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!
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!
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!
When I first started to experiment with stacked stitches, a technique Xandy Peters is quite famous for, I was fascinated by the endless possibilites that opened up to me. One of them was using stacked increases for shaping, so I created an unusual edging for an otherwise pretty classic, cap-sleeved, slightly cropped tee. This included contrasting bobbles to add that little extra something. Jewels was born and already is my favourite top to wear this fall.
If you have never worked stacked stitches before, the technique may seem a bit intimidating, but I found it quite easy to learn. It allows to create wavy structures without any short rows or a gazillion of individually attached pieces. Nonetheless, I recommend to take a test run with some scrap yarn to get used to it.
Jewels is part of The Fibre Co.‘s yarn support programme and uses their wonderful Road to China Light, a luxury blend of 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel and 10% cashmere. The sport weight yarn is very soft, warm yet light and gives extraordinary drape. Jewels is worked top-down in one piece with set-in sleeves. It is slightly cropped and intended to end at the top edge of a medium-waist pair of jeans. Jewels comes in 17 sizes from 28” – 60” bust circumference. You can buy the pattern on Ravelry. I am looking forward to your interpretations!
Please contact me in case you need a larger size, I am sure we can work it out.
The idea behind Nightshade dates back quite a while to when my aunt asked me to knit her a cropped summer sweater. It should be ridiculously wide and boxy but at the same really short to just cover the breasts. The sleeves were intended to look like long sleeves, but in fact should just reach from the wrists to the elbows and be super tight. Sounds like a challenge? Well, here is the solution!
Nightshade is a lightweight, drapey, cropped sweater. This perfect layering piece for chilly summer evenings ends above your waist so you can wear it 90s-style to a pair of low-rise pants or in a more contemporary fashion to a high-waist bottom. The body is worked flat, the sleeves are worked in the round. All pieces are knit bottom-up and then sewn together. You can easily adapt the body to knitting in-the-round, but I recommend to stick to the pattern as the side seams add structure.
The shape of this sweater is very bold, so I have added minimalist, rolled edges to keep the focus on the shape. The yarn used is The Fibre Co.Meadow, a luxurious, fingering weight blend of 40% Merino wool, 25% baby llama, 20% silk and 15% linen. The yarn is drapey, soft and rustic at the same time with a beautiful semisolid colour effect due to the different fibre types. The surprisingly good meterage of the yarn makes my size M (36-38” bust circumference) sample weigh only 214g!
As Nightshade is my first graded pattern and I had problems finding test knitters, the sizes currently range from 28-30” to 52-54” bust circumference. If you need a larger size, please contact me and let me know which size you are interested in. I am sure we can work it out together. Please also contact me when you like my style and are interested in test knitting future patterns. I have a lot of ideas waiting to become new patterns!
You can buy the Nightshade pattern on Ravelry, as always. Go, show it a little love! Happy knitting!
When I improvised a bum bag last year, I knew right away I wanted to publish it as a pattern. Here it is now, The Hipster!
I have designed it to be attached to your favourite belt. It is knit with Schoppel-Wolle Reggae, an aran weight, lightly felted yarn, at a very tight gauge. The resulting fabric is so dense, you do not need to line it. The body of the bag is knit bottom-up as one-piece in the round, the lid is then knit in rows using short-row shaping. The only sewing involved apart from sewing in the yarn ends is adding the zipper. This may seem difficult, but if you pin it in place with enough pins, it will work out easily.
The finished size is approximately 23 x 16 x 10 cm, large enough to fit your phone, your keys, your purse, a powder compact and a lipstick. At least, this is what I have tested it with and there still was some space left. It is a fun accessory to your everyday or festival outfit and a really quick knit. My version used only 58g of yarn. You can buy the pattern on Ravelry. I am looking forward to seeing your versions! Happy knitting!
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I like the idea of shrugs to add sleeves to a sleeveless top on chilly summer evenings. The problem I have with them is that the connection between the sleeves covers the back of the top underneath. As it always looks ridiculous when you pair a shrug with a dramatic top, I decided to find a solution to my problem.
What I wanted was a pair of dramatic sleeves held together in a minimalist way. When I was still figuring out the details, I was given three balls of GGH Bambu for free at Yarncamp 2018 which turned out to be the perfect yarn with its wonderful drape. It was clear that I needed more yarn, so I bought seven more balls.
gathered sleeve
The result is a pair of extremely oversized balloon sleeves, held together by a steel chain at the neck and two i-cords to adjust the fit at your lower back:
For quite a while, I had the idea of a three-dimensional statement hat in mind. It should not be too complicated to knit and when I had received my Schoeller + Stahl chic & warm sample, I knew it was the right time to work on that idea. The result is a bottom-up knit hat. The spikes are constructed by simple increases and decreases paired with a tight gauge. There are no short rows involved, so you should be able to knit this hat as an advanced beginner already.
Spikes is available as individual Ravelry Download for €6.00 plus VAT. I hope you enjoy the pattern and am looking forward for your interpretations!
When I first saw the pink, red and purplish colours of this yarn, I just had to knit some heart ornaments from it. As the yarn is a gradient one, I was looking for a one-piece, bottom-up construction with short-row shaping to form the top and minimal sewing. Sadly, I could not find what I wanted on Ravelry, so I made up my own pattern.
You can download it for free on Ravelry, but I would be happy if you mentioned me or linked to my Instagram when you knit it.
I used Schoeller + Stahl Limone Color in colourway 315, but the pattern is adjustable to any yarn weight and a matching needle size. One ball (50g) was enough to make nine hearts, in my case. Now grab your needles and knit a heart (or more) for your valentine! Happy knitting!
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