A Dozen Ways to Use Sashay

Most knitters know about Sashay and similar fabric yarns that are most commonly used to stitch up quick frilly scarves (I used a similar lace yarn to knit a scarf, and you can find a video tutorial on how to work with the yarn.)

Of course there are other things that can be done with this funky yarn, and a recent Donna’s Dozen over at the Red Heart website covered different kinds of projects using the yarn.

There’s knitting, crochet, finger knitting, even just decorative knotting included in this roundup, so if you have some balls of this novel yarn laying around that you aren’t sure what to do with, check these patterns out. My personal favorite is the pictured Mesh Pillow Cover, which offers a completely different look to what we’re used to from this yarn, and it’s a great way to dress up a plain pillow.

Have you ever used this sort of yarn? I’d love to hear what you did with it!

[Photo via Red Heart.]

Sashay knitting is a technique used to create a ruffled or frilly edge on a knitted fabric. It typically uses a specialized type of yarn called “sashay yarn” or “ruffle yarn” that has a mesh-like texture and is often made of a lightweight, stretchy material such as rayon or nylon.

To knit with sashay yarn, the yarn is passed through a series of loops created along the edge of a knitted fabric. The loops are then pulled to create a ruffled or frilly edge. The technique is usually used to create decorative edges on scarves, shawls, and other similar items.

Sashay knitting is a simple technique that is easy to learn, but it does require a bit of patience and attention to detail. The key is to ensure that the loops are pulled tight and even, so that the ruffles are neat and consistent. With practice, it is possible to create a variety of different ruffled effects, from delicate and lacy to bold and dramatic.

It’s important to note that sashay yarn can be tricky to work with because of the mesh-like texture and stretchiness, but it’s a fun way to add a unique and decorative edge to your knitted projects. It can be used in combination with other yarns to add a pop of texture and color to plain knits.

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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