Knitting

On page 91 of Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, pages 88-89 is the “Fair Isle” pattern. It is nice stranded colorwork and a nice intro to Argyle patterns. It is an enjoyable knit, and for the swatches, I’m trying to keep a 2 stitch border on each side in garter for later seaming/joining into the larger blanket, but I ran into some challenges with this. I tried several different approaches early on (don’t look at the edges, they are a mess) but ultimately found that just holding both colors together for the first 2 and last 2 stitches worked the best and matched the thickness of the fabric. That’s what this project is all about…experimenting and learning. ...

My new favorite pattern from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, pages 88-89 is the Harlequin Pattern. It doesn’t look like much from the accompanying picture in the book, but a) this is a fun knit, b) the resulting texture is robust, and c) the pattern is delightful! I am also delighted with my choice of colors using Berroco Vintage Chunky, colorway 6110 Fondant, and a lovely contrasting colorway 6151 Cardinal. Of course, it’s only my favorite till the next one. They are all fun. They all have tricks to learn and new skills to try. ...

For this swatch/block in my crazy quilt project, I knit a combination of the Knotted Rib and Broad Spiral Rib from Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 49. This square is knit using Berroco Vintage Chunky in colorway 61194, Rhubarb. I made no effort to compensate for the cable flare. Shame on me! I may need to redo this swatch before I add it to the Bulky Swatch Blanket. ...

The next swatch in my crazy quilt project is the Swiss Check Pattern from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 90. I knit this with Paintbox, colorway 300, Paper White, and colorway 329, Grass Green. It’s a fun color-change pattern. Note the caution about leaving the strand loose behind the three slipped stitches on rows 2 and 6. Also, slip as if to purl, and always slip with the yarn to the wrong side. ...

The Squared Check Pattern from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 19 is a lovely geometric pattern of alternating knits and purls. The result is architectural but still has a nice drape, and the pattern looks good on the reverse. I knit this with Berroco Vintage Chunky, colorway 6100, Snow Day. Enjoy!

The Shadow Cable pattern from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 273 is the newest addition to the Crazy Quilt swatch stack. The swatch is knit with Berroco Vintage Chunky color 61192, Marmalade. It is a nice, easy-to-work cable pattern that creates an interesting result. As Barbara Walker points out, it’s similar to a Basket Cable, but the cables are staggered and do not cross. It is subtle but draws the eye. ...

Check out the Chevron pattern from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 26. This is the newest addition to the Crazy Quilt swatch stack. The swatch is knit using Paintbox color 339, Sailor Blue. This pattern looks great in this solid dark color. It’s an easy knit and relatively easy pattern to work. Enjoy! ...

This weeks Crazy Quilt swatch is the King Charles Brocade from Barbara Walker’s, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 31. I knit this beautiful pattern in a nice dark blue from Berroco Vintage Chunky called Dungaree, color 6187. Enjoy!

The next Crazy Quilt swatch block is the beautiful Trellis with Moss Stitch pattern in Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1, page 261. I used the Berroco Vintage Chunky yarn in Fuchsia. It’s a descent alternative to full plastic yarns. It’s a good percentage of wool, and has a nice feel, and it will block. The traveling cables are twisted so the stitches ride on top of the cables and really stand proud against the background of purl bumps. The moss stitch is a nice fill for the diamonds. It’s not easy to keep the Moss stitch tight with such a bulky yarn, but just be diligent and tighten a little before each purl. ...

Another stitch pattern for what I’m calling my Crazy Swatch Quilt project is the Staghorn Cable from Barbara Walker’s first Treasury of Knitting Patterns. (Yes, the cable flare does bug me, and I will probably re-knit this pattern before adding to the blanket.) This one is in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky color Daffodil Yellow. The yarn is ok to work with. I’m not a fan of acrylic yarns, but Paintbox comes in a bunch of colors. ...