Stitch of the Week: Trinity Stitch

Back in the day when my About site was young, I worked a swatch of some common knitting stitch almost weekly. (You can find them in my stitch pattern glossary.) I guess I got busy and had covered so many of the common ones that I started accidentally repeating myself, so I got out of the habit of doing it.

I also had a really bad camera back in the beginning, so some of these need to be reworked, or at least reshot if I could find the old swatches. Which maybe sharing them with you will inspire me to do.

In any case, I think it’s inspiring to look at different stitch patterns and see what people have done with them, so that’s what this stitch of the week post is for.

First up, trinity stitch. This is not an easy one to start with, because there are lots of similar stitch patterns that go by different names. You might also hear this one called blackberry stitch, bramble stitch, cluster stitch and I’m sure other things I’m forgetting right now.

To form it, you work three stitches into one stitch, then purl 3 together. Purling 3 together is rather a pain. Pointy needles will help.

Still, I like this bumpy stitch pattern, and once you get the hang of it, it’s not too much trouble. I’ve actually used it in two projects: a headband and a baby-sized prayer shawl.

Some other free projects that give you a chance to try this stitch include the Trinity Stitch Hat from BreadnBadger and Rag Lana’s Blackberry Street No. 1 scarf. And for a variation on trinity stitch that looks pretty much exactly the same, check out this post on Not Trinity Stitch at the Knitting Fiend/Diet Diary.

Have you ever used trinity stitch? I’d love to hear what you used it for.

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.

Next Pattern:

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