And here's the look!

I am really taken with this pattern, called the Bandana Cowl by Erin at Purl Soho.  If you’re not on Ravelry (you should be!), here’s a link directly to the post in Purl Bee, Purl Soho’s craft blog. A bandana scarf, or in this case a cowl that looks like a bandana scarf, looks so good on a guy.  But what is great about this accessory is that it looks great on both guys and gals, so anybody can make it to his/her own taste.  As Erin says, “Jauntily tied around the neck, it tops off everything from Sunday’s T-shirt and jeans to Friday’s night-on-the-town dress! The bandana is a sassy, casual touch that suggests that the wearer possesses an innate stylishness. It’s the perfect accessory  for those cool mornings when you’ve hit snooze a few too many times and need to turn ‘thrown-together-in-a-rush’ into ‘casually glamourous’ !”.  Or as a guy, you could add  ” …into casually rugged”  since the bandana pulls one directly into the look  of  ”the cowboy”, or “casually cool” if combined with a raglan, or t-shirt, jeans and sandals.  Now that we’re moving into summer, I’ll be making some of these bandanas with cotton or cotton blends.  And since our shop, the Northcoast Knittery,  has an incredible knitting retreat at Imperial Stock Ranch coming up in August, I’ve got to make several of these to look the part!

Made from Filatura di Crosa's Andina Mix, US Size 9 Needle.

Here are images of three of the bandana cowls, all of which took around 50-70 grams of yarn.

Made from Aslan Trend's King Baby Llama and Mulberry Silk, Worsted Weight, US Size 9 needle

Made from Mondial's Vai, Aran Weight, US Size 10 needle

I have found that the cowl works better on worsted to aran weight yarns rather than light worsted or dk.  The latter yarn weights make stitches that are too airy in the body of the cowl, so that the garter stitch edge curls upward.  As you can see, the edge of the black cowl…done in a light worsted…curls sometimes on the side.

Curling edge on base of cowl

When I knitted a second one with a smaller needle (size 7) with the same yarn, to see if that would fix the problem, it was worse!   The front tip of the cowl curled up like a pixie toe and the cowl was too small.  I should have taken a photo to use here to show you…but I ripped it out immediately before remembering that it would be beneficial for the blog!  Sometimes you just have to get the offending knitted item out of existence as fast as possible!  But the curl is not that bad on the sides of the light worsted cowl knit with size nine needles…the curl  can be just part of the “wrinkled” look.  You can also add embellishment along the edges or the tip.  Here you see some Thai silver …a frog diving for a silver bead and four beads…along the tip of the black/gray cowl.

Thai silver frog and beads

Curled base edges blend in wth the "look" of folds

First experiment:  Take four balls of different colorways, some with tonal shifts and some with tonal and color shifts, and use the linen stitch technique that Sally Melville uses in her Linen-Stitch Wrap in The Knitting Experience, Book 3, Color. She has you start with one color on a circular needle, leaving a tail (for fringe), working  the wrap lengthwise, leaving a tail at the other end (for fringe), and sliding the stitches back to the other end of the needle to work the next row of the Linen stitch.  I used a US size 6 needle, based on the Mini Mania Scarf cast on directions, which uses the Linen stitch for a lengthwise scarf. Here are my four cute little balls of fingering weight yarn.

Little fingering weight balls of different colorways

From top to bottom, colors are MC, CC1, CC2, and CC3.  I then set up a charted sequence that had six rows of MC (Row 1 and Row 2 of linen stitch both in MC), six rows with Row 1 in CC1 and Row 2 in MC, six rows of CC1, six rows with Row 1 as CC2 and row 2 as CC1, six rows of CC2, six rows of row 1 as CC3 and Row 2 as CC2, six rows of CC3, six rows of Row 1 as MC and Row 2 as CC3 and ended with six rows MC.  Here is the result!

From top to bottom, MC, MC+CC1, CC1, CC1+CC2, CC2, CC2+CC3, CC3, CC3+MC, MC

The color movement is really lovely.  The technique was a pain!  This little swatch (4 x 4.5 inches)  took about five hours to do!!  Why?  In Melville’s directions, the first row begins with leaving a tail, and the second row also starts with leaving a tail, and begins with a slipped stitch, so that you are holding a tail in front of a slipped stitch.  Also, because you are cutting the yarn at each end to leave fringe, you have these really loose selvedge edges.  Yes, you do overhand knot every three tails as you go along, but the result is still loose fabric on the ends.  To be fair, this probably wouldn’t be so bad on a wrap…you would need to work 450 sts before cutting the tail each time.  On this sample, it was only 31 stitches, so it quickly became onerous, starting…stopping…starting…stopping.  Adding a clothes pin on each tail helped maintain some tension on the tails…but I still got loose fabric on each end. Bah!  Humbug!  There has to be a better way.  And my gauge was really dense with a size 6.  Seems I am a tight knitter…at least with the linen stitch.  Time to do some swatching with different needle sizes.

I’m planning a design with Elfin Tweed using the linen stitch, so I decided to swatch with it. I opted for the linen stitch pattern directions for odd number of stitches listed in the Mini Mania Scarf and knit back and forth. Here’s what I got:

From bottom to top, US size 6,7,8,9

To my surprise, I had to go all the way up to a Size 8 or 9 to get a fabric that I wanted for a garment.  I will now work up a sizeable swatch in the linen stitch on Size 9 needles, wash it, and swing it around my head  or stretch it a bit, to “get the life out of it” as Josh Bennett taught us to do.  That action mimics the stretching that the garment fabric will do once knitted and worn, thus giving you a more accurate gauge. He also said to measure the entire swatch for the gauge, to the very edge.  ”You knitted it all, measure it all.”  After seeing how the size 9 swatch looks, I may opt for the size 8 and do a swatch as well.

Finally, I decided to use the linen stitch pattern directions for odd number of stitches listed in the Mini Mania Scarf and knit back and forth with two colorways, a solid and a variegated, and carry the yarn along the side.  I started  with a solid MC, moved to a variegated yarn alternating with MC every two rows ( in other words, Row 1 and Row 2 of linen stitch in one colorway, and then in the other, then back to original colorway), then rows of only variegated, moving back to alternating colorways, then back to solid  MC.   And here is that result!

Knitted on US size 7

I really like the effect, especially using the dark solid color alongn with a variegated colorway.  I made sure the solid color alternating with the variegated colorway was visually the same width on each side of the center variegated section.  Of course, the color repeat of the variegated yarn would  look quite different in an actual garment given the rows would have been a lot longer, but the same principle of alternating with solid color for same width would apply.  Also, I prefer this version of the linen stitch rows over the one in Melville’s book.  This one always began with knit or purl stitches and gave a nice selvedge on each side.  If I were to do the Melville “cut yarn on both ends for fringe” method, sliding the work back to the other end to add in another color, I would still use the equivalent of this linen stitch variation.

Here’s the linen stitch written for an odd number of stitches:

1940's pattern from Featured Knitting Designs

At least, it’s a waistcoat I definitely want!  I ran across this pattern on Vintage Purls website, which has free vintage patterns for men, women, children, and some household accessories (an awesome tea cozy!).  This waistcoat (actually pronounced “wes’ cut”–let’s all  say it correctly!) caught my eye because for some time I’ve been experimenting with how to add a decent point to vests.  I also loved the diagonal slant of the pockets.  As it turns out, the entire construction of this waistcoat is equally interesting.  You make the point by using short rows, working 5 of 60 cast-on stitches, then 10, then 15, etc, until you’ve worked across the 60 sts, then 17 rows worked even, and then you have to work short rows on one side of the diagonal pocket slot, and then add yarn and work short rows on the other side , so that the opening is created.  Once the slot is finished, you work across all the stitches and continue on.  Once the garment is completed, you then make two fabric pockets and sew them to the pocket slits.

I’m using Knit One Crochet Too’s Elfin Tweed yarn, which is fingering weight.  The pattern calls for 4 ply (sport), but I matched gauge with the fingering weight and the fabric is still okay…maybe a little flimsy, but it will look nice.  The pattern is only given in one size (Chest 40) and I didn’t want to have to rewrite the pattern while also conquering the techniques in making the pockets, etc.  I worked the left side, and because the directions simply say “make right side to match” minus button holes, I decided to immediately start the right side as well so I can write out how to do it in reverse!

By the way, this pattern has a lot going on at the same time–while building the pocket slit, you must also keep track of rows for button holes on one side and a total of 13 increases every 6th row on the other side.  (Think Rowan patterns, which are notorious for saying “do this, while at the same time doing this, and alternating every “blank” rows, then every “blank” row doing this on the opposite edge”.)  I wrote out every single row…but it’s been well worth the effort.  Here are some images so far:

Closeup of the slanted tip created by short rows (front left side)

More of left front

Here's where I'm building the right side in reverse--just at the point to work 18 rows even and then start short rows for pocket slot.

Another really interesting feature is how the back piece will be positioned in relation to the two front pieces.  The bottom corners of the two inch back ribbing meet the bottom point on the side seams of fronts (right after one completes the short rows that form the slanted bottom front edges).  In other words, the slanted front points hang lower than the bottom of the back piece, so that the ribbing of the back is across the small of the back.    I love this construction!  It is so classic and form fitting.  I’ll post images of the back and sides when those are completed.

Now that I’ve experimented with techniques and construction of this vintage pattern, expect some waistcoat designs from me in the future!

Museum Meet Up Vest

My newest sweater vest design was just published in the Winter 2012 Issue of Love of Knitting.  I am super pleased with the styling of the photography and the model that was selected.  I had been wanting to introduce some mosaic knitting into a design, and the seed of inspiration for this black and white vest popped into my head while watching the movie, Phantom of the Opera.  During the Masquerade sequence, there are masquerade ball dancers who have black and white painted on opposite sides of their faces.  In profile, when turned quickly, you get the coolest visual effect from the black and white faces switching back and forth.

This vest is knitted in the round up to the armholes, then the front and the back are knit back and forth.  The sloped shoulders are shaped with short rows, retaining live stitches, which are then bound off with a three needle bind off.  The front and back alternates between the mosaic section and the striped sections.  Because mosaic knitting draws in a bit, additional stitches are added for the mosaic sections to maintain comparable width, and any differences between the sections vertically counterbalance each other because both front and back have equal numbers of  striped and mosaic sections.  The result is a balanced garment.

Museum Meet Up Vest Back

Black and white really emphasizes the contrast.  But I’ve seen a dusky purple with a burnt orange combination that was stunning (on a test knit of the hat pattern to be released soon to match this vest), as well as a lovely gray and blue combination.  Another interesting effect with mosaic is to use a solid color paired with a complementary variegated color.   I would love to see some of your finished vests with your choices of color.  Send them to me and I’ll post them!

Coming soon…a hat pattern that matches the vest.  It will have options for either a squared off crown or concentric circles crown and will be available on Ravelry.

Making Waves Hat and Scarf shown in Lana Grossa Merino Big Superfein, 100% Superwash Merino

Love of Knitting Magazine Holiday Issue 2012 has hit the newstands, and it includes my Making Waves Hat and Scarf Pattern.  I find this set really appealing, so I am very pleased that it is now available to everybody. This design utilizes twisted stitches to change the direction of the wave. The wide band of the hat is knit first, then stitches are picked up  and knitted along the band edge. For the I-cord edging of the hat, stitches are picked up and knitted, providing the live stitches for knitting the attached I-cord.

This stitch pattern is not reducible by less than twenty rows to maintain the wave symmetry in the band of the hat.   To achieve a smaller hat size, a smaller yarn with a needle and gauge appropriate to that yarn should be used while maintaining the stitch count and pattern as written.

I would love to see what yarns you use in knitting this set!  Please send me photos of the hat and/or scarf and let me know if I have permission to post the image, and whether you want your name listed with the image.  Be sure to tell me the yarn used in the image!  Send the image attachment to harry@goodforaboy.com.

Image of Boardwalk Vest from Love of Knitting website

The summer issue of Love of Knitting has my vest pattern available free as their web bonus.  Here’s two other images that show the diamond pattern more clearly.

Close up of Diamonds

Full Frontal View of Boardwalk Vest

I wanted a summer vest that looked good with a t-shirt and jeans or could be worn as dressy casual on a summer’s evening to an outdoor restaurant.  Early on, I knew I wanted it to be open in the front and made with Cotton Classic Lite by Tahki Stacy Charles Yarns. This is a lovely yarn with which to knit, and the garment weight is perfect for summer layering.  The yarn would be great in a summer top, such as a tank or t-shirt.  The diamond stitch pattern came from Barbara Walker’s Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns, but I altered it so that the diamonds at the top of the front panels move off at a slant in mirror image from each other.  I love I-cord edging, and worked a 3 stitch I-cord all along the vest edges.  The vest front edges did decide to curl inward, so you can’t see the I-cord edge there, but I still liked the look in the front.  This vest was designed with standard ease, and length, and the pattern sizes are written that way which go from small (44″ chest, finished size) to 3x (54″ chest, finished size).  I’m thinking about working up a version that is cropped, and has shorter armholes, with a narrow decorative rib around the vest front to make it more pronounced and lay flat.  It will be interesting to see if the front panels will accommodate those size changes, or if I’ll have to rewrite the diamond pattern stitch a bit.  I suspect the last upper diamond near the armhole will have to be removed.

Don’t be alarmed by the length of the pattern.  Because the regular diamond stitch pattern repeat had to be altered on both tops of the front panel, it required a lot of lines to be written out.  But it’s all pretty easy knitting, and the lines are all spelled out stitch by stitch for you!  I hope you enjoy knitting and wearing this vest!

Syncopated Brioche = Plain Brioche alternating between knit and purl versions (in this example, every eight rows)

Honeycomb Brioche--started with recommended needle size (bottom of swatch) and then moved up 3 needles sizes (top of swatch). This makes a dense fabric...a very warm hat or garment!

Syncopated Brioche in the yarn Panguipulli by Araucania

I really like the syncopated stitch and did a swatch in a yarn that has been beckoning me to do something with it, Panguipulli by Araucania. I love this yarn…and the look that resulted in the syncopated stitch.  Already got my designing juices going…thinking about what to make with this yarn and this stitch.  I expect you’ll be seeing something soon that combines these two!

The two color plain Brioche stitch is fantastic, being reversible with the two colors switching places from front to back.  In fact, all the Brioche stitches are reversible except for the Honeycomb stitch.

Two Color Plain Brioche Side A

Two Color Plain Brioche Side B

Crossed Brioche--This stitch has "crisscrossing" front and back slanting bars. It would look great on a larger needle that would give more openness to the criss-cross design.

Reversible and worked on larger needles for a lofty bounce, I’m sure these Brioche stitches are going to make their way into some future designs!

The only thing to do is just keep on knitting, and take a little bit of time to take stock of what one has recently completed over the last year.  But truthfully, I can’t remember what all I’ve completed over the last year, and I hardly ever remember to post on Ravelry when I begin a project. (Note to self…begin to do this with each new project from now on.) Also, I can’t share with you three major knitting projects I designed and completed, because they are all designs to be published in the next two issues (Summer and Fall) of Love of Knitting. Nor can I share my latest design inspiration, because I am currently knitting it up for the winter issue of Love of Knitting.  (But I can tell you that it was inspired by a sequence in the movie/muscial  Phantom of the Opera!)

Lace Wrap, Pattern #28 in Vogue Knitting, Winter 2009/10

However, I can post a major accomplishment…this Lace Wrap from Vogue Knitting, Winter 2009/10.  I am super pleased with it.   It took me quite a while to finish it–about 18 months since it had to be put down to meet other knitting deadlines.  It is knit in two rectangular pieces, one with 3 pattern repeats in the colorway repeats, and one with 2 pattern repeats in the colorway repeats.  Then, the pieces are sewn together like an “L”.  I used three colorways of Indigo Moon Yarns fingering weight, in a sequence of Color 1, Color 2, Color 3, Color 2, Color 1, Color 2, Color 3, Color 2, Color 1.  That added a bit more length each piece.  The front piece drapes dramatically, with the shoulder piece draped elegantly around shoulders.  The pattern can be purchased individually from Vogue, linked here.

Three Colorways of Indigo Moon Hand-dyed Fingering Weight, Autumn Harvest, Northern Steppe, and Rhapsody

I think my birthday sobering sense of knitting time slipping away may have to do with having multiple projects going all at once.  It just doesn’t seem like you’re making headway fast enough when you divide your time.  Between you and me, as soon as I finish the men’s henley (I’m close—sewing together and adding the trim) for the shop, and the women’s pullover (I’m close–finishing off the cowl neck) for the shop, and the women’s rib vest (three-fourths complete) for my daughter and the banded crewneck sweater (by Brandon Mably) for me (working on the back, so still a ways to go), I’m going to pick one major  project and one minor project at a time.  No, really, I am.

(Damn, I just flipped past Josh Bennett’s men’s designs as I was putting up the Vogue issue…I’ve GOT to knit that blue-white-gray striped cardigan, and that hound’s tooth vest…)

Josh and Harry at Rowan Booth at TNNA

Okay, so I am a bit star struck!  One mega highlight of attending the yarn tradeshow (Winter TNNA show)  last week was meeting Josh Bennett in person and chatting with him.  As my daughter put it, “Yeah Dad, you were cool on the outside, but inside you were saying ‘OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!’ ”  Yup, that about sums it up.  Got my signed copy of Rowan Magazine 51 which has Josh as featured designer as well.  He seems genuinely happy and stoked, and was a hit strutting his stuff on the fashion show runway!  He looked like he was having fun at the show meeting and greeting, and I wish him every success in the future.  Check out this short video Josh Bennett Interview where Josh discusses the inspiration behind the Rowan sweater collection.  And you can download the six Rowan patterns for free!

Also at the show, I got to meet Jennifer Burt in person (Managing Editor, Love of Knitting), and she told me that my “fabulous vest” (her words!) was going for its photo shoot in a couple of weeks! I’m very excited about this men’s summer vest design, and can’t wait to see how it looks on the model and in the magazine. The summer issue is due out on May 1st, but Jennifer said that I could mention that a sneak peek preview of the vest should be on the Love of Knitting website around April 25.

I’m also working on a hat and scarf set for the Fall issue of Love of Knitting.  Of course, I can’t share the design or any swatch photos at this point, but be sure to stay tuned for future updates.  I design with men in mind, but so far, my accessory designs are as popular with women as men.  I suspect this hat and scarf will appeal to both as well.