Author: Naomi Parkhurst

Beaded: a mosaic knitting stitch pattern

sample for Beaded: a mosaic knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

Last week, I encoded the word Beaded and made it into a lace stitch pattern. For this week’s post, I reworked a code grid I made while planning that post and turned it into a mosaic knitting stitch pattern. (I used the process described in this post.)

I haven’t been including text instructions for mosaic charts for a while, but I think I should, so I will from now on.

A nice thing about mosaic knitting is that the charts are similar to the final appearance of the knitting, so I’m not going to provide a swatch this time. Mosaic knitting looks difficult, but it’s not as hard as it looks! Basically, knit two-row stripes, and slip stitches from the row below to make the contrasting pattern. If you can knit stripes, you can knit mosaic patterns.

Here’s a detailed blog post I wrote about how it works.

Follow the link for charts

Beaded: a needlework chart for any craft

sample image for Beaded: a needlework chart for any craft, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

The random number generator picked Beaded from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Emma, one of my Patreon supporters. I think this would make a great border.

I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

Follow link for charts and more information

Beaded: a lace knitting stitch pattern

lace sample for Beaded: a lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Beaded, suggested by Emma, a Patreon supporter.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make three of these into knitting stitches each month: the second and third (posted on the first day of the next month) are drawn from the collection of new words; the first is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose these, and then I get to work, first turning the letters into numbers, then charting the numbers onto grids in various ways. Finally, when I make the chart into lace, I turn the marked squares into yarnovers and work out where to place the corresponding decreases. (I usually make lace; occasionally I make cables instead.) I also make a chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing; this goes in a separate post.

The stitch patterns are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.

Follow link for charts and instructions

Vulture outtake: a needlework chart for any craft

a sample image of Vulture outtake, made to look like knitting, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

Sometimes when I design a larger stitch pattern, there’s a part of it that I think would be good as a smaller pattern. I think of these as excerpts or outtakes.

Here is an outtake from the Vulture needlework chart. I found the motif charming: it reminds me of feathers or leaves. (A friend remarked that it specifically reminded her of peacock feathers.)

This excerpt isn’t a coded word anymore.

Follow link for charts and instructions

Vulture: a needlework chart for any craft

sample image for Vulture: a needlework chart for any craft, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

The random number generator picked Vulture from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Enting, one of my Patreon supporters.

I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

Follow link for charts and more information

Vulture: a lace knitting stitch pattern

Vulture: a lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst (swatch photo)
| Naomi Parkhurst

The first word I drew from the words suggested on Patreon this month is Vulture, suggested by Enting, a Patreon supporter. Despite their bad reputation, vultures are pretty interesting and important as part of the ecosystem, helping to clean up carrion. I’ve known that for a long time. But this year I’ve gotten a closer look at how fascinating they can be, thanks to Foxfeather Zenkova, a wildlife educator who has been raising a yellow-headed vulture this year. You can see her vulture tweets here.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make three of these into knitting stitches each month: the second and third (posted on the first day of the next month) are drawn from the collection of new words; the first is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose these, and then I get to work, first turning the letters into numbers, then charting the numbers onto grids in various ways. Finally, when I make the chart into lace, I turn the marked squares into yarnovers and work out where to place the corresponding decreases. (I usually make lace; occasionally I make cables instead.) I also make a chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing; this goes in a separate post.

The stitch patterns are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.

Follow link for charts and instructions

2020: two knitting charts to celebrate the new year

2020: two knitting stitch pattern charts for the new year
| Naomi Parkhurst

Happy New Year! (A couple of days early, but I’ll be posting a Patreon word on Wednesday.)

I turn the digits of the year into a knitting chart each year. This is one of those times that the design is such that turning a given set of numbers into a chart produces a traditional design.

This year’s chart was easily converted into a mosaic knitting chart so you get both this time! (I don’t think the mosaic design is a traditional pattern, though it could easily be.)

Follow link for charts and more information

How I make pictures of stranded knitting

| Naomi Parkhurst

I’ve been noodling around for years, trying to find a consistent way of producing images that look like stranded knitting that make me happy. I think I’m finally there. I’m going to share an overview of what I do, just because. It’s written for people who already know how to use vector art software (Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, or other programs like that). I explain what I do, but not how I do it.

If you’re not comfortable with that kind of software, Chart-Minder.com is a reasonable alternative. I used it for quite a while. It doesn’t quite work out for the effect I have in mind, but if you want to design colorwork, it’s good for that aspect.

Continue reading →

Magician: a needlework chart for any craft

sample of Magician: a needlework chart for any craft, by Naomi Parkhurst (Looks approximately like stranded colorwork in knitting)
| Naomi Parkhurst

The random number generator picked Magician from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Bookwyrm, one of my Patreon supporters.

I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

Follow link for charts and more information