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camelia

In the Camelia shawl, a simple stockinette stitch body is paired with an easy to remember garter stitch based lace border. The contrast in textures is striking, and really highlights the yarn used.

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter tab. The instructions for the border patterning are both charted and written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

€

Difficulty level

This shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter stitch tab. Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, yo, RLI, m1l, and m1r increases. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

One size: Span width of 176 cm (69 ¼ inches) measured along the upper edge, and a depth of 77 cm (30 ¼ inches), measured after blocking.

The size of the Camelia shawl can be changed by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: Approx. 14.5 sts / 21 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 4 pages (letter size)

Yarn

495 m (541 yds) / 150 g Camelia by Filature du Valgaudemar (100% camel; 165 m (180 yds) / 50 g) in “Prune”.

Please note that this specific yarn has been discontinued. Garnstudio DROPS Alpaca (100% alpaca; 167 m (183 yds) / 50 g) would make a good substitute.

Substitute a sport to DK weight yarn in solid or tonal colorways for a similar result. Or, use 150-200 g of fingering weight yarn for a slightly daintier version.

Materials

Size 4 mm (US 4) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches
Stitch markers to indicate repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
Yarn needle

camelia Read More »

stitch pattern – twisted twill stitch

Twisted twill stitch by La Visch Designs

The twisted twill stitch uses the “left twist stitch” to create the wavy lines visible in the swatch pictured. The result looks very similar to cables, but without actual cabling. As a matter of fact, this particular stitch pattern looks very similar to spiral stitch. However, instead of a traveling band of purl stitches, left twist stitches are used. One way or the other, it’s patterning with lovely texture, suitable for a wide range of projects.

This stitch pattern is worked as a multiple of 7 stitches + 2, and in an eight-row repeat. Please note that I’ve added 2 edge stitches in garter stitch on both sides of the swatch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, in the color 128 Lime Green.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown. You will also need a cable needle.

Stitches used

k – knit
LT – left twist: Skip the next stitch on the left-hand needle, knit into the back loop of the second stitch, leaving the stitch on the needle. Next, bring the right-hand needle to the front of the left-hand needle and knit into the skipped stitch. Pull both loops off of the left needle to finish the stitch.
p – purl
rep – repeat
st(s) – stitch(es)

Twisted twill stitch

Row 1 (right side): P2, *LT, k3, p2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 2 (and all following wrong side rows): K2, *p5, k2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 3: P2, *k1, LT, k2, p2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 5: P2, *k2, LT, k1, p2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 7: P2, *k3, LT, p2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 8: K2, *p5, k2*; rep *-* to end.

Repeat rows 1-8 for pattern until desired length.

In the below pictures, you see the patterning first from the right, and then also from the wrong side of the fabric:

The twisted twill stitch as seen from the right side. — Twisted twill stitch as seen from the right side

The twisted twill stitch as seen from the wrong side. — Twisted twill stitch as seen from the wrong side

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

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tutorial – fixing an edge stitch

It can happen that an edge stitch goes wrong I mean, you’re knitting merely along, and you work a purl stitch where it should have been a knit stitch. And, of course, we only see it when a couple of more rows have been worked. No worries, though, it can be fixed! Fixing an edge stitch is a bit more complex to correct than previous mistakes. This is because you are not dealing with just 1 thread per step, but with a loop that covers 2 rows. We are also dealing with garter rib stitch, instead of stockinette stitch. That said, it’s still very doable if you know the tricks.

So, in this post I’ll show you to fix this!

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 Tea Rose.

A crochet hook in the same size or slightly smaller than your knitting needles. For example, this Pony Aluminum Crochet Hook in size 4 mm.

You will also need a couple of extra crochet hooks or stitch markers to keep the loops of yarn under tension. This will enable you to identify both parts of the loop and work them back up in the correct order.

Fixing an edge stitch step by step

Let’s get started! In this tutorial, I’m using the swatch I also used in previous tutorials on fixing things in knitting.

First, we have to identify the exact spot where the edge stitch went wrong.
Do you see it? It’s right next to the tip of the knitting needle!
Drop the edge stitch down, until you’ve reached the stitch that went wrong.
In this picture, I’ve used some spare crochet hooks to keep the loops of yarn under tension. This way, it’s easier to see that each loop has 2 strands of yarn to use to work the stitches back up. If you’d cover the right side of the picture, it would look exactly like dropping a stitch in the middle of a piece of knitting!
Do you see that the first stitch, directly underneath the main crochet hook, is a knit stitch? This means that the first stitch to be worked back up, needs to be a purl stitch if we work it from the right side.
You can, of course, turn the work and work the stitch up as a knit stitch. However, with an edge stitch I find it easier this way, to keep the edge loops under tension. While under tension, I can more easily see which strands to grab, and in which order.
To work the stitch up as a purl stitch, make sure that the thread of yarn directly above the stitch is positioned in front of the work, and insert the crochet hook from top to bottom through the stitch.
Like this:
Pull the thread through the loop on the crochet hook to complete the purl stitch.
Now it looks like this: (I’ve removed the crochet hook, because I will have to position it differently for the next stitch).
Next is working a knit stitch: Make sure the thread of yarn is behind the work, and insert the crochet hook from bottom to top into the stitch.
To complete the knit stitch, pull the thread through the loop on the crochet hook.
It will look like this:
Repeat steps 4 to 7 once to work the next garter stitch ridge up.
For the final stitch, we repeat steps 4 and 5 once more, using the thread going to the ball of yarn.
With this, you’ve fixed the entire column of edge stitches!

And that is how to go about fixing an edge stitch gone wrong! You are now ready to continue with your project.

tutorial – fixing an edge stitch Read More »

stitch pattern – corrugated rib

Corrugated rib is a way to work ribbing in 2 colors. Similar to working stranded knitting, the 2 colors are alternated while working a row. Because of this, corrugated rib is not a stretchy rib, and therefore not suitable for those projects where a lot of elasticity is needed. It is, however, very decorative. Corrugated rib, like any other type of ribbing, can be worked on a wide variety of stitch multiples. Common variations are 1×1 rib (knit 1, purl 1), 2×2 rib (knit 2, purl 2), and 3×1 rib (knit 3, purl 1). While working the corrugated rib, the knit stitches are worked in one color and the purl stitches are worked in the second color.

This type of rib is most often worked in the round, because it makes it easier to makes sure the strands of the yarn are all on the wrong side of the fabric. That said, it’s also very much possible to work corrugated rib flat back and forth.

This stitch pattern is worked as a multiple of 4 stitches + 2, and in a two-row repeat when worked flat. In the round, it’s worked as a multiple of 4 stitches, and in a one-round repeat.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, in the colors Vintage Pink, and Tea Rose.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Stitches used

C1 / C2 – color 1 / color 2
k – knit
p – purl
RS / WS – right side / wrong side
st(s) – stitch(es)

Corrugated rib worked flat

Row 1 (RS): With C1 yarn k2, * with C2 yarn p2, with C1 yarn k2 *; rep from *-* to end.
Row 2 (WS): With C1 yarn p2, * with C2 yarn k2, with C1 yarn p2 *; rep from *-* to end, taking care to keep the strands of unworked yarn at the WS of the work.

Repeat rows 1-2 for pattern until desired length.

Corrugated rib worked in the round

Round 1 (RS): * With C1 yarn k2, with C2 yarn p2 *; rep from *-* to end of round.

Repeat round 1 for pattern until desired length.

The swatch I made, was done flat back and forth. In the below pictures, you see the patterning first from the right, and then also from the wrong side of the fabric:

Corrugated rib from the RS — Corrugated rib as seen from the RS.

Corrugated rib from the WS — Corrugated rib as seen from the WS.

stitch pattern – corrugated rib Read More »

tutorial – fixing a forgotten shaping yo in a triangle shawl

In an earlier tutorial, I already showed you how to fix a forgotten yo. However, fixing a forgotten yarn over becomes a tad more complex if it’s a shaping increase. Take, for example, a typical top-down triangle shawl, with increases on both outer edges, and on both sides of the central spine stitch. But, no fear, when such a shaping increase has been forgotten, it’s still very much possible to fix it without ripping out all your work back to the -place where the error occurred.

So, in this post I’ll show you to fix a forgotten yarn over, used as a shaping increase. Specifically for the situation that the lack of the increase hasn’t been noticed until several more rows have been worked.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 Tea Rose.

A crochet hook in the same size or slightly smaller than your knitting needles. For example, this Pony Aluminum Crochet Hook in size 4 mm.

Fixing a forgotten shaping yo step by step

Let’s get started! In this tutorial, I’m using the swatch I also used in previous tutorials on fixing things in knitting.

First, we have to identify the exact spot where the increase is missing.
Do you see it?
The yo is missing in between the two columns of stitches above the yo’s that are there.
The two horizontal threads, in the center of the yellow circle, is where we need to work our magic. You can count both the garter stitch ridges in the border, and the shaping yo’s that have been worked, to know how many rows have been worked since making the mistake. In this case, that’s 4 rows.
Let’s start fixing! Insert the crochet hook as shown from bottom to top underneath the two horizontal threads…
…. and pull the top thread through the one below to make the yarn over.
Now we can ladder the work back up! To see which threads should be used to ladder up the rest of the stitch column, you can pull the two columns of stitches slightly apart above.
There are 4 horizontal threads, just like we deduced earlier.
To ladder the work back up, insert the crochet hook underneath the lowest horizontal thread directly above the new yo (the 4th horizontal thread down), and pull the thread through the loop already on the hook to make a new knit stitch.
Repeat this (for stockinette) as often as needed until you’ve run out of threads to pull through to make the new column of stitches above the yarn over.
The end result!
The new yarn over and stitches above it, will be a bit tight when compared with the surrounding stitches. But, this will usually even out with some blocking.

And that is how to fix a forgotten shaping yo! You are now ready to continue with your project.

tutorial – fixing a forgotten shaping yo in a triangle shawl Read More »

stitch pattern – little bells stitch

The little bells stitch is a pretty lace stitch pattern that does well all-over, and as an accent. It does have patterning on both right side and wrong side rows. That said, on the wrong side rows there are only knit and purl stitches, all increases and decreases are done on the right side. Please keep in mind, that the above swatch is worked in an unblocked worsted weight acrylic. When this stitch pattern is knit in a yarn that blocks out nicely, say a wool or cotton yarn, it may look a tad different from how it looks like here.

This stitch pattern is worked as a multiple of 8 stitches + 3, and in a twelve row repeat. Please note that I’ve added 2 edge stitches in garter stitch on both sides of the swatch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, in the color Vintage Pink.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Stitches used

k – knit
p – purl
k2tog – knit 2 stitches together
skp – slip a stitch knitwise, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over.
sl1-k2tog-psso – slip next stitch, knit 2 together, then pass slipped stitch over.
st(s) – stitch(es)
yo – yarn over

Little bells stitch instructions

Row 1 (RS): K1, p1, k1, *p1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, (p1, k1) twice*; rep *-* to end.
Row 2 (WS): *(P1, k1) twice, p3, k1*; rep *-* to 3 sts before end, p1, k1, p1.
Rows 3-6: Rep rows 1-2.
Row 7: K1, k2tog, yo, *(p1, k1) twice, p1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo*; rep *-* to 8 sts before end, (p1, k1) twice, p1, yo, skp, k1.
Row 8: P3, (k1, p1) twice, k1, *p3, (k1, p1) twice, k1*; rep *-* to 3 sts before end, p3.
Rows 9-12: Rep rows 7-8.

Repeat rows 1-12 for pattern until desired length.

In the below pictures, you see the patterning first from the right, and then also from the wrong side of the fabric:

The below picture gives an impression on how this stitch pattern looks when used allover in a project.

Little bells stitch from the RS all-over

stitch pattern – little bells stitch Read More »

electric violet

The Electric Violet shawl, was inspired by the gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from RMR Yarn Co. it’s knit with. It combines a relaxing-to-knit stockinette body, with a delightful lace section, followed by a twisted rib edging. The shawl as shown in size L, uses 300 g of fingering weight yarn. A smaller 2 skein shawl (size S in this pattern) is made by omitting the twisted rib section.

This shawl is knit from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter stitch tab. The instructions for the lace are both charted and written out.

Pay what you want: (minimum €6.95)

€

Difficulty level

This shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter stitch tab. The patterning in the edging is worked on both right side and wrong side rows.

Stitches used include knit, purl, k tbl, p tbl, skp, k2tog, k2tog tbl, p2tog, p2tog tbl, yo and a wrapped stitch. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.

Sizes and finished measurements

Size S (L): Wingspan of 196 (235) cm (77 ¼ (92 ½) inches) and a depth of 89 (106) cm (35 (41 ¾) inches), measured after blocking. The shawl pictured is a size L.

The size of the Electric Violet shawl can be changed by using lighter or heavier yarn and/or working fewer (or more) repeats of the various sections of the shawl. This will, of course, change the amount of yarn needed.

Pattern details

Gauge: Approx. 14 sts / 25 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical for this design but should give you a fabric that you like with the yarn used.
Pattern languages included: English.
Digital PDF has 7 pages (letter size)

Yarn

RMR Yarn Co. Micaela (75% SW extra fine merino, 25% Mulberry silk; 400 m (437 yds) / 100 g) in the following colors and quantities:
C1: 400 (800) m (437 (874) yds) / 100 (200) g) in Para Harumi
C2: 400 (400) m (437 (437) yds) / 100 (100) g) in Jalea De Uva

Substitute a fingering weight yarn in a speckled color for C1, and a solid or tonal colorway for C2 for a similar result.

Materials

Size 3.5 mm (US 4) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and the edge stitches
Cable needle
Stitch markers to indicate repeats of the lace patterning (optional)
Yarn needle

electric violet Read More »

tutorial – working the Estonian cast-on

Working the Estonian cast-on - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

The Estonian cast-on is a long tail cast-on method for those projects that need some stretch at the edge. Think, for example, of socks, hats, and gloves or mittens. This particular cast-on has many names. It’s also referred to as the Latvian cast-on, the Double Start cast-on, and the German cast-on. As with all long tail cast-on methods, it can be a bit tricky to get the hang of. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty fast to work.

The main challenge with this cast-on is that it uses its yarn tail together with the working yarn. In other words: if you don’t leave the tail long enough, you may run short of yarn to cast-on all needed stitches. This is especially bothersome when casting on many stitches. A rule of thumb is to leave a yarn tail that is 3 to 4 times as long as the width you want your work to become. A somewhat more reliable guesstimate can be made by casting on 10 stitches. Unravel those and leave a yarn tail in that length, multiplied as many times as needed to arrive at the number of required stitches. Plus a bit extra, of course, to weave in later on.

Another way to deal with it is not to calculate or guess anything, but just use 2 different strands of yarn. This can be from 2 different balls of yarn, or both ends of the same ball if you can find the end in the center.

Shall we go see how the cast-on is worked?

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Tea Rose.

Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Working the Estonian cast-on step by step

Let’s get started on the Estonian tail cast-on!

Start by holding the yarn around your thumb and index finger.
It isn’t very clear in the picture, but I’m holding the ball end of the yarn around my thumb and the yarn tail around my index finger.
Next, place your left thumb and index finger as shown, and position the needle against the yarn between your thumb and index finger.
In this next picture, I’ve rotated the needle downwards, twisting the yarn around it.
In this picture, I’ve moved my right hand down. Doing this, the yarn basically makes a “v” between my thumb and index finger, making it possible to dip the tip of the needle underneath the strand of yarn you see going around my thumb.
Next, bring the needle over the top of the strand of yarn going around your index finger, and dip below it from right to left.
Now we’ve caught this strand too, it’s time for the next step.
Now we pull the last caught strand through the “thumb loop”.
This picture shows this step pretty well.
To finish the new stitch, gently draw out your thumb from the loop, and tighten the stitch a bit by pulling on the strands.
Next, position the yarn around your thumb and index finger again, but this time wrap it around the opposite way.
Rotate your left-hand upwards, while moving the right hand down again to form a “v” between your thumb and index finger again. Then, place the tip of the needle underneath the top strand of yarn you see going around your thumb.
Next, take the needle over the top of the strand of yarn going around your index finger, and dip below it from right to left.
Bring the needle back through the thumb loop…
…then drop the yarn from your thumb and tighten the stitch.
Repeat steps 2 to 12 as often as needed to arrive at the desired number of stitches.
This is my result working the Estonian cast-on:

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stitch pattern – slip stitch basket weave

Slip stitch basket weave by La Visch Designs

The slip stitch basket weave stitch pattern is a variation of 2 x 1 rib. It has strategically placed slip stitches, creating the horizontal threads that give this stitch pattern its lovely texture. Please keep in mind, that the above swatch is worked in an unblocked worsted weight acrylic. When this stitch pattern is knit in a yarn that blocks out nicely, say a wool or cotton yarn, it may look a tad different from how it looks like here.

This stitch pattern is worked as a multiple of 6 stitches + 5, and in an eight-row repeat. Please note that I’ve added 2 edge stitches in garter stitch on both sides of the swatch.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, in the color 128 Lime Green.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

Stitches used

k – knit
p – purl
sl1 wyif – slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front.
sl1 wyib – slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in back.
st(s) – stitch(es)

Slip stitch basket weave instructions

Row 1 (RS): *P2, k1*; rep *–* to 2 sts before end, p2.
Row 2 (WS): K2, *p1, k2*; rep *-* to end.
Row 3: *P1, sl1 wyif 3 times, p1, k1*; rep *-* to 5 sts before end, p1, sl1 wyif 3 times, p1.
Row 4: K1, sl1 wyib 3 times, k1, *p1, k1, sl1 wyib 3 times, k1*; rep *-* to end.
Row 5: *P2, k1*; rep *-* to 2 sts before end, p2.
Row 6: K2, *p1, k2*; rep *-* to 3 sts before end, p1, k2.
Row 7: P2, k1, *p1, sl1 wyif 3 times, p1, k1*; rep *-* to 2 sts before end, p2.
Row 8: K2, *p1, k1, sl1 wyib 3 times, k1*; rep *-* to 3 sts before end, p1, k2.

Repeat rows 1-8 for pattern until desired length.

In the below pictures, you see the patterning first from the right, and then also from the wrong side of the fabric:

The below picture gives an impression on how this stitch pattern looks when used allover in a project.

stitch pattern – slip stitch basket weave Read More »

fixing damage in ready-made knitwear

Last week, I was approached by a colleague about fixing damage in a garment: she had bought this lovely gold knit cardigan. But when she came home, she found this large laddered down area at the back neck of the garment. She could, of course, bring it back to the store, but it was the very last one they had available in her size. So, she approached me to see if I could perhaps fix it.

I must admit that I’m not too keen on mending, in the sense that I don’t particularly enjoy the process of mending itself. The concept of mending, however, is something I very much endorse. One of the best ways to minimize your environmental footprint, is to make sure to maximize the lifespan of the products you use. When examining this particular garment, mending actually seemed doable because it was indeed regular knitting, and not some complex machine-knit tuck-stitch. And it gave me an opportunity to show you that sometimes ready-made knitwear can be fixed just as nicely as our hand knits can.

So, I gave it a go! In this post, I’ll show you exactly what I did.

Helpful materials

To start, it is pretty handy to have some tools available to make fixing the mistake easier. I used the following:

A circular knitting needle, in a smallish size. Here I used 2.5 mm.
A crochet hook.
Some pins.
A pillow.
A darning needle.
A ball of yarn in a somewhat matching weight and color.

In this fix, I also used some new yarn, because I noticed that the top edge of the garment was consisted of a single thread of yarn holding the live stitches of the back panel. What probably happened, is that the thread snapped near the right shoulder, releasing the stitches and enabling them to run down. I was lucky that the stitches were caught before they ran through the bit of garter stitch below the first lace panel. In other words: the upper edge really needs some reinforcement.

The pillow and pins were used to make sure that your work stays exactly where you need it to be. Also, it helps to see the mistake better when pinned out, instead of all scrunched up like lace tends to be before blocking.

On to the fixing!

To start, I first examined the work. The lace consists of some sort of patterning involving double yarn overs, as well as left- and right-leaning decreases. So, this is the patterning I somehow have to try to replicate.
Once had a picture on how to work the patterning back up, I pinned out my knitting on the pillow as described in this other post of mine, and followed the various steps using my circular needle. I ended up with the below situation.
It’s not perfect, but being on the back of the garment, I think it’s good enough.
Next, I used the new yarn to bind off these worked-up stitches using the crochet hook and a slip stitch bind-off.
Next, I continued reinforcing the rest of the back panel by edging it with a row of single crochet.
It’s a bit hard to see in the above picture, but the newly bound-off part is not as high and looks a bit different from the rest of the edge. So, I also worked a bit of single crochet over that part of the edge. Better!
Finally, I checked the garment for other potentially weak spots. And yes, I did find them… The shoulder seams were serged, but the finishing was such that the edges of the serged length were unraveling due to a lack of enough locking thread.
So, I fixed that too on both shoulder seams.

And there you have it, this is how I went about fixing damage in this garment! A fixed ready-made cardigan that can now at least be worn. I think my colleague will be happy!

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