tutorial – working a Left Twist

Tutorial working a Left Twist

In one of the designs I’m working on, I’m using a lovely intricate stitch pattern from the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida. In this particular stitch pattern, a Left Twist stitch is used. So, in this post, I’ll go into the details on how to work this stitch.

The basic characteristic of a Left Twist is that it switches the order of 2 adjoining stitches, one “main stitch” and one “background stitch” to make it appear that the main stitch travels to the left. The background is usually reverse stockinette. The main stitch is usually worked twisted (working the stitch through the back loop) stockinette. This way it pops even more against the background.

The instruction from the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible for this stitch consists of the following text:

With RN, go behind first st and p second st without removing it from LN; ktbl first st and slip both off LN.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve tried this, but following the above instruction didn’t give me anything resembling the picture of the worked left twist. It may be due to where I had my yarn or the fact that I knit weird, who knows? Anyway, I did some more research and found that this type of traveling stitch is also used quite a lot in Bavarian knitting. I also found that there are quite some ways it can be worked. Take for example this one from leethalknits.com, the one described in this Interweave article or the elaborate description of methods by Rox over on Ravelry.

Personally, I found just changing the order of the stitches before actually knitting them (as one would do for cabling without a cable needle) to be easiest. So that’s what I will show you in this tutorial.

Materials used

  • Painbox Simply DK Spearmint Green
  • KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 125 Spearmint Green.

Needles: KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles. In this tutorial, I used the 4 mm (US 6) size with a cable length of 80 cm (32 inches).

Some words about the swatch

In this swatch, I’ve taken part of the stitch pattern in which I encountered the Left Twist stitch. It consists of a k3, p4 rib in which the left-most knit stitch travels across the purl stitches until it joins the next column of knit stitches. As you can see, I’ve already worked one RS row with a Left twist, as well as it’s accompanying WS row.

Working a Left Twist, starting swatch

Working a Left Twist step by step

1. The first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle in the picture below, are the ones we’re going to work the Left Twist over. In other words: we’re going to switch the order of the knit and the purl stitch, to make it appear that the knit stitch travels to the left.

Working a Left Twist, step 1

2. First I make sure to move the working yarn to the front of the work since the first stitch to work will be a purl stitch. Next, I grab the yarn directly below the 2 stitches to be switched and pinch down as pictured.

Working a Left Twist, step 2

3. Next, I move these stitches off the left-hand needle. Keeping the fabric pinched, makes sure that the stitches won’t ladder down.

Working a Left Twist, step 3

4. Then insert the left-hand needle knit wise into the loose stitch on the right to put it back on the needle. Make sure to keep pinching the fabric underneath the other stitch! Especially now we’re placing some stress on the yarn.

Working a Left Twist, step 4

5. Now insert the left-hand needle knit wise into the remaining loose stitch and put it back on the needle. This can be somewhat fiddly.

Working a Left Twist, step 5

6. Now it’s time to insert your right-hand needle purl wise into the first stitch from the tip of the left-hand needle.

Working a Left Twist, step 6

7. Next, wrap your yarn around the needle, pull it through and let the stitch slide of the needle to complete the purl stitch.

Working a Left Twist, step 7

8. Next is to work the traveling stitch itself. To make it pop against the background and tighten it up a bit, this stitch is worked through the back loop. So, insert your right-hand needle knit wise into the first stitch from the tip of the left-hand needle.

Working a Left Twist, step 8

9. Next, wrap your yarn around the needle, pull it through and let the stitch slide of the needle to complete the twisted knit stitch.

Working a Left Twist, step 9

Then what?

On the following wrong side row, work the stitches as they present themselves. In other words: what looks like a knit stitch is knit, what looks like a purl stitch is purled, and the “traveling stitch” itself is purled through the back loop. Below is how it looks after a couple of more rows have been worked. Please note this piece has not been blocked!

Working a Left Twist

Of course, there is also a Right Twist tutorial, you can find that one here.

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Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

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dutch knitting festival 2019 Zwolle

The Dutch Knitting Festival Zwolle is the most popular knitting and crocheting event in the Netherlands. There will be more than 80 exhibitors, inspiring guests from the world of fiber crafts, over 30 classes and workshops, free yarn tastings, and demonstrations, and, of course, lots of opportunities to knit and crochet together. Perfect for inspiration-filled days with and among like-minded people. And parking is free!

At the upcoming edition in the IJsselhallen in Zwolle, on October 11 and 12, 2019, there will again be a surprising program. And I’ll be teaching a workshop on Friday the 11th on fixing mistakes in your knitting!

Fixing Knitting Mistakes with La Visch

You are knitting happily along when suddenly you notice it: a mistake in your knitting, 5 cm down in your project! Ripping it all out is a waste of time, that’s why you will learn in this workshop how to correct mistakes while the project is still on your needles. You will learn how to pick up fallen stitches (in the middle and at the edge of your work!) and how to correct a decrease or increase. You will also learn a good approach for repairing mistakes in a lace or cable pattern. If you have a project in time-out with such an error, do take it with you! In that case, a cushion in a light color and a pack of pins is also handy to have.

This workshop is suitable for a wide range of knitters; we all make mistakes when knitting. To get the most out of this workshop, it is, however, advisable to have already completed some knitting projects. These do not have to be very complex projects, but experience with simple decreases such as k2tog and ssk/skp, increases such as the yarn over and m1 as well as with simple lace knitting is useful.

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For more information on this workshop, visit the workshop page (in Dutch) on the Dutch Knitting Festival website.

  • Workshop fixing mistakes at the Dutch Knitting Festival Zwolle
  • Fixing a mistake in knitted lace with La Visch Designs

Early bird tickets for admission and this class are available through the workshop page from July 24th, 19.00 (GMT+1).

Will I see you at the Dutch Knitting Festival Zwolle? Do let me know if you plan on visiting. In case of questions or remarks regarding the workshop you’re, of course, also welcome to contact me. I’m very much looking forward to seeing there!

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monegros

Monegros shawl by La Visch Designs

Monegros is a simple yet stylish triangular shawl knit sideways on the bias, named after the Monegros Desert in northeastern Spain. The combination of garter stitch in a variegated hand-dyed yarn and simple lace in a solid/tonal yarn makes it a perfect choice to get the best of both worlds. Due to its shape and generous size, it’s perfect to wear as an elegant scarf.

The pattern contains both fully written out as well as charted instructions for the lace section.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

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Difficulty level

Stitches used include knit, yo, k2tog, skp, kfb and a centered double decrease. This pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

Finished dimensions of the sample shawl: 195 cm (76 ¾ inches) along the upper edge and a depth of 66 cm (26 inches), measured after blocking.

The shawl can be made larger by adding more repeats of the garter stitch and/or by working more repeats in the lace section. This will, of course, increase the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

  • Gauge: 14.6 sts / 26 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over garter stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is, however, not critical in this design.
  • Pattern languages included: English, the Dutch version will be available soon. (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
  • Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size)

Materials

  • Yarn: C1 – 1 skein Sticks & Cups Sockstravagance (80% Merino, 20% Nylon; 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g) in “Santorini”, C2 – 1 ball Rauma Baby Panda (100% Merino; 175 m (191 yds) / 50 g) in 54 “Orange”. Substitute any variegated fingering weight yarn for C1 and any solid or tonal colored fingering weight yarn for C2 for a similar result.
  • Size 4 mm (US 6) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles.
  • Removable stitch marker to denote the RS of the shawl (optional)
  • Yarn needle

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tutorial – Russian grafting stockinette

Tutorial Russian grafting stockinette - by La Visch Designs

Russian grafting is a method of joining live knitting stitches together. It’s an alternative to the Kitchener stitch and is a quick and easy method for finishing off your knitted piece. In this tutorial, I’ll show you the in’s and outs of using the Russian grafting method to connect 2 pieces of stockinette fabric. Of course, this method has pro’s and cons when compared with the Kitchener stitch, which I’ll go into below.

Pro’s

  • When using Russian grafting on stockinette, a decorative seam is created on the outside of the work.
  • No working yarn is necessary, this makes this method, not a “true” grafting method.
  • When grafting with this method, the stitches of the pieces to be joined align better than with Kitchener stitch grafting. This can be desirable when using patterning.

Con’s

  • Since Russian grafting is worked by pulling existing stitches through other stitches, there is no way to adjust the tension of the graft.
  • The seam will be visible if it’s used on a piece of very open lace fabric.

Materials used

  • Painbox Simply DK Spearmint Green
  • Pony crochet hook

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 125 Spearmint Green.

A crochet hook in the same size or slightly smaller than your knitting needles. For example this * Pony Aluminum Crochet Hook in size 4 mm.

Russian grafting step-by-step

I’ve made 2 little swatches of stockinette and slipped one of those to another knitting needle, making sure the yarn tail is on the left side. Position the needles as pictured. Now we’re ready to start the actual Russian graft!

Russian graft preparation

Set-up

1. Back needle: Insert the crochet hook purlwise through the first stitch on the needle …

Russian grafting stockinette set-up step 1

2. … and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting stockinette set-up step 2

3. Front needle: Insert the crochet hook purlwise through the first stitch on the needle ….

Russian grafting stockinette set-up step 3

4. … and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting stockinette set-up step 4

5. Now pull this second stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting stockinette set-up step 5

Repeat

1. Back needle: Insert the crochet hook knitwise through the first stitch …

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 1

2. … and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 2

3. Pull this last stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 3

4. Front needle: Insert the crochet hook knitwise through the first stitch …

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 4

5. …and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 5

6. Pull this last stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting stockinette repeat step 6

Repeat steps 1-6 until all stitches have been worked. At this point you will have 1 stitch remaining on the crochet hook:

Russian grafting stockinette result of repeat

To finish the graft, pull the yarn tail through this last stitch to secure it. This was the reason to shuffle the stitches around on one of the swatches, otherwise, we wouldn’t have a yarn tail available.

And that’s how Russian grafting on stockinette is done! The seam is very decorative on its own and could be used as a design element instead of a 3-needle bind-off. Think for example when closing the shoulder seams on a bottom-up sweater.

Russian grafting stockinette, the result
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full fade hap

Full Fade Hap - a design by La Visch Designs

Worked in this lovely fade yarn, hand-dyed by AG2N Hand Dyed Yarns, the Full Fade Hap makes for a wonderful, cozy shawl, which is perfect to wrap up in on a chilly day. This shawl is made in the tradition of the shawls from the Shetland Isles, making for a very interesting construction.

Start the Full Fade Hap at one corner of the center square and increase until big enough, then decrease. Pick up stitches along the edges, and work the stunning border outwards. Each color band in its own lace patterning. The shawl is finished with a gorgeous edging that is knitted on sideways and attached to the live stitches of the border as it is being worked.

Want to knit this shawl in the smaller, triangular version? Take a look a the Half Fade Hap!

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

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Difficulty level

This shawl is worked both flat back and forth as in the round. Techniques used include working a knitted-on edging and grafting remaining stitches together using Kitchener stitch. Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, k2tog, k3tog, skp, and various double decreases.

This pattern is suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

Finished dimensions of the sample shawl: 146 cm (57 ½ inches) square, measured after blocking.

Pattern details

  • Gauge: approx. 12.7 sts / 25 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over the center square, measured after blocking Gauge is not critical in this design.
  • Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
  • Digital PDF has 8 pages (letter size)

Yarn

In the sample hap shown, AG2N Hand Dyed Yarns Softy Sock Fingering (75% Merino, 25% Nylon; 422 m (462 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and amounts was used:

C1: 211 m (231 yds) / 50 g in “Fade 1”
C2: 211 m (231 yds) / 50 g in “Fade 2”
C3: 211 m (231 yds) / 50 g in “Fade 3”
C4: 211 m (231 yds) / 50 g in “Fade 4”
C5: 211 m (231 yds) / 50 g in “Fade 5”
C6: 422 m (462 yds) / 100 g in “Fade 6”

Substitute wool fingering weight yarn of comparable thickness, in a fade sequence for a similar result, or with 1477 m (1617 yds) / 350 g yarn in a single color.

Materials

  • Size 4 mm (US Size 6) 80 cm (32 inches) or longer circular needle.
  • Extra needle in size 4 mm (US Size 6) for the applied edging and grafting.
  • Yarn needle
  • 7 stitch markers to denote the corner stitches/quarter sections
  • 1 differently colored “end-of-round” stitch marker
  • Stitch markers to denote repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
  • Waste yarn for provisional cast-on

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tutorial – Russian grafting garter stitch

Tutorial Russian grafting garter stitch - by La Visch Designs

Russian grafting is a method of joining live knitting stitches together. It’s an alternative to the Kitchener stitch and is a quick and easy method for finishing off your knitted piece. In this post, I’ll show you the specifics for Russian grafting garter stitch. Of course, this method has pro’s and cons when compared with the Kitchener stitch, which I’ll go into below.

Pro’s

  • When used to join garter stitch pieces together, the seam blends in with the garter stitch ridges.
  • No working yarn is necessary, this makes this method, not a “true” grafting method.
  • When grafting with this method, the stitches of the pieces to be joined align better than with Kitchener stitch grafting. This can be desirable when using patterning.

Con’s

  • Since Russian grafting is worked by pulling existing stitches through other stitches, there is no way to adjust the tension of the graft.
  • The seam will be visible if it’s used on a very open lace fabric, even if it’s garter-stitch-based.

Materials used

Paintbox Simply DK Vintage Pink
Pony crochet hook

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the colors 125 Spearmint Green and 155 Vintage Pink.

A crochet hook in the same size or slightly smaller than your knitting needles. For example, this Pony Aluminum Crochet Hook in size 4 mm.

Russian grafting step-by-step

I’ve read that Russian grafting is a seaming technique commonly seen in patterns for traditional Orenburg shawls with garter-stitch-based lace edgings. For this reason, in this tutorial, I’m showing you how it’s done with the help of a swatch of an applied garter stitch lace border. It’s a miniature version of the edging on my Full Fade Hap.

Since I didn’t have the time to knit it all around the center square, I just did the provisional cast-on followed by one repeat on the right in the below picture. On the left, you can see a repeat of the edging plus turning the corner minus the very last row, just as in my Full Fade Hap. The reason I’m omitting this last row is that we otherwise have a row of purl bumps on each needle. When grafted together, this gives a very bulky and visible seam. Without that last row, the grafted seam is much less notable.

Russian grafting preparation

Preparation

First is undoing the provisional cast-on on the right piece and placing it on a knitting needle, starting at the body side of the waste yarn. It isn’t visible in this picture, but that’s where the waste yarn chain is, indicating the point where it can be undone easily. Make sure to place the stitches correct (not twisted) on the needle.

Please note that in this example the provisional cast-on was 15 stitches (needed for the lace patterning to start correctly), while there are 16 live stitches on the left (15 from the border and 1 remaining live body stitch). To solve this, I picked up an extra stitch at the shawl body side.

Russian grafting garter stitch preparation

I’ve turned everything 90 degrees clockwise. Make sure the right side is facing, and the yarn tail is on the left side. Now we’re ready to start the actual Russian graft.

Set-up

1. Back needle: Insert the crochet hook purlwise through the first stitch on the needle ….

Russian grafting garter stitch, set-up step 1

2. … and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting garter stitch, set-up step 2

3. Front needle: Insert the crochet hook purlwise through the first stitch on the needle and slide it off the needle. This is similar to what you did in steps 1 and 2.

Russian grafting garter stitch, set-up step 3

4. Now pull this second stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting garter stitch, set-up step 4

Repeat

1. Back needle: Insert the crochet hook knitwise through the first stitch and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting garter stitch, repeat step 1

2. Pull this last stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting garter stitch, repeat step 2

3. Front needle: Insert the crochet hook knitwise through the first stitch and slide it off the needle.

Russian grafting garter stitch, repeat step 3

4. Pull this last stitch through the first stitch on the hook, so only 1 loop remains on the crochet hook.

Russian grafting garter stitch, repeat step 4

Repeat steps 1-4 until all stitches have been worked. At this point, you will have 1 stitch remaining on the crochet hook:

Russian grafting garter stitch, result

To finish the graft, pull the yarn tail through this last stitch to secure it. And there you have it! The seam may seem bulky, but that’s mostly because I’ve used relatively thick yarn here. When using fingering weight yarn at a loose gauge, it will blend in nicely in garter stitch!

Russian grafting garter stitch, result
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Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

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5-year anniversary!

Gift box - 5-year anniversary

It seems like it was yesterday, but it really has been 5 years since I started designing professionally. Of course, I published some patterns before, but it was in June 2014 that I made it all official by registering La Visch Designs as a business with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. And yes, I know it’s July by now. June was a bit too hectic to add 5-year anniversary celebrations into the mix, such is life. And there will be celebrations!

I had so much fun preparing everything when I went through all my designs. It seems that in the past 5 years I really found my own style and voice. I also have moved towards designing larger shawls, vs the one-skein shawls I started out with.

Anyway, will you celebrate my 5-year anniversary with me? Read on for more information!

How does it work?

The upcoming 10 days, once every 2 days, I will post below a gallery of designs for each of the years that I’ve been designing. Only in those 2 days, the patterns presented are available with a whopping 50% discount of the regular price, using the code that will also be posted below. The code can be used more than once by everyone.

Place your patterns in the cart and use the coupon codes given below for a 50% discount on the regular price. Each coupon is valid for 2 days only:

  • Year 1: Valid from July 5, 0:00 to July 6, midnight CEST 2019.
  • Year 2: Valid from July 7, 0:00 to July 8, midnight CEST 2019.
  • Year 3: Valid from July 9, 0:00 to July 10, midnight CEST 2019.
  • Year 4: Valid from July 11, 0:00 to July 12, midnight CEST 2019.
  • Year 5: Valid from July 13, 0:00 to July 14, midnight CEST 2019.

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tutorial – Kitchener stitch: grafting garter stitch

Tutorial grafting garter stitch using Kitchener

As I already wrote in the stockinette Kitchener tutorial, it seems there are 2 distinct camps: either you love it or you hate it. Kitchener stitch is a method of grafting two sets of live stitches together in an invisible way. It’s often used in a stockinette based fabric to seamlessly close the toes of top-down socks, for example. To do so, the needle is passed through the live stitches of the pieces of knitting to be joined, in a similar manner similar as the direction in which a knitting needle is inserted within a stitch.

And it may surprise you, but working Kitchener stitch is also very well possible in a garter stitch based fabric. The magic trick behind this is that because you’ll be creating an extra row of stitches, one of the garter stitch pieces needs to be one row shorter than the other. In other words: If you have ended one piece with a right side row, you’ll need to end the other piece with a wrong side row!

Materials used

Paintbox Simply DK yarn in Marine Blue
Hiya Hiya Darn It Yarn Needles

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the colors 133 Marine Blue for the swatches and 155 Vintage Pink for the Kitchener stitch.

Darning needle: * Hiya Hiya Darn It Yarn Needle, or any other tapestry needle, threaded with yarn.

Working Kitchener to graft garter stitch step by step

Set-up

Before we start, we have to make sure that the two pieces of garter stitch fabric that we will be grafting together, each have the same number of stitches.

We also have to make sure that one of the pieces is ended with a right side row and the other on a wrong side row. But how to recognize which is which? Personally, I usually use the knitted-on CO method. This means that once I’m done with casting on my stitches, there are stitches on my right-hand needle, ready for knitting, with the yarn tail on the left side. So, when facing the right side, the yarn tail will always be on the left bottom corner of the work!

2 garter stitch swatches and a darning needle

You can, of course, also use a removable stitch marker in each piece to indicate the RS. In these swatches, though, I’ve worked a little bit of stockinette to indicate the right side.

1. To start, we hold the two needles containing the live stitches parallel to each other, with the wrong sides of the fabric facing inside and the right sides facing outside. Hold the shorter piece in the back.

Positioning the swatches

2. Take your darning needle and pass it purlwise through the first stitch on the front needle. Pull the yarn through, while leaving the stitch on the needle.

Set-up step 2

3. Next, thread the darning needle purlwise through the first stitch on the back needle. Again, pull the yarn through, while leaving the stitch on the needle.

Set-up step 3

Repeat

1. Front needle: Pass the darning needle knitwise through the first stitch of the front needle. Pull the yarn through and slip the stitch off the needle. The below picture shows how it looks after the stitch has been dropped.

Grafting garter stitch step 1

2. Front needle: Next, thread the darning needle purlwise through the second stitch on the front needle. Leave the stitch on the needle and pull the yarn through.

Grafting garter stitch step 2

3. Back needle: Pass the darning needle knitwise through the first stitch of the back needle. Pull the yarn through and slip the stitch off the needle. Again, the picture shows how it looks after the stitch has been dropped off.

Grafting garter stitch step 3

4. Back needle: Next, thread the darning needle purlwise through the second stitch on the back needle. Leave the stitch on the needle and pull the yarn through. Be careful not to pull your yarn too tightly!

Grafting garter stitch step 4

Repeat steps 1 to 4 until only 1 stitch remains on each knitting needle. Take care to gently adjust the tension of the newly made stitches every few stitches to match the fabric of the pieces you’re grafting together.

Finishing Kitchener in garter stitch

1. Now insert the darning needle knitwise into the stitch on the front needle and pull the yarn through, dropping the stitch from the needle.

Kitchener stitch on garter stitch

2. To finish, insert the darning needle knitwise into the stitch on the back needle. Pull the yarn through and drop the stitch from the needle.

Kitchener stitch on garter stitch

And that’s how you work Kitchener in garter stitch!

Tutorial grafting garter stitch using Kitchener
Patreon logo

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

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ramalina

Ramalina shawl by La Visch Designs

The Ramalina shawl, named for the greenish lichen, was inspired in both construction and coloring by this wonderful part of nature. The plain stockinette body lets the subtle variegation of the silk yarn used really shine.

Ramalina is a semi-circle Pi shawl worked from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter stitch tab. Finish the shawl with a gorgeous lace edging in the contrast color. The instructions for the lace are provided both charted and written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)

€

Add to cart

Difficulty level

Ramalina is a half-circle shawl, knit from the top down, starting with a garter tab cast-on. Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, m1, kfb, k3tog, a left-leaning double decrease, and lifted-over knot stitch.

This pattern is suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size – finished dimensions: 186 cm (73 ¼ inches) along the upper edge and a depth of 65 cm (25 ½ inches), measured after blocking.

Pattern details

  • Gauge: 20 sts / 27 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette, measured after blocking. Gauge is, however, not critical in this design.
  • Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
  • Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size)

Materials

  • Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn Swiss Silk (100% Silk; 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g) in the following amounts and colors: MC: 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g in “Peridot” and CC: 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g in “Moss”. This yarn and pattern are also available as a kit from Sweater Sisters! Substitute any silk (or other smooth and drapey) fingering weight yarn for a similar result.
  • Size 4 mm (US Size 6) 80 cm (32 inches) or longer circular needle.
  • Yarn needle
  • Stitch markers to denote repeats of the lace patterning (optional)

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tutorial – working a purl-side right-leaning lifted increase

Tutorial working a purl-side Right Lifted Increase (RLIP)

People usually shape knitwear by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches. There are, of course, lots of different versions possible. In this tutorial, I’ll focus on the purl-side right-leaning version of the lifted increase. If you’re looking for the knit-side right-leaning lifted increase, just click here.

What is a lifted increase?

Basically, it’s exactly how it’s called: an increase that you work from a stitch below the one next on the needle. This stitch is lifted to be able to work into it. The purl-side version is called the same as the knit-side version, only with “purl” added after it. Right Lifted Increase (Purl) with the abbreviation RLIP.

Materials used

  • Paintbox Simply DK yarn in Marine Blue

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Marine Blue.

Needles: * KnitPro Nova Cubics Special Interchangeable Needle Tips, pictured here in the 4 mm (US 6) size, combined with a * KnitPro Purple Single Cable with a length of 100 cm (40 inches).

Working a purl-side Right-Leaning Lifted Increase step by step

I’ve made a little swatch (continuing the same one from the RLI tutorial!) and will be making the increases 4 sts in from the garter stitch border when viewed from the wrong (purl) side.

Swatch

1. To start, insert your right-hand needle from bottom to top into the horizontal purl bump directly below the first stitch on the left-hand needle.

Start of the RLIP

2. Next, place the lifted stitch on the left-hand needle, making sure that you place it non-twisted. In other words: the left leg of the stitch is behind the needle and the right leg is in front.

Step 2 in working a RLIP

3. Now insert the other needle into the front of the stitch as if to purl….

RLIP tutorial

4. … and complete the stitch by wrapping the yarn around the needle, pulling it through and slipping the worked stitch off the needle as usual. You have now increased one stitch.

One stitch increased

5. I worked a couple of more rows, with increases on the WS (purl-side) rows only and 4 sts in from the garter stitch edge. This is how the piece looks:

Tutorial working a purl-side Right-Leaning Lifted Increase (RLIP)

Let’s turn the piece around

When turning the little swatch around to see how the RS of it looks, I found this:

Tutorial working a purl-side Right-Leaning Lifted Increase (RLIP)

Turns out that a purl-side Right Lifted Increase gives a rather lovely left-leaning result when viewed from the right side of the fabric. I’ve searched the internet to see if I could find any more information about it, but alas. So this is for now, good to know though!

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