Oolong knits

The problem with lace is of course that it's see-through, but the Waffle Sweater by Pernille Larsen is so beautiful and simple that it may well be worth it. You decide!

I found this really amazing article on Interweave about increases that I highly recommend. Not only are the instructions and explanations very clear, but the illustrations are brilliant. The article is so complete, it almost gives too much information. But it's the best resource I've found to clarify certain common confusions: both to distinguish different techniques that are often considered the same, or the other way around, the same stitch done differently and often mistaken for different techniques. But the reason I most like this article is that it gives clear explanations about which stitches are more or less attractive, more or less visible, and more or less easy to execute. Exactly what you need to make a decision on which one to use, depending on your purpose.

A free pattern for socks with a separate big toe is great. Specially if you would like to show off your handknitted socks while wearing flip-flops. But I confess I chose this pattern as candy today because I love the colours and the little mid-sock stripes. A simple idea to incorporate in any other sock pattern you may prefer. Oops, I almost forgot: these are Tabi Toes by Daniela Mühlbauer.

I love learning new techniques and often find myself foolishly attempting something that is not half as good as the standard well-tried methods. For the socks I'm currently knitting, I decided to go with the Fleegle heel , even though I thought this was probably a bad idea. It turns out that, at least on my feet, this heel has a really great fit. It's also super easy to execute, so I couldn't be happier with this experiment. I highly recommend this heel, it's easier to work and has a better fit than the standard short-row heel. If you'd like the recipe I'm using, here it is: Toe Cast-on: 2x12 Judy’s magic CO. Round 1: purl all stitches, Rounds 2-5, increase rounds: p1, incr1, purl to last st of half, incr1, p1, twice. Then, Even rounds: purl all sts, Odd rounds: increase round (as above). Until 60 st total. Foot I’ve added 2nd colour after finishing toe: k15 in the old colour and then added new (in the middle of the bottom of the sock). Then...

Column looks like nothing special, but seriously... if I only bought one pattern, this may well be it. Why? The shaping. In particular the shoulder shaping that makes this bulky, boxy sweater one of the best fitting sweaters you will find. Trust me, its simplicity is deceptive, look at its project pages and convince yourself: every one looks amazing in this sweater and even Isabell Kraemer has knitted one. Hiromi Nagasawa is a new designer, but she is already an idol. Watch out for her next designs.

I have started and never finished this cardigan . That is right, I didn't just forget to finish the series, I actually never finished the damn project I was working on along with this tutorial. And here is the most absurd part, this is not the first time, and it will probably not be the last, that this happens. This happens every single time that I knit a project that involves a lot of sewing. The second project that I ever knitted was a blanket made of squares I started in 2014. You read it right: 2014! I have knitted all the squares, assembled most of them and even used the mini blanket I obtained in my bed (I had to make the hard choice of covering my feet or my shoulder, yes, for real, I'm this ridiculous), but I still haven't finished sewing the whole thing. I love the damn blanket and sincerely it is totally gorgeous, if I say so myself. But still not finished, because I'm lazy and undisciplined. But, going back to the damn cardigan. I have been working on it la...

Today's candy is a double-double treat. Two patterns and both are free. As you can see they both are triangle shawls with simple diagonal lines which create an attractive effect. The difference is the orientation of those lines. On the left, the Siki Shawl by Dawn Henderson is worked in half-twisted ribbing. On the right, the Lifeline Shawl by Jackie Daugherty uses a very simple 2 by 2 ribbing that shifts to the sides as the number of stitches increases. Both are so easy to work, they are actually boring, but the result is well-worth it, if you, like me, love simplicity.

Today we discuss a method for knitting circles sideways, or radially, if you prefer. I have already wrote a very long post on this method and I do suggest you read it for a lot of more extra details. Here I'll describe this method briefly and mostly for the sake of completeness. The radial method This well known method of creating a circle uses short-rows for shaping instead of increase or decreases. You can use your favourite method for working the short-rows: replace every turn as described in the recipe below by the instructions of your preference. This method almost always uses garter stitch (as in the recipe below), but other stitches can be used, including lace, although the recipe must be adapted for stitches that have a very different ratio of height to width than that of garter (by knitting fewer or narrower wedges). Unlike in previous methods, you will be knitting flat , not in the round, so feel free to use straight needles. Here is the recipe (taken from The ...