Behind The Scenes – Part 4

We finish Behind The Scenes with the true inspiration of the piece – the buttonholes!  While combing through my stack of stitch dictionaries, I came across a fascinating cable design called Tudor Grillwork in A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker.  I decided that the diamond-shaped cables would make a lovely home for a buttonhole. After some modifications and much swatching, the cable finale was complete.  I am so excited to share it with you!

Section E sets the stage for the cables creating four “arms” leading into the diamonds.  Because the upcoming diamond cables draw in the fabric, eight increases are worked in Row 10 to bring the stitch count to 54 stitches.  The increases are worked on the wrong side of the fabric into each “arm”.  To maintain the arm’s established stockinette, the increases are worked as a Purl Front and Back or pfb.  To execute a pfb, purl into the front leg of the stitch as usual leaving the original stitch on the left hand needle.  Next, bring the right hand needle behind the back leg of the stitch on the left needle and past it.  Enter the back leg of this stitch from left to right  and purl it, removing the original stitch from the left needle.  An up-close tutorial of this tricky little guy is waiting for you in my Pfb video.

The cables in Section F are all old friends by now.  The buttonholes make their appearance in Row 7 nestled inside the diamond-shaped cable.  A firm and tidy buttonhole is a must in any project.  My same-row method yields superior results and is simple to work.  Watch the Buttonhole video to master this essential skill.

Upon completion of the cables, p2tog decreases are worked in Row 14 to restore the stitch count to the original 46 stitches.  If working from the chart, the No Stitch symbol returns as a placeholder for the decreased stitches.

Section F’s Row 16 seems a bit odd with the center stitches worked in all purl on the wrong side.  This is not a mistake!  We are working a short purled garter ridge to stabilize the reverse stockinette below.  Trust the pattern:)

Lastly, bind off the stitches in pattern to maintain the I-cord edging all the way through the bind off.  To bind off in pattern, knit 2, bind off one, *purl one, bind off one; repeat from the * until two stitches remain on the left needle, knit one, bind off one, knit one, bind off one.  Cut yarn and pull through the last stitch.

I chose to block my cowl to open up the cables and create uniform edges.  For this piece, I used blocking wires and a spray bottle to block.  Blocking wires are threaded through the I-cord edge on each side of the dry piece.  Once the wires are in place, stretch the piece to the desired dimensions and secure into place with a few pins along the inner edge of the wire to stabilize it to the blocking surface.  The blocking surface can be foam squares, carpet, a bedspread or towels.  Using a bottle filled with plain water, thoroughly saturate the piece.  Adjust the original pins if needed.  Allow the yarn to completely dry before removing the wires – this usually takes 24 hours or more.

Sew the buttons to the cast on edge of the piece inside of the “horseshoe” cables.  The buttons may be attached with either sewing thread or yarn.  Thread is stronger which is why I usually prefer to use it for its durability.  However, if I am using a button with large holes as seen below, I will attached them with yarn.  Thread the yarn onto a tapestry needle.  Hold the button in place and enter one of the holes from the wrong side of the fabric leaving a short tail.  Enter the second (or subsequent) hole from the right side to the wrong side.  Repeat this step.  Tie the starting tail together with the end tail into a knot.  I like to secure the knot with Fray-Check (available at craft/sewing stores), an invisible solution that will prevent the knot from opening and the yarn from fraying.

Time to button up the cowl and marvel at your work!

Once buttoned, the cowl can be worn doubled to ward off the chilliest of weather or left singly draped for all to admire.

Remember, this pattern is FREE until November 30th.  After this date, the pattern will be available as a purchase on Ravelry.  The helpful introductions to each section will remain on my website indefinitely but the pattern will go away.  Be sure to download the pattern by November 30!  As a reward for your loyal participation, here is the complete design in a condensed pattern.

I loved hearing from you all and hope you had fun while learning a bit along the way.  I look forward to knitting with you again in April of next year (see below).

Happy knitting,

Michelle

April 2018 KAL – Transient

My next knit along will be a shawl knit with the beautiful new yarn, Concentric.  Named after the concentric circles that this cake of yarn so closely resembles, these color gradients were carefully designed by the Skacel color specialists! Concentric is made from four non-plied strands, which create the distinctive color change.  The colors change at a regulated sequence allowing for a wide range of design possibilities.

In Transient, each color change will bring a different stitch pattern in this easy to wear shawl.  You will find yourself racing to the next color change to find out what comes next!

Pictured below is a prototype of the shawl.  This garter stitch example is in the exact shape of the Transient shawl and knit in color #1022 Rainbow’s End.  Imagine how much prettier the real version will be with multiple stitch patterns inserted at the thirteen color changes.

Concentric is made of 100% baby alpaca with each cake containing 220g/437 yds.  One skein is all that is needed for the shawl.  I knit mine on addi US #8 32″ needles.  I will have gauge information and further details for you early next year.  Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for all of the updates.

 

Behind The Scenes – Part 3

Part Two had us jumping into the deep end with four different cables.  In Part Three we are entering deeper waters with a total of six cables!

Section C forms the center of the piece and is adorned with a standard cable through the middle diamond.  A right leaning and left leaning cable in Row 1 set the stage for the column of ordinary cables.  Because this cable is vertical and does not travel across the fabric, it remains in all knit on the right side and all purl on the wrong side.  With all of the fancy cables it is nice to return to the simplicity of a standard cable.  I love how this classic cable adds another dimension to the design.  Check it out for yourself in the photo below.

I have listed the yarn weights remaining after each of the six repeats in Section C.  Each repeat used approximately 12-13 grams of yarn.  If you are using more yarn than listed, a pattern repeat may be eliminated to conserve yarn and ensure that you have enough yarn to complete the pattern.  At the conclusion of the entire pattern, I had 18 grams remaining in my second skein.

Speaking of second skeins, I joined mine in the 4th repeat of Section C.  I added the skein by using the Russian Join since the chainette construction of Oh! makes it ideal for working this technique.  The Russian Join locks the ends of the yarn together almost invisibly with no ends to weave in.  Watch my Russian Join video for a complete tutorial.

Section D is a mirror image to Section B.  The only difference is that Section D starts midway through the seeded diamond.  For this reason I provide a separate chart and instructions to avoid confusion.  Work Rows 1 – 20 twice, then Rows 1 – 10 again for a total of 50 rows.  A close up photo of Section D is seen below.

As seen in the photo below, Part Three has a lot of knitting for this week.  Part Four is quite short and I thought it best to give you more time to knit the bulk of the pattern before the end of the KAL.  I want you all to finish it up by November 15 so you can enter the prize drawing!

Part Four has inventive buttonholes that are sure to delight you with their unique setting.

Don’t forget to download all of the instructions as they will not be available for free after November 30th.

See you next week!

Happy knitting,

Michelle

BKP (Back, Knit, Purl) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle.

BKS (Back, Knit, Seed) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, p1, k1 from cable needle.

C4B – slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in back of work, knit next 2 stitches from left hand needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

C4F – slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front of work, knit next 2 stitches from left hand needle, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle.

cn – cable needle.

FPK (Front, Purl, Knit) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.

FSK (Front, Seed, Knit) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, p1, k1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.

sl – slip. See Slip Stitch Video

wrap 4 – slip next 4 stitches to cable needle, wrap yarn 3 times counterclockwise around held stitches, k4 from cable needle. See Wrap 3 (4) Video

wyif – with yarn in front.

 

Behind The Scenes – Part 2

I hope you enjoyed “dipping your toes” into the pool of advanced cables in Part One.  Part Two will have you diving into the deep end of the pool to discover more advanced cables to enhance our piece.  These intricate cables create a handsome seed stitch diamond pattern set on a background of purl.

Section B begins with a lovely wrapped stitch to anchor the base of the diamonds.  The Wrap 4 is found at the base of each diamond and also in the center where the diamonds adjoin.  This interesting technique gathers several stitches using a cable needle to add charming texture to the fabric.  To execute a Wrap 4,  start by slipping the next four stitches to a cable needle.  Wrap the working yarn yarn counterclockwise around the held stitches ending on the wrong side of the work.  Lastly, knit each of the stitches onto the right hand needle.  I demonstrate the wrapped stitch in my Wrap 3 (4) video.  Please note that the Wrap 3 is demonstrated in the video.  A Wrap 4 is exactly the same, except 4 stitches are slipped to the cable needle instead of 3.

The Wrap Stitch is not only great to use with cables, but it is often found in lace designs.  I used the Wrap Stitch in one section of my Building With Lace book.  The stitch is found in the center of the diamonds seen above.

The diamond shapes in this section of Behind The Scenes are filled with seed stitch, as seen above.  The added texture adds dimension and interest to the center of the diamonds.  To form the seed stitch in the center of the diamond, the traveling cables will now include seed stitch.  Two of the stitches will remain in knit as the framework of the diamond.  The other two stitches will be worked as (p1, k1) to fill the center with a seed pattern.

Rows 3 – 9 contain the seed cables.  Close inspection of the chart illustrates how the stitches work together.  In seed stitch, the knit and purl stitches are arranged in a staggered fashion.  Notice how the stitches in these cables place a purl and knit stitch carefully within the center to maintain the design.

I have chosen abbreviations for these cables that I think will help you to execute them successfully with minimum confusion.

The traveling right leaning seed cable is worked by slipping two stitches to a cable needle and holding them in back.  Next, knit two stitches from the left needle.  Lastly, work the two held stitches from the cable needle as p1, k1.  I abbreviate this cable as BKS.  This is my shorthand for hold stitches to the Back, Knit the next two stitches, Seed the stitches off cable needle.

The traveling left leaning seed cable is worked by slipping two stitches to a cable needle and holding them in front.  Next, work the two stitches from the left needle as p1, k1.  Lastly, knit the two held stitches from the cable needle.  I abbreviate this cable as FSK.  This is my shorthand for hold stitches to the Front, Seed the next two stitches, Knit stitches off cable needle.

Both of the above cables are executed like a standard cable stitch except that one group of the stitches is worked in seed (p1, k1) on the right side.

The cables in Rows 13 – 19 are the BKP and FPK used in Part 1.  The stitches behind the forefront knit stitches are forming the purl background as the cables travel inward.

I have again provided both charted and written instructions for this section.  The cables are color coded in the chart for easy reading.  With four separate cables in the chart, color coding is more helpful than ever!

If working from the written instructions, I recommend color coding the cable abbreviations within each row for easy reading.  The written instructions rely heavily on parentheses.  Remember, any stitches within ( ) are worked the number of times stated by the number following the ( ).

For Section B, work Rows 1 – 20 two times, then work Rows 1 – 12 again for a total of 52 rows.  At the conclusion of Section B, I had 51g remaining in my first skein.  Should your yardage differ dramatically from mine, adjustments will be made in next week’s section.

Speaking of next week, Part 3 is the longest section in the pattern.  Finish up all your other work this week because you will need to have lots of knitting time for the next clue!

Don’t forget to download all of the instructions as they will not be available for free after November 30.

Happy knitting,

Michelle

 

 

BKP (Back, Knit, Purl) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle.

BKS (Back, Knit, Seed) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, p1, k1 from cable needle.

cn – cable needle.

FPK (Front, Purl, Knit) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.

FSK (Front, Seed, Knit) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, p1, k1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.

sl – slip. See Slip Stitch Video

wrap 4 – slip next 4 stitches to cable needle, wrap yarn 3 times counterclockwise around held stitches, k4 from cable needle. See Wrap 3 (4) Video

wyif – with yarn in front.

 

Behind The Scenes – Part 1

Welcome to the Progressive Needles Knit Along sponsored by Skacel Collection!  As always, the KAL brings a new pattern solely focused on increasing your knitting skills.  Behind The Scenes is a cabled scarf which is buttoned up to be worn as a cowl.  Whether you are a novice or experienced cable knitter, this design provides plenty of learning opportunities.

Before we begin, here is an overview of the KAL:

  • A portion of the 4-part mystery pattern is revealed here on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursdays in October at 9am Eastern time.  The weekly pattern, video resources and lots of helpful tips are included in each post.  An abbreviated, pattern-only version is included to download.
  • All techniques are supported with video instruction at knitpurlhunter.com
  • All questions and comments are monitored daily both here and in the Knit Purl Hunter group on Ravelry.  It’s like having  your own private knitting tutor!
  • Projects completed by November 15 are eligible for the monthly prize drawing – first prize is a set of addi Clicks!  See skacelknitting.com for all the info.
  • VERY IMPORTANT:  Behind The Scenes is a FREE pattern through November 30.  After this date, it will only be available for purchase on Ravelry.  Be sure to download each portion of the pattern prior to this date.  The helpful tips and videos for each section will remain on my website indefinitely.

What’s In A Name?

The reason for naming this pattern Behind The Scenes is two-fold.  First, I will be giving you a glimpse into the design process and the decisions driving the stitch and technique choices.  This backstage look will not only help you knit this pattern successfully, it will give you the confidence to try your own hand at designing and modifying patterns.  Secondly, all cables are formed when a group of stitches are “behind” another group of stitches.  Our pattern will contain explanations to help you understand the role of these background stitches.

The pattern has the added bonus of being knit with the delightful softness of HiKoo Oh! yarn.  When the yarn was in its development, all who touched it exclaimed “Oh!” and its name was born.  One touch and you will agree with the choice!  This yarn is manufactured on one of the very few machines worldwide that can create a chainette construction directly from roving. Since the yarn is never spun, it allows for the fiber to be as soft as possible, while maintaining durability and strength.  You’ll love wearing it around your neck!

Yardage

One of the biggest challenges for a designer is determining how much yarn to recommend for the pattern.  If the design uses too much yarn, then there is a risk of knitters running short of yarn and that is a HUGE problem.  On the flip side, having too much yarn left over leaves many knitters unhappy about purchasing the last skein.  All of us would love to knit up every inch of yarn in the project, but it is nearly impossible to design a pattern for that.   In Behind The Scenes, the pattern leaves 18 g/34 yards leftover when knit to gauge.  Even the most careful swatching can result in a variation of yarn usage.  For this reason, I include the yarn weight at the conclusion of each section.  Weigh your skein throughout the pattern to evaluate your usage compared to mine.  Should your yardage differ, there will an opportunity to adjust the length of the piece in Part 3 of the KAL.

Getting Started

Part One begins with a flat lying edge leading into horseshoe shaped cables that will house each button.  Garter stitch is perfect for this edge to prevent curling with just a minimum of rows.  Cast on for this edge using the Long Tail Cast On.  This cast on places knit stitches on the needle.  At the completion of the cast on in flat knitting, the work is turned leaving purl stitches facing front.  The purl stitches blend nicely into the garter edge and helps promote stability.

Immediately following the cast on, the sides of the piece are worked in an I-cord edging.  Other common flat-lying edges (garter, seed) would have worked, but the I-cord has the same “bulk” as the interior cables for a harmonious pairing.  An I-cord edge is quite easy to work.  Simply slip the last two stitches of every row with yarn in front.  (Remember the general knitting rule:  stitches are ALWAYS slipped as if to purl unless otherwise stated.)

Cable School

Cables are made by slipping a number of stitches from the left needle to a cable needle.  The cable needle stitches are then held to either the front or the back of the work while working a number of stitches off of the left hand needle.  Lastly, the stitches held on the cable needle are worked to complete the cable.  Stitches held to the back of the work will create a cable that leans (crosses) to the right.  Stitches held to the front of the work will result in a cable that leans (crosses) to the left.

The photo above shows a square from my Building Blocks book that illustrates simple cables.  The cables on the right hand side of the block lean right and the cable on the left hand side lean to the left.  The center cable is known as a Staghorn Cable which is formed when a left and right leaning meet.  In this example, the cables are formed from a column of stitches that are worked in all knit on the right side and all purl on the wrong side.  My Cables video demonstrates how to execute a left and right leaning cable.

In Behind The Scenes, the design features cables that travel across the fabric.  To achieve this bit of knitting magic, the cables are worked in both knit and purl on the right and wrong sides.  The stitches in the front of the cable will remain in knit and the stitches behind them will be worked in purl.

In Part One, the traveling left leaning cable is worked by slipping two stitches to a cable needle and holding them in front.  Next, purl two stitches from the left needle.  Lastly, knit the two held stitches from the cable needle.  I abbreviate this cable as FPK.  This is my shorthand for hold stitches to the Front, Purl the next two stitches, Knit stitches off cable needle.

The traveling right leaning cable is worked by slipping two stitches to a cable needle and holding them in back.  Next, knit two stitches from the left needle.  Lastly, purl the two held stitches from the cable needle.  I abbreviate this cable as BKP.  This is my shorthand for hold stitches to the Back, Knit the next two stitches, Purl stitches off cable needle.

Both of the above cables are executed like a standard cable stitch except that one group of the stitches is worked in purl on the right side.  This deviation will surely keep you on your toes!

I have provided both charted and written instructions for this pattern.  The cables are color coded in the chart for easy reading.

Even if you do not work from the chart, I encourage you to use it to compare the design with the stitches on your needle.  When working from the written instructions, consider color coding the cable abbreviations within the pertinent rows to match the charted instructions. (Highlighters work perfectly!)  This makes it easier on the eyes and avoids executing the incorrect cable.  If you find a mis-crossed cable several rows back, watch my Fixing a Mis-Crossed Cable video for a repair tutorial.

If you are an experienced cable knitter and are looking for a challenge.  Try executing these cables without a cable needle.  Since the needles and yarn are larger, it is a good project to give this technique a try.  See Cables Without A Cable Needle video.

The photo below shows Part One completed.  The piece has not been blocked so the button areas inside the four “horseshoes” are slightly small for my larger 1″ buttons.  Blocking will widen this area and it will also correct the edges from drawing in.

Next week brings us more new cables to add to the mix!

Happy knitting,

Michelle

  • OH! By HiKoo, 100% baby alpaca, 100g / 191 yds, 2 skeins
  • US#10(6mm) needle, straight or 24” circular
  • 4 round buttons, 5/8 – 1” in size
  • Cable needle

18 stitches = 4” in stockinette, unblocked

Prior to blocking – 45”long, 7” wide.  After blocking – 47”long, 8 ½” wide.

BKP (Back, Knit, Purl) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle.

cn – cable needle.

FPK (Front, Purl, Knit) – slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.

sl – slip. See Slip Stitch Video

wyif – with yarn in front.