1.26.2011

Digression

Hey Knitter,



I feel like this is somewhat knitting related, and entirely adorable.

Also, the brioche class last night went well. Brioche can be challenging. Picking up dropped brioche stitches is more challenging. Cao and I are working hard on Still Light in Swans Island fingering. What an amazing yarn in amazing yardage!

xoxo,
Haven

1.25.2011

Newsprint Cowl

Heeeyyy Knitter,

I'm teaching a class on the brioche stitch at one of our local yarn stores, Stix. I wanted to do brioche in the round, and I love the Honey Cowl that we've all made, and this is what I came up with:



This is an oversized brioche cowl, knit in the round. Two skeins of yarn are worked in paired rows. During the first round, the dark is worked, and carried over the light, which is slipped, via yarn over. The next round, the light is worked and carried over the dark.
The width of this cowl may be adjusted by casting on any even number of stitches.
Please note: some abbreviations are not traditional.
Yarn: Two different colors of any worsted weight yarn. For the purpose of clarity, one skein will be called dark (D), one will be called light (L). 
Needle: Size 8 US (5.0 mm) 24” circular needle.
Abbreviations:

k - knit
p - purl
s - slip (as if to purl)
yf - yarn forward (bring your working yarn to the front)
yo - yarn over
st - stitch
p2tog - purl the slipped D stitch and its corresponding L yarn over together.
k2tog - knit the slipped L stitch and its corresponding D yarn over together.
Pattern:

With D: cast on 160 stitches using a long tail cast on. 


Join L at the end opposite your working D yarn and begin next round.
Set up round with L: *k1, yf, s1* repeat between the *’s to end of row. Be sure to leave the yarn in back at the end of the row, laying across the slipped stitch. This maintains the last yo. 

After completing this, you should see one knitted L stitch, then a L yarn over that crosses over the slipped D stitch, repeated around. There should be a yarn over that crosses over every slipped stitch throughout the pattern.
Being cautious not to twist, join in the round and begin.
The remainder of the pattern is knitted by repeating these next two rows.
Round 1 (with D): with yarn in front, *s1, yo, p2tog* repeat between the *‘s to end of row. D will always hang in front of the work at the end of the row.
Please note: When making a yarn over, because your yarn is already in front of the needle, the yarn will be going from front to back then around the needle to the front again - wrapped completely around the needle, and crossing over the slipped L st.
Round 2 (with L): *k2tog, yf, s1* repeat between the *’s to the end of the row. Again, be sure to leave the yarn in back at the end of the row, laying across the slipped stitch. L will always hang to the back of the work at the end of the row.
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until the cowl has reached desired length (the pictured cowl is around 10”), then bind off loosely using the following technique: 
*knit 2 together through the back loop, return the stitch to the left hand needle* repeat between *’s until end all stitches have been completed.
Weave in ends, and block, stretching width-wise to emphasize the stitch.


Enjoy!

By using this pattern, you agree to use it only for your personal non-commercial use. Please do not reproduce or sell the pattern without explicit consent from Haven Leavitt.

A Harbinger...

Once upon a time, there were two young ladies, born and raised in the arctic. Many long, cold nights gave way to a passion for time-consuming crafts and woolen wares. Alone Together sprung from their mutual affection for knitting.

On Ravelry:
Lidped
Havenaht

11.06.2010

Man Hat Here



Man Hat:


A no-fail hat, perfect for the man that is hesitant to wear knitwear. Both yarns are super soft for their ever-so-sensitive heads. Makes a fairly large hat.


Needles: 16” US Size 8 (5.0mm) circular needle, 4 US Size 8 (5.0mm) double pointed needles.
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande or Malabrigo Yarn Chunky, one skein of either.


CO 64 stitches using a long tail cast on. (For smaller or larger sizes, add or subtract CO stitches in multiples of 8, or change yarn size.)
Connect and begin to work in the round.


Round 1: *k1, p1* repeat between *’s until the end of the round.
Round 2: knit around


Repeat until hat measures 7”, ending with a Round 1. Divide stitches evenly onto double pointed needles and begin decrease rows.


Decrease Rounds:
1: *k6, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
2: *k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
3: *k5, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
4: *k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
5: *k4, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
6: *k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
7: *k3, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
8: *k1, p1, k1, p1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
9: *k2, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
10: *k1, p1, k1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
11: *k1, ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.
12: *k1, p1* repeat between *’s to end of round.
13: *ssk* repeat between *’s to end of round.


Eight stitches remain. Break thread, leaving around 8” of yarn. Pull through remaining 8 stitches with a tapestry needle. Weave in ends.


Pattern copyright Haven Leavitt 2010. This pattern is for personal use only. By using this pattern, you agree to use it only for your personal non-commercial use. You may not distribute this pattern in any way, but you may sell items produced using the directions in this patten.