Using colour...and a little bit of texture

This post focuses on using colour rather than texture to create effects...although I couldn't resist including some texture with slip-stitch patterns.

Here is a fluffy chunky yarn, worked from wrist-to-wrist.  Ideal as a stash-buster!

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This is another one of my own designs, using a slip stitch pattern with a V-shape on the front and the back, echoed by diamonds on the sleeves.  As it is a slip-stitch design, only one colour is worked at a time.

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This is another of my own designs, worked in Robin "Feelings" yarn, which is slightly fluffy with a reflective quality.  As you can see, the pattern continues across the sleeves so that it matches when the garment is assembled. The black and cream borders between the bronze and gold are worked in garter stitch to create some texture, whereas the rest of the garment is in stocking stitch with a ribbed neckband, cuffs and welt.

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This jumper creates a little texture with the cotton slub-effect yearn, and using garter stitch to separate the colours.  This is another jumper worked sideways, from wrist to wrist.

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More texture!  This jumper is another example of a slip-stitch design.  The original pattern was a two-colour design from Sandra (a German knitting magazine), but I thought it would create an interesting effect to use three colours.

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This is a party jumper made in four-ply.  The ribbing at the waist, wrists and on the yoke is plain black, whereas the main bodice and sleeves are in a sparkly yarn.  The bodice is full, so I have arranged it in "columns" to lie flat.

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This is a Shetland chunky jumper, with a stripe across the bodice continued on to the sleeve (the same pattern across the back).  It creates the effect of a Sam Browne belt.

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The next jumper is another slip-stitch design; rather than triangles, as in the brown-beige-cream jumper above, this design uses a diamond effect.

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Another blue jumper, this time in a fluffy 3 Suisses yarn, combined with Wendy Dolce.  The jumper is worked starting at the lower front, then up over the shoulders and down, all in one piece.

The sleeves are folder here to show how the pattern contines across the back.

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Another stash-buster.  This jumper is knitted in mohair, Wendy Monet, and chunky yarn.  As there were limited amounts of each yarn, this meant choosing where each colour was used was important, while maintaing balance in the overall design.

A close-up of the pattern:

 

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Another jumper worked all in one piece (over the head), with colour stripes creating a diamond formation.

 

 The jumper is folder to show how the colour pattern continues over the  shoulders and down the back.

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One more design worked "over the head", this time worked in a shaded yarn in combination with an insert in Robin "Feelings" - which catches the light.

Folded to show the continuation of the pattern over the back and shoulders:

Textures and cables...

The knitting pig hasn't posted for a while, so this time it will be a bumper session!

The first jumper is long sleeved in pink double-knitting, with cable, a touch of lace and double moss stitch.  The pattern is repeated on the back and the sleeves:

Here is a close up, showing details of the stitch:

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Here is a sleeveless top in a rust wool misture, with cables and a knit & purl pattern on the top.

I think it would have been a better idea (and probably quicker) to have ironed the sheet that the jumper was on first, rather than edit out the creases later!

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  Here is on of my favourites, a sage green long-sleeved jumper in a cable and rib pattern.

...and a couple of close up shots of the stitch pattern:

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Here is one of my own designs - double knitting, light green, with a cable trellis on the body and cables ending in lace flowers above.  The cable trellis is echoed on the sleeves, which are shaped to be full at the top.

Here are some detailed shots of the cable with lace flowers:

 

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The next jumper is an amber-coloured cable and double moss stitch, which gives a three-dimensional effect, and is also very warm:

 

Here is a close-up showing the stitch detail:

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The final jumper in this section is another of my own designs in dark green double knitting with moss stitch and cable:

Here is a detail of the stitch (with the tip of my finger also starring in the top left of the photo - oops!)

Summer tops in cotton yarns

As it was a warm day today (after a rather dull August) the knitting pig decided to wear a summer top made in cotton:

The main yarn is a cotton slub, with beige and russett plain pearl cotton stripes with a "V" dip in the centre. back and front alike.

Other summer tops in cotton include...

Lacy top in ginger cotton:

 ...with detail of the stitch:

Another top is in grey, pink and blue marled yarns, with the pattern on the body continuing on the sleeves:

The next top is in a pale turquoise and white cotton slub, with texture from garter stitch stripes and cable panels:

Lacy knitted tops - pattern variations

Here is a lacy knitted top; a simple pattern with ribbing at the waist, a lacy pattern for the main body, and then ribbing at the top and for the armholes.  I made this pattern first in cream:

I also made the same design in aqua:

Then I decided to experiment and adapt the pattern so that it was more lacy, but the same overall principle.  Here is the result in red:

Here is the stitch in detail:

A favourite jumper

When I saw this pattern with different cables on it I just had to get it and make it!  It is a Burda pattern, worked from a chart.  I made the jumper in a gray double knitting yarn.

That looked a little dark, so I tried again with the "night time" option:

That's better, the stitch design can be seen more easily.
Impressive features available on mobile phones these days...

Here is a detail of the stitch:

There is a triple cable - one to the left, one to the right and one over the centre.  A real challenge and a pleasure if you enjoy doing cables...luckily, that's one of my favourite techniques.

Tatted collars

Tatting doesn't seem to be as popular now as it once was, but it is fun and easy to do and doesn't take much space to do or to store, so it is ideal to take on journeys.

Unlike knitting and crochet, you don't need to make a tension square, the thickness of the thread determines the size of the finished piece, the shuttles only come in one size.

Here are some pictures of a couple of tatted collars I have made.  They are the same design, just different colours.

Detail of a cream collar showing pearl button for fastening:

A little more detail of the collar:

Here is a peach coloured collar...I couldn't fit it all on the scanner!

Embroidered pictures: poppy field

The final picture in the set of four is the poppy field.

The poppies are in different sizes of French knots (larger closer to the front, worked with more strands in the needle, fewer strands further back) to create the effect of perspective. They peek through the grass in shades of green that is paler further back (perspective, again).

There are trees (satin stitch, straight stitch and French knots) and a mountain (in a shiny rayon thread) in the distance.

The trunk and branches of the fir trees are worked after the greenery by threading variegated brown thread between the stitches so that the wood of the tree can be seen between the leaves.  The entire picture is worked over net, with blue and white net showing through to represent the sky.

Embroidered pictures: sunflowers

Here the subject is a field of sunflowers, their bright yellow flower heads enjoying the sunshine and disappearing off into the distance.

Detached chain stitch forms the petals of the nearer flowers, with French knots in the centre for the part that will become the seeds.  The more distant sunflower, and any that are still in bud, are shown using French knots.  Straight stitch fields with tree and hedges of French knots lead to satin stitch hills in the distance, with a cloudless sky hinted at with blue and white netting.

Embroidered pictures: cornfield

Here is the second of the set of four embroidered pictures: the cornfield.

Again, the effect of the sky is created with net.  There are hills and fields in satin stitch, hedges in French knots, and in the foreground the cornfield with red poppies and blue cornflowers bobbing among the ears of corn.

Embroidered pictures: bluebell wood

Some years ago I took an embroidery course.  There were several projects from which to choose, and I made several embroidered pictures.  This one is the bluebell wood, showing a path between the trees and bluebells all around.

The sky has two layers of net to create a hazy feeling under the canopy of the trees.  The trees were worked in chain stitch in several shades of brown and gray to create the effect of bark, the flowers and leaves were worked using French knots, and the foliage and path in straight stitch.

It was fun to do.  All the pictures are framed and have green mounts, but the framed pictures didn't scan too well, so I have had to ease the embroidery out of the frame and scan it with only the mount as a border.  I managed to get it back in the frame afterwards!