Guess What?

Gift Bag with Vintage Button

Guess What?  Once again I forgot to write down what I was doing and although I know this is a slip stitch, I don't know which one.  Will I ever learn?

Slip Stitches Again

Gift Bag in a version of Garter Slip Stitch

Using multiples of 2 + 1 stitches cast on

1st row (right side): Knit
2nd row : Knit
3rd row: K1, *sl 1 purlwise, k1; rep. from * to end.
4th row: K1, *yf, sl 1 purlwise, yb, k1; rep. from * to end.
Rep. these 4 rows.

The trick is in the order of the colour changes.  Options are :
- work rows 1 and 2 in colour A and then 3 and 4 in colour B.
- 2 rows in A, 2 rows in B and 2 rows in C throughout 
- 1 row each in colour A, B, and C throughout

Houndstooth Pattern

A small gift bag in Houndstooth Stitch

Christmas gives me the opportunity to play with my favourite slip stitches, making little knitted items.  This Houndstooth Pattern is very effective and I would like to see it in black and white in a little boxy jacket, Chanel style.

Knitted in two colours
Cast on multiples of 3 stitches in Colour A

1st row (right side) : Using A, k1, *sl 1 purlwise, k2; rep from * to last 2 sts, sl 1 purlwise, k1
2nd row: Using A, purl.
3rd row: Using B, *sl1 purlwise, k2; rep from * to end.
4th row: Using B, purl.

Repeat these 4 rows.

Closeup

Christmas is getting to me a bit

Christmas gift bag in Ribbon Stitch

Ribbon stitch is a favourite slip stitch of mine.  Looks fine in Christmassy colours,  but even better in other colourways.

The Reverse

It's All Very Dolly

Blocked and Ready to Sew

I've been knitting little bits.  It's all blocked out - I raced around yesterday morning early before work pinning and damping down because I have a day off today and can have a day of sewing up.  There are...

- Wrist warmers on behalf of my mum for  her great niece for Christmas.  Mum so badly wants to knit and has great ideas, but she struggles now, so a bit of it comes my way to finish.

- Dolly clothes from a 1950s (I think) pattern. 

Lots of Fun in a Sixpenny Pattern

 In my previous post I talked about reducing the needle size to get a better fit on the dolly.  This was a disaster - I now have a dress in a size for which I don't have a doll. So, went back to the original needle size and we'll see how that goes when all these little bits are put together.

Pretty, Pretty

There are also experimental Christmas bits in red green and white slip stitches - my favourite stitches.  I'm checking out how knitted gift bags might work.  Possibly a bit weird.  I enjoyed the knitting though.

Gift Bags? I Hope So

Variation on Garter Slip Stitch

Garter Slip Stitch Variation

 I like this one very much.  Gives a very firm texture and a pleasing appearance.  I'm not really a fan of garter stitch - always looks a bit home made, but when you get the little 'V' shapes in the slip, it adds some life.

It really starts to sing when you add another colour.  The Contrast colour (the purple) looks a little like beading and I wonder what the effect would be if the Contrast was done in a glittery yarn.  Very party girl I think.

A Tweedy Effect for Sophistication

Multiple of 2+1
1st row : (right side) Knit
2nd row : Knit
3rd row : K1, *sl 1 purlwise, k1; rep from * to end.
4th row : K1, *yf, sl1 purlwise, yb, k1; rep from * to end.

For the colour variation, work rows 1 and 2 in Main colour and rows 3 and 4 in Contrast.

Garter Slip Stitch

Garter Slip Stitch

This one is perhaps the simplest slip stitch of all.Garter Slip Stitch. It gives quite a dense, firm stitch unlike ordinary garter.  If you like the texture of garter stitch, but want less of the stretch, then this is really useful. A little boring in a single colour, it takes on a little life when you use two colours and here I tried two shades of green.  I could see it on pocket flaps and cuffs, on hats.  Possibly not very exciting made up into a bag,  but it would do a nice firmly structured jacket.

The two shades of green look good in real life, but don't come across well on the screen.  I'll have to look for colours that 'pop' more.  Something I have learned - think about the medium.

Always worth taking a look at the wrong side.  Rather a nice effect.  

Multiple of 2 + 1
Cast on in Main colour
1st row : (right side) using Main colour, knit
2nd row  : Knit
3rd row : Using Contrast colour, k1, *sl 1 purlwise, k1; rep from * to end.
4th row : Using Contrast, knit.
Rep. these 4 rows

Vintage Slip Stitch Pattern

From Needlework Illustrated 1950

I still haven't been able to sit down to serious knitting.  It's weeks and weeks now.  I cast on, look at the stitches and feel slightly icky. There is so much going on that I don't seem to be able to make myself sit still and concentrate.  So, in times like these - I swatch.

Slip Stitch With No Name

And what better to swatch than a slip stitch.  I'm still into green and white (or off-white) and thought this pattern  from 1950 looked interesting.  The original is in grey and white according to the instructions.  The original pattern was in something called Dewhursts 'Tuffle' - a cotton  yarn.  This may be in Barbara Walker or Mary Thomas somewhere and when I have a few minutes I'll see if I can find a name for it.

There is an error in the instructions and I had to figure it out.  I may be wrong with the change I have made, but I quite like the effect anyway.  That's the beauty of slip stitch.

Multiple of 2 plus 1

Rows 1-4 (green) stocking stitch
Change to white
Row 5   K1 (slip 1, keep yarn at back of work, k.1) to end
Row 6   K1 (yarn forward, slip 1, yarn back,  k1) to end
Change to green
Row 7   Slip1 (k.1, slip1 keeping yarn at the back of the work) to end.
Row 8   Slip 1(yarn back, k.1, yarn forward, slip 1) to end
Row 9 and 10   K1(slip 1, k1) to end, always keeping yarn to wrong side of work.


The error in the original pattern is in row 7 where it says,
Slip 1 (k1 keeping yarn to back of work) to end.

That doesn't make any sense, so I put in my version.

The Green and the White

Flowers of the Norway Maple

Because the flowers of the Norway Maple are usually up high, I hadn't really appreciated them before.  I only saw these because a branch had fallen and was still merrily flowering away.  This is a non-native tree in Britain and can tend to be invasive casting a dense shadow, shutting out native plants and flowers and reducing the diversity of the habitat.  In spite of all that it's now well out in flower and the bright green on the skyline is quite welcome.



Wild Cherry 

According to the Woodland Trust other names for Wild Cherry are :

• Idath (Old Irish)
• Crab Cherry
• Hawkberry
• Mazzard
• Merry
• Gean

White (or off-white) and green being one of my favourite colour combinations, I couldn't resist using this little bit of wild inspiration to try out another slip stitch for my collection.

Dotted Ladder Pattern
From Barbara G. Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns

Slip Stitches

Slip stitch slipover from Stitchcraft August 1951

I've been badly neglecting my slip stitch collection and was reminded when browsing through my vintage magazines.  This caught my eye.  Quite an impressive effect.

Close up

I must have a try at swatching this one.

The socks to match

Linen stitch again

Wash Mitt and Lily of  The Valley Soap

Mum's birthday coming up soon.  I have made some of her presents and one is this wash mitt in green and cream cotton, knitted in my favourite slip stitch - linen stitch.  It knits up to a dense fabric.

Linen Stitch

Because it knits up so densely you use slightly larger size needle than normal for your chosen yarn. 
Use a multiple of 2 stitches.  For the wash mitt I cast on 34 stitches in DK cottons and used 5mm needles.

Row 1,  Col 1 :   K1 *yfwd, sl1pw, ybk K1*    last stitch K1

Row 2,  Col 1 :   K1 *sl1pw, yfwd, p1, ybk*    last stitch K1

Row 3,  Col 2 :   As row 1

Row 4,  Col 2 :   As row 2

I started the decreases for the top of the mitt when it was six inches long.  All a bit experimental,  but I'm quite pleased with the result.

Not In The Mood

Bias knit garter stripes inspired by a satellite picture of a Saudi Arabian desert

You know how it goes, (maybe you don't),  but sometimes you just aren't in the mood to knit.  Not in the mood to finish those five UFOs in the basket, not even in the mood to start that new jacket for Autumn/Winter season that you have been drooling over and promising yourself for the last three years.

Bobbles inspired by pictures of the Fly Agaric fungus - the one you always see in pictures in fairy stories

 

On days like that when it's raining, I'm not working and I can't garden, everyone's been fed and I have cleaned pretty much everything, then I turn to 'faffing about'.  I look through old patterns, I browse on Ravelry, I tidy up the yarns, and when I feel like picking up needles, I swatch. 

I was encouraged in this when I took up a City and Guilds handknit course taught by Loraine McClean.  I loved the swatching and the learning.  Family pressures prevented me from completing the course, but the swatching and learning habit has stayed with me.

Inspired by a 1940s Stitchcraft pattern and knitted in fine crochet cotton on 2.25mm needles

Barbara Walker and Mary Thomas are well and truly thumbed for stitches I haven't tried.  Maybe that's the problem, maybe I'm a 'sampling' person, rather than a 'knit to the bitter end' person.

Bobbles and stripes in chenille inspired by a picture in an old RHS Garden magazine 

I look at pictures of plants and the natural world, art and gardens.  I have heaps of coloured paper cut from ads in glossy magazines, throw them up in the air and look at the colour combinations that land.  Then try to knit them into pleasing patterns in slip stitch.  I look at vintage knitting patterns and try the stitches out.




This sample comes from a 1940's pattern and full details given in a previous post  here.  I just love, love this and make no apology for posting it again.


This is another post in the ABC meme with An Accidental Knitter

And another mystery object

Can you see what it is yet?

This may not look like much, but there is a cunning plan.  Mum has difficulty holding things and uses a wash mitt rather than a flat flannel or washcloth.  This way she doesn't have to grip it, just puts her hand inside.  So, thinking about my large stash of boucle and other cottons, I thought about knitting up some wash mitts as a little present for her birthday.  I'll wrap them with small bars of special scented soap.

The colour is a sort of khaki green and I have put a light blue with it.  Not a combination I would have naturally picked, but the yarn was there and although the photo may not show it well, there is a sort of seaside feel to the combination.

The cotton knits up pretty much as DK and I have used linen stitch which gives a very close texture and should prevent too much bagginess.  When using linen stitch you knit on slightly larger needles than normal for the yarn because of the closeness of the fabric, so I have done this one on 5mm.  Thinking about trying the next on 4mm to see what happens.

Linen stitch is one of my favourite slip stitches and I have knitted all sorts in it and have plans for more.

Mobile phone cover in linen stitch

You can try it in two colours and get interesting effects :

Row 1,  Col 1 :   K1 *yfwd, sl1pw, ybk K1*    last stitch K1

Row 2,  Col 1 :   K1 *sl1pw, yfwd, p1, ybk*    last stitch K1

Row 3,  Col 2 :   As row 1

Row 4,  Col 2 :   As row 2

English Diamond Quilting Pattern revisited

I did another swatch of the English Diamond Quilting Pattern from Barbara Walkers Treasury of Knitting Patterns.  This time using a contrast colour on the yarn over rows.  This does give you a stripe across the background and more unfortunately I ended up with lots of loose ends.  I'm sure there is a way to get over this if I think a bit  more.  The other problem with this pattern is that it curls badly.  This can be eased by making the Yarn Overs really loose.  I also might try wrapping the yarn over twice, that would be even more effective.

I'm sure something could be done with this.  Not sure what.

E is for Excel Spreadsheet

English Diamond Quilting Pattern
From A Treasury of Knitting Patterns - Barbara Walker
A Slip Stitch - has possibilities, but tricky to stop it curling up

  E is for Excel Spreadsheet
(part of the A-Z meme for An Accidental Knitter )

Now don't get alarmed.  It's not as bad as it sounds, this won't be a spreadsheet tutorial.  I am finding that I love Slip Stitch the more I do it and have started a collection.  I have set up an Excel spreadsheet with the following headings (I'd love to hear if you think any other information would be useful) :

Reference No. - Yep, a reference no. and each colour variation on it has a subset no. (001a, 001b)
Name  - I am finding stitches without a name, so that's interesting too
Source - Where I found it
Pattern Rows Repeat
Stitch Multiple
Notes - just thoughts and ideas it generates
Date I swatched it -
Swatch details - Yarn, Needle size and no. of stitches cast on
Date I blogged it

Where the source is a bit obscure and might get lost I type out the stitch instructions into a Word Document headed with the reference no.

I photograph the swatch and put the reference no. in the file name

And I put the swatch into a binder, so I can touch it and love it.

Weird Huh?

Waffle Set 1940s

Waffle Set

This set was in Issue No. 13 of Needlewoman and Needlecraft (price eightpence) - a wartime issue, early '40s I haven't been able to date it exactly.  This is a slip stitch pattern with an 8 row repeat worked on a multiple of 4+2 stitches.
(Odd how all my knitting interest is gravitating towards slip stitch these days).

The pattern is called 'Knitted Waffle Set', but the stitch doesn't correspond to any waffle stitch I have found so far. 
The magazine is small owing to the wartime paper shortages and has mostly black and white pictures.  There are also lots of messages from the Ministry of Food and Board of Trade, advising people how to economise, mend things and deal with the shortages.  This pattern stands out because it is one of the rare colour pictures and looks rather opulent, although the glove and sock patterns in particular would allow knitters to use up odd bits they might have stashed away.

I found some oddments of 4 ply which were close to the colourway in the picture.  This stitch is lovely to knit.

Stitch No. 001 (from Needlewoman and Needlecraft Issue no. 13
Row 1	K3*, s1 (purlwise), K3.  Rep. from * to last 3 sts., S.1 (purlwise), K.2.
Row 2	K.2*, wool forward,  S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K3. Rep. from * to last  4 sts. Wool forward, S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K.3
Row 3	Rep. row 1
Row 4	Rep. row 2
	Can change to colour 2 here
Row 5	K.1*, S.1 (purlwise), K.3.  Rep from * to last st., K.1
Row 6	K.4*, wool forward, S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K.3. Rep. from * to last 2 sts., wool forward. S.1 (purlwise), wool back K.1
Row 7	Rep. Row 5
Row 8	Rep. Row 6

B is for Blackwork

A Blackwork Pincushion

Years ago I found a pattern in a magazine for a embroidered blackwork pincushion.  I love blackwork and so I had a go.  Lost the magazine long ago, but found the pincushion the other day in an old workbox.  Rather pleased with it.  It's got pattern on the sides as well.

I've always rather wanted to explore blackwork in knitting, so when Charlotte An Accidental Knitter suggested her alphabetical meme on Ravelry, I decided to have a go.  I missed A, but here is 'B' for Blackwork.

Along with Blackwork I also love slip stitches and took the opportunity to try one I found in Barbara Walker's  Treasury of Knitting Patterns.   

This is Sanquar Check - it gives a similar effect to traditional sanquar, but not a smidgeon of fairisle is involved.  It's all done with slip stitch.   Having had a go (and a couple of false starts) I see this as a nifty pair of wristies to keep the mouse arm warm on chilly office mornings.



And here is a version with the colour order reversed.  Not as pleasing to my eye, but has possibilities.

Now how about it in red and white, or blue and white, or toning shades, or ......?

Knitted Bag

This is  bag designed by Sian Brown, it's called Swag Bag and can be found in Ravelry.  It's knitted with the yarn double and Sian's pictures show it in shadesof bright green.  I grabbed colours I had in my stash.  
It's knitted on slightly smaller needles than you would expect which makes the bag nice and firm.  Although it isn't necessary to do so, I lined mine and added a button.    I love slip stitches and was intrigued by this pattern.  I did a few swatches in different colourways.
I haven't found the stitch in any stitch directory yet, so don't know what it's called.  For now, it's Sian's stitch.

The swatch below is in  single strands of double knit on 3.75mm needles.  I think 4mm needles might make this look slightly less 'scrunched'.

This swatch is in aran in natural shades on 5 mm needles.