knitting Archives - La Visch Designs

tutorial – 7 into 9 gathered stitch

The 7 into 9 gathered stitch takes 7 stitches, and increases these to 9 stitches. The increase is done in such a way, that it looks like the fabric is “gathered” in the middle. You may encounter gathers in Estonian lace knitting, they are a distinctive feature of this type of lace. Gathers come in many different configurations. In some versions, the stitch counts stay the same, in some the stitch counts decrease or increase.

Read on to see how the 7 into 9 gathered stitch is worked.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 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 the 7 into 9 gathered stitch step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the gather.
First, insert your right-hand needle into the 4th stitch on the left-hand needle as if to purl.
Next, pull this stitch over the 3 stitches near the tip, and off the needle.
Repeat step 3 another 3 times for a total of 4 stitches that are pulled over the set of 3 stitches near the tip of the needle.
Next, insert your right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle as if to knit…
… wrap the yarn around the needle …
… and pull it through. Do not slip the stitch off the needle yet!
Next, wrap the yarn around the needle.
Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7, and slip the original stitch off the needle. In essence, you’re working a (k1, yo, k1) increase into the stitch. Check below for the result after this last step.
Repeat steps 5 to 9 for each of the other 2 wrapped stitches. In other words: after these steps, you’ve worked (k1, yo, k1) in each of the 3 wrapped stitches, bringing the total stitch count up to 9 stitches.
After this, continue with your knitting as instructed in the pattern.

View the result, when the row has been finished and a purl row has also been worked, below. I think it’s pretty neat!

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diamanten

Diamanten is a semicircle Pi shawl, worked in a luxury hand-dyed merino and tencel yarn. The combination of simple stockinette and slip-stitch diamond patterning really lets this tonal yarn shine! However, This shawl is equally lovely when worked in solid colors or even variegated ones.

This shawl is worked from the top-down and is started with a garter stitch tab. The instructions for the patterning are, of course, both charted and fully written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

€

Difficulty level

The Diamanten half-circle shawl is knit from the top down, starting with a garter tab cast-on. Stitches used include knit, purl, m1bl, m1p, k2tog, and the k1 under loose strands stitch. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

Finished dimensions of the sample shawl: Span width of 193 cm (76 inches) and a depth of 73 cm (28 ¾ inches), measured after blocking.

Adjust the size of this shawl by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: Approx. 13 sts / 21 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 5 pages (letter size)

Yarn

Hearthside Fibers Crystal (50% Merino, 50% Tencel; 377 m (412 yds)/ 113 g) in the following colors and amounts:

C1: 377 m (412 yds)/ 113 g in “Lake”
C2: 377 m (412 yds)/ 113 g in “Vermont”

Substitute a tonal fingering to sport weight yarn for a similar result.

Materials

Size 4 mm (US 6) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl.
Yarn needle
Stitch markers (optional, for use between repeats of the diamond patterning)

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tutorial – working a centered 5 to 1 decrease

A centered decrease, as shown in this tutorial, reduces 5 stitches down to 1 stitch in a symmetrical way. This decrease results in a strong vertical decrease line that doesn’t slant to either the left or the right. A useful decrease to have in your knitter’s toolkit! Read on to see how it’s worked.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 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 the centered 5 to 1 decrease step by step

To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the decrease.
First, insert your right-hand needle into the first 3 stitches on the left-hand needle as if to knit.
Next, slip these 3 stitches from the left-hand to the right-hand needle.
Now, insert your right-hand needle into the first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle as if to knit.
Next, wrap the yarn around the needle …
… and pull it through to work a k2tog. Slip the resulting stitch to the right-hand needle.
Next, insert the left-hand needle into the 3 stitches that were slipped earlier, and pass them over the k2tog.
The result after this last step can be seen below.
After this, continue with your knitting as instructed in the pattern.

The result, when the row has been finished and a purl row has also been worked, is as follows. I think it’s pretty neat!

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tutorial – working a (k1, yo, k1, yo, k1) increase

Recently, it was pointed out to me, that in the Scalloped edge tutorial, I don’t show step by step how to work the increases needed. So, time for a new tutorial! With the (k1, yo, k1, yo, k1) increase, 1 stitch is increased to 5 by working [k1, yo] 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, yo] 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 142 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 the (k1, yo, k1, yo, 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!
Now, wrap the yarn around the needle again.
This is one of the yo’s in the increase.
To work the next set of (k1, yo), I find it helps to put my finger on the last yo loop already on the needle. This will keep it from sliding off.
Again, 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!
Repeat steps 5 to 9 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.
Below, you can see the result of the (k1, yo, k1, yo, k1) increase.

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stitch pattern – spiral stitch

The spiral stitch is a stitch pattern, that uses cleverly placed knits and purls, to make the impression of a spiral of texture winding around columns of stockinette stitch. This stitch pattern is worked in a multiple of 7 stitches. Please note that in the above picture, I’ve added 2 edge stitches in garter stitch on both sides of the swatch.

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.

Stitches used

k – knit
p – purl
rep – repeat

Spiral stitch instructions

Row 1 (right side): P2, k2, *k2, p3, k2; rep from * to 3 sts before end, k2, p1. (14 sts)
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, p2, *p1, k4, p2; rep from * to 4 sts before end, p1, k3.
Row 3: P1, k1, p2, *k2, p2, k1, p2; rep from * to 3 sts before end, k2, p1.
Row 4: K1, p1, k1, *k1, p2, k2, p1, k1; rep from * to 4 sts before end, k1, p2, k1.
Row 5: P1, k3, *p4, k3; rep from * to 3 sts before end, p3.
Row 6: K2, p1, *p3, k3, p1; rep from * to 4 sts before end, p3, k1.
Row 7: P1, k3, *k2, p2, k3; rep from * to 3 sts before end, k2, p1.
Row 8: K1, p2, * p3, k2, p2; rep from * to 4 sts before end, p3, k1.

Repeat rows 1-8 for pattern.

The spiral stitch as shown from the front:

The spiral stitch as shown from the back:

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tutorial – working a Russian picot bind-off

Recently, I showed you how to work a variation of a regular picot bind-off. However, sometimes you just want the stretch of a Russian bind-off, and combine it with the added pizzazz of some picots. That was exactly the scenario I encountered when I was working on my Framboos shawl. So, I tried out a way to combine the two in a Russian picot bind-off. In this tutorial, I’ll show you what I did.

Materials used

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

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

Working the Russian picot bind-off step by step

To start, knit 1 stitch.
In this example, I’m using a swatch from a stitch pattern that will be on this website soon.
Knit another stitch.
Slip both stitches from the right-hand needle back to the left-hand needle.
If you insert the left-hand needle as pictured, everything is already positioned correctly for the next step.
Knit the stitches together through the back loop.
Repeat steps 2-4 another 5 times.
This is basically the regular Russian bind-off. You can adjust the number of times to make the distance between the picots larger or smaller. End this step by slipping the remaining stitch from the right-hand needle back to the left-hand needle.
Cast-on 3 stitches using the knitted on cast-on.
Knit 1 stitch.
Next, knit another stitch…
…and pass the stitch already on the right-hand needle over the one just worked.
Repeat steps 8 and 9 twice more. This is what makes the picot.
Repeat steps 2-10 until all stitches have been bound off.

The result of the Russian picot bind-off looks like this:

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tutorial – working a picot bind-off

There are quite a few different ways to work a picot bind-off. That’s not even counting the variations coming from different distances between picots, and the sizing of the picots. In this tutorial, I’ll show you a variation of the picot bind-off that consists of binding of stitches the traditional way, combined with strategically cast-on stitches. Also, it can, of course, be used to bind-off a project. But the picot bind-off can also be worked on picked-up stitches or on the stitches from a provisional cast-on. The sky is the limit!

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 133 Marine Blue.

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

Working the picot bind-off step by step

Take your project when you’re ready to start your bind-off. You can start as soon as the last row of your work has been knit, and after your work has been turned when working flat back and forth.
In this example, I’m using a swatch from a previous tutorial.
To start, knit 2 stitches.
Insert the left-hand needle into the stitch first worked…
… and lift it over the second stitch.
You have now bound-off 1 stitch.
Knit 1 stitch and repeat steps 3 and 4 to bind-off another stitch.
Next, cast-on 2 stitches using the knitted-on cast-on.
To do so, insert your needle into the stitch, wrap the yarn around it and pull it through the stitch. Then, instead of slipping the original stitch off the needle as you’d do when working a knit stitch, slip the new loop onto the left-hand needle to create a new stitch. Repeat once to get 2 new stitches.
To finish the first picot, work step 5 a total of 4 times.
Continue working steps 6 and 7 until your work has been completely bound-off.

When viewed from the back, it looks like this:

The result of the picot bind-off, viewed from the back

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tutorial – knitwear examined: a Missoni tee

A closeup of the top of a mannequin, it's wearing a Missoni tee in yellows.

When talking about knitwear, at a certain point Missoni is bound to be named. Missoni is an Italian brand and fashion house, famous for its colorful zigzag patterns and vibrant floral prints. Due to this, many of their pieces have a very exuberant seventies aesthetic. According to Wikipedia, the company was founded in 1953, when Ottavio and Rosita Missoni set up a small knitwear workshop in Gallarate, Italy. They presented their first collection under the Missoni label in Milan in 1958. According to this website, Missoni revolutionized knitwear by introducing slinky sweaters and crochet tracksuits. Originally using lines, the Missoni family discovered a way to make the emblematic chevron pattern by using Raschel knitting machines. The new technique allowed the fashion house to use knits to create any shape of garment, allowing them to cut and sew material without loosening the threads.

As luck would have it, I have a Missoni knitwear tee. It’s a vintage one that my mother used to have, and at a certain point gifted to me. I have been wearing it a lot the last couple of years. So let’s take a look at it!

In the below pictures, I have put the tee on my mannequin. It has a simple round neck as well as the famous chevron pattern in multiple colors of yellow, green and lilac. A design aspect that jumps out to me, is that the fabric of the sleeves is positioned in such a way that the larger chevron is centered on the top of both sleeves.

A closer look

This tee is an Italian size 48, this is similar to an EU 40-42 and US 12.

The neckband looks like a folded hem, covering the edge where the fabric appears to be cut. On the inside of the garment, the fabric of the side seams is serged. So, it’s reasonable to assume that underneath the folded hem, there is also a serged edge to prevent the fabric from unraveling.

Again, the patterning is centered relative to the neck opening and body of the tee.

The yarn used in this garment is very thin. As a hand knitter, I would classify this as lace weight. That said, commercial knitwear is often in much thinner yarn than hand knit ones. The yarn composition consists of 65% linen, 20% rayon, and 15% nylon.

The color runs in the yarn are of medium length, and change abruptly from one color to the next.

The sleeves are set-in, again with serged edges on the inside. In this picture, you can see very well how the centering of the pattern on the top of the sleeve results in a larger “point”.

And last, but not least: the patterning itself. I have not charted it out, but the repeat seems to consist of something like:

K7, CDD, k7, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, yo, k2tog, skp, yo, k1, skp, yo, k1, yo.

The WS rows are alternating in knit and purl. So, I think we’re looking at a 4-row repeat.

If you test this out, I’m looking forward to hearing whether the above indeed matches the patterning in my tee.

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tutorial – replacing the toe of a hand-knit sock

Replacing the worn-down toe of a hand-knit sock

My youngest is a big fan of wearing hand knit socks. To make sure he gets enough wear out of a pair before growing out of them, I make him tube socks. The pattern I use is usually the No-Heel Spiral Socks by La Maison Rililie. Anyway, he wears these socks a lot, and that means they also get a lot of wear. With the sock pictured, a hole developed in the lilac toe section. On further inspection, it became clear that the whole lilac toe was thin all over, but that the rest of the sock was still good for a lot of wearing. So, time to learn how to go about replacing the worn-down toe of a hand-knit sock!

In this post, I show you how I go about it. There are probably many more ways to tackle this, this is just the one that I used here.

Materials used

Yarn: New sock yarn to work the new toe.

Tools: A pair of circular needles in size 2 mm (US 00) and a small circular in the same size.

Replacing the toe, step by step

I determined that all the lilac was bad, but that the pink variegated yarn was still good.

To start, I snipped some of the lilac yarn to free up the stitches in the pink and to put those on a circular needle.
This sock was originally knit toe-up, but the replacement toe will be knit the other way around. Because of this difference in knitting direction, I can’t unravel the lilac yarn easily. Instead, I have to tease it loose stitch by stitch with the smaller needle. This is not a problem, because it greatly reduces the risk of dropped stitches and running down stitches.
Tease all the pink stitches loose and put them on the needle.
When this is done, you have a loose, worn-out toe and a project ready for knitting.
Attach your new yarn and work the new toe.
In this picture, I’m ready to join the new yarn.

The result

The result of replacing the worn-down toe of a hand-knit sock: A sock with a new toe, ready for some more wearing!

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psychedelica

Sometimes, you just want a knit that quickly gives results. This design uses aran weight yarn, which definitely delivers on that! The patterning in the Psychedelica shawl may look challenging, but if you’ve ever knit lace, you can absolutely work this too.

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter tab. The instructions for the psychedelic patterning are both charted and written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

€

Difficulty level

The Psychedelica shawl is worked from the top-down, starting with a garter tab cast-on. The psychedelic patterning is worked on both the RS and the WS of the work. Stitches used include knit, knit tbl, purl, purl tbl, m1bl, k2tog, k2tog tbl, skp, p2tog, and p2tog tbl.

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

Sizes and finished measurements

One size: Span width of 215 cm (84 ¾ inches) measured along the upper edge, and a depth of 99 cm (39 inches), measured after blocking.

Adjust the size of this shawl by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: Approx. 10 sts / 19 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over striped stockinette, measured after blocking. Gauge is not critical in this design, but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 5 pages (letter size)

Yarn

Garnstudio Drops Big Fabel (75% wool, 25% nylon; 150 m (164 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and quantities:

C1: 450 m (492 yds) / 300 g) in 105 – turquoise
C2: 300 m (328 yds) / 200 g) in 102 – green

This particular yarn is discontinued, but could be substituted with Garnstudio Drops Big Merino (100% wool; 75 m (82 yds) / 50 g). Substitute a plied aran weight yarn in solid or tonal colors for a similar result.

Materials

Size 4.5 mm (US 7) / 100 cm (40 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
Yarn needle.
4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches.
Stitch markers to use in between patterning repeats (optional).

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