Combine Garter and Lace for a Fun Shawl

I know it’s too early to be thinking about warm weather in the northern hemisphere as I write this, but something about this Luxurious Knit Shawl from Yarnspirations has me in the mind of spring.

It’s probably that pretty green color (which the pattern says is Caron Simply Me, a bulky weight acrylic, nylon and wool blend, in color Malachite). Or the combination of squishy warm garter stitch with a wide border of lace that makes me think of sunnier days ahead.

You could wear it with the garter stitch portion dominating while it’s colder outside, and turn it so the lace is more prominent when it’s warmer out. (Check the pictures on the pattern page to see how this works.)

The design is a pretty simple right angle triangle, but the pattern is rated intermediate because of the lace. Still, working lace stitches in bulky yarn is a great way to learn the ins and out of lace knitting without having to deal with tiny knitting needles at the same time.

The project comes out to about 28.5 by 65 inches, or 72.5 by 165 cm. Pattern instructions include a chart and row by row instructions for knitting the lace portion if you aren’t comfortable with knitting from the chart. But this pattern isn’t too difficult once you get the hang of it that you could try working from the chart and using the written instructions to check your work.

Because the garter stitch section is worked first, you could use any weight of yarn you like and make it any size you want, so long as you end up with a multiple of 14 plus 8 stitches for the lace pattern.

This looks like a fun one that would give you a little practice with lace and a lot of mindless TV knitting at the same time.

You can grab the free pattern from Yarnspirations.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

Mosaic Shawl Knitting Patterns

10 shawls to knit this summer

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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