knitting

Some random mosaic knitting charts

| Naomi Parkhurst

Here are four mosaic charts I doodled over the weekend, each a variation of the first. (They aren’t made using my encoding method, so there’s no hidden meaning involved.) I couldn’t think of names for two of them based on appearances, so I just went with some family names.

I checked all of them at Scott Pakin’s mosaic charting webpage which has a feature that checks to make sure that a mosaic chart is actually possible.

I’m going to have to write up a thorough tutorial on mosaic knitting and how to read this specific kind of chart now that Twist Collective’s awesome website is gone. In the meantime, here’s the closest thing I can find right now. (The isolated column to the right in my charts indicates what color is being used in a given row, like the first column in the charts on that page.)

An added benefit to finding that page is learning that the same charts can be used for mosaic crochet, which I didn’t know was a thing!

Follow link for charts

Oolong: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Oolong: a free lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst (photo of lace)
| Naomi Parkhurst

The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Oolong, suggested by Joan, Asimina, and Amy on Patreon. As a tea-lover,I’ve been delighted that the random number generator has been bringing up so many tea-related words! Oolong is a word that means the tea leaves have been prepared a special way that’s different from black tea. As a black tea drinker, I’m pretty ignorant about the specifics of oolong, so I hope the Wikipedia article is accurate!

I like the way the lines of this look like flying birds.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second 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 chart and instructions

On swatching, part 3

A small swatchlet, with regular eyelets around the edge to make it easier to block.
| Naomi Parkhurst

A couple of weeks ago, I started a series of posts about how I knit the swatches for my stitch pattern posts. First I wrote a general description, then I provided charts and written instructions for the borders, and today I’m going to talk about blocking.

It is important to note that these are not gauge swatches, and so I take a shortcut that I wouldn’t use when making swatches to plan a finished garment.

Continue reading →

On swatching, part 1

A small swatchlet, with regular eyelets around the edge to make it easier to block.
| Naomi Parkhurst

I get occasional questions about how I knit my stitch pattern swatches, and since I’ve finally settled down into something consistent, I thought I’d write up my full process.

The first thing to know is that there are actually several categories of swatches in the world. The swatches I’m going to write about in this post are not my rough draft design swatches (here’s an old, somewhat out of date post), where I figure out what the heck I’m doing, make changes as I go, and learn from a variety of mistakes. They are also not the kind of swatches that are used to help work out a full-size design. And they are definitely not gauge swatches.

These are finished objects, the swatches I knit to photograph for my stitch pattern posts. The example I’m using here is a traditional mesh patter, Star Rib Mesh. I found it in the first of Barbara Walker’s treasuries.

Continue reading →

Rolled up version 2: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Rolled up v2: a free lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

Something that I often do with my stitch patterns is to try out what they look like with the alternating repeats moved over halfway. So why not try that with the single row pattern from a couple weeks ago?

In the end, I don’t like it quite as much. One side effect is that the natural undulation of the lace is removed. I do like some things about the vertical band that is made with the waves up the middle. I am glad I tried it, though, as I learned things from it.

Follow link for charts, photos, and explanations.

Bees: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Bees: a lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Bees, suggested by Christina on Patreon. I like bees a lot, and enjoy watching them working away in flowers, looking for pollen and nectar.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second 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.

Continue reading →

Burst: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Burst: a free lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
| Naomi Parkhurst

The first word I’m encoding for this month is Burst, suggested by Lara on Patreon.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose this, 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 charts are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.

Follow this link for charts and written instructions

Rolled up: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Rolled Up v1: a free lace knitting stitch pattern
| Naomi Parkhurst

One thing I’ve noticed over the last nine (!!!) years of learning to design lace, is that it’s easier to make lace look at least reasonably good if it has only a few right side rows, even if it’s wide. There are some other constraints, but repetition helps make things look like a pattern very quickly.

Follow link for charts, photos, and explanations.