Wrap Yourself in Reversible Cables

April 21, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I love a good wrap any time of year (though I maybe enjoy knitting them a bit more than I enjoy wearing them — I have a bunch but wear the same two or three on repeat), and the Riverwalk Wrap from Elizabeth Di Benedetto is a great project to teach you a new skill or two and give you a classic wrap you’ll love to wear all year.

The main design feature of this trapezoidal shawl is reversible cables. The cables are worked over 16 stitches and 16 rows (with a cable cross every 8 rows) and all the stitches are worked through the back loop. Once you get used to working in the back loops and begin to read your knitting, the pattern is pretty simple and intuitive.

The pattern explains how to check your gauge and determine the stitch count you need for the size of shawl you want to make. Hers is rather large (108 inches on its longest side) but you can adjust to make it bigger or smaller as you like.

It also uses an I-cord edging, which is quite minimalist and doesn’t detract or draw attention away from the main pattern. Skills you will need for this pattern include knowing how to work cables and directional decreases, working knits and purls in the back loop and working I-cord edging and as a bind off. It also uses a provisional cast on.

The designer says the pattern is recommended to be worked with an alpaca blend yarn for the slight fuzzy halo, but you can try other fibers depending on the look you are going for and how warm or light you want your finished wrap to be. This is definitely a pattern where swatching benefits you, not just to know how many stitches you’re getting per inch, but also to see how the stitch pattern looks in your chosen yarn.

You can get this pattern as a free Ravelry download.

[Photo: Elizabeth Di Benedetto.]

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Christmas Stocking Knitting Patterns for Your Pets

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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