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: 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!

New Knitting Pattern: Nightshade

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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!