Category Archives: pattern design

You’re not the boss of me

Posted on November 12, 2024 | 9 comments

You know I love assigned pooling. And I love brioche. Test knitting is under way for my new shawlette.

I’m designing another shawlette using brioche and assigned pooling, and the pooling was starting to…pool! At the ends of the row, over and over again. This left a big center with no stars.

Highly annoying.

So I frogged back to where there were just two stars at each end, and then I skipped a bunch of yarn so that the next star would be in the middle of the row.

It took me two tries to get it right, so I’m glad I didn’t cut the yarn first. I’ll leave this big loop on the back until I’m fully committed.

I think of assigned pooling as a dance between the yarn’s suggestions and what I want. But ultimately I’m the boss. If we have a disagreement, I WIN. I make the rules for this game!

Have you tried assigned pooling? Who’s the boss of YOUR knitting?

Oh, one more thing!

I’m teaching Thrill of the Thrum, my Thrumbelina thrummed slippers, this Sunday at 2 pm at For Yarn’s Sake in Beaverton. Come learn how to make and knit fluffy thrums into your knitting! This is an in-person class, the better to get a feel for those squishy thrums. Register here.

9 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged assigned pooling, Brioche knitting, thrumbelina, thrummed knitting

More peeking

Posted on November 2, 2024 | 4 comments

I love my little peekaboo motif so much. I couldn’t let it go yet. Brioche plus assigned pooling is my current obsession. (Did you see my Peekaboo Cowl?)

With a little fiddling, I can work it from the right side *and* the wrong side. Again, reversible, and different yet attractive from either side. This shawlette is knit with two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which is dyed for assigned pooling. I used Singles Fingering from A Chick That Knitz in Forget Me Not (pooling) and Glenhaven. It’s light and cozy at the same time.

I’m looking for a few test knitters for this shawlette. Are you interested? Let me know!

4 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged A Chick That Knitz, assigned pooling, assigned pooling yarn, Brioche knitting, brioche plus assigned pooling, Peekaboo motif, Peekaboo Shawlette

Introducing: Peekaboo Cowl

Posted on October 21, 2024 | 2 comments

The Peekaboo Cowl is a 2 color brioche cowl, knit in the round. It features assigned pooling/algorithmic knitting motifs that peek between the brioche ribs. The pattern includes a video tutorial for the Peekaboo motif.

Peekaboo is reversible; the motif looks completely different on the inside. You can wear it with a bit of both sides showing, for maximum fun. I do!

Choose 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. You can make the cowl close to the neck, longer for double looping, or anywhere in between. I knit a short cowl because I wanted a quick project!

The Peekaboo Cowl pattern is on sale 15% off through October 29, 2024 with coupon code PEEKING. The pattern is available through Ravelry, link here. This pattern is also available through Payhip, link here. You can use the coupon code on either site.

This pattern has been professionally tech edited. Thanks also to test knitters Ann Berg, Carolyn Crisp, Diane Kay Gelder, Rhea Kohlman, and Diane O’Brien. Thanks to Keith Leonard/Yarn Snob for the beautiful yarn for the design.

I’m working on more brioche plus pooling…can’t stop, won’t stop!

2 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged assigned pooling, Brioche knitting, cowl, Knit, knitting, yarn, yarn snob yarns

Peekaboo Cowl, test knitters wanted

Posted on September 12, 2024 | 10 comments

Who says you can’t have it all? I’ve been dreaming of combining brioche knitting and assigned color pooling since January. After working through many design ideas, I’ve finally found one that lets both of these techniques shine.

This is my new Peekaboo Cowl. It’s 2 color brioche rib, knit in the round with fingering weight yarn. It features assigned pooling peeking out between the ribs. The Peekaboo stitch is reversible, and the inside of the cowl looks completely different! You get two looks with one knit.

I knit this with yarn left over from one of my Trailing Leaves cowls. The small cowl only uses 165 yards/38 grams of each color. You can easily adjust the pattern for length and height if you like longer/taller cowls.

The pattern is back from my tech editor and is ready for test knitters. Let me know if you’re interested in test knitting this lovely little cowl! (Or bigger cowl, if that’s your jam.)

10 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged assigned color pooling, assigned pooling, Brioche knitting, brioche plus assigned pooling, peekaboo cowl

Trailing Leaves coupon extended

Posted on September 10, 2024 | 3 comments

Well, last week was super hot, 100 degrees F here in Portland. Definitely not dreaming-of-wool weather! So I’m extending the discount for Trailing Leaves to September 15, 2024. Use coupon code WILLOW for 15% off the Trailing Leaves pattern on Ravelry or Payhip.

It’s going to be a lovely 74 degrees here in Portland today, with rain coming in tonight. Perfect.

I made a new video tutorial! Trailing Leaves uses a brioche purl increase along the border edging, brpyobrp. Which is just what it sounds like, but here’s the video. There’s also a link to it from my tutorials page, should you ever need it.

Time for me to get back to my knitting! I’m on a brioche plus assigned pooling tear…

3 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, tutorial

Tagged Brioche knitting, brioche purl increase, brioche tutorial, trailing leaves, trailing leaves cowl

Stitchmastery charting software

Posted on September 7, 2024 | 8 comments

I use software called Stitchmastery to chart my knitting patterns. The software then turns out the written instructions for me, so I know they’re accurate! Stitchmastery has brioche stitches in their charts, which is very important to me and my tech editors. There are also colors, cables, increases and decreases…everything I need for writing patterns.

I was invited to be interviewed about my knitting and design process, and how it works with Stitchmastery. You can read the interview here.

I used Stitchmastery for my book, Brioche Knit Love, and continue to use and love it.

Thanks to Stitchmastery for the feature!

8 Comments

Posted in pattern design, Product review

Tagged stitchmastery

Introducing: Trailing Leaves

Posted on September 2, 2024 | 2 comments

Trailing Leaves in Dream in Color Smooshy

Trailing Leaves is a brioche bandana cowl, knit in the round from the top down. It features a central double leaf motif in syncopated brioche against a background of MC brioche rib. Choose 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn in coordinating colors to knit this beauty.

Trailing Leaves in Knit Picks Chroma Fingering

A gradient yarn will add an interesting color play to the brioche rib background, as shown here in Knit Picks Chroma Fingering. Knitter’s choice! This pattern is easily adjustable for neck circumference and length. This is one of my favorite cowl shapes; it looks like a shawlette but doesn’t fall off. So easy to wear.

Trailing Leaves in Yarn Snob A Good Fingering

I’ve knit four samples of this, to get it just right. The sample above featured some assigned pooling, but it doesn’t show, so it’s not in the pattern.

And this sample was a little too long due to a different increase rate. But you get the idea!

The Trailing Leaves pattern is now available on Ravelry at this link, Payhip at this link, and is also available through Knit Picks at this link. The coupon code WILLOW will give you 15% off at Ravelry and Payhip through September 10, 2024.

I hope that you love knitting this as much as I do!

2 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged Brioche knitting, Knit, trailing leaves, trailing leaves cowl, yarn

Dream fulfilled, and upcoming design

Posted on August 29, 2024 | 12 comments

Remember this? It was worth frogging, re-skeining, soaking, rewinding.

I’ve been dreaming all year about a way to combine brioche and assigned pooling/algorithmic knitting in a way that pleases me. I’ve done a lot of knitting and frogging along the way.

I love this color pooling yarn from Yarn Snob/Knits All Done; the green/purple is Bellina, which is named for an orchid. I wanted to make it sing! Bisquee thinks it looks good, too. Do you see peacock feathers? Flames?

I had first used some of this yarn to design Trailing Leaves (coming soon!). It’s lovely, but you can’t see the pooled stitches, so Trailing Leaves will be just brioche. And no, I didn’t frog this cowl!

I frogged this one, that I knit with the remaining yarn. And I’m glad I did.

Side note: Test knitting for Trailing Leaves is wrapping up, and I’m planning to publish it next week. I have a wonderful group of test knitters; we’ve had a great time working on this. I’ve knit two more samples along with them. Stay tuned!

12 Comments

Posted in cat, pattern design, yarn

Tagged algorithmic knitting, assigned pooling, Brioche knitting, Knits All Done, trailing leaves, trailing leaves cowl, yarn snob yarns

Reclaiming my yarn

Posted on August 14, 2024 | 2 comments

This colorway, Bellina from Yarn Snob/Knits All Done, is one of my favorites, ever. It made me want to try to combine assigned pooling with my favorite technique brioche.

The assigned pooling doesn’t really show up in Trailing Leaves (currently in test knitting phase). The brioche leaves are beautiful, but where’s the assigned pooling? I thought the issue was because the leaves are front and center, and the pooling is on the side, so I knit a small cowl with the same theme.

I know I’ll never wear the little cowl shown above, so why not reclaim the yarn?

The yarn was pretty kinky since I had wet blocked the cowl, so I wanted to smooth it out. (The last time I knit with previously blocked yarn, it really showed in the finished object. Lesson learned.)

I wound it on my niddy-noddy (had to google how to use it; it’s been a while). Look at that kink! I tied it off and soaked it, then squished it in a towel and gave it a nice snap to straighten it up.

Much better! It’s currently drying (not on the mannequin; that’s just for a nice picture). And then I’ll move on to attempt number 365 or so to see if I can successfully combine brioche and assigned pooling, without bobbles (not my fave look). Wish me luck!

2 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged Bellina orchid colorway, Knits All Done, trailing leaves, trailing leaves cowl, Yarn Snob

Another weekend, away

Posted on August 11, 2024 | 3 comments

Mosquito Bites (vodka/coconut rum/cranberry & pineapple juices)

I spent last weekend at a friend’s family house on the Alsea River, near Waldport on the Oregon Coast. There were four of us hanging out and having fun.

I finished one of my Trailing Leaves samples, and started another. I need two of them for yardage requirement information, since the first one isn’t knit according to the current version of the pattern.

I beaded a new ankle bracelet, and re-strung an older one with shiny new metal bits.

Salad is always more delish with fried halibut on top!

I started a second sample for Trailing Leaves, and found a clumsy join in the yarn (two unrelated colors together), so I started over.

The top one is the first clumsy join. I found the second (middle) one when i was casting on again. And the third (bottom) one? I was about at the same point I had been before. What are the chances of 3 joins in the same ball? And with a gradient, it really matters.

I decided that I wasn’t going to start over again; it didn’t look like the color was that different.

But it was; see where the dark blue starts again after the first pale bit at the bottom? It all works, but it could have been a bit more graceful. Hoping I don’t find any more joins! Next time I use a gradient like this, I think I’ll just rewind the whole ball before starting.

It was so nice to just be away with no to-do list!

I was supposed to be away this weekend, too, but my classes at Sitka Center at the coast didn’t fill. When we scheduled it, I didn’t know that it would be the same weekend as Flock Fiber Festival in Seattle, which is a big draw. I thought about going to Flock this weekend, but I really just needed a weekend at home.