stitch patterns

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 2

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

This is a continuation of last week’s post about how I make an eyelet frame around a stitch pattern swatch to help me block squarely. I only use the bottom line of eyelets when the stitch pattern is straight across the bottom. Likewise, I only use the top line when the top of the stitch pattern is straight, with no rippling.

A chart and instructions are included for the mesh pattern I used in the center of the swatch, Star Rib Mesh.

Continue reading →

Bergamot: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

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

The first word I’m encoding for this month is Bergamot, suggested by Natasha and Amy 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 link for charts and instructions

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 needlework chart for any craft

| Naomi Parkhurst

The random number generator picked Burst for my first encoded word post of this month, suggested by Lara, 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 an image 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.

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