FO Friday: Fairy Rings

April 4, 2014April 1, 2014remilyknits 6 Comments

Lookit what I made, it’s so cool! 🙂

Yarn: A Hundred Ravens Iachos in “Frances and the Leaping Fairy”

So … I think we all know how hard it can be to find a good pattern for a high-contrast multi-colored skein of hand-dyed yarn. For instance, take a look at this skein:

In terms of colors, the white, coral, and green all contrast sharply. The tone of the saturated green and color are about the same, as you can see in the black-and-white version, but there is a strong contrast between the white and the most saturated “grey” ends of the skein. This is a colorway that will be stripey, and would overwhelm any but the most simple lace pattern.

BUT — it’s perfect for garter stitch, especially if the project has a variable stitch count to help avoid big pools of color. Martina Behm’s Hitchhiker is a perfect example of a simple pattern in garter stitch that increases gradually from a small cast-on to a broad end … it’s classic! Martina seems to have made this sort of shawl/scarf a bit of a speciality. What I like about Miss Winkle is the awesome loopy edge. I need something to help hold my attention when working garter stitch, and this was just the thing. An unexpected side-benefit of the loops is that they concentrate the color. I estimate that each loop uses about half a round of the skein, so many progress through all three main colors. It helps “pop” the colors in the garter stitch…. and also, they are so cool!!

The curve of this kind of shawl happens naturally — the neck edge has kfb on both RS and WS rows, so it “pulls” a bit.

New Pattern: Susan’s Sunsuit (Fresh Designs: KIDS)

September 6, 2013remilyknits 7 Comments

I am so happy to announce that Susan’s Sunsuit is finally available! This is a sweet little baby-girl romper that I designed ages ago — in fact it was one of my first few sales!

Pattern: Susan’s Sunsuit

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: in Fresh Designs: Kids for $16.95 (PDF only) or $22.95 (print copy + PDF) (individual sales coming soon)

Yarn: Three Irish Girls McClellan Fingering (1-2 skeins, depending on size)

Design/Skills Needed:

Not long ago, my dear friend had her first baby. For Susan’s first summer on the planet, I designed this lacy sunsuit, knit in lightweight yarn at a comfortably loose gauge. The bottom is knit flat, then joined and knit in the round following a simple diamond eyelet pattern. Diamond slip-stitch smocking cinches the top. Girly ruffles finish the edges, and i-cord straps are soft and adjustable.

Knitters should be comfortable with basic lace, increasing/decreasing, provisional cast-on, picking up stitches, i-cord, and learning a slightly-new slipped-stitch pattern for the smocking.

This romper has become my go-to pattern for gifting baby girls — in sizes 12mo and under, a single skein of sock yarn is sufficient. The finished romper is cute and easy to put on and off. I’ve made it no less than four times!

New Pattern Release: Levade

May 23, 2013remilyknits 3 Comments

Introducing my latest pattern: Levade!

Pattern: Levade

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: on Ravelry — $6 for the individual pattern, or $15 for the collection

Yarn: Bohemia Fibers Barefoot Bohemian Sock, Peacock #3 (sample used 450 yards of an oversized skein)

Design/Skills Needed:

Levade is a heart-shaped shawl worked from the bottom edge up. Beginning with a very long cast-on edge, the lace swoops through alternating waves, leaves, and medallion motifs. The faster-than-usual decreases create a beautiful shape that clings well to shoulders.

Levade is part of the Airs Above the Ground Collection. Each of four shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. Look for “Courbette” (sideways, modular, crescent-shaped, lace), “Capriole” (top-down, semi-circular, lace), and “Mezair” (lace border worked sideways, crescent-shaped, short-row body).

New Pattern Release: Mezair

April 25, 2013remilyknits 3 Comments

Introducing my latest pattern: Mezair!

Pattern: Mezair

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: on Ravelry — $6 for the individual pattern, or $12 for the collection (special price, for a limited time)

Yarn: Knittink Batgirl (“Atlanteans #3”)

Beads: 224 size 6/0 seed beads, AB finish

Design/Skills Needed:

This crescent-shaped shawlette begins with working the beaded lace edging sideways. All beads are pre-strung before knitting begins – no loose beads or tiny crochet hooks! The short-row body is worked from picked-up stitches. More lace finishes the top border of the shawlette, echoing the motifs from the bottom edging.

Mezair is part of the Airs Above the Ground Collection. Each of four shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. Look for “Courbette” (sideways, modular, crescent-shaped, lace), “Capriole” (top-down, semi-circular, lace), and “Levade” (bottom-up, heart-shaped, lace).

New Pattern Release: Courbette

March 20, 2013March 18, 2013remilyknits 1 Comment

Introducing my latest pattern: Courbette!

Pattern: Courbette

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: on Ravelry — $6 for the individual pattern, or $12 for the collection (special price, for a limited time)

Yarn: Blue Ridge Yarns Footlights (“Wild Cherry”) (25 grams each of four different colors)

Design/Skills Needed:

This crescent-shaped shawlette is worked in four sections, each a different color. A combination of faggoting, cables, and points adorn the lower edge of each section; simple garter stitch speeds the knitting and highlights gorgeous yarns. Each subsequent section is connected to the previous section as you go – no sewing!

The sample uses Footlights (by Blue Ridge Yarns), which is sold in color-coordinating bundles of four mini skeins. However, this pattern is well suited to using up leftover fingering weight yarn.

Courbette is part of the Airs Above the Ground Collection. Each of four shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. Look for “Mezair” (lace border worked sideways, crescent-shaped, short-row body), “Capriole” (top-down, semi-circular, lace), and “Levade” (bottom-up, heart-shaped, lace).

New Pattern Release: Babylon Shawlette

November 9, 2011remilyknits 1 Comment

Introducing my latest pattern: the Babylon Shawlette!

Knit from a single skein of sock yarn, this shawlette started out life destined to be a pair of socks … but the yarn wanted more. In sock form, the colors pooled and flashed in an unacceptably foul manner. No matter what I did, the yarn would not cooperate.

Pattern: Babylon Shawlette

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: $6 on Ravelry

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight (biggie skein)

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Design/Skills Needed: This sinuous shawlette is designed to show off unusual colorways while fighting pooling and flashing with a varying-width edging and tapered ends. Short rows at the center back curve the shawlette into a shoulder-hugging crescent and add interest to the pattern. Babylon is worked from tip to tip in one piece — no finishing or picking up stitches! The neck edge has a worked-as-you-go i-cord border for comfort at prevent too much curling.

The trickiest bit of the edging is the yarn-over at the beginning of each wrong-side row. It’s important to wrap the yarn the same way you would to do a normal stitch–that way, it stays open and creates a pretty loopy edge. The extra effort is worth it: a pretty edge that doesn’t roll and isn’t garter stitch, yay!

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