Floral Rhapsody is a two color half-pi (semi-circular) shawl, knit flat. It features sweet little assigned pooling flowers on a striped background. The shawl ends with a sweep of Old Shale lace edging.
The half-pi construction keeps your patterning simple with only occasional changes in stitch count. A video tutorial for the Trillium pooling stitch is provided in the pattern.
Choose 2 coordinating 400 yard skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which is dyed for assigned pooling. I used A Chick That Knitz Singles Fingering in Vintage Rose AP (pooling) and Respect.
The pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code ROSES for 15% off through October 10, 2026.
Well, not me, but some of my knits are going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, aka Rhinebeck, October 17-18. They’ll be displayed as samples in the booth with A Chick that Knitz. Tammy dyes lovely assigned pooling yarns.
(Clockwise from top left) Trillium Path, Simply Stellar, Floral Rhapsody, Effervescent, and Fantasia are all designed with A Chick that Knitz yarn, so I’ve sent them off to see the world. It’s kind of like sending your kid to summer camp. But yarn.
(I know I keep saying this: Floral Rhapsody is coming soon! Tomorrow.)
I’ve never been to Rhinebeck, but I hope to go someday. How about you?
In other news, I cut my finger the other night, badly enough that I went to urgent care where they glued it back together. I usually knit with the yarn in my right hand, but I had to change it up! So I’m knitting brioche continental style, using the Norwegian purl for the brioche purls. It’s good to know more than one way to knit! And this forces me to practice.
I have videos linked on my tutorials page, in case you want to see brioche either way, including the Norwegian brioche purl. You never know when you might need it.
Holei Sea Arch 2013 and 2022
One last bit of news: the Hōlei Sea Arch at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has collapsed into the sea. It stood for over 500 years, and now it’s gone. Nature is awe-inspiring.
Hot off my needles, it’s Floral Rhapsody! (Name may change, we’ll see. Give me your suggestions!)
This half-pi shawl features easy shaping, easy stitches, and assigned pooling. It’s knit with two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which is dyed for assigned pooling. I used A Chick that Knitz Singles Fingering in Vintage Rose (pooling) and Respect.
I’m looking for a few test knitters; let me know if you’re interested!
It took me six cast ons, but I finally heard what the yarn was trying to tell me. I love it!
I finished Ranunculus. It was such a quick knit, I decided to just forge on and see what would happen once it was off the needles. I knit the underarm to 8” including the twisted rib, using less than 3 50g/164 yard skeins of Quince & Co. Sparrow, less than 400 yards total. (This means you really could knit this with one skein of sock yarn!)
Here it is unblocked, fresh off the needles. It’s linen, so it’s pretty crunchy. 50” wide (matched the gauge, but it hasn’t been blocked).
And here it is blocked. The sleeves are no longer curly, and the fabric is somewhat smoother. But now the sweater is 46” wide, and the underarms are 10” long. Gravity always wins! It wanted to grow longer, and that length is stolen from the width.
You can see that it’s quite a bit longer, and longer than I want. I left a long tail so I’d be able to frog back and adjust. And look! Bisquee’s tail is in the picture, too.
I showed it to my friends, asking for advice on how long it should be. And then I decided to have Bev try it on; she’s much taller than I am.
It looks like it was meant for her, so I gave it to her! I have more of the same yarn, and it doesn’t take long to knit. I have a better idea of how long to knit it under the arms.
This is the project that I’ve lost interest in; I started it in 2022? maybe? I’m frogging it for the yarn. I don’t have enough to go further, since I used the last 3 skeins for the sweater above!
This has been a really fun knit, so I don’t mind doing it again. Part of what made it so much fun was an accidental mini-KAL with Annie, my test knitter extraordinaire. We were texting back and forth with progress updates. She knit hers with DK weight yarn.
She didn’t swatch either. It looks great on her! And she’s knitting another one in blue.
I was working on my second one in the car wash the other day. Totally fun!
Do you knit repeats? I’m also starting a second Luminos Tee, after I finish my second Ranunculus.
The pink is MadelineTosh Twist Light, Coquette Deux. I bought this color a while ago to go with something else but it didn’t work out. I went to my LYS to get a second skein, as well as this contrast color, but they’re out of the pink so I’m ordering online. I’m not worried about dye lots; I’ll start the second skein above the striping so it won’t matter if it’s not an exact match. The variegated is from Dream in Color.
Do you knit repeats? Why or why not? I like working off the knowledge I got from the first one, and tweaking things to perfection!
Trillium Path is an ode to spring wildflower hikes. A field of simple, twinkly assigned pooling flowers on stockinette combined with optional eyelet stripes make this eye-catching accessory sparkle. This asymmetric triangle is knit on the bias from skinny point to wide end. Trillium Path can be an easy-to-knit social knitting project, or a multi-tasker’s dream.
A video tutorial for the assigned pooling pattern is included in the pattern.
Trillium Path is knit with one skein of fingering weight yarn that’s dyed for assigned pooling. You can also extend your shawlette with a second skein of yarn if that’s your jam.
The eyelet stripes are optional, but I highly recommend them for visual interest, and also as mini-goals while you knit. The final eyelet edging at the bind off keeps your edge from rolling.
I knit my shawlettes with A Chick That Knitz Singles Fingering in Wildflowers AP (blue) and From Paris With Love AP (green).
stitch detail
The Trillium Path pattern is available on Ravelry (link here) and also on Payhip (link here). Use coupon code THRICE for 15% off on either site, through July 21, 2026.
Are you interested in a knitalong? This could be a fun and easy summer KAL! Let me know; if there’s enough interest I’ll announce it here.
Thanks to tech editor Jen Lucas, test knitters Ann Berg, Greta Heintz, Karen Viglione Lauterwasser, Martha Grace McCune, Iris Mondri-Kish, Melissa A. Rowe, Patty Scruggs, Evan Tribelhorn, Sue Zois, and model Sharon Hsu.
Special thanks to Tammy Pelfrey of A Chick that Knitz for this beautiful yarn to design with!
I finished my Luminos Tee. It looked great right off the needles, and even better after wet blocking. The size stayed the same, but the stitches and edges are smoother. I knew the size would be consistent, because I knit, washed, and blocked a swatch. That’s always good for a sweater that you want to fit!
A quick mirror selfie. Yarn is a kit from Knits All Done/Yarn Snob, merino/silk/cashmere. Luxurious!
Do I always knit, wash, and block swatches? Usually yes, for sweaters. But I’ve been eyeing the Ranunculus sweater, and I’m not sure it matters. The instructions are the same for all sizes through the yoke; the actual size is determined after knitting the yoke, when beginning the raglan shaping. You can use any weight yarn, and a size 10 needle is recommended. That’s all pretty loosey-goosey!
I wanted to play with some fingering weight linen that’s in my stash. Most of it is in an abandoned design project. There are 3 untouched skeins (50g/168 yards each), so I can play with what’s there without ripping the old project yet. This sweater takes 370 to 400 yards for the short sleeve version, so I’m covered!
It would make a very open and airy Ranunculus, to go over a tank top or sundress. I decided to jump in and start knitting; it’s just as easy as making a circular gauge swatch. I’ll have enough done when the yoke is finished to really figure out my gauge, and adjust accordingly. Because blocking is transformative for linen, I could put it on waste yarn and wash and block. Or not. The smallest size in this pattern gives me 10 inches of ease, so I’m not worried that it would be too small.
I took it to the Waterfront Blues Festival yesterday; it’s going pretty quickly. (Jenny Don’t and the Spurs on the screen.)
The weather was perfect for 3 days of music outdoors. Happy Fourth of July weekend! 250 years for this republic.
Helix knitting is a method of knitting jogless stripes in the round. It works well for single row stripes, seamless garter stitch, and blending dye lots of yarn.
Two-color striped hat
This worsted weight hat or cowl begins with a jogless garter stitch band. Jogless stripes are then worked in your choice of two or three colors. These projects are great for stashbusting your leftover yarn from previous projects! I knit all of my samples with Malabrigo Rios.
Hat crown
I designed this set as a quick start project for a helix knitting class. We had class on Saturday, and it was fun!
I’ve been knitting/working a LOT. Last week I had 3 designs in test knitting, and I was knitting/finishing versions of two of them. One of them is for the helix knitting class next weekend; that one was at the tech editor. All my knitting is done, so it was time to pick something new to knit.
I’m away for the weekend, and I want to knit a little summer top for myself, that I don’t have to design. I just want to follow someone else’s instructions!
My options: a little brioche top from Knit Graffiti (Mist), Ranunculus in fingering weight linen if I abandon something I started several years ago and will probably never finish, and Luminos Tee.
I discovered that I didn’t have enough yarn for the brioche top. Poot.
This is the linen top that I was freestyling, that I don’t feel inspired to pick up again. I started it in 2022. I may have knit some in 2023 and 2024, up to the armhole. The lace pattern is the same as the one I used in Kittiwake, which was Aran weight linen. I think Kittiwake is more appealing.
Kittiwake
But I wasn’t ready to frog the fingering weight piece.
Last year I bought this kit from Yarn Snob. It’s superwash merino, silk, and cashmere, for the Luminos Tee.
Luminos Tee by Yamagara, photo from their Ravelry page
Winner winner!
The construction of this is so interesting. It starts with the two triangles at the bottom. I finished one last night. Working on the second one, and then I get to join them and start the stripes going up the body. Super fun, and the instructions are very well written so far. The side triangles are a great social knit; the increases are very regular.
Effervescent is an asymmetric triangle brioche shawlette, knit from narrow end to wide end. It features a syncopated brioche edging, and assigned pooling bubbles on the body of the shawlette.
The pattern requires two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. You’ll need a 24″ circular needle for working 2-color brioche flat.
Don’t be intimidated by brioche plus pooling! Assigned pooling works well on many backgrounds such as stockinette stitch, garter stitch, and brioche rib. If you can knit brioche rib, assigned pooling is a fun way to play with it.
This pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code FIZZY for 15% off through June 19, 2026. Newsletter subscribers, check your email for your special code.
Thanks to tech editor Meaghan Schmaltz, and test knitters Ann Berg, Micaela Langevin, Ashely Meshioye, Lillyvette Montalvo Ostenson, and model Sharon Hsu.
Special thanks to Tammy Pelfrey/A Chick that Knitz, for the beautiful yarn for this design!
I finished the second version of my upcoming Trillium Path. This version has optional eyelets, which I highly recommend.
I’m in love.
I blocked it much more assertively than the green version. The fabric is floatier, more diaphanous. Both fabrics are lovely, but I prefer the airier version. Also, eyelets really love blocking.
The green version is now soaking for a reblock! Both yarns are A Chick that Knitz Single Fingering.
Trillium Path is currently being test knit. I’ll publish the pattern in July; stay tuned!
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.
