You’re probably familiar with those cute French knitting dolls. With the doll I had as a child, I probably made dozens and dozens meters of cord. At that time the making of just the cord itself was enough, nowadays I really only use cord when needed in addition to another project. Think of straps or closures for wrap cardigans.
Nowadays I don’t use French knitting dolls anymore for my cord needs: I make cord with just my knitting needles. This type of cord is also know as “I-cord”, with the “I” standing for “idiot” because it is indeed idiotically easy to knit.
Most tutorials for i-cord indicate that double pointed needles or circular needles are needed. This is because after the setting up the stitches and the working the first row, the work is not turned. Instead the stitches are pushed to the other side (point) of the needle. However, this approach does not work if you want to attach the cord to an existing piece of knitting.
That’s why I’ll show you in this post how to knit an i-cord without the pushing around of stitches. With this method, you can also just use regular straight needles if you wish. I don’t, but that is just because I like knitting with circs better.
I-cord is usually knit over 3 to 5 stitches. In this example I’m going to make i-cord on 3 stitches. In short instruction would be as follows:
I-cord: Cast on 3 sts. *k 3, sl 3 sts just worked back on the LH needle, pull yarn tight across back of sts; rep from * to desired length.
Knitting i-cord step by step
1. Cast on 3 stitches, in this example I used the knitting-on method.
2. Knit 1 row.
3. Slip the three newly knitted stitches back to the left hand needle one by one.
4. Pull the yarn tight and make sure it is behind the work.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 until the cord has the desired length. In the picture below, I repeated these steps about 10 times.
Knitting i-cord is indeed, not too difficult, right?
Worked in this lovely rustic yarn by Moeke Yarns, the Elena Half Hap makes for a wonderful cozy shawl. Perfect to wrap up in on a chilly day. Elena is made in the tradition of the shawls from the Shetland Isles, making for a very interesting construction.
Elena starts at one corner of the center triangle and increased until big enough. Stitches are then picked up along the edges and the stunning striped border is worked outwards. Finish the shawl with a gorgeous edging that is knitted on sideways and attached to the live stitches of the border as it is being worked.
Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)
€
Size and finished measurements
Size S (L): Wingspan of 185 (215) cm (72 ¾ (84 ½) inches) and a depth of 91 (105) cm (35 ¼ (41 ¼) inches), measured after blocking. The shawl shown is in size L.
Difficulty
Stitches used include knit, skp, yo as well as various increases and decreases. Due to the lace patterning, combined with the applied border this pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.
Pattern details
The Elena Half Hap is worked flat back and forth.
Gauge is not critical in this design. For the sample shawl measured after blocking: 10.5 sts / 12.5 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over body pattern in the center triangle. This is a relatively loose gauge for an airy fabric.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 8 pages (letter size).
Materials
Yarn: Moeke Yarns Elena (100% wool; 330 m (361 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and amounts: MC: 255 (290) m (278 (318) yds) / 77 (88) g in Natural C1: 241 (290) m (264 (318) yds) / 73 (88) g in Gray C2: 152 (244) m (166 (267) yds) / 46 (74) g in Coral
A circular needle size 4.5 mm (US 7), 80 cm (32 inches) long.
Yarn needle
2 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch
1 removable stitch marker to mark the RS (optional)
“Moeke”, a somewhat old-fashioned word that makes most people probably think about their mother or grandmother. For me my first thoughts go out to the wonderful rustic yarn by Moeke Yarns. Somewhat thick and thin, and not the softest yarn in the stash, it does not sound like a yarn to idolize.
That I am nevertheless crazy about it is because of the great character of this 100% wool yarn, how it feels, how it smells… I would swear that there is something addictive in these specific wool fumes.
The story of Moeke Yarns is as special as the yarn itself. It’s a real family business consisting of Ioana (living in the Netherlands), her brother Radu and his wife Simina and their parents (in Romania). In 2013, Ioana was visiting her parents in Romania and found two large bags of yarn spun by her grandmother.
It was then that she realized that Romania has a good number of traditional breeds of sheep and a long tradition in wool processing. However, this tradition likely to be lost due to the poor economic conditions: shepherds can’t find people to sell their wool to and eventually burn it to get rid of it. What a terrible thing!
Ioana and her brother decided to start making yarn from the fleece of animal friendly kept Romanian sheep. In line with the traditional way of processing, the wool is washed without harsh chemicals and spun locally using machines that have been in use for over 100 years. And to remain with the ecological responsible thought, the yarn is only available in natural colors. Now, several years later, the brand is (unsurprisingly) a worldwide success
And that brings me to the following: The MY Make Along 2016! This is an international event, which starts on September 12. It is dedicated to knitting, crocheting and weaving, using yarns by Moeke Yarns. An event which designers and creators who share a deep love of creating, respect for animals and nature, are brought together.
And yes, I am one of the participating designers! Two of my designs will be eligible for the Make Along. One of these is my Elena Half Hap design, the other (a cowl pattern) will be published in a couple of weeks.
Participating
To participate in the Make Along there are 2 conditions: 1) make one or more of the selected patterns designed for Moeke Yarns that are or will be released this year, and 2) use a yarn by Moeke Yarns to make your project.
I have said it before and will say it again: a nice border can really make an otherwise simple project. In this tutorial I want to show you how to knit a scalloped edge. This particular edge is not only very beautiful, but is also relatively easy to knit!
This edge is knitted over two rows immediately after casting on your stitches. Therefore, this edging is particularly suitable for pieces that are knit up from the cast on edge. Think of sweaters, cardigans or, for example a bottom-up shawl.
The scalloped edge is knit in multiples of 11 stitches + 2. Please note, though, that when you’re finished with the cast on and are ready to begin the rest of you project, you’ll only have a multiple of 6 + 2 stitches left. So, don’t forget to take this into account.
Knitting a scalloped edge step by step
1. In this example, I will be knitting a scalloped edge with 3 scallops. This means I will be casting on a total of 33 + 2 stitches. I used the knitting-on method to cast on my stitches.
2. Purl 1 row.
3. Turn your work and knit the first 2 edge stitches.
4. Knit one stitch and slip it back to the left-hand needle.
5. Pass the next 8 stitches over the last stitch knit. You can do this one by one or all at once, whatever you find easiest! I did one by one as you can see in the first picture below.
6. Make a double yarn over….
7. ….and knit the stitch previously slipped back to the other needle.
8. Knit 2 stitches.
9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 for the two other scallops.
10. Turn work and knit 1 stitch…
11. … and continue purling 2 stitches together. For this step, you will use one of your edge stitches!
12. Drop one of the 2 double yarn overs, so you have just the one (big) loop on your left-hand needle.
13. Next knit into this loop without slipping of the stitch [knit 1, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over], now you can slip the big-loop stitch off.
14. Purl 1 stitch.
15. Repeat steps 11 to 14 for the two other scallops, and then work the remaining edge stitch. This is how the scalloped edge then looks like on the right side of work:
16. Knit the next row, please note that every first stitch of each scallop should be knit through the back loop to tighten it up.
After 2 rows in stockinette stitch, the whole thing looks as follows:
The wrong side of the work is also pretty!
And there you have it: a nice scalloped start of a lovely project!
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The star stitch is a very pretty stitch, which also gives projects a lovely texture. You may also have heard of this stitch by the name of “Marguerite Stitch”. In this post, I will show you how to crochet the reversible half-star version. This means that each side of the fabric will show half a star, giving a completely reversible fabric. Instructions are also given to transform it into the full-star, non-reversible star stitch.
The star stitch is worked as a multiple of 2 + 1 + stitches plus three turning chains. If you want to work this stitch on an existing piece in another stitch pattern, start with a multiple of 3 + 1 stitches and 3 turning chains before you turn your work and starting the first row in star stitch.
It is of course also possible to crochet the star stitch in the round. In that case, work a multiple of 2 + 1 stitches and crochet the 3 turning chains after joining in the round.
In this post I’ll show you how to work the star stitch as a flat piece working back and forth. These instructions are written in American English crochet terminology.
The star stitch step by step
First row
1. In this example, I crochet the star stitch directly on the starting chain, which I made 16 chains long.
2. When inserting the hook in a chain stitch, there are of course several options on where in the stitch exactly to insert your hook. However, for the best result in this stitch, I would suggest inserting your hook in the single bumps at the back of the starting chain.
First star
3. Insert the hook into the second chain from the hook and pull up a loop.
4. Also repeat step 3 for the third to sixth chain from the hook. Take care to pull up the last few loops a little bit longer than the first ones. You now have 6 loops on your hook.
5. Make a yarn over and pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook.
6. Crochet 1 chain, your first star is now done.
Second star
7. To start the next star, insert your hook in the chain just made and pull up a loop.
8. Then insert the hook under the two loops you can see on the side of the last pulled up loop from the previous star and pull a loop.
9. Now insert your hook in the last chain of the starting chain in which the previous star was made. This was the sixth chain from the hook. Pull up a loop.
10. To complete all the loops for the second star, insert the hook into the next chain from the starting chain and pull a loop. This was the seventh chain from the hook. Repeat for the eighth chain from the hook. Remember to make these last loops a bit longer again than the previous loops. You now have again six loops on the hook.
11. Make a yarn over and pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook. Crochet 1 chain, this completes the second star.
12. Repeat steps 7 to 11 until the end of the row. You can clearly see in this example how pretty the bottom edge is, because I have worked in the back bumps of the starting chain.
Second row For the full-star non-reversible version of the star stitch, work a full row in sc or hdc before continuing with steps 13 to 16.
13. Crochet 3 chains and turn work. Make sure you do not crochet these chains too tight, because you will crochet into them later on.
14. Insert your hook in the second chain from the hook (in the bump on the back of the turning chain!) and pull up a loop. Repeat for the third chain from the hook. Next pull up loops in the first, second and third stitches from the previous row.
15. Make a yarn over and pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook. Crochet 1 chain, this completes the first star of the second row.
16. For the next stars of this row, repeat steps 7 to 11. To pull up the last loop for the last star of the row, you insert the hook in the chain that you skipped when making the first star of the previous row. Depending on how loose your turning chain was made, this may be a bit tight …
17. Repeat steps 13 to 16 for the rest of your project. For the full-star non-reversible version of the star stitch, work a full row in sc or hdc before every repeat of steps 13 to 16.
Making a folded edge or or hem on a knitted garment is the way to give a project an edge in stockinette stitch that does not roll. Ideal if you’re looking for an understated and elegant finish of your garment. Because this border is composed of two layers, it is a strong and wear-resistant finish, which is very suitable for example for sleeves and collars.
As is often the case, there are multiple ways to create a folded hem. In this post I will show you the version using a provisional cast-on.
Materials needed
Yarn for your project
Smooth waste yarn in a similar thickness as your main or slightly thinner for the provisional cast-on
Knitting needles
An additional knitting needle in the same or slightly smaller size
A crochet hook
Knitting a folded hem step by step
1. Start by doing a provisional cast-on using the waste yarn. In this post you can see how my favourite way to do a provisional cast-on is done step by step.
2. Then knit with your main yarn in stockinette stitch. For a somewhat rounded edge to your hem, knit to about twice the desired height of the hem. That’s what I’ve done in this example.
For a hem with a sharper crease on the fold, knit in stockinette until the desired height of the hem. Next work a purl row on the right side of the work, followed by another length in stockinette for the desired height of the hem.
3. Remove the provisional cast-on and place the freed stitches on the extra knitting needle.
4. Fold the piece like shown in the picture with the right side of the work on the outside and hold both knitting needles in the same hand.
5. Insert the third knitting needle into the first stitch on the front needle as if to knit as usual, then immediately after that do the same with the first stitch on the needle at the back. Wrap yarn around the needle as usual and pull it through both stitches. Next slip both first stitches from the 2 left-hand needles to complete the stitch.
6. Repeat step 5 until the end of the needle, it will look something like this:
After knitting a few rows in stockinette stitch, the work looks like this on the right side of the work:
On the wrong side of the work you can also see how pretty this hem look. This is a very suitable solution for those projects that have to be pretty on both sides!
For this type of folded hem I also see the possibility of using it for the waist of a skirt to thread a cord or elastic band through. Also in terms of finishing the hood of a sweater, I see opportunities!
Luule means “poetry” in Estonian. The Luule stole was designed for and dedicated to my mother, because she wanted to knit pretty lace. The delicate lace is based on traditional Estonian stitch patterns, knit on both right and wrong sides of the fabric and include nupps. Instructions for both traditional and easy nupps are included.
This shawl begins with a provisional cast on followed by a lovely leaf lace edging and border. After the provisional cast on has been undone, the center is filled with diamond lace. The top edge mirrors the bottom. The instructions for the shawl are provided both fully charted and written out.
Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)
€
Size and finished measurements
One size – finished dimensions: 58 cm (23 inches) wide and 180 cm (71 inches) long, measured after blocking.
Difficulty
This stole starts with a provisional cast on and contains lace patterning on both right and wrong sides of the fabric. Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, k3tog, skp, yo, p2tog, a centered double decrease (sl2-k1-p2sso), Estonian 3 into 3 gathered stitches and nupps. This pattern is suitable for the advanced knitter.
Pattern details
Worked flat back and forth.
For the sample shawl measured after blocking: 19.2 sts / 24 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over the body in Diamonds pattern. Gauge is however not critical for this design, the lace will open up after blocking.
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: 800 m (875 yds) Garnstudio Drops Lace [70% alpaca, 30% silk; 400 m (438 yds) per 50 g]. Substitute any lace weight yarn of comparable thickness for a similar result
Knitting needles in your preferred style in size 3.5 mm (US 4).
Yarn needle
Waste yarn for provisional cast on
11 stitch markers (optional)
Crochet hook in a size equivalent to the size of your knitting needles (optional, for easy nupps)
To finish a sweater, ribbing is obviously the preferred choice: its fabric does not roll and it gives quite an elastic finishing. Sometimes, however, I find knitting yet another 2×2 rib or variant thereof just so… boring. For giving your project that tiny bit of “je ne se quoi” instead of regular ribbing, try the rick-rack rib.
The nice zig-zag texture that is so characteristic of this stitch is obtained by the knitting the stitches in a different order than they appear on the needle. In this post, I’ll show you how to knit this variation on regular ribbing when knitting it flat. Pointers on how to knit this stitch in the round can be found in this tutorial.
Rick-rack rib worked flat is knitted as a multiple of 3 + 1 stitches. For this example, I have cast on 19 stitches.
In short, the instructions for this stitch worked flat consist of the following 2 rows:
Row 1 (RS): Purl 1, *skip the first stitch, knit in the back loop of the second stitch (do not slip this stitch off the needle), knit into the front loop of the first stitch and now slip both knitted stitches of the needle, purl 1; repeat from * to end of the row.
Row 2 (WS): Knit 1, *skip the first stitch, purl the second stitch (do not slip stitch of the needle), purl the first stitch and now slip both knitted stitches from the needle, knit 1; repeat from * to end of the row.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 to the desired height.
Knitting rick-rack rib flat step by step
Row 1
1. Purl 1 stitch.
2. Skip the first stitch and knit the second stitch on the needle in the back loop. Do not slip this stitch off the left-hand needle just yet!
3. Knit into the front loop of the first stitch that you skipped in step 2. Then slip both knitted stitches from the needle.
4. Purl 1 stitch.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 5 to the end of the needle.
Row 2
6. Knit 1 stitch.
7. Skip the first stitch and purl the second stitch on the left-hand needle. Do not slip this stitch off the needle just yet!
8. Purl the first stitch that you skipped in step 7. Then slip both knitted stitches from the needle.
9. Knit 1 stitch.
10. Repeat steps 7 to 9 to the end of the row.
On the right side of the work, it will look something like this:
And this is how it looks on the back:
In case your project ends with rick-rack rib, you can bind-off after row 2 by binding off in purl 1, knit 2 pattern.
In an earlier blog post, I’ve already shown how to apply an edging to your project. In this post, I will focus on how to turn your border around the corner.
The special feature of knitting on borders is that such a border is knit perpendicular to the body of the project. The stitches of the border are connected to those of the main body by knitting or purling them together. This is not only very decorative, but also a highly elastic finish of a project. Much more elastic than with a regular cast off!
Last time I have shown you the basics of how an applied border is worked. In this post, I want to show you how to apply such an edging around a corner.
To “turn the corner” you need a slightly different approach than with the rest of the border. And what, exactly, depends on how wide your knitted-on edging is. You can probably imagine that going around the corner is similar to driving a car in a race: the inner corner of the race track gives a shorter distance to cover than the outer corner.
If you don’t take this difference into account somehow, the fabric will pull at the corner and deform in a way that really can’t be fixed by blocking your project. The wider the edging, the more important it is, therefore, to plan in advance on how to approach the corners in your work.
When you knit on an edging, you work 2 border rows for each stitch of the body of the project. This makes the solution is actually quite obvious: Make sure to knit more than two rows for each body stitch to give the fabric more slack! This is in that respect, very much like knitting a variant of short rows.
For a relatively narrow edging of about 5 to 9 stitches wide, it is usually sufficient to add 2 additional times of knitting back and forth at the corner point. For wider edges, more rows are, of course, needed. In this example, the edging varies between 10 and 15 stitches wide. Therefore I will be adding a total of 3 additional times knitting back and forth at the corner.
The border pattern used in this example is the “traditional scalloped lace” border. It can found on page 81 of the book “The magic of Shetland Lace Knitting”, written by Elizabeth Lovick.
Knitting around the corner step by step
1. Mark the 3 stitches at the corner of the body of your work. Knit the edging as shown in the previous blog up to the first marked stitch.
2. Now work according to the description given in the pattern for the next row that is knit from the outside of the edging going inwards, up to 1 st before the end of the row. Knit the last stitch of the row together with the first next stitch of the body as usual.
3. Turn the work and slip the stitch just worked purl-wise with the yarn in front of the right-hand needle. Then move the yarn to the back of the work and work the next row of the border pattern as usual.
4. Now work next row according to the description given in the border pattern, until 1 stitch before the end of the border stitches. Now do not knit this next stitch together with the first body stitch, just knit it instead.
5. Turn work. Slip the stitch just worked purl-wise with the yarn in front of the right-hand needle. Then move the yarn to the back of the work and knit the return row as usual. You now have knit 4 rows and have only used 1 stitch of the body of your project.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 twice, one time for each marked corner stitch. Doing so, you knit a total of 12 edging rows, using only 3 stitches from the body of your work. This looks something like this:
You can also see, that for each corner stitch there are 2 garter stitch ridges instead of 1.
7. After turning around the corner, continue to knit on your edging in the usual way with2 rows from the edging for each stitch of the body of the work.
In many patterns, it is common to first knit the body of the piece followed by a lace border that is knit perpendicular to the edge of the body. Such a knitted-on border is sometimes also called an applied border. You can see this for example in the traditional Shetland shawls, but also in patterns for knitted blankets. It is also a lovely way to give the hem or cuffs of a sweater a beautiful finish.
The beauty of the knitted-on border is that it is not only very decorative but also very elastic. With a regular cast-of, the bound of edge is the limiting factor in how far you can block out your work. And as you know, lace is at its best when the patterning is opened up. When knitting on a border you won’t have a problem with a tight-ish cast-of, because there is, in fact, no cast-of!
The starting point of such a knitted edge is that the stitches of the border are knitted perpendicular to the work. The stitches of the border are connected to those of the main body by knitting or purling them together. If you knit (or purl) through the back loop, you get a more solid connection. Depending on the type of project, for example, a lacy scarf vs. a sweater, you can choose the one you prefer.
In this post, I’ll show you how to knit on an edge to your work.
E-course on working an applied border
Of course, there is much more to learn and tell about working an applied border. More than I can put in this post! For that reason, I want to create a simple online course teaching the basics on applied borders for approx. € 25. If you’d be interested in such a course, enter your info below and I’ll notify you when it launches!
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In the example in this post, I knitted a swatch in white. On this, I will knit a border in a contrasting color. If you want to make the border the same color as the main part of your project, you can, of course, continue to use the same yarn instead of attaching new yarn.
The border pattern used in this example is the “traditional scalloped lace” border that can found on page 81 of the book “The magic of Shetland Lace Knitting”. It’s written by Elizabeth Lovick.
Working a knitted-on border step by step
1. Start by casting on the number of stitches you need for your border, on the same needle that holds the body stitches of your project. I used the knitted-on cast-on.
2. Now work according to the description given in the border pattern for the first row that you knit from the outside of the piece inwards, until 1 st before the end of the border stitches. Then knit the last border stitch together with the first body stitch.
3. Turn the work. Next, slip the stitch just worked purl-wise with the yarn in front of the right-hand needle. We do this to make sure that the connection is as flat as possible. Then move the yarn to the back of the work and work the next row of the border pattern. This row is knit outwards from the body.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all stitches are worked. For every body stitch, you basically knit two rows of the border.
On the right side of the work it will look something like this:
And this is the result on the wrong side of the work:
