more plys.

To subtly define the individual petals and clean up the edges, I used backstitch to outline each petal in a single ply of the darker shade.

BLANKET STITCH and FINISHING YOUR HOOP

While you could certainly do any number of things with your finished stitching (make it into a pillow, quilt square, a pocket, etc.) my favorite thing to do is frame it in the hoop. 

FINISHING THE HOOP

1. Using the smaller inner hoop, trace a circle unto some felt and set aside.
2. Put the inner hoop back on and make sure your finished image is placed where you want it in the hoop.
3. Run a long line of basting stitches about a 1/2" from the edge of the inner hoop, securing at one end and leaving a long tail.
4. Pull on the tail to gather the extra fabric around the back of the hoop.
5. Place the felt circle over the gathered fabric and attach with a whip stitch or a blanket stitch (see below)

BLANKET STITCH

So named because it was often used to finish the edges of wool blankets, this is my favorite way to sew two pieces of felt together, or create a tidy edge.

1. Leaving a long tail, insert your needle back to front about 1/4” from edge of fabric. Pull thread around outside edge of fabric and re-insert in needle at same spot, making a loop. Send your needle sideways under this loop at the top edge of the fabric, grabbing a bit of the fabric to anchor your thread.
2. Insert needle back to front 1/4” from previous stitch at same distance from edge. Pull needle so thread tail is trapped along edge of fabric. 

Repeat step 2.

For a one-stop guide to all the stitches covered in this series,  click here for a downloadable PDF of basic stitches

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