I love a small project for teaching new techniques. These Aspen Leaf Coasters are a perfect lesson in brioche increases and decreases.
They even include an optional syncopated edge for a pop of accent color. They’re knit in worsted weight wool, so they’re quick, too. These were knit with Malabrigo Worsted in Sunset and Malambo.
And these were knit with Anzula For Better or Worsted in Herb and Blueberry.
I’m looking forward to teaching increases and decreases with these. (Pint tumblers by JaMPDX)
The pattern is available through Ravelry and also through Payhip. The pattern is 15% off through January 30, no coupon code needed.
Or a hat. It’s both! I’ve designed this for my assigned/planned pooling class at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat next month. There are a couple spots left in class. Yarn is included in the materials fee. It’s A Wondrous Worsted from Yarn Snob, in the Times Square colorway. I’m in LOVE. Better pictures on a human soon; it’s finally stopped raining here.
In the meantime, please help me name this cowl/hat! I’ve been calling it Bossy Cowl Hat, in a nod to the yarn telling you when it’s time to do the exciting stitch, and the idea of Bossy the Cow(l). Ha! But it doesn’t sound very inviting, or very pretty. What should I call it?
If I pick the name you suggest, you’ll get a free copy of the pattern, which should work with any worsted weight color pooling yarn. Fire away!
Have you tried planned pooling or assigned pooling? What did you think of it?
Unrelated PS: The Nautical Knitting cruise on the schooner Zodiac is sold out! But if you’re interested, sign up for the waiting list; there can be changes between now and the end of July. Ahoy!
Calvin was very interested in this box, even before I opened it. Did it smell like freshly dyed yarn? Or did it smell like Teddy, Keith Leonard’s orange tabby cat? (Keith AKA Yarn Snob)
Inside the box: 16 skeins of A Wondrous Worsted in the Times Square colorway. Keith usually dyes his pooling colors on fingering weight, but I like worsted for teaching. The knitting goes more quickly, so we can cover more in class. I find this worsted to be a little lighter in weight than the worsteds I usually knit with, more like a DK, which is great.
This yarn is meant to pool! I bought it for my Jump Into the Pool! Planned and Assigned Pooling class at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat next month. All students will begin a skein of this yarn, so we can have a successful pooling experience together. I’m about to knit up a sample cowl using assigned pooling, and then write up a pattern that will work with any color pooling yarn.
Cabana Boy yarn
I had Keith dye Cabana Boy with a longer center color for my Knit Maine class last September. I wrote up instructions specifically for this hat and headband and this yarn, but I want to write more general instructions for a central colorburst of varying lengths.
There are a few spots left in my class. Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat is in Tacoma, Washington February 16-19, and this class is on Friday afternoon. Come knit with me!
And I love it with the lighter color on top. I’m so glad I didn’t frog it. Sometimes you have to tell that little voice to just go away. Blocking went fine, whew! But I think it will become less crisp the more I wear it; it’s 50/50 baby yak and silk.
This is the first one I knit while designing. It has a taller neck, and less down in the triangle. I think I like them both! This one is 85/15 superwash wool and nylon. The fabric has more body to it, which I also like.
What I really like is how the math works so elegantly for the increases in the triangle, so that each section is created in exactly the same way. Very satisfying for my inner nerd.
This shape is one of my favorites; it doesn’t fall off when you wear it. Do you have a preference on the neck/triangle options? I like having options! If you have a lot of yardage, you could have both a taller neck and a longer triangle.
On to test knitting and tech editing! This will be out in 2023. I’m looking forward to the new year. I hope you’re having a joyous holiday season!
I started this on vacation a couple weeks ago, and I was closing in on the end yesterday. Have you ever been knitting a gradient, and all of a sudden you begin to think that maybe you should have started at the other end? And that thought keeps buzzing around in your head?
This is my Go Tell the Bees, which is not what I’m knitting, but it’s the same colorway, with the deepest color at the top, and the lightest as the edging. I think it looks great that way, but I’d forgotten all about it. My current project is a top down cowlish thing, and the light color is at the top. I’m at the last 12 round repeat using the darkest part of the gradient, and I nearly frogged it yesterday.
I finished it this morning, put it around my neck, and the color was fine. Glad I didn’t frog it! It’s currently soaking so I can block it, and then comes the next test. I’ll find out if it was a mistake to not wash and block a swatch with this new to me yarn base of baby yak and silk. Fingers crossed!
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! And happy solstice, too. (Pic from a previous year; we’re not that far into the holiday yet!)
I’ve been working on a design project with this lovely yarn from Moss Fibers. The colorway is The Maine Event, and this was in our goodie bags at Knit Maine. It’s really nice; the color is evocative of our event, and the yarn is wonderful to work with.
After several false starts, I knew needed to simplify; there were too many ideas trying to fit into this single skein project. I started again, and frogged it again after I realized there was a more elegant way to arrange my chosen stitch pattern. It now flows seamlessly, and that makes me happy.
This is a 2 part cowl, like Cosette, with a round cowl and then a bandana cowl at the bottom. Now that I’ve finished the project, I’ve decided that it’s not as wide as I want it to be at the bottom. Because it’s a one skein project, if I want it to be bigger at the bottom, it will have to be shorter at the top. Does that mean I’m going to frog the whole thing? Nope. It may become a size option; we’ll see.
Now I’m knitting option number 2. A little wider to begin, and on we go. This yarn is BosSi from Fierce Fibers in the Plum Gradient colorway. She’s not dyeing on this base any more (50/50 baby yak and silk), but it’s very lovely, and was one only two options in my limited stash when I suddenly wanted a gradient. Beautiful!
Ummmm, I just realized that I haven’t knit with this particular fiber base before. I didn’t knit and block a swatch before beginning, and I can’t just stop in the middle of the gradient and make a swatch. I hope that doesn’t turn around to bite me later! I mean, I guess I could knit a small swatch from the other end of the ball, but why take the blocking chicken fun out of the game?
My lovely book, Brioche Knit Love, celebrated its birthday last month. Now I’ll be making some of the patterns available individually. First: Seafoam Latte Scarf. This was the first piece I designed for the book. In my head, it was called Beachcomber Scarf, before the great theme renaming. Seafoam Latte works!
The Seafoam Latte Scarf is a two color brioche scarf, knit flat. Regular increases and decreases create the rhythmic wave pattern. Syncopating the third wave highlights the crest of the wave. I’m looking forward to using this pattern in brioche classes.
Pattern requires two balls of worsted weight yarn in contrasting colors. Knit to the length you like. Gauge is not critical. I knit mine with 2 balls of Knit Picks Chroma Worsted in Surf’s Up and Bare.
The pattern is now available through Ravelry and Payhip; click either of those hyperlinks to purchase.
I wore Cosette last weekend at OFFF and it was everything I wanted it to be: pretty, easy to wear (doesn’t fall off), not too warm and not too cool.
But I love symmetry, and it reminded me that I’d be happier if the flowers in the cowl portion centered better with the spine of the shawl-ish part. The spine centers with the bottom point of the shell lace motif, but not the flower lace above.
A little bit of math, and the spine will now center between the “fans” of the shell lace, AND either the flower of the flower lace, or between flowers, depending on which size you’re knitting. No, I’m not going to re-knit mine, but I’m happier knowing that it’s *possible* to be more symmetrical!
I’ve updated the pattern on Ravelry and Payhip; if you’ve purchased this pattern you should be able to download the updated file (and if you bought it on Ravelry, you’ll get an email with that information, too).
I finished knitting this project while in Maine. Some of you may have seen it at Knit Maine (couldn’t not try it out!). I mostly love it, but there are some tweaks I want to do as I write the pattern. I don’t want to frog this, so I’ve ordered more yarn for the reknit.
Shetland Wool Week’s Bonnie Isle Hat
It took a week to catch up enough that I could cast on a new project. This is Bonnie Isle, this year’s free pattern from Shetland Wool Week. It’s fun to knit. I wasn’t sure about the colors when I pulled them out of the kit bag from For Yarn’s Sake (it was the Lipstick that made me say hmmmm), but with the white background it all tones down into a harmonious symphony of color. (The kits come in several colorways, in case this pink is not your style.)
My gauge is way off; I knew it would be because I’ve knit with the same yarn for the past two Shetland Wool Week keps. Which means my previous hats are perfect gauge swatches! I don’t want to use smaller needles (these are US 3/3.25 mm) because I like the fabric. So I’ve done some math, and I’m knitting happily and getting the size I want.
I’m teaching a stranded colorwork class via Zoom for For Yarn’s Sake on November 6, using this hat as a jumping off point. I’ll give you all my best pointers on stranded colorwork knitting, and also resizing if you’re interested in that, too. Register here.
Trundle bag from Madder Root
My Bonnie Isle project is in a new bag from Madder Root; I bought this bag at Knit Maine.
When I saw the lining I had to have it as my Maine souvenir. (Shown here with my class materials from my Thrumbelina slippers class.)
Rising full Harvest Moon, Deer Isle, Maine
Because the moon made a big Maine impression on me over the weekend! So orange, so full, so gorgeous.
I’m going to be posting bits and bobs from my travels as I catch up. It’s too much for a giant post; you wouldn’t hear from me until next month if I waited to put it all together! More soon.
Re-introducing: Embellishment Cowl! I originally designed this as an exclusive for Knit Camp with Olive Knits, and now the rights have returned to me. That means I can offer it to you!
The Embellishment Cowl is knit with two skeins of fingering weight yarn. It features a fun elongated/gathered stitch, quilted lattice slip stitch in one or two colors, and optional beads, knit as you go. You can knit three cowls with 2 skeins of yarn, if you switch up the color setup.
I knit mine with 2 skeins of Schmutzerella Spectacular, which has a little bling in it. Two skeins is enough for the three cowls you see here.
I’m teaching a Zoom class for the Embellishment Cowl via Twisted Yarn Shop on Saturday, Oct. 1; registration link will be here. Pattern is included in class fee; don’t buy it twice.
Do you want to do a knit along in October? If there’s enough interest, I’ll set it up!
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 