Knitting

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Ethnic Knitting Exploration by Donna Druchunas

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Huge leap of faith here! Knitting without a pattern. Or, Knitting The Old Way, as Donna Druchunas author of Ethnic Knitting Exploration says.

donnaStep 1: The Revered Gauge Swatch! Yes, you have to knit a swatch.

  • What if I don’t want to?
  • Tough, knit the swatch.
  • Is there any way to NOT knit the swatch?
  • Just knit the swatch, you’ll thank me later.
  • But I don’t like to knit swatches.
  • Knit. The. Swatch.
  • Fine!

So, swatch is knitted. Now what. Augh! Gasp! Being one of the most mathematically challenged people on the planet I’m being assaulted with this word: “Calculate”. Of all things! Seriously, what was I thinking?

Ok, I can do this. So calculate I did (not without a calculator, that would just be dumb!) and calculate is what I continue to do. Figure out based on “The Swatch” how many stitches to cast on, how many to increase, how many rows to knit, how many decreases, then finally getting to the fun part, the 2 color design…. how many repeats I need of said design. I’m ready for a nap at this point, but we must persevere!

Based on a previously made promise to myself to knit from my stash and to handknit an item for each grandchild’s birthday this year, I decided to do matching (sort of) sweaters for my twin granddaughters. The 2 color designs in one will be birds and flowers from the Lithuanian section of Donna’s book. The other sweater, in the same colors, will be a snowflake or star design from the same Lithuanian designs. And, since they’re not identical (the sweaters, not the girls, the girls ARE identical, but I can tell them apart cause I’m a good grandma…..) that really means that I’m not knitting the same sweater twice, right? At least I only had to measure one of them!

p4230097So, here’s what’s done so far, in a Phildar acrylic, worsted weight, stashed, lovely purply heather yarn. 13″ from waist to underarm, ready for the next step.

This has been a fun experiment, so far, I’ll keep you informed as I journey through this frontier unknown to me (that of knitting without a pattern of specific items – slippers and dishcloths don’t count).

Who knows, when this is all said and done, Donna may have converted me to a Unpatterned Knitter! That would be awesome! Imagine the freedom! But there is still the swatch issue and that word that strikes fear in the hearts of mathematically challenged knitters everywhere: CALCULATE!!

Take heart, if I can do it, so can you! Give it a try,  this awesome book is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Ethnic-Knitting-Exploration-Lithuania-Iceland/dp/0966828992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240504793&sr=1-1

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.