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Shawl Shaping 101: Top-Down Half Pi

Use these formulas to plug and play your desired stitch patterns into any shawl shape with ease! These are also an awesome jump-off point for budding designers who wish to take the plunge into shawl design. Knowing how to shape it will make it that much easier to achieve your goals! This Top-Down Half Pi is a variation of the pi shawl, is started at the top and worked down. The increase rows follow the same principle as the full pi shawl: the increase rows double the number of stitches on the needles worked at intervals based on the circle’s READ MORE

Shawl Shaping 101: Basic Top-Down Triangle

Use these formulas to plug and play your desired stitch patterns into any shawl shape with ease! These are also an awesome jump-off point for budding designers who wish to take the plunge into shawl design. Knowing how to shape it will make it that much easier to achieve your goals! A Basic Triangular shawl is the simplest of the triangular shapes. It starts in the center with a garter stitch tab and is worked out with two right triangles. This is an isosceles triangle made of two isosceles right triangles. (An isosceles triangle has two sides of the same READ MORE

Achieving Proper Fit: Hats

The keys to a successfully fitting hat Take proper measurements! Use appropriate negative ease! Measure your head Ensure your tape measure is snug – Hats should fit snuggly; not too tight or too loose. To measure your head circumference, wrap a tape measure around the widest part of your head – over your hair, from your forehead, above your ears, and around the back, then round to the front again. Different hat styles have different lengths, but you should know the size of your head in relation to the pattern, so you know what to expect and what an ideal length for hats would READ MORE

Pattern Roundup: A Dash of Alchemy

This was so fun. It was a mix of a challenge with the lacework, but then it would switch to giving you a mental break with the garter stitch. – Libby, test knitter I stumbled across a definition for Alchemy that I completely fell in love with and defines A Dash of Alchemy perfectly. “A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.” How perfect is that?! When knitting this shawl, it completely applies to each step of the process. We TRANSFORM our beautiful hanks of yarn into stitches. Those stitches CREATE a lovely shawl, and those beautiful yarns are READ MORE

Pattern Roundup: Through the Witch’s Garden

Just that I love the motifs. There’s a clear floral pattern, but also a part in section 3 that reminds me of a bird skull, which makes it feel very witchy. – Kerrin, Test Knitter Through the Witch’s Garden was inspired by a few variables. I adore all things witchy, which certainly includes listening to Steve Nicks of Fleetwood Mac while dancing around my century-old witchy house. Yes, I’m totally that girl behind closed doors, lol. My favorite color, purple, is also considered a very witchy color. You stroll through intricate floral motifs while knitting this generously sized shawl. Through the READ MORE

Shawl Shaping 101: Basic Bottom-Up Square

Bottom-Up Square Shawls are the easiest to start with. It’s just like knitting a gauge swatch! You’ll cast on the number of stitches you need to obtain your desired square width, then work it flat until the length of your shawl is the same as the width. With Gauge, stitch gauge and row gauge do NOT match. You’ll have more rows than you do stitches in a square. To accurately achieve a square, you will be working off a blocked gauge swatch for your math to work. It’s more accurate to work your length based on a number of rows, READ MORE

Picot Cuff

Cuffs don’t have to be dull and are a great way to change up a sock’s look without disrupting the pattern! Your sock cuff can be anything you dream; the only real rule to ensure you follow is that it stays stretchy enough to get on comfortably and off your foot and hold well enough to keep your sock up. A Picot Cuff is an adorable addition to any sock. They’re created by working a few rounds of stockinette, followed by a row of (K2tog, yo) across the round, then a few more stockinette rounds. Once you’ve completed your sock, READ MORE

Short Row Heel

Notes Measurements – based on a gauge of 9 stitches by 11 rounds in stockinette = 1″/2.5 cm, after blocking. Gauge is crucial in obtaining the correct fit. Changes in gauge will result in a size difference for your finished socks. Directions – based on 48 [52, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72] stitches, having knit the leg or foot 0.5 [0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2]” / 1.3 [1.9, 2.5, 3.2, 3.8, 4.4, 5] cm less than your desired length. Directions for toe-up and cuff-down remain the same regardless of the sock construction (either toe-up or cuff-down). General Foot information READ MORE

Shawl Shaping 101: Basic Top-Down Crescent Shawl

Use these formulas to plug and play your desired stitch patterns into any shawl shape with ease! These are also an awesome jump-off point for budding designers who wish to take the plunge into shawl design. Knowing how to shape it will make it that much easier to achieve your goals! This fun and straightforward top-down crescent shawl is started at the top and worked down. Aggressive blocking with a stretchy bind-off makes this shape come to life. That’s what gives crescent-shaped shawls that classic curve. An applied lace bind-off looks fantastic with this shawl shape and adds additional elegance READ MORE