Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit Up a Botanical Beauty of a Shawl

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If you’re looking for a showstopper project to knit this summer/winter (depending where you are in the world), take a peek at KC Knitting Co’s Stromanthe shawl.

This lovely leaf-covered design uses sportweight yarn and stranded colorwork to evoke the leaves of the tropical Stromanthe sanguinea plant. This intense colorwork is countered with a Garter Stitch edging.

The original yarn used was a blend of wool and linen, making it perfect for warmer weather, but you can make it with a 100 percent wool yarn, too, if you want something warmer.

Either way you can learn more and get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Anna-Lisa Miller via Ravelry.]

Have you read?

Stitch a Play Mat with a Gorgeous Butterfly

The butterfly on this piece — the Owl Butterfly Playmat by Sophie’s Stitches — caught my eye before I even knew what the project was. Now that I’ve give it a closer look I’m still not 100 percent sure what it is meant to be for, but I still love it. 

I think it’s maybe to give you a flat surface to roll dice or play cards on, but there are no images of the project in use so I’m just speculating on that. If you know what it is, be sure to let me know!

What it physically is is a worsted weight mat (the sample is worked in cotton) that measures 14 by 24 inches, or 35.5 by 61 cm. The impression I get from the pattern notes and the photos is that you knit the rectangle plain and the butterfly is stitched on after using duplicate stitch, which is provided as a chart. 

Of course you could choose to knit some of the colorwork as you go, either using stranded knitting or intarsia techniques, or maybe some of both. It just looks like a lot of duplicate stitch (and it is!) so knowing me if I were making this project I’d probably try to knit some of it instead of stitching it all. 

The pattern also suggests that you can knit a second plain mat to sew on the back and cover up all the yarn ends, as well as making the mat thicker and a little more stable. There’s also a photo that shows fabric sewn to the back, which is also a good option if you have some fabric that has a bit of grip. 

I like the graphic on this one enough I might just make it as a table pad for our entry way table. You can always make the mat part a different dimension, just make sure you’re centering the image if you do. 

You can find this pattern on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Sophie’s Stitches]