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]

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The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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