knitting Archives - La Visch Designs

stitch pattern – working the (k tbl, yo, skp, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch

Working the (k tbl, yo, skp, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch - a stitch pattern by La Visch Designs

In one of my new patterns, I used this stitch pattern from the Japanese knitting stitch bible. It consists of (k tbl, p2) rib, with strategically place wrapped stitches to create a lovely smocking effect, It was a bit of a struggle to determine exactly how to execute this stitch. So, I thought to make it into a step-by-step post. As the description says, you basically wrap your working yarn around the group of stitches described. Below, I’ll show you how to work the (k tbl, yo, skp, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch.

Let’s get started!

Materials used

RMR Yarn Co. Zihuatanejo DK in Casi Casi

Yarn: RMR Yarn Co. Zihuatanejo DK, a wonderful vibrant 100% Merino yarn, here in the color Casi Casi.

Knitting needles: Some Zing knitting needles, and yes I know I’m using a ridiculously small size for a DK weight yarn; I’m a VERY loose knitter…

I’m also using a cable needle in the same size as my main needles.

Working the (k tbl, yo, skp, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the wrapped stitch.
First, insert the cable needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle, and knit it through the back loop.
Next, wrap the working yarn around the cable needle, to form the yarn over.
Now work a skp decrease over the next 2 stitches on the left-hand needle, again using the cable needle as your right-hand needle.
In this picture, you can see how it looks after the decrease has been worked.
Next, insert the cable needle into the stitch on the left-hand needle, and knit it through the back loop.
With this, we have worked the group of stitches to be wrapped.
Now take your working yarn, and wrap it around the group of stitches on the cable needle in a counter-clockwise motion.
In other words, move the yarn to the front, from left to right, and then onwards around the back from right to left until it’s in its starting position.
Repeat step 6 once again for the second wrap.
To finish the stitch, slip each of the 4 stitches on the cable needle purl-wise to the right-hand knitting needle. At this point, you can tighten the wrapped yarn a bit if the wrap is a bit loose.

The result

In the picture below, you can see the (k tbl, yo, skp, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch, directly after I’ve slipped all the stitches from the cable needle to the right-hand needle. You can also see some of the other wrapped stitches I’ve already worked in this piece of knitting.

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stitch pattern – tuck stitch with lifted purl bump

Tuck stitch with lifted purl bump - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

When working a tuck stitch, you basically lift a part of a stitch several rows below in your project, and work it together with a stitch to be worked. Doing so, creates ridges due to the fabric pulling in. These, in turn, can be used to create all sorts of patterning with a lot of texture. As said, you’re working a stitch several rows below, usually somewhere between 3 and 9 rows down. It can be worked in knit or in purl, directly below the stitch on the needle, or slightly slanted.

In this particular how-to, I’ll be showing you how to work a tuck stitch 6 rows down, with a lifted purl bump. Because I’m going to lift a purl bump, I will be working it from the wrong side of the fabric. If you’re doing a project in reverse stockinette, though, you would have to work this stitch from the right side where the purl bumps would be.

Ok, get your materials and work along with me!

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in Vintage Pink.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Working the tuck stitch with lifted purl bump step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the tuck stitch.
First, slip the next stitch purl-wise from the left-hand to the right-hand knitting needle. In this picture, I’ve just inserted the right-hand needle into that stitch.
Next, insert the tip of the left-hand needle from top to bottom into the purl bump, 6 rows below the stitch slipped to the right-hand needle.
Inserting the needle from top to bottom places the loop as a twisted stitch on the needle. This way, once worked, it will show as a twisted stitch, with crossed legs and therefor a tad tighter than when worked the other way. Of course, if you don’t want a twisted stitch there, just insert the needle from bottom to top instead.
Lift the loop of the purl bump up, and place it onto the left-hand needle. In this case, it stretches out quite a bit. Next, slip the first stitch from the right-hand needle back to the left-hand needle.
To finish this tuck stitch, work a p2tog on the slipped stitch, together with the lifted loop.
As you can see, the fabric draws in a bit.

The result

Below, you can see the result after working another right side row, first from the wrong side, then from the right side. Due to the picked up loop stretching out that much, the effect isn’t as pronounced as I hoped. That said, this could be tweaked by knitting a tighter fabric and thus causing less stretching, or by picking up the loop more rows below.

Tuck stitch with lifted purl bump - the result on the RS — Tuck stitch with lifted purl bump – the result on the RS

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stitch pattern – working the (k tbl, p2, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch

Working the (k tbl, p2, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch - a stitch pattern by La Visch Designs

Let’s get started!

Materials used

Yarn: RMR Yarn Co. Zihuatanejo DK, a wonderful vibrant 100% Merino yarn, here in the color Casi Casi.

Knitting needles: Some Zing knitting needles, and yes I know I’m using a ridiculously small size for a DK weight yarn; I’m a VERY loose knitter…

I’m also using a cable needle in the same size as my main needles.

Working the (k tbl, p2, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the wrapped stitch.
First, insert the cable needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle, and knit it through the back loop. In the below picture, I have not yet slipped the stitch worked off the left-hand knitting needle.
Next, p1 stitch onto the cable needle.
Purl another stitch onto the cable needle.
Next, insert the cable needle into the stitch on the left-hand needle, and knit it through the back loop.
With this, we have worked the group of stitches to be wrapped.
Now take your working yarn, and wrap it around the group of stitches on the cable needle in a counter-clockwise motion.
In other words, move the yarn to the front, from left to right, and then onwards around the back from right to left until it’s in its starting position.
Repeat step 6 once again for the second wrap.
To finish the stitch, slip each of the 4 stitches on the cable needle purl-wise to the right-hand knitting needle. At this point, you can tighten the wrapped yarn a bit if the wrap is a bit loose.

The result

In the picture below, I’ve also worked a wrong-side row after the row with the (k tbl, p2, k tbl) wrapped twice stitch. You can also see some of the other wrapped stitches I’ve already worked in this piece of knitting.

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tutorial – working the stretchy yo bind-off for 2×2 rib

Working the stretchy YO bind-off for 2x2 rib - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

This bind-off is very similar to regular “binding of in pattern”. I don’t have a tutorial about one showing this for 2×2 rib, but I do have one for 1×1 rib that shows you the principal of it. The main difference with the stretchy yo bind-off, is that it adds a yarn over for every purl stitch of the ribbing. As such, it’s less stretchy than a bind-off that includes a yo after every stitch, but much more stretchy than a regular ribbing bind-off that doesn’t include one. I really like to use this one for toe-up socks, and ribbing on sleeve cuffs. It doesn’t flare out as much as, for example, the Russian bind-off does.

Let’s get started!

Materials used

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

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

The stretchy yo bind-off for 2×2 rib step by step

In patterns, you may see the following instruction for this bind-off:
K2, insert tip of the left-hand needle into first stitch on the right-hand needle, pass this stitch over the second stitch, (yo, p1, then grab the 2nd and 3rd sts, and pass them both over the st just purled) twice, *(k1, insert tip of the left-hand needle into first stitch on the right-hand needle, pass this stitch over the second stitch) twice, (yo, p1, then grab the 2nd and 3rd sts, and pass them both over the st just purled) twice*; repeat *-* to end.
Below, I’ll show you step by step how this looks like in knitting!

To start, take the piece of knitting you want to bind-off.
In this case, I’m using a swatch in 2×2 rib.
Knit the first stitch on the left-hand needle.
Next, knit the new stitch nearest to the tip of the left-hand needle.
Insert the tip of the left-hand needle into the second stitch on the right-hand needle….
…., and pass this second stitch over the first one.
You have now bound-off a stitch!
Next, work a yarn over by wrapping the yarn around the needle.
Next is working a purl stitch.
Depending on your knitting style, it may help to secure the yo of the previous step with your right index finger while you work the purl stitch.
Insert the tip of the left-hand needle into the second and third stitches on the right-hand needle….
… and pass them over the purl stitch.
Repeat steps 6-9 for the second purl stitch to be bound off for the ribbing.
Continue working steps 3-5 for every knit stitch you encounter, and steps 6-9 for every purl stitch.
To bind-off the last stitch you end up with, just break your yarn, and pull it through.

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tutorial – working shadow wrap short rows on the WS

Working shadow wrap short rows on the WS - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

Short rows are a very handy way to create shaping in knitted fabric. Use it, for example, to raise the back of the neck in sweaters, or turn the heel in socks. As a matter of fact, I first encountered these shadow wrap short rows in this sock project I was knitting. I really like them, because just like German short rows, you end up with some sort of “double stitch” that is pretty invisible in the resulting fabric. The way to go about making that double stitch is quite different, though.

Grab your materials and let’s get started! As with all short rows, they can be worked on both right side and wrong side rows. In this tutorial, I’ll focus on the working the shadow wrap short rows on the wrong side of the fabric. For the one about the right side, click here.

Materials used

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

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting. Brand unknown.

Working shadow wrap short rows on the WS step by step

Work as instructed by your pattern on the wrong side of the fabric, until the point where you are to turn for the short row.
Before you turn, work a modified Left-Leaning Lifted Increase (LLIP) into the next stitch on your left-hand needle.
To do so, first slip the next stitch from the left-hand to the right-hand needle.
Next, insert your left-hand needle from bottom to top into the horizontal purl bump directly below the stitch slipped to the right-hand needle, and place it on the left-hand needle.
This is where the modification comes in, with a regular LLIP, you would insert the needle into the second horizontal purl bump below the stitch slipped to the right-hand needle.
Now purl into the loop you just placed on the left-hand needle.
Do you see in the picture below, of the result of this step how it sits next to its “shadow stitch”?
Slip the original stitch together with its “shadow” back to the left-hand needle.
Next, turn your work and knit back to where your pattern says.
When you work back to the shadow wrap on the wrong side, just purl the 2 shadow stitches together as if they are a single stitch, to close the short row without any gaps in your fabric.
And this is how to work shadow wrap short rows on the WS!

The result

Please note that in the below picture, I’ve worked 2 sets of shadow wrap short rows on the wrong side, as well as 2 on the right side. The tutorial on how to work shadow wrap short rows on the RS can be found here.

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gothic flamingo

Gothic Flamingo is a shallow, triangle scarf, knit sideways. This design features lace patterning, worked at the same time as the body of the shawl. While the sample shown is worked in an aran weight yarn, the design is wonderfully suited to be worked in other yarn weights.

The pattern contains both fully written out and charted instructions for the lace. The lace in the body of the shawl is worked on both wrong and right side rows.

Pay what you want: (minimum €7.25)

€

Difficulty level

The lace in this pattern is worked on both RS and WS rows. Stitches used include knit, purl, yo, kfb, skp, k2tog, p2tog, the sl1-k2tog-psso left-leaning double decrease and the M5 or (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) in 1 stitch increase.

This pattern is therefore suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size (easily adjusted) – finished dimensions: Span width of 207 cm (81 ½ inches) along the upper edge and a depth of 68 cm (26 ¾ inches), measured after blocking.

Change the size of the Gothic Flamingo shawl by using either lighter or heavier yarn and/or working less (or more) repeats. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: 20 sts / 17 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over garter stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size)

Yarn

493 m (465 yds) / 275 g RMR Yarn Co. Gloria aran (85% Merino, 15% Nylon; 179 m (196 yds) / 100 g) in the color “El Barney”.

Substitute a plied aran weight yarn in a solid or tonal colorway for a similar result.

Materials

Size 5 mm (US 8) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
1 stitch marker to differentiate the body from the edging of the shawl
Yarn needle

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tutorial – working the (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) in 1 st increase

Working the (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) in 1 st increase - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

In one of my new shawl patterns, I used the (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) in 1 stitch or M5 increase. So, time for a new tutorial! With this increase, 1 stitch is increased to 5 by working [k1, p1] twice in the same loop, followed by another k1. That said, if you’d like to increase 7 or even 9 stitches instead of 5, just work more repeats of [k1, p1] into the original stitch.

Let’s get our materials and get started!

Materials used

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

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Working the (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) increase step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the increase.
First, insert your right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle as if to knit.
Next, wrap the yarn around the needle …
… and pull it through to work a k1. Do not slip the loop off the needle yet!
Next, move the yarn to the front of the work.
Insert the needle into the stitch as if to purl…
….wrap the yarn around the needle.
.. and pull it through to work a k1. Do not slip the loop off the needle yet!
Next, move the yarn back to the back of the work.
Repeat steps 2 to 9 once more, followed by steps 2 to 4 once more to create all the extra stitches needed.
After this, you can slide the original stitch off the left-hand needle to conclude the increase.

The result

In the picture below, I’ve also worked a wrong-side row after the row with the (k1, p1, k1, p1, k1) in 1 stitch increase. Please also keep in mind that here, I made the increase in a stockinette fabric. Usually, It would be used somewhere in lace patterning.

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tutorial – working shadow wrap short rows on the RS

Working shadow wrap short rows on the RS - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

Materials used

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

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting. Brand unknown.

Working shadow wrap short rows on the RS step by step

I will show you how to work the shadow wrap short row, using this little swatch.
Work as instructed by your pattern on the RS of the fabric, until the point where you are to turn for the short row.
Before you turn, work a Right-leaning Lifted Increase (RLI) into the next stitch on your left-hand needle.
To do so, insert your right-hand needle from back to front into the right leg of the stitch that is directly below the next stitch on the needle…
… and place it on the left-hand needle.
Next, knit this new loop…
… and place it back on the left-hand needle.
Do you see how it sits next to its “shadow stitch”?
Next, turn your work and purl back to where your pattern says.
Your pattern may also tell you to work another short row on the WS of the fabric.
When you work back to the shadow wrap on the right side, just knit the 2 shadow stitches together as if they are a single stitch, to close the short row without any gaps in your fabric.
Do you also see the other stitch with a shadow stitch on the left-hand needle?

The result

This is how to work shadow wrap short rows on the RS! Please note that in the below picture, I’ve worked 2 sets of shadow wrap short rows on the right, as well as 2 on the wrong side. The tutorial on how to work shadow wrap short rows on the WS will be published soon.

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blauwe branding

“Blauwe Branding” is Dutch for “Blue surf”, which is exactly what the waves in this stole remind me off! While I made my version in one main color, and four contrast colors, I expect it will be equally gorgeous in a long gradient yarn.

The pattern contains both fully written out and charted instructions for the lace. The lace in the body of the shawl is worked on both wrong and right side rows. The border is worked in garter stitch in the round.

Pay what you want: (minimum €7.25)

€

Difficulty level

In this pattern, a provisional cast-on is used, and stitches are picked up and knit from garter stitch fabric. Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, k2tog tbl, skp, p2tog, p2tog tbl, yo and double yo, kfb, and the make 6 increase.

This pattern is therefore suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size (easily adjusted) – finished dimensions: 85 cm (33 ½ inches) wide and 160 cm (63 inches) long, measured after blocking.

Adjust the width of the Blauwe Branding stole by changing the number of cast on stitches. Change the length by working more or fewer repeats of the body pattern. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: 17.8 sts / 17.7 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over lace pattern, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 5 pages (letter size)

Yarn

Finull by Rauma (100% wool; 175 m (191 yds) / 50 g) in the following colors:

C1: 350 m (382 yds) / 100 g in color 4025
C2: 88 m (96 yds) / 25 g in color 4136
C3: 158 m (172 yds) / 45 g in color 4887
C4: 158 m (172 yds) / 45 g in color 4023
C5: 70 m (76 yds) / 20 g in color 0484

Substitute fingering or sport weight 2-ply wool yarn in 5 colors for a similar result. Alternatively, replace C2 to C5 with 474 m (516 yds) / 135 g) of a gradient yarn with long color runs.

Materials

Size 3.5 mm (US 4) / 80 cm (32 inches) and 150 cm (60 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
Waste yarn for provisional cast-on
Crochet hook for provisional cast-on, in a size similar to the knitting needles used.
Stitch markers to use in between lace repeats (optional)
4 removable stitch markers
1 different BOR stitch marker
Yarn needle

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tutorial – how to make the most of remaining yarn

How to make the most of remaining yarn - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

When you have a limited amount of yarn, it’s pretty common to want to make the most of it. I often have a limited amount of a specific fingering weight yarn available, with which I want to knit a shawl. Especially when working with a shawl shape and construction that leads to ever-growing rows, that can be a challenge. Take, for example, a top-down triangle, or crescent shawl. But also with side-ways knit projects, it can be very useful to know whether another repeat before the mid-way point of the project is possible.

For this, I usually weigh my yarn. You can, of course, use a kitchen scale. Most kitchen scales have an accuracy of 1 g. This means that the scale will provide a reading for up to 1 gram above or below the object’s true weight. Especially when working with thinner yarns, this may mean that the reading is just not accurate enough to go on. In those cases, it can be advisable to use a precision scale, that measures with an accuracy of 0.1 g. The benefit of precision scales is, usually also, that they are smaller and therefor easier to take along when knitting on the go.

Once you use a specific scale for a project, it’s best to stick to that one for the duration of the project. Calibration may differ between scales, potentially causing issues when you have less yarn remaining than expected based on previous measurements with the other scale. Below, I’ll give you more information about the scales I use, and how I go about how to make the most of remaining yarn in a project.

Materials used

Angled view of several bright yellow skeins of yarn on a white plank background. There is a white label attached, with RMR on it in shiny letters.

Flat lay view of 2 very small scales together with a pencil and a row counter for scale.

Yarn: RMR Yarn Co. Zihuatanejo DK in Casi Casi.

Scales: These are the scales I use for my knitting. The larger one was picked up at a local store, it has an accuracy of 0.1 g, and can weigh up to 200 g. The smaller one is a Christen Swiss OR-10 pocket scale. The latter is accurate to 0.1 g, and has a weighing capacity up to 150 g. The pencil and row counter are in the picture for scale. As you can see, the small one, is really very, very small.

How to make the most of remaining yarn in a project, an example

Usually I don’t bother weighing my yarn, until I see that I’m down to somewhere into the last ball of yarn. At that time, I start weighing after every 2 rows, and write down how much yarn was left. When doing this a couple of times, you can calculate how much yarn was used for every 2 rows. Even more, you can also see how much the yarn usage increases when the rows get longer. In the below pictures, I’m using my tiny scale, using the cover to increase the platform size to rest the ball of yarn on.

A ball of yellow yarn on a tiny scale, there is also a slightly larger scale visible

Close up of the weight of a yellow ball of yarn on a tiny scale: there is 87.1 g remaining.

In the below picture, you can see the notes I scribbled on the back of the draft pattern of my Atomic Tangerine shawl. The middle column contains the weights, and with the arcs on the right you see what the weight differences were between the various rows. The example below shows, that I had 85 g left after row 50, which means I could get at most 8 other rows out of the remaining yarn. But given the rate at which the yarn usage went up, probably 6 rows at most. When binding off my shawl projects, I usually use the Russian bind-off, which, in my experience, uses almost as much yarn as 2 rows. So, taking this into account, there is only enough yarn left for another 4 rows before starting the bind-off.

And that’s exactly how it worked out for this pattern!

The back of a draft pattern, on which weights are scribbled in pencil — Weighing notes on Atomic Tangerine

Projects with multiple colors

You may wonder how this looks when working on a project that uses multiple colors. In that case, depending on the patterning, you may want to weigh either after every 2 rows, or after each pattern repeat. In this example, I’m working on a mosaic color-work project. With mosaic knitting, you alternate colors every 2 rows. So, in this case, weighing after every pattern repeat makes the most sense. And yes, in this example, I’m using my kitchen scale.

Angled view of a mosaic knitting project in yellow and teal, the teal yarn is positioned on a scale. — Weighing on a kitchen scale

Weighing notes, scribbled in blue pen on graph paper — Weighing notes

As you can see, these notes look a tad more complex, because the yarn usage arcs for the various colors cross each other. At this moment, I’m still working on this design. But, given the amount of yarn remaining, it’s time to start the final section of this shawl. To be continued!

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