New Knitting Pattern: Twilight

Twilight started as a thought experiment on an unusual, but versatile layering piece. I was looking for something more interesting than a classic cardigan, but definitely more warming than a classic shrug or bolero. I finally opted for a unisex shape with an extra large hood and doomy vibes. This oversized, open front cardigan with exaggerated, elbow length sleeves is knit sideways in one piece. It has folded hems on all edges to keep the details simple due to the dramatic shape of the garment. You can wear it on top of simple a dress, to add that special something to an everyday jeans and t-shirt look or style it with other statement pieces in your own unique way.

My sample is knit in Austermann Alpaca Star (Ravelry link), a surprisingly decent, sequined, fluffy yarn. The composition is 36% alpaca, 35% nylon, 15% silk and 14% cotton. The sequins are really tiny and add just a bit of sparkle in direct sunlight. Of course, you can easily substitute this yarn with a worsted weight yarn or 2-3 strands of a lace weight mohair and silk blend of your choice that meets gauge.

Due to the garment’s construction, the pattern is available in a limited number of sizes only, ranging from an intended bust size of 32” to 50”. I am really sorry for this, I promise to think about possible construction issues earlier next time.

How to Get the Pattern

You can buy the pattern in my Ravelry store and on payhip. For more pictures, check #twilightcardigan on Instagram to see the stunning garments of my gorgeous testers! Enjoy the pattern, I’m looking forward to your interpretations!

New Knitting Patterns: Slip Stitch Textures

I have been playing around with some plastic-free sock yarns and slipped stitches recently and the the result is a small collection of four sock patterns! All patterns use the small gauge differences that come with slip stitch patterns to create subtle textures. All patterns work best on solid colourways in lighter shades. I have added instructions for my favourite short row heel, but you can exchange it for your favourite heel constructions if you prefer a different one. Two of the patterns are knit top-down, two have a toe-up construction. Triangles and Chevrons also feature folded cuffs, Triangles with a special top-down construction. Now to the details:

Triangles

Triangles Socks knitted from red Retrosaria Mondim yarn

Triangles is a top-down sock pattern with a folded hem that is knit without having to pick up stitches. My yarn of choice is the wonderful Retrosaria Mondim, a 100% Portuguese wool, non-superwash sock yarn.

Rhombi

Rhombi Socks knitted from red-purple Onion Nettle Sock yarn

Rhombi is a top-down sock pattern with a classic ribbed cuff. I have knitted it with Onion Nettle Sock, a superwash sock yarn consisting of 70% wool and 30% nettle fibre. It is a bit less elastic than classic woollen yarns, but super soft and silky.

Inverted Rhombi

Inverted Rhombi Socks knitted from green Wolle Willich Foxy yarn

[PR sample, but I would have chosen it anyway]

Inverted Rhombi is a toe-up sock pattern with a classic ribbed cuff. I have used Wolle Willich Foxy, a stunning 100% wool, non-superwash yarn spun from locally sourced German sheep. It unfolds its full beauty after its first wash.

Chevrons

Chevrons Socks knitted from khaki Pascuali Pinta

Chevrons is a toe-up sock pattern with a folded cuff. My version is knitted from Pascuali Pinta, a machine washable sock yarn consisting of 60% extrafine, mulesing-free Merino wool, 20% Mulberry silk and 20% Ramie. It is a lot more drapey than classic sock yarns, but the socks are a dream to wear.

How to Get the Patterns

You can buy the single patterns as well as the bundle of all four in both English and German in my Ravelry store, as usual. I have also set up a payhip store for those who want to support me, but not Ravelry. For more pictures, check #trianglessocks #rhombisocks #invertedrhombisocks and #chevronssocks on Instagram to see the results of my gorgeous testers! Enjoy my new patterns, I’m looking forward to your socks!

New Knitting Pattern: Bold

Have you ever thought about knitting bobbles in super bulky yarn? The effect is just stunning! They look like little, knitted balls and add a dramatic, three-dimensional effect to classic stockinette stitch. The colour depth of Malabrigo’s Rasta yarn even emphasizes this effect.

The design as such is inspired by my love for extraordinary winter hats paired with my French roots. This hugely oversized tam can be styled in many different ways and looks great on almost everyone. It is knit in the round from the top down using the Magic Loop technique to easily increase to a circumference of about 43 inches/ 109cm at the largest part. The hat also makes a great last minute gift as it knits up in a single afternoon.

You can buy the English and German pattern in my Ravelry Store. Can’t wait to see which colours you will choose!

New Knitting Pattern: Magnified

[collaboration]

I have been playing around with textures a lot recently, so when Wolle Willich asked me to design a one-skein project with their stunning June Cashmere Fingering yarn, it was clear I would incorporate some of that research. The yarn is pure cashmere, so it is extraordinarily soft and will keep you warm when it is cold without making you sweat at higher temperatures. In my opinion, this is the ideal fibre for a luxury cowl you can wear in any season.

The design as such features i-cord edgings, a slip stitch texture and little cords sticking out here and there to emphasise the three-dimensional effect. Apart from the i-cord edgings, there are no advanced techniques used, so it makes a quick knit to try out some new textures. One 50g skein of June Cashmere Fingering is enough to make this little beauty. If you have not used this yarn yet, I recommend to try it out if you can afford it. Although it defininitely is a luxury yarn, it is a dream to work with and to wear. As a bonus, it is ethically sourced and supports Kyrgyz shepherds directly.

You can buy the English pattern in my Ravelry Store, but I also have written a German version which is available exclusively at Wolle Willich with the purchase of June Cashmere yarn. I am looking forward to see your projects!

New Knitting Pattern: Opulence

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When I was given some Rowan Island Blend samples at last year’s Rowan Roadshow, I instantly knew I would turn them into a very special hat. I had experimented on an unusual shape before and was sure that this soft and drapey yarn was the perfect choice for my idea.

I wanted a hat that can be worn either as a beanie or as a tam. There also was this idea of three-dimensional segments that add dramatic volume. Voilà, Opulence was born. The hat looks extra spectacular when worked in different colours, but due to its unusual shape, it also looks stunning in one single colourway without the colourwork. Opulence is worked bottom-up in one piece using intarsia in-the-round if you opt for the multi-coloured version. A folded hem contrasts the opulent crown.

My sample uses Rowan Island Blend (70% Falkland merino wool, 15% baby alpaca, 15% silk; 137 yd / 125 m per 50 g) in Empire as main colour and Jet as contrasting colour. The DK weight yarn is very soft and drapey, light enough to wear the hat in spring, yet warm enough to also wear it in winter. However, if you prefer another DK weight yarn, just make sure you meet gauge and surprise me with your interpretation! The pattern comes in six sizes to fit to fit 14 (16, 18, 20, 22, 24)″ / 35.5 (40.5, 45.5, 50.5, 56, 61) cm head circumference. As usually, you can buy the pattern in my Ravelry store. I am looking forward to all your colourful Opulence hats!

Knitting for Charity

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When temperatures are falling and my hands, neck and ears start to freeze, I just put on one of my handknit hats, scarves and gloves to stay warm. Of course, I also could buy some ready-made items if I did not have the time to knit. But what if things are not so easy? What if you rely on donations and the goodwill of others because you just cannot afford new clothes?

Pattern: Lara Mittens by shinysuperhero

Sarah, who I have been following for quite a while now, mainly knits for homeless people in Berlin from donated yarns. She also ran a knit along for charity items where she also asked the participants to research local charities and ask what they need. My online research for charities in Leipzig led me to Sachspendenzentrale, a central place where donations are collected and distributed.

It took me a while to gather information on what was needed, but in general, they are looking for scarves (1.2m or longer), large hats, large gloves and mittens and socks (mainly EU size 42-45). Ideally, the items use classic designs in decent colours and are knit in machine-washable yarns.

All items are knit using leftover yarns from finished projects apart from the socks which are machine knit from PR samples. So call your local charities, ask what they need, knit from stash and do some good! Your help is greatly appreciated!

Tiffany Epiphany

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Now that my godchild has grown out of her baby scarf, her parents asked me for a larger one. As she is a very special little person, I decided to knit her a very special scarf, namely a child sized Tiffany Epiphany. To downsize the pattern, I have followed the smaller size and knit only four segments. With a finished length of about 160cm, my plan has failed quite a bit. Nonetheless, it should work out fine as the scarf is knit in fingering weight yarn and thus can be looped around the neck once more without adding too much warmth.

The pattern is well written with a lot of photos guiding you through less usual techniques. The scarf is knit modularly in garter stitch with minimal finishing. I liked to watch the shapes evolve while knitting although I have to admit that this is not a mindless knit. There is a lot of short row shaping involved and you may want to count your stitches every other row to make sure the shaping is correct.

I have used 20g blue Schoppel Wolle Admiral and 34g grey Zauberwiese Supertwist Falkland Nylon from my leftovers stash, 74g Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in wibble, a Fibreshare gift, and 63g pink Schoppel Wolle Admiral Hanf, a new sock yarn with bio-degradable nylon which I got for free at Yarncamp 2019. Thanks to garter stitch, the four different yarn textures blend well into each other. A nice surprise was the Admiral Hanf yarn, whose 10% hemp content adds an interesting structure. Sadly, this is more or less invisible in garter stitch, but very classy in stockinette stitch. I definitely need to experiment more with it. Now let’s hope my godchild likes her new, colourful scarf and enjoys wearing it!

DIY Reusable Cosmetic Pads, Sewing Edition

Some of you may remember the Reusable Cotton Wool Pads I crocheted back this January. I used them only for a very short time as I needed about twice the amount of lotion compared to store-bought, single-use cotton wool pads. Furthermore, the cleansing effect of the crocheted surface was pretty low on my skin.

However, I did not want to give up on the idea of finding a sustainable solution. My next approach are sewn cosmetic pads with one woven cotton and one terry side. And this is what I did:

First, I have cut a cardboard circle of 8cm in diameter.

This was my stencil to cut circles from woven cotton scraps, which then were pinned on the terry fabric (an old towel would also serve well) to cut the terry in shape.

Next, I sowed both circles together leaving a seam opening just large enough to turn them inside out.

As I was too lazy for an elegant finishing, I have sewn the last seam visibly from the top. I know this leaves room for improvement, but I first wanted to make sure the terry pads are worth the effort. Fingers crossed it will work out this time.

A Scrap Yarn Sweater, Luxury Edition

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First, I have to admit I finished this one about a year ago, wore it all winter and forgot to blog about it. Today, I have started to wear it again so I better tell you about it right now.

I decided to knit this sweater as an experiment on how to use up several black sock yarn leftovers from different brands at once. Of course, there were some differences in colour and texture, so I held them together with a neon blue Kidsilk yarn from my stash which I never would have used on its own. The result just looks stunning with the marled effect of the two yarn types together. As a plus, you only feel the softness of the Kidsilk yarn on your skin, there is no itchyness of the sock yarn involved.

The pattern used is Top-Down Top by Anna & Heidi Pickles, a cleverly constructed, batwing sleeved sweater. It is super easy to follow and quick to knit on 5.5 mm needles. It is knit top-down in one piece with minimal finishing. The batwing sleeves end around the elbows and the waistline, respectively, followed by tight ribbing to make it a long-sleeved, hip-length sweater. This makes it very comfortable to wear as you can still fit into a regular coat. Perfect!

The blue yarn, by the way, is Kid Seta by Madil Yarns. In my opinion, the quality of this yarn is outstanding with long fibre lengths and extreme softness. It is a pleasure to knit and wear. I am really sad this yarn is discontinued.

However, this sweater already has become a winter wardrobe favourite. It is lightweight, yet warm and can be styled in a million ways from casual to glamorous. Maybe I should mix up leftover and unloved yarns more often.

Oscillating Almond

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It is no secret that I love the fresh approach of Xandy Peters‘ knitting patterns. So when a dear friend asked me to knit her something between a scarf and a shawl, I initially thought of Oscillating Almond. This design uses a simple form of stacked stitches to create an almond shaped shawl and can be used to practise the technique. It is intended to be knit in at least one main colour plus one contrasting colour, but will also look good in a lot more colours. I have used two balls of the discontinued Colinette Jitterbug in Lichen as main colour and one ball of some sparkling high twist yarn of unknown origin as well as some Kathienchen High Twist in Peony as contrasting colours.

The yarns

My version is a lot larger than the pattern version as I wanted to use up my main colour. This approach resulted in a shawl with five full pattern repeats plus eight rows more. It weighs about 380g and has almost blanket size.

It’s HUGE!

Well aware of the large size, I did a beaded picot bind-off over 940 stitches which took me an entire Sunday afternoon and evening, but was totally worth the effort. I really like the slight reflections of the beads at the edge.

Beaded picot bind-off

Oscillating Almond was a pleasure to knit. The pattern is well-written and easy to follow and my yarn choice was perfect. Maybe I’ll knit another version of it one day in black with scrappy colour pops.