Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Pin of the Week: An Awesome Stitch Pattern Calculator

by

stitch pattern calculatorIf you’re the kind of knitter who hates math — and I think that covers a lot of us! — you need to know about the Stitch Pattern Calculator from Laylock Knitwear Design.

This is a really simple, powerful concept. Just plug in the number of stitches the pattern repeat you want to use has and how many stitches you intend to cast on and it will tell you how many full repeats of the stitch pattern you can do and how many stitches you’ll have left over.

To test it I put in a pattern (totally made up) with an 8 plus 1 stitch repeat. I suggested I had 50 stitches, and the calculator told me I could work 6 repeats and would have one stitch left over.

Even better, it tells me I could use either 57 or 48 stitches and have no stitches left at the end, which is what you really need to know so you can adjust your pattern as needed.

So much easier than using a calculator!

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. Hate math, so one of these would be a blessing. Would like to get
    updated on knitting and learn some of the new ways since I knit
    (knit and purl) but never learned to knit socks

  2. so for example: If I am knitting a fair isle chart, would I input my chart repeat and then add the beginning and ending row stitches?

  4. Hi, I have a question, if I do have extra stitches, and for some reason can’t exclude these stitches, how would I integrate these stitches into my pattern? For example, I want to use two different stitch patterns on the same project. One stitch pattern requires an odd number of stitches and the other requires an even number. Is there a way to reconcile the two? Thanks for your help!

  5. I would probably just work any extra stitches in Stockinette stitch at the edge of the work. If it’s only one stitch difference you could possibly alternate which side you do it on but I’d want to test it on a swatch to see how it looks before committing to that for a full project.

Have you read?

Summer T-Shirt Knitting Patterns

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.