The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Yearn, suggested by Bonnie C, a Patreon supporter.

Much as I like my stitch work, I’ve been feeling as if I’d like to stretch my abilities, and this pushed me in a couple of ways. Six years ago, I tried working with vertical symmetry, and found it difficult. When I looked at the possible charts for yearn, this yarnover layout caught my eye; I also realized I didn’t necessarily need to aim for perfect vertical symmetry, though this isn’t too far off. I also felt that since this was turning into a stitch pattern with a lot of cables that it might be good to add a little reverse stockinette as a contrast background. I’m really pleased with the result. (The reverse stockinette is optional; anywhere there’s a purl dot on the chart can be replaced with a knit square, except for the [k1, p1] symbols above the double yarnovers.)

I did have to invent three different cable/decrease combinations to cope with the layout, however, so this is definitely for those of you who like a bit of a challenge! This does mean I didn’t get a chance to check my work in Stitch Maps, so there’s an increased chance of mistakes, though I double-checked everything a couple extra times.

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 made a Yearn needlework chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing.

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

The second word I drew from the words suggested on Patreon last month is Happy, suggested by Cathy D, a Patreon supporter. I’ve long wanted to design something along the lines of Traveling Vine lace (in the sense of making something like a meandering river), and I think I’ve finally done it. So this makes me happy.

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 made a Happy needlework chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing.

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

The first word I drew from the words suggested on Patreon this month is Cosmos, suggested by Enting, a Patreon supporter. Cosmos is a pretty great word, meaning either the universe as a complex and orderly system, or the plural of Cosmo, which can mean a number of things, but I’m particularly fond of the flowers (that’s a lot of pretty pictures).

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 made a Cosmos needlework chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing.

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