Stripes on Stripes

As ya'll know, I love me a scrappy pattern/design/knit and Stripes on Stripes clearly shows that! 

Stripes on Stripes is actually a combination of a few of my different designs. The shaping and edging is from Drop the Fringe and the striped bind off is from Wishing. I just had this picture in my head of colors and striping and then connecting the edging with stripes going to other way!  

Most of my designs come as a visual in my head, I actually have a picture of what the shawl should look like before I even start knitting it. Stripes on Stripes came out exactly as it was supposed to and I'm in love. The shaping is an asymmetric triangle which makes it easy to wrap and then the bind off. 

The fringe is made from dropping stitches so you don't have to be too precise with the length of your ends because you'll be giving it a trim. 

Stripes on Stripes was developed to use up precious leftovers and tell your color story! To be a scrapbook of your knit projects. 

A lot of designs are made for knitters to purchase more yarn, myself included, Stripes on Stripes steps away from that call and asks you to use what you have. To create a color palette that is uniquely your own. 

I exclusively used fingering weight yarn but the shawl can be adjusted to a heavier weight yarn just by changing the needle size to fit the weight. I can't wait to see your color palette for Stripes on Stripes! 

-- Sierra 

Cascade Cowl

Are you ready for another single skein project?!? Cascade cowl is the perfect project for that luxury or single skein of sock yarn you've been holding on to. 

Cascade was inspired by gradients, the movement of the colors and the simple exchanges dyers make. Instead of transitioning color Cascade transitions stitches. The lace design is made from double wraps and they are super easy to make and knit. These double wraps are slightly larger than a traditional yarn over so they are a bit more bold. 

I love the 'cascading' stitches down the cowl, changing from quite often to very sporadic. I knit my cowl from a MCN blend (Merino/Cashmere/Nylon) which is lovely to wear around your neck but any fingering weight you are comfortable on sensitive skin will work.

The colorway I used is a solid/slightly tonal but my fabulous test knitters used a variety of dye styles so you can pretty much use anything. I do think that a self striping or self patterning will hide the stitches. 

Happy Knitting! 

Bales

Are you ready for a fall sock pattern?!? This one was a fun one to design because I knit it in my own hand dyed yarn! Bales is a simple knit and purl pattern that is reminiscent in shape to a hay bale and the perfect reminder of fall and fall harvest. I wrote about dying the yarn in this blog post here. 

Bales is a cuff down sock pattern that is designed for stitch count 56, 64 & 72 and features an easy to memorize pattern. The simple repeats makes it a great pattern to highlight lots of different dye styles, I used a variegated yarn and the pattern still pops and plays well with the yarn. 

The sock base I used for the pattern is a Merino/Nylon/Stellina meanings that any base designed for sock yarn should work. I hope you knit this pattern with fall in mind and it helps get you in the mood for the changing season! 

Bump Along

I have a bit of an obsession with mini skeins and collecting my leftovers. The mini skeins are a great way to remember visiting a new yarn shop or trying out a new dyer. The leftovers, I just can't dump those precious little nuggets. 

Sock yarn, especially hand dyed, is pretty pricey so I know all the little balls of yarn cost a pretty penny. Because I have all the different odds and ends I design and knit quite a few scrappy projects. Bump Along is my newest design that works perfectly for leftovers and minis. 

This simple cowl design uses the same stitch pattern as featured in the Speed Bumps sock pattern. Instead of utilizing a self striping yarn I used mini skeins! The nature of the pattern means you can see any jogs when you change colors. 

I used ~3 grams of yarn per stripe, meaning that a 5 gram mini will work for a stripe but you won't be able to repeat the colors. I repeated my colors twice across the cowl but I think that a full scrappy version with a different color every stripe would be amazing. 

I had fabulous test knitters for this pattern, you can see the projects here. One tester knit with a single skein, another with a set of minis, and the third used a gradient single skein. They all look amazing! I would recommend any fingering weight yarn you are comfortable wearing next to sensitive skin. 

Wallflower

Wallflower is a fun sock that looks like plain ribbing but when you put it on this fun pop of cable comes out! The name comes from the seemingly plane ribbing which transforms into gorgeous cables when you really take a look at it. 

Wallflower has a fun and new cable for me, it's a 1/1/1 LC meaning that you are actually moving stitches in 3 different directions. Seems confusing, I know, but the explanation is simple and once you knit it a few times it won't be difficult at all. 

This sock pattern uses an 80/20 fingering weight yarn which means that any yarn that is suitable for sock will work. I really like how the variegated colors show but don't overtake the cable. Which sock yarn are you going to turn into a Wallflower? 

Pleats and Thank You

Pleats and Thank You is a fun asymmetric shawl that features a variegated main yarn and a fun contrast color. This was a fun design to come out of my head because I wasn't totally sure if the 3D stitches effect would work. 

I originally saw the welt used on Stephen Wests' Batad and decided to give it a try in my own design. I have tried a similar technique on a folded hem for a sock design that didn't happen. I LOVED adding this fun pop of color to the shawl! 

One of my favorite parts of designing is thinking up something that I'm not 100% sure will work and then figuring how to make it work. When it does work, it's a big fricken party! I also added in a two color bind off which I had not attempted before but it looks so cool. 

I used 800 yards of the main color and 100 yards of the contrast, the MC is a Merino/Nylon blend and the CC is 100% Merino, so have fun with different blends and fibers. I can't wait to see the different combos that will come out. I think that making the contrast color a handspun or thick and thin yarn would be a great way to add texture. 

Happy Knitting!!

Sierra 

California Grass

 You have to know by now that I grew up in California and just recently moved to Washington state (if you didn't, Hi! Born and raised in Northern California and just moved in April 2021). 

This latest sock design was inspired by the neighborhood and surrounding I grew up in. Our hills are rolling gold and brown and with the drought most of the grass is goldie too. California Grass is my latest sock design and I used a ribbed pattern to imitate the short California grass. The varying heights of ribbing looks like all the different heights in the blades of grass, the perfect green California grass in only in the movies. 

The gorgeous yarn for California Grass was provided by Curated Yarn Co! This color is actually called Stone Age but I was really getting the grass vibes between the changing rib pattern and the wonderful Stevie was able to put onto the yarn. 

The yarn base I used is a 75% Superwash Merino and 25% Nylon so any sock base you have in your stash should work. I do believe that a tonal or solid colorway would be beat to really show off the texture changes in the pattern. 

Happy Knitting! 

Sierra 

Pussy Willow

If you've been following for awhile then you know that I am frequently inspired by my surroundings and my home. My newest shawl, Pussy Willow, is one of those designs! 

Pussy Willow branches were a constant in my childhood home. My mom had them tucked into different vases around the house; I always found them fascinating and a little untouchable. The vases that housed the pussy willow bunches were always up high were they couldn't get knocked by cats, kids, dogs, or my dad. 

While browsing my dictionaries I found this stitch and it immediately drew my attention with its similarities between pussy willow buds and tuck stitches. I decided to make my own non-fragile pussy willows to remind me of home no matter where I am. I hope this nature inspired shawl brings you the comfort of home, just like it does for me. 

Onto the yarn! I used yarn Tosh Sock, a 100% Superwash Merino yarn, sponsored by Madtosh in the colorway Glazed Pecan. The base I mentioned above is a multiply fingering weight yarn but I knit my original swatch in a single ply, with that, I believe any fingering weight base would work! I do suggest a tonal or a solid colorway otherwise the buds may not show well enough. Message me on Ravelry if you want a color consult! 

Leannán Cowl

I love this stitch pattern so much I couldn’t just design one piece out of it. Leannán Cowl uses a slip stitch cable to highlight the individual qualities and colors of hand dyed yarn. The cowl is a single skein project to use that one beautiful skein you have hanging out in your stash. 

I absolutely adore the color way I knit my sample in! The color way name is City Siren and it's dyed by Buxom Cat Knits. I pretty sure I could knit a whole sweater in this lovely yarn. I love the watercolor effect the dye has and the way the slip stitches help to highlight that. 

The base for this yarn was a regular sock base so any fingering weight you are comfortable wearing around your neck will work. The yardage required is 400-460. It's an 8 stitch pattern so very easy if you want to make it wider if you have more skein of yarn. 

I can’t wait to see what dyer you highlight in your Leannán Cowl! Here is the Leannán Sock pattern if you're more interested in socks than a cowl. Happy Knitting! - Sierra 

Summer Heat

As I’ve talked about multiple times, I grew up in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California, and let me tell you. it. is. hot! Global warming aside, the average temperatures in the summer is 95-100 degrees. We have well over 100+ degrees many times from May-October. I am now happily living in Port Angeles, Washington and enjoying the ‘hot’ days of ~75-80 (these are rare). 

This sock pattern (Summer Heat) was designed with those burning hot days of California weather in mind. The up and down movement of the ‘v’ stitch pattern reminds me of heat waves coming off the roofs, the side walk, cars, pavement, etc… 

Summer Heat is designed from the top cuff down and has a fun slip stitch pattern to create the ‘v’ stitches. I used a BFL/Nylon blend from Hedgehog Fibres that is a traditional fingering weight for socks. I liked the play of almost variegation with the speckles on top and the stitch pattern. 

The majority of my test knitters used variegated yarn but I think this pattern would also look really lovely in a solid color. Any fingering weight sock yarn will do, doesn’t have to be anything special! 

Happy Knitting! 

Blips

I'm so excited for this release! Blips is my newest shawl pattern and it was chosen as the Malabrigo Quickie project for May 2020! This is the first time that one of my submissions has been excepted but it is the first time that such a large company has picked my design out of so many submissions

Blips was designed to highlight the amazing qualities of variegated yarn. When the call came out for designs I wanted to design something that was easy to memorize (as usual) but also showed how special variegated yarn is. I also wanted to try and see if I could create a picot-esque border along the side, not just the bind off. 

I've added a photo tutorial below to show how to knit the blips. Once the 'blips' have been knit once or twice you definitely won't need to see the tutorial again. 

Step 1: Knitted cast on 5 stitches 

Step 2: Slip 6 stitches to right hand needle (5 cast on stitches + 1 body) 

Step 3: Pull the cast on stitch closest to body stitch up and over

Step 4: Repeat step 3 until all stitches are pulled over

Step 5: Slip the body stitch from right hand needle to left hand needle

Step 6: Knit 

I used Malabrigo Mechita, a single ply 100% Merino, with 420 yards per skein. My original swatch, featured below, was knit in Malabrigo Sock, a multi-ply yarn. So, any two skein of fingering weight yarn should work! You are going to have so much fun using Blips as a take along project! 

If you don't have fingering weight in your stash I do think that Malabrigo Rios would be an excellent option as well. To substitute you just need to adjust your needle size to probably a US 7 or 8, I also would have 3 skeins of the Rios versus just 2. Happy Knitting! 

Alfean

I designed another single skein project, surprising I know. I love being able to pick a single hank of yarn out of my stash and use the entire hank in a design, its so satisfying! 

Alfean is a simple pattern with strategically placed increasing and decreasing so the fabric looks like it's moving. The movement of the stitches really highlights variegated yarn. I used a Merino/Nylon blend fingering weight yarn (madtosh Twist Light) in the colorway Cactus Flower and I think it's dreamy.

I would suggest any fingering weight that you are comfortable wearing close on your neck as this is a tighter fitting cowl. I also would suggest a yarn that you can block. I saw the effects of the stitch pattern way more once I blocked the finished cowl. I hope you enjoy knitting this new pattern as much as I did! 

Feelin 29

It's my birthday! This pattern is coming out on May 1st and it's my 29th birthday, I'm so looking forward to the last year of my twenties. I (currently) don't have the panic of my twenties coming to an end and where I am in life. We'll see how the rest of the year goes but as of right now, I'm pretty pleased with my lot in life. 

When you look at the name of the pattern it needs to be sung to the tune of 'I'm Feelin 22' by Taylor Swift. Check out the song here so you can sing along too! 

Feelin 29 has a simple, easy to memorize lace pattern on the front and broken rib on the back. Using these two different stitch patterns keeps the sock entertaining and a quick knit. As the photos show I knit this sample in a speckled colorway and the combo of stitch pattern plus yarn is perfection! A few of the testers knit in a solid and the pattern looks amazing! 

I would take a dive through your stash and see what you can pull out. The base I used is a 75% Superwash Merino 25% Nylon, light fingering weight so I think any sock specific yarn will work. Are you going to knit these for yourself? I think you should! 

Splash

Splash, what a fun shawl to knit. The concept behind this shawl is fairly simple, a wonderful blend of colors coming together ending with a 'splash' of color. 

I used corrugated garter in an acute triangle shape finishing off with the i-cord. Originally, I didn't have the i-cord, but my mom and I discussed and decided that I really needed more to the shawl. 

I used fingering weight and light fingering weight yarns blended together so I think yarn in either of those weights will work. I do recommend that you swatch with your colors in the corrugated garter first to make sure that they will actually show up. 

In Dillon I used the same garter stitch technique and I picked colors that were much too close together so you couldn't even tell I was using two yarns! If you are going to put some work into knitting this shawl you actually want the colors to show. So swatching is more important in this shawl than my usual designs. 

Happy Knitting! Sierra 

Fringy DK

I loved knitting my Fringy Cowl last summer. It was easy to memorize and keep track of and also enjoyable because of the great colors. Not everyone loves fingering weight as much as I do though (I don't understand that but whatever) so when I say this gorgeous yarn from Sew Happy Jane I knew I needed to design a DK version. 

Fringy DK uses 100 grams of DK weight yarn plus about 10 grams of the contrast color. I originally purchased the 100 gram skein and then reached out to Heather to ask which she thought would be a good contrast color. Heather gifted me the contrast color, how sweet was that! 

This cowl is a great skill builder, it features a provisional cast on (linked tutorial), increasing and decreasing, and a three needle bind off! As usual with my fringe you drop stitches to make it so it is easier and quicker than traditional fringe. 

Any DK weight yarn will work for this pattern, through a stickier yarn like alpaca will be harder to drop the stitches with. My DK was a 100% Superwash Merino, so you can pretty much knit with whatever DK feels good to you! Happy Knitting! --Sierra 

Leannán Socks

Variegated yarn is definitely what dominates my stash but I don't always know what to knit with it. Depending on the way the yarn was dyed you can end up with funky pooling, weird color combos, and a whole assortment of not pretty FOs. I was so excited when I swatched this stitch pattern and realized it would be highlighted with variegated yarn! 

Leannán is Gaelic for sweetheart or darling, when I look at these socks I see little hearts hence the name. The yarn is used is a lovely 80/20 from Dyed in the Wool Yarn Co. and it was dream to knit with. I really enjoy the springyness of a 2-ply yarn so it made the knit even better. These socks are scream spring and they made me very happy to knit. 

For this patten I think that any dye style of yarn will work, maybe not a self-patterning, as well as any fingering weight suitable for socks. Are you going to knit them for your sweetheart or for yourself? 

--Sierra 

Scotts Shawl

One of my favorite trips I've been able to make post college is a trip to Scotland and England with my sisters and mom. With the pandemic I've been leaning on these memories of travel since we haven't been able to travel around much. 

This is the second time that inspiration has come from an actual object not just from my brain. The Scotts monument in Edinburgh was the inspiration behind the Scotts Shawl! Below is a photo of the monument...

The slip stitches moving up the shawl remind of the lines and spires on the monument. I used a beautiful merino/yak/silk blend that has the most amazing drape and was purchased on the same trip! I visited Ginger Twist Studio and purchased this yarn. 

This is a great shawl to try new fibers or stick with your regular fingering weight blend. It also would be very easy to adjust the needle size and weight of yarn if you would like to knit with something heavier. The stiffer the yarn blend (100% non-superwash wool) the more your slip stitches will stand out the more structured your triangle. 

Happy Knitting! -- Sierra