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Knitted hat with cables - Vanilla Cloud Hat pattern release

4.3.24

 It is never too early or too late to knit another hat for yourself or your little one! Knitted hat is also a great present for your friends who do not knit but appreciate warm cozy accessories. Also begin of spring is a great time to bargain lovely winter yarn on a sale. Please meet my new hat design - Vanilla Cloud Hat Light.

Vanilla Cloud Hat Light - design

This comfortable cables hat is knitted in combination of moss stitch with simple braid cable. Pattern calls for Aran weight yarn, but for extra cozy look you can replace it it with a strand of DK yarn held together with a strand of mohair in lace weight.  


Knitting pattern for Vanilla Cloud hat Light is written for wide range of sizes from baby to adult L. Pattern has both full chat for each size and detailed row-by-row instructions. The hat is knitted in the round seamlessly. The height of hat can be easily adjusted to a slouch style by adding a repeat or a few before crown shaping.

Knitting pattern for Vanilla Cloud Hat is available from Ravelry and Lovecrafts

Vanilla Cloud Poncho

There is also Vanilla Cloud Poncho and Hat set is available in my collection. You can read more about it in my blog post - Vanilla Cloud Poncho and see the knitting pattern for it on Ravelry, Etsy and Lovecrafts.

To see some behind the scene photos you can follow me on Instagram.

You are also welcome to join my Facebook knitting group to share your work and get some help with my patterns.

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Knitting two parts together and improving of knitting techniques.

4.3.24

 Knitting two similar parts together helps to maintain uniform gauge, optimize yarn utilization, help keep track of increases/decreases as well as prevent “second sleeve syndrome”. Let’s discuss this in details and discover how it help us to create perfect knitted garments such as sweaters and cardigans.


1.    Consistent Gauge: 
Knitting both sleeves simultaneously helps ensure consistent gauge and tension. Our tension can change a bit for example if we are tired or it can depend on our mood. It is particularly important for sweaters and cardigans where matching sleeve length and width is crucial for a perfect finish and professional look.
You can also read how to check your knitting gauge correctly and why it is important to achieve the correct gauge in my blog post - Knit a gauge swatch


2.    Efficient Use of Yarn: 
Knitting two sleeves at once allows you to use the yarn more efficiently. This is especially advantageous if you're using hand-dyed yarn, ensuring both sleeves have the same colour distribution.



3.    Uniform Increases/Decreases: 
If your sleeves involve shaping through increases or decreases, knitting them simultaneously helps to work the shaping consistently on both sleeves. In this case it is easier to mark increases/decreases with stitch markers rather then making notes and counting rows.


4.    Faster Progress: 
While the initial setup for two-at-a-time sleeves might take a bit longer, the actual knitting tends to be faster. You make progress on both sleeves in each knitting session, reducing the overall time needed to complete the pair.


5.    Prevents Second Sleeve Syndrome: 
"Second Sleeve Syndrome" refers to the phenomenon where knitters lose motivation after completing one sleeve and struggle to start or finish the second. Knitting both sleeves together avoids this issue, as both sleeves progress simultaneously.


6.    Pattern Verification: Knitting both sleeves concurrently allows you to verify the accuracy of the pattern as you work through it. If you find any issues or errors in the pattern, you can fix them immediately on both sleeves.


7.    Easier to Learn New Techniques: 
If your pattern introduces new techniques, knitting both sleeves concurrently provides more practice, making it easier to master the new skills by the time you finish the pair.



Are you team 'both at once' or 'one after another'? Let's discuss! Share your preference for this method in the comments

To see some behind the scene photos you can follow me on Instagram.

You are also welcome to join my Facebook knitting group to share your work and get some help with my patterns.

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How to read a yarn label knitter's information

8.2.24

Yarn label is not only beautiful piece of packaging, it also a great source of information about your yarn – things like fibre content, yardage, type of yarn, recommended gauge and knitting needles as well as care instructions. 

While some information such as needle size is advisable there is part of label with about yarn-weight and fibre content which provide the important information about the yarn at first glance and help to find the correct yarn for the next project. 

Most brands provide the all necessary details about their yarn, however how labels represent this information can differ. So let’s see some label examples and how to read them.

But before we start it is also important to mention that standard of yarn weight and how it specified can differ from country to country. Below you can see the table of standard yarn weights and conversion from the Craft Yarn Council


1. How to read yarn gauge information.

The gauge of yarn is normally presented in a square graphic with 4″/10 cm label on the left, which means size of the square swatch. Along the bottom it says “18 sts” and along the right side it says “24 rows”. In the centre of this square you can find knitting needles and/or crochet hook symbols with recommended sizes.


In other words, the label suggests that yarn should be knitted with gauge of 18 sts & 24 rows = 4″/10 cm using a US 8/5mm needle.
In one of my older posts we discussed that the knitting gauge on a label is manufacturer recommendation and should be used as a guidance and starting point for swatching. However, the knitter’s gauge depend on many factors and it is more important to check and follows the gauge recommended in your pattern. See more here



As you can see some examples of yarn gauge provided in different formants from different brands.

2. Fibre content of the yarn.

This information is normally written in words and tells you the all fibres are used – animal fibre, plant fibre or artificial material. This information helps you decide which type of project you can knit with this yarn. You can read about choosing the yarn for knitting project here.
 
3. Care instructions.

This information is very important and explain how to care of your future garment. Some yarns can be washed in washing machine and even tumble dried while other delicate materials require hand washing and drying flat. In first case you can even find the word “super wash” or the abbreviation SW on your label. 



Although yarn manufacture provide this piece of information, it is always recommended to knit a swatch and wash it the same way as you plan to care of your future garment in order to make sure the yarn wouldn’t change after washing and your favourite knitted piece would last for a long time.



4. Size of yarn skein. 
On every label you can find weight of skein as well as the yarn length in yards and meters. This information helps you to calculate the required quantity of yarn for your project. 



5. Other useful information.

Last but not least important information is colour/shade (in words or number code) of yarn and dye lot. Please see photo above. Those would help you to buy extra yarn in case you run out of it in the middle of knitting. While colour code stays the same from batch to batch, the dye Lot number changes and slight difference in shades may occur. Some big sellers provide this information in yarn description and allow to choose the dye lot. However, if you have bought a yarn long time ago, the chance to find the same lot is extremely low.
I hope the provided information would help you to read yarn labels and choice the suitable yarn for your next knitting or crochet project easier. 



To see some behind the scene photos you can follow me on Instagram.

You are also welcome to join my Facebook knitting group to share your work and get some help with my patterns.

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Knitted vest with V-neck in textured stitch - Trimetry vest pattern

24.1.24

Trimetry vest is my third design in Trimetry collection.  It is knitted in worsted weight yarn and makes a perfect transition garment from season to season.  

Boy is  modelling in knitted vest with V-neck and geometrical triangular stitch

Trimetry vest is a great example of the classic V-neck garment with boxy silhouette, comfortable armhole depth and beautiful geometrical stitch.

Boy is  modelling in knitted vest with V-neck and geometrical triangular stitch

Design overview

Trimetry vest is unisex design with simple boxy silhouette, medium depth V-neck opening and classic armholes. Both front and back are knitted with beautiful textured stitch; neck and armhole bands as well as bottom ribbing are knitted in 2 x 2 ribbing. The length of vest can be easily adjustable for a crop version.

Boy is  modelling in knitted vest with V-neck and geometrical triangular stitch

Yarn choice

The vest is knitted with Rowan Pure Wool superwash worsted in 140 Bottled green. Alternatively it can be also knitted with Aran yarn. Please check some projects from my test knitting team for some inspiration and yarn ideas here.

You can read more about yarn choice in my previous post here

Pattern

Knitting pattern for Trimetry vest is written for wide range of sizes from baby to teen. Pattern has detailed row-by-row instructions, chart and size diagram. You can obtain the pattern from Ravelry and Lovecrafts

 Other patterns from Trimetry collection 

- Trimetry socks

two pairs of knitted socks in light orange and dark purple

- Trimetry Bucket hat

Post about Trimetry hat is here

Girl is modelling in hand knitted hat in red color. The hat is knitted in shape of bucket hat with textured triangular stitch
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