Free Pattern Friday - Clapotis September 27 2024, 0 Comments

Welcome back for September's free pattern Friday review and its a very special free pattern this month! This is my series of reviews of free knitting patterns which are available off Ravelry. Ravelry is a great source of free patterns but its much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. All Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here. 

Clapotis

Clapotis was designed by Kate Gilbert and originally published in the Fall 2004 issue of Knitty.com, a brilliant, free, online knitting magazine which has published 89 issues and hundreds of great, tech edited, free patterns.

Clapotis became the must-knit pattern for a while after it was published and to date Ravelry has 24,000 projects for this pattern! This makes it probably the first ever viral knitting pattern. To mark its 20th anniversary Knitty.com have launched Clapotisfest as a celebration of this iconic pattern and the many different ways it can be made to look with hand dyed yarn.

I was so pleased to be able to take part in this and you will see my version in the flickbook on the Clapotisfest page. I didn't knit one when it was first published but I do remember it coming out - the dropped stitches always scared me a little as a very new knitter at the time tho - and I've been a huge fan of Knitty.com since at least 2004.

Knit your version and submit a photo by 1st December 2024 and you could be in with a chance to win some lovely Indie Hand Dyed Yarn.

Details

The pattern is for a rectangular scarf with a biased dropped stitch pattern. The original used a now discontinued aran weight merino silk singles yarn but the updated pattern has details for adjusting for different yarn weights. I used Selkino which is our merino silk singles yarn.

The pattern starts at one corner and increases until the desired width is reached and then knit straight until the decreases to the finish corner. The drop stitch pattern is created by dropping the stitch when it reaches the edge so it unravels across to the other side. Don't panic! It doesn't unravel completely. Because of this construction its easy to make it wider or narrower as you prefer by knitting more or less repeats of the increase section.

My Clapotis

Rather than using Aran weight and 5mm needles I used Selkino and 3.25mm needles. I went for Lulworth Cove as the theme of this issue of Knitty was Indigo and Seasides.

Hand Dyed Yarn Choice

The simple nature of this pattern means it will look good in most hand dyed yarns. Choose a speckled or variegated yarn and see how the colours work together differently between the dropped stitch and plain knit sections.

Advantages of this pattern

• Looks good on both sides
• Easily adaptable for different yarn weights
• Fun to drop the stitches
• Can be made any size you wish
• If you knit one before 1st December 2024 you might win some lovely yarn!

Do let me know if you make this pattern and I'd love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to original pattern Clapotis
Link to updated pattern Clapotis
Link to Clapotisfest page

Link to Knitty.com

Free Pattern Friday - DIY Hair Scrunchie August 16 2024, 0 Comments

Welcome back for August's free pattern friday review. This is my monthly review of a free knitting pattern available off Ravelry. Ravelry is a great source of free patterns but its much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. All Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here. When looking for something small and easy to knit over the summer I came across this blog article The best DIY scrunchie - knitting, sewing or crochet? with not just 1 but 3 free patterns, so I decided I needed to try all three out.

Knitted Scrunchie

Both the knitted and crochet patterns has options for most weight yarns and the quantities needed so its a great scrap busting project! I decided I'd use a left over bit of Enchant DK in Limpet (You might recognise it from The Age of Brass and Steam!) The pattern is easy to follow and I love the photo of the supplies required. I chucked the yarn and needles and a pack of hair elastics in my bag to take on holiday with me. I used 4mm DPNs but I think a circular needle would have been easier. There are lots of links in the pattern to help with joining in the round and casting on if you need them.

Crochet Scrunchie

Now I will start this by saying I am awful at following crochet patterns, so the fact I ended up with a finished scrunchie that looks like the picture is amazing - the pattern must be really easy to follow! It has both UK and US terms, which confused me slightly but thats easy to do with crochet, a quick google and I worked out what I needed to do. I used DK yarn again, this time Crush DK in Lulworth Cove, and a 4mm hook. There are lots of photos of each round which really helped me. Was quicker than the knitted one.

Sewn Scrunchie

A few more bits of equipment required for this one, I didn't do it on the train this time, but very easy to do even with a basic sewing machine, or if you are happy to spend a bit longer over it you could hand sew it all. I made mine 55cm by 10cm and you could get several out of a fat quarter. Really quick and easy.

So which pattern is best?

Well I think there are advantages to each of them so it depends what you mean by best

• Quickest was the sewn scrunchie, as long as you have access to a sewing machine
• Quickest if you are away from home was the crochet pattern, I finished mine on the train home around eating lunch and if you don't have to google the stitches you probably could have done 2 or three in the time it took me to do one
• Easiest I think was the knitted one, but I am a knitter, so I might be biased. If you are a complete beginner and don't want to try knitting in the round you could even knit it flat, cast off, and seam it
• Most Fun was the crochet one, maybe because I was sure what I was doing, or because it was quick to finish. I can see myself making more of these
• Most likely to wear well actually my hair is a bit short for any of them but if it was longer I'd probably wear the crochet one the most as its a bit different

Other points are:

• All three patterns are really clearly written without use of abbreviations
• Lots of photos including of the equipment required and steps taken
• All use up scraps or left overs so great little stashbusters.

Do let me know if you make this pattern and I'd love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to patterns

Knit scrunchie

Crochet scrunchie

Sewn scrunchie

Free Pattern Friday - Fuss Free Baby Blanket July 19 2024, 0 Comments

Welcome back for July's free pattern friday review after a month off in June. This is my monthly review of a free knitting pattern available off Ravelry. Ravelry is a great source of free patterns but its much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. All Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here. 

Fuss Free Baby Blanket

This is the second of Louise Tilbrook's free patterns I have reviewed and it makes a lovely set with the Fuss Free Baby Cardi from April. This time I haven't followed the pattern exactly and instead substituted a different weight yarn for a different effect.

Details

The pattern is for a baby blanket cleverly knitted in the round but avoiding the tricky pin hole cast on or the need for DPNs at the start. It says it's more of a recipe than a pattern so you could follow it using Aran or Worsted weight yarn as written or adapt the idea if you prefer as I did.

The centre is knitted flat first then the outside knitted in the round. Its virtually all done using the knit stitch so is a quick knit and the size can be adjusted as desired. The plain blanket could also be decorated with textured stripes if you wished.

My Fuss Free Baby Blanket

Rather than using Aran weight and 5mm needles I used Crush DK again and 4mm needles. I went for Pink Champagne and Charterhouse for a soft, modern girly theme. I made it approximately 70cm square and used about 230g of yarn.

Advantages of this pattern

• Easily adaptable for different yarn weights
• Quick pattern - great for a new baby gift
• Can be made any size you wish
• Makes a lovely set with the Fuss Free Baby Cardi

Do let me know if you make this pattern and I'd love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to pattern Fuss Free Baby Blanket

Free Pattern Friday - Valentine Heart June 01 2024, 0 Comments

Welcome back for May's free pattern friday review. Sorry its a little late, it was supposed to go live yesterday! My monthly review of a free knitting pattern available off Ravelry. Ravelry is a great source of free patterns but its much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. All Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here. 

Valentine Heart

This month is a special birthday edition as it was my daughter's birthday this month. I found this pattern too late to be February's pattern and didn't want to wait til next year and also like knitting little things for my daughter so I have used some of the yarn she dyed with me a couple of years ago to knit her a cuddly heart. The pattern is by Tracey Driver of Bluebird and Daisy. Tracey has lots of patterns on her website including several free ones for knitting, crochet and Tunisian crochet.

Details

The pattern is for a stuffed heart knitted in one piece and in two sizes using either 4ply or DK yarn. A nice little scrap buster and could be used for decorations or small gifts. It uses about 10g of your chosen yarn.

Knitted on DPNs its a well written pattern with lots of photos although like all things starting in the round with a small number of stitches its a little fiddly but the pattern describes well how to start with the stitches on 2 needles and then moving onto 4. There is no instructions in the pattern for grafting (kitchener stitch) but there are lots on line depending on whether you prefer a video or written instructions. Personally I always refer back to the knitty.com written version when I need a reminder. Link is at the end of the post.

My Valentine Heart

I knitted the larger size in Crush DK using some leftovers of a colourway my Daughter dyed herself a couple of years ago. The plain stocking stitch of the sides makes it a perfect canvas for pretty much any colourway, however loud! or knit it in a solid colour and embellish it with embroidery or other stitches. I have a bit of Enchant DK left over from a previous month's project and I'm tempted to make another in that - it would be so soft and cuddly!

Advantages of this pattern

• Clear photographs
• Row by Row stitch counts for you can check you have the right number of stitches
• Could be made larger in thicker yarn with bigger needles too if desired
• Great stash buster for those scraps of yarn you can't bare to part with

Do let me know if you make this pattern and I'd love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to pattern Valentine Heart

Link to my favourite Grafting Instructions Knitty.com

Free Pattern Friday - Fuss Free Baby Cardi April 26 2024, 1 Comment

Welcome back for April's free pattern friday review. My monthly review of a free knitting pattern available off Ravelry. Ravelry is a great source of free patterns but its much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. All Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here.

Fuss Free Baby Cardi

This month its a baby pattern and this pattern is by Louise Tilbrook and is available from her website along with several other patterns. 

Details

The pattern is for a raglan cardigan in two sizes, 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months, and it knitted in DK weight yarn. I used less than 1 skein of yarn for the larger size. If you don't have 100g of one colour you can use stripes to use up smaller amounts of yarn like I did.

Its a lovely little raglan pattern with several options for increases, I used the kfb version. Its a quick knit for a new baby or if you want to try a smaller garment before knitting a full size one! It also has instructions for Russian Bind Off which I used where stated in the pattern and is a nice alternative to regular bind off especially if you want a stretchy edge.

My Fuss Free Baby Cardi

I knitted the larger size in Crush DK Kingfisher and Bonfire Glow and used just under 80g, the pattern says the small size uses 60g. It's a good canvas for using up leftovers, adding stripes or even adding some colourwork if you wish and the length of the body and the sleeves is easily adjusted. I knitted stripes 6 rows wide and made the sleeves slightly longer to keep the stripe pattern matching the body. My sample is being modelled by my bear as I didn't have a small human available!

I chose Crush DK as its the same blend as our sock yarn so is easily washable and wears well plus we have lots of colourways available. The buttons I chose are by Ethel and Joan who I met at Unravel and had these perfectly matching hand made buttons in teal with a little bit of sparkle!

Advantages of this pattern

• Tips and options to personalise your cardi
• Stitch count tables by row for both sizes
• Good pattern to practise skills needed for knitting adult size garments

Do let me know if you make this pattern and I'd love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to pattern Fuss Free Baby Cardi

Free Pattern Friday - The World's Simplest Mittens March 15 2024, 0 Comments

Welcome back for my third free pattern friday review. I am focusing on patterns available off Ravelry as I feel its very easy to find free patterns if you are able to use Ravelry but much harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. Other Free Pattern Friday reviews can be found here.

The World's Simplest Mittens

This pattern is by Tin Can Knits and as well as being a free pattern you can print off it's also available on their free app. 

Details

The pattern is for five sizes from toddler to large adult and can be knitted in four different weights of yarn (Fingering, DK, Worsted/Aran or Chunky) . For fingering and DK weights you should be able to knit a pair out of 100g even at the largest size. Thicker yarns might require more yarn for bigger sizes. They recommend knitting in the round using DPNs or magic loop.

I like the range of options for different sizes and yarn weights as it would be easy to grab a skein from your stash and start your project even if you have a fairly small stash. The number of options does mean there are a lot of numbers in the paper version of the pattern. If this is an issue either highlight the size you are doing on the pattern or try using the app. The app allows you to input the details for your project including yarn weight and size and it will show you just the instructions you need. The app also has links to extra tutorials and suggestions for your project without cluttering up the pattern. The app in particular would be great for a beginner as there are articles linked on methods for knitting in the round and the abbreviations list has full descriptions of all the techniques used. The only change I made was to graft the live stitches together at the tip of the hand rather than pull the yarn through those stitches. 

It's a well written pattern and the app in particular would be useful for a beginner because of the extra links provided. The article on using leftover yarn to make a marled pair of mittens is both interesting and useful. My only issue with the amount of information in this pattern was the number of times I got sidetracked reading different blog posts then struggling to find my way back to that post later!

My World's Simplest Mittens

I knitted the small adult size in Desire Marble DK and it was a nice quick knit. (Can you see a theme with these free pattern friday projects?) My daughter chose the colourway as these will be for her. All our Desire Marble is dyed up in non-repeatable colourways but we usually have a blue of some sort but given the range of options for yarn you could use nearly any yarn in stock! It's a good canvas for using up leftovers, adding stripes or maybe using that skein that's a little out of your usual comfort zone for something you would wear. Everyone should have a pair of fun mittens!

I suggested the Desire Marble DK to my daughter because its 100% merino wool and nice and lofty so they should be warm and cosy. This pair only used 58g of yarn so slightly under the pattern requirements and leaving plenty left if you wanted to make the cuff longer or other adjustments. I will update this post with her feedback once she has worn them a few times!

Advantages of this pattern

• Huge range of options for size and yarn weight
• App supported pattern which highlights the size you want to make
• Links to lots of tutorials and other information from the app and on the website

Do let me know if you make this pattern, or have used the Tin Can Knits app for any other patterns. I'd also love to hear your recommendations for patterns to review in the future. The comments are open.
 

Link to pattern The World's Simplest Mittens
Link to Tin Can Knits App

Free Pattern Friday! A review of The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief. February 09 2024, 2 Comments

This is my second free pattern review. I am focusing on patterns available off Ravelry as I feel its very easy to find free patterns if you are able to use Ravelry but must harder to find good, free patterns via a general google search. I always seem to end up in a Pinterest rabbit hole and never actually find the pattern! If you missed January's pattern it can be found here.

The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief

This patterns is by Orange Flower Yarn and was originally published in 2010 and was updated in 2022. I'm not sure what changed were made when it was updated.

Details

The pattern is for DK weight yarn and comes in two sizes, a Kerchief and a Shawl. According to the pattern the smaller size uses 100g and the larger uses 160g of DK weight yarn. It is knitted flat but the pattern recommends a 80cm circular needle. It also uses two stitch markers to mark the central point.

I like the way it has two starting options, a garter tab or a regular cast on, and it's a very easy pattern to follow with lots of stitch counts to help make sure you have the right number of stitches. I found I needed to use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off to make sure the edge was stretchy enough to block to shape, but I am a tight knitter so you might not need this.

The pattern has some really helpful notes at the end on the yarn overs used to make the increases as well as washing and blocking  tips and instructions for making the shawl larger if desired. 

Its a well written pattern and could easily be made by a confident beginner as well as enjoyed by a more experienced knitter.

My Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief

I knitted the smaller size in Enchant DK and it was a nice quick knit; It took me just over a weekend. I chose to knit it in a fairly neutral colourway called Limpet but I think you could use pretty much any hand dyed yarn as the pattern is bold enough not to be hidden by variegated yarns.

You could use any DK yarn but as a small kerchief designed to be worn round the neck I wanted something super soft and snuggly so chose Enchant DK which is a blend of Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere for a very light, soft scarf. I think it would be lovely tucked into the top of your coat on blowy days to keep the wind out and your neck warm.

My kerchief only used 80g of yarn so I might have been able to make it larger and still only use one skein. The pattern doesn't state what the original yarn used was, or what meterage there was per 100g, so I don't know if this was just because I used a base with more metres per 100g or if the yarn estimates are very generous. You could always add a lifeline after the last row before the border and carry on with another repeat but can easily rip it back if you run out of yarn. This is probably what I would do if I was to knit it again, especially if I wanted to use up as much of my yarn as possible.

Advantages of this pattern

• Easy to follow pattern 
• Can easily be resized if you want to make bigger
• Would be a great gift as its quick to knit
• Ideal for hand dyed yarns as the bold pattern will work with most dye styles

I will have my Age of Brass and Steam with us at shows this year so do come and take a look. I'd love to know if you make one. I've also switched comments on so do let me know what you think of Free Pattern Friday. 

Link to pattern The Age of Brass and Steam

Free Pattern Friday! A review of my favourite basic chunky hat knitting pattern - The Frankie Hat January 12 2024, 0 Comments