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Mostly Knitting Blog

Want to find the new stuff on Knitting-and.com, or read about my latest projects and discoveries? This is the place.

Printing PDF Downloads and an Apology

Sorry.

A kind visitor to Knitting-and.com let me know recently that I had accidentally created many of my pdf files without letting anyone print them without a password.

My sincere apologies to everyone this has affected (I’m mortified that I made such a simple mistake).

I have fixed them now, so if you find yourself with a file from Knitting-and.com that you would like to print, and it’s asking for a password, please download it again and you should be able to print it. (If you can’t, let me know and I’ll double check). Note: This will only affect files downloaded after October 6th, 2018.

Regular visitors may have also noticed that the website has been offline a few times over the past week. This was caused by a failure on the new server, which I have been assured is now fixed. I hope this hasn’t caused too much inconvenience.

Sarah

The Penultimate Stitch

Knitted swatch in lattice stitch

We’ve reached the penultimate stitch in our little series of knitting stitches! In my opinion, it’s also one of the most understated and beautiful.

Lattice stitch has been around for a very, very long time. In Victorian times it was used as the centre of baby shawls, and in strips that were sewn together to make afghans and knitted quilts. It enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1930’s as a stitch used to knit short sleeved tops, whether in an all-over stitch or worked in panels.

When worked in a smooth, fingering weight yarn, lattice stitch is particularly lovely. I’d also really like to see it worked in mohair with larger than normal needles for a super cosy stole.

Whatever you choose to use it for, I hope you enjoy knitted lattice stitch.

Sarah

Crossing Over

Knitted swatch in crossover stitch

Crossover stitch is the latest of my new stitch patterns. Another stitch from the 1930’s, Crossover stitch has lovely columns of faux twisted stitches between columns of eyelets. You can see my swatch biases a little to the left, but if you use needles a couple of sizes larger than you normally would for your chosen yarn, the stitches become stable and won’t lean.

With only two rows, this stitch is super easy to memorise for on-the-go knitting and would be beautiful worked in a panel up the centre front on a top, as an all-over pattern on a stole, or in an afghan square, surrounded by seed stitch.

Sarah

A Versatile Diamond Stitch from 1870

Diamond and zig-zag swatch in knit/purl stitches.

One of the most striking knit and purl patterns I found in The Knitted Lace Pattern Book, was stitch number 31, with offset diamonds and vertical zig-zagging lines of reverse stocking stitch.

Even though this pattern was published in 1870, I think it has a real 1930’s vibe to it, and would make a great sleeveless pullover for a man or a woman, or a really nice scarf. I can also imagine separating the vertical lines of diamonds with a cable stitch, or even working a lace diamond inside each diamond shape.

Whatever you decide to use this stitch for, I hope you have fun with Stitch Number 31 from The Knitted Lace Pattern Book, aka Offset Diamonds. I’ve updated it into modern knitting terms, created a chart and test knit it so it can become a favourite of knitters worldwide once more.

Sarah