Who Says Knit and Purl Can’t Be Stunning?

The headline is pretty much the post on this one, but let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

When you first learn to knit you usually will learn how to knit and purl and then you learn to combine them in stockinette stitch, and then patterns with knit and purl in the same row, like ribbing.

And from there of course you can move on to more complex things like cables and lace, but essentially you’ve learned what you need to know to make all sorts of fun stitch patterns by working knits and purls.

Lest you think knitting and purling alone is boring, allow me to direct your attention to the Gable Wrap from Purl Soho.

This lovely pattern by Gianna Mueller is worked from one short side in alternating parallelograms of knit and purl stitches, which has a really pretty effect when worn.

The pattern includes options for making a scarf or a shawl, depending on how much you want to commit to this project. I feel like it would be a pretty meditative knit, but it’s not fast, as it calls for fingering weight yarn.

The yarn called for in the pattern is a cotton and linen blend, but you can use whatever fingering weight yarn you like. This blue is gorgeous, though! I think this project would be great in wool or a wool blend to make it more of a winter wearable (though it’s so big it would probably be plenty warm regardless of the kind of fiber you use to make it).

The pattern includes written row by row instructions as well as charts, so it’s a great way to practice chart reading if that’s a new skill for you.

The Gable Wrap pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

Have you read?