All Squared Up

If this is your first time here then you don't know, but if you are a long time follower of All Knit Up Designs then you know I love a shawl that uses up scraps! All those little leftovers are just too precious (and expensive) to just toss. My newest shawl pattern utilizes little bits of leftovers in a fun new way! 

All Squared Up is an asymmetric triangle shawl that's finishing edge is mitered squares! Don't know what a mitered square is, take a look at the blog post here to read about the type of mitered square that I used! 
All Squared Up used a shawl skein for the body (150 grams vs 100 grams) for a generous size to wrap around your neck and then used ~3 grams per square. All Squared Up is the perfect way for you to explore color combinations and palettes that may not be in your everyday accessories.

There is 13 mitered square along the edge which allows for so much color play. The original sample used a variety of leftovers that lean to the blue/green palette. Check out the test projects here and see the wonderful pallets the pattern testers pulled together. I'm particularly enthralled by the version that used a gradient for the mitered squares.

I used a wool/cashmere blend for the main body of the shawl but an fingering weight you are comfortable with around your neck would be great. This shawl can easily be made larger or smaller depending on how much yarn you have. The number does have to be a multiple of 16 if you want to follow all instructions for the pattern. As shown by testers, the mitered squares can be done in a variety of fingering weight leftovers or with a gradient. Raid your stash and see what you can pull together!

What is a Mitered Square?

What is a mitered square? That's what this whole post will be about! A mitered square is a form of knitting that utilizes decreases at certain sections to create a shape. 

Mitered Squares cast on the full amount of stitches for two sides of the square ie cast on 32 stitches for 16 stitches per side and then you decrease on both sides of a center marker. 

There are also options for decreasing two stitches at once instead of on each side of a marker but for All Squared Up, the pattern uses a center marker and then decreases on both sides. 

Mitered Squares can be used in a variety of ways. All Squared Up uses them a the bottom of the shawl for binding off, Scrapbook Cowl uses only mitered squares to create the body of the cowl. 

Mitered Squares really are a fascinating and fun knitting technique that is simple to knit and a great way to explore color. I can't wait to see the color groups knitters come up with for All Squared Up! 

Book Review: This Long Thread

I finished another fiber book! I purchased This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community, and Connection by Jen Hewett at Stitches West this year and I'm so glad I did. It felt sacred reading everyones stories and their history; stories and histories of only makers of color.

Jen's book is based on women of color in the crafting community who she interviewed and surveyed and learned their personal stories with making. My family doesn't have a deep connection to the fiber community, I learned to knit at 14 and my mom learned with me. We took a class and the rest is kinda history, so reading the deep history so many makers had was heartwarming and induced a longing for a deeper practice with making.

The survey questions were personal but also basic and brought so much of the makers personalities out. I felt like I was learning and meeting each maker and I loved it. The makers were a variety of ages and all had different experiences which made it a very nuanced read and didn't feel like it was geared toward a specific generation. 

I would highly recommend this as a read for every maker so that, for white people, there is a better understanding of how makers of color are treated and how they feel, and to realize there is a deep history of crafting for people of color. Although, this book is not a monolith, each maker of color has their own experiences and story, don't ignore what other people are saying. I've included a link above to purchase but also check out your local book, yarn, or fabric shop and see if they have it in stock.