Knit an easy lace mega-scarf with gradient and glittery yarn

Some of the mega-scarfs that I've seen posted all over online are quite bulky and while beautiful, they add maybe more volume around the neck than some women may want. To address this, I thought I would design a lighter-weight scarf using Classic Shades Sequins Lite, which offers not only bright gradient colorways but also an element of bling from its sequins. Yesterday I was knitting with Classic Shades Sequins Lite and reviewed the yarn in much more detail. Today, I want to show the stitch pattern from a lot of different angles. This mustard yellow coat of my wife's was my inspiration for the design, and well, the yarn itself.

The Volcano colorway of Classic Shades Sequins Lite is a perfect match for this dijon yellow pea-coat.

Okay...so it doesn't look like a mega-scarf. Well, that's because I didn't have enough time to knit this before I wanted to post about it. The finished dimensions of the scarf will be 60" x 18" [150 x 45cm]. The scarf begins in one corner and is worked on an angle to create the diagonal stripes with the gradient yarn.

The colors of the volcano colorway include rich tones of red, plum, grey and brown

Even though this is a DK-weight yarn, I wanted the mega-scarf to stay lofty and have lots of drape, so I'm knitting it with size 10 US [6mm] needles. The lace stitch is very straight forward and other than a little shaping at the edges, you do the same 2 rows over and over.

This easy lace consists of one kind of double decrease and some well-placed yarn-overs to produce a texture that moves diagonally in different directions.

This scarf starts in one corner. The way I knit it, the beginning corner is a bit lopped off, but in the instructions below, you'll have a fully developed corner. I love how the different angles give the lace a different appearance. Here are several different pictures.

The horizontal (or vertical, depending on the angle) ridges that are formed by the double decreases

The adjacent eyelets form a little hexagon grid with stitches forming lines in 3 directions, giving a lot of depth to this mega-scarf design.

To shape the first end of the scarf, increase by 4 stitches every other row (2 on each end of right-side rows) until you get the width you want (I recommend 18" [46cm], or 68 stitches), to make a nice triangle. Once the width is established, continue to increase on the left edge, but decrease on the right edge to create the long sides of the mega-scarf. Finally, when the longest side of the scarf (left side) measures 60" [150cm], start decreasing on both sides until you finish off the opposite far corner.

Knit this easy lace mega scarf in a gradient and sequined yarn by Universal Yarn: Classic Shades Sequin Lite

Scarf Instructions

Abbreviations

K = knit
inc = increase: knit in front and back leg of stitch
yfwd = yarn forward: by bringing yarn forward you create a yarn over when working into next st(s)
k2tog = knit 2 together
ddec = double decrease: slip each of next 2 sts as if to knit, k1, pass both slipped sts over st just knit.
Rep = Repeat

With 10 US [6mm] needles and Classic Shades Sequin Lite (for which you'll need 2 balls), cast on 4 sts.

Row 1 (WS): Purl.

Row 2 (RS): Inc, yfwd, k1, yfwd, k1, yfwd, k1. (8 sts)

Row 3 and all odd rows: Purl.

Row 4: Inc, yfwd, k1, yfwd, ddec, yfwd, k1, yrwd, k1, inc. (12 sts).

Row 6: Inc, yfwd, [k1, yfwd, ddec, yfwd] across to last 3 sts, k1, yfwd, k1, inc. (16 sts).

Rows 8-32: Rep Row 6. (68 sts after Row 32).

Row 34: Ssk, ddec, [yfwd, k1, yfwd, ddec] across to last 3 sts, yfwd, k1, inc. (68 sts).

Row 35: Purl.

Rep Rows 34 and 35 until left edge of scarf is 60" [150cm] or desired length (being aware that you may have to purchase more yarn to make a longer scarf).

Next even row: Ssk, ddec, [yfwd, k1, yfwd, ddec] across to last 3 sts, k1, k2tog. (64 sts).

Next odd row: Purl.

Rep last 2 rows until 12 sts remain.

Next Row: Ssk, ddec, yfwd, k1, yfwd, ddec, k1, k2tog. (8 sts).

Next Row: Purl

Next Row: Ssk, ddec, k1, k2tog. (4 sts).

Bind off purlwise.

TIP At the end of Row 33, weigh the ball of yarn on a kitchen scale. Round down to the nearest ¼ oz [5g].  The difference between the weight of all the yarn and this weight is the amount of yarn you'll need for the triangle at the top of the scarf. Once you know how much yarn you need for that triangle, as  much yarn as possible can be knit into the length of the scarf.

I just LOVE how you can see the glint of the sequins in the blurred parts of this photo. This scarf will be a great addition to your inventory of gifts and to your own wardrobe.

I truly hope you do try this mega-scarf pattern. Please come back and share your photos and comments and let us know how your version turned out.

KNITmuch Giveaway 076: Yarn and Needles for Hat and Shawlette

Enter now for your chance to win this new giveaway!

This week's prize: Classic Shades Universal Yarn and Unique Knitting Needles for the Dreaming of Spring Hat and the Zig Zag Lace Shawlette!

 

Classic Shades is a great machine-washable wool blend, dyed and spun into a whirling frenzy of color! Find out more about knitting with this yarn in our blog post Knitting With Classic Shades Frenzy. Download the FREE Dreaming of Spring Hat pattern and the FREE Zig Zag Lace Shawlette pattern.

 

Contest ends at 5PM on November 6th. Get your entries in NOW!

 

Congratulations to Gisela, winner of KNITmuch Giveaway 075: Big Needle Knits by Melanie Porter!

Classic Shades Universal Yarn and Unique Knitting Needles for the Dreaming of Spring Hat and the Zig Zag Lace Shawlette!

How to Enter the KNITmuch Giveaway Contest

To enter this contest, log in below through Facebook or with your email, then follow the instructions. You’ll have the opportunity to get multiple entries and multiply your chances of winning! We also encourage you to explore the awesome content on our blog.

2-skein project: knitted toddler sweater pattern

I just came back from a fall crafts fair, and I was so disappointed to see that all of the baby and toddler sweaters that were for sale by either knitters or crocheters were all in the same baby pink, peach, seafoam green, or blue that has been around for decades. The baby yarn palette needs an update, or perhaps craft fair knitters need to update their garments. Well, as I said yesterday, I’m a bit of a rebel, so I’ve knit a toddler’s sweater with just over one ball of chunky yarn in a fall colorway of Classic Shades Frenzy called “Into the Woods”. Gotta love the name!

And now there's a sleeve! Yes, convert yesterday's cowl pattern into a toddler sweater.

Wait a minute! Isn't that the cowl from yesterday's post? Why yes, it is, but today, it's a toddler's sweater!

My sons are now 20 and 19, and, back when they were little, we didn’t dress them in those baby pastels I saw at the craft fair several days ago. And, I didn’t knit baby clothes in those colors. So it’s not a great departure for me to suggest that kids should wear knits in the whole color spectrum, primary colors, jewel tones, muted adult colors / earth tones, and neutrals, too.

If you look at the above picture, you can see a lovely sage green, a pale cornflower blue, some vanilla cream, peach, white, and silver. Lovely pastels that are set in the deeper and brighter rusts and browns of this yarn, giving it much more depth, and making it easy to coordinate with other clothes. I'm remembering back to some terra cotta corduroys we used to put on our boys. Looking at the Universal Yarn’s own webpage, you can find the other 9 colorways that also have a lot of interest.

With just a little yarn from the second ball, I converted a cowl design into this sweater.

Yesterday, I gave you the pattern to knit an easy and quick cowl with a mock cable. When I finished that cowl, I had just a little bit of yarn left, but it wasn’t enough to convert that cowl into this little sweater you see here: I had to crack open a second skein do the sleeves. Still, it was a fun way to design two different projects in one.

To make this sweater which has a 22" chest, go to yesterday’s post and follow the instructions for the cowl, but don’t seam the two pieces together yet.

When you work the 2^nd panel, be sure to work some button holes with a yarn-over, knit 2 together sequence. I made 3 on the left side of the Front panel.

The speckled appearance of the stripes gives Classic Shades Frenzy a lovely tweed effect in stockinette stitch

On the left side, sew across the shoulder seam for about 2" [5cm], but don’t sew the right shoulder. For each sleeve, measure down 3½" [9cm]. Pick up 16 stitches up to the shoulder, then another 16 stitches down the same depth of the other body part. (32 stitches for sleeve). On the un-seamed side, knit across the gap, which will join the front and back to each other. I joined my 32 stitches and knit the sleeves in the round, but you could knit them flat, then seam them. I worked 4 rows in plain stockinette stitch and then decreased 1 stitch on each side of the sleeve every 5^th row 4 times to end up with 24 sts. Then, I changed to size 7 US [4.5mm] needles and worked 6 rounds of 2 x 2 ribbing.

These were the only buttons I had lying around that coordinated with the colorway, but with so many colors in the yarn, I think it would be easy to find buttons that would work even better than these. I didn’t sew them on because my wife has claimed them for something she’s making. I'm going to have to figure something else out.

The 2x2 ribbing and the self-striping yarn makes a cute cuff for this little toddler's sweater

One other thing. I did promise that we would look at the left leaning decrease in this mock cable pattern. I call it a knit 2 together with a twist. I didn’t invent it, but I came across it online and promptly forgot to record the source, and whether or not that knitter was using the information she’d found elsewhere. This left-leaning decrease takes out that funny extra loop that forms in the decrease when you SSK (slip, slip, knit 2 tog through the back) or when you slip 1, knit 1, and pass the slipped stitch over, so it really is a nice partner to the right-leaning k2tog.

To work the knit 2 together with a twist, simply insert the right-hand needle in the front leg of the first stitch like you would normally, and then also insert it into the BACK leg of the 2^nd stitch, wrap the yarn around the needle to knit and carefully wiggle the RH needle back and forth up with the stitch. When slide the stitches off the LH needle, it helps to slide the first one and give a little tug on the 2^nd one to loosen the stitch toward the back of the work and then continue to slide it off the needle on the RH needle. That’s it. You’ve done a really cool left-leaning decrease that’s great for paired decreases, and fabulous for the mock cable pattern in either this toddler’s sweater or the cowl version.

Left-leaning decrease is worked on both right-side row with a knit 2 together twist and wrong-side row with a purl 2 together through the back loops.

There are a few other 1 or 2 ball projects you can knit with Classic Shades Frenzy, and there are some free patterns available on the Universal Yarn website.

Try this "Get to the Point" cowl, made with 1 ball of Classic Shades Frenzy in the "Urban Transit" colorway

Get to the Point Cowl pattern

Use 1 skein of Frenzy in "Thrill Ride" colorway to make this free pattern.

Dreaming of Spring hat pattern.

Tomorrow we move on to another Classic Shades family yarn, and it’s shiny!

Knitting with Classic Shades Sequins Lite

I LOVE glitter. Some would call me a magpie. I also LOVE fall colors, and am enjoying the trees that are turning in my neighborhood. As luck would have it, I get the chance to review today’s yarn, Classic Shades Sequins Lite by Universal Yarn, and my skein of the Volcano colorway has both!

This warm and glittery yarn is perfect for those who love autumn colors like plum and merlot and coral.

Classic Shades Sequins Lite is a DK weight yarn that's very versatile because it comes in a variety of gradient colorways. Each colorway has sequins that coordinate well with each color in the gradient (I love the red sequins in this Volcano colorway), and even though it's single ply, it has enough twist that's well set, so it can be worked with larger needles and still keeps its integrity.

There are over 250 yards of intense colors and scattered, understated glitter from sequins in this versatile yarn

Sequins Lite is 22% wool, and 74% acrylic. Like the other yarns in the Classic Shades family, the acrylic fibers are long enough that pilling doesn’t happen without an extreme amount of friction in one place, and the yarn is lofty and soft. There's no scratch to the wool content either. But if you’re good at mental math, you’ll note that these numbers only add up to 96%. The last 4% is the payette material, aka “the sequins!” Part of the acrylic fibers are spun in a separate, tight thread which traps the sequins and spaces them randomly throughout the skein. There are plenty of sequins with 7 or 8 appearing in each yard of yarn.

A slipper sock knit with Sequins Lite shows the random placement of the payettes in the stockinette fabric

I worked up this little slipper sock on size 5 US [3.75mm] needles to see what the yarn looked like at a firm DK-weight gauge and I really like the results. When I showed these slippers to someone they asked about whether the sequins would irritate the skin or catch and rip off. You cannot feel the sequins at all, and I made these kid size so they would only be worn for a season at most. While I haven’t yet been able to put it to the test, I don’t really find that these “catch” on anything as the knit fabric grazes across tile or hardwood floors.

Close-up of slipper sock shows how randomly yet consistently the sequins appear in stockinette fabric

There are 264yds [240m] on each skein, so I would be able to make about 3 or 4 pairs of kids slipper-socks with one skein. Some lucky child could have the same slippers, just 1 size bigger each year, 3 or 4 years in a row.

The ball band recommends size 7 US [4.5mm] needles for a gauge of 20 sts to 4" [10cm], which is the normal combination for a worsted weight gauge. But I tried it and it works. With size 7 needles, the fabric has lovely drape and the stockinette stitches are consistent and even. I would show this, but I forgot to take a picture before I frogged my swatch to make tomorrow’s project.

Mustard, pumpkin, coral pink, and merlot transition gently from one to the other in this gradient yarn.

Speaking of frogging, Classic Shades Sequins Lite took the treatment of being knit and frogged once quite well. The tricky part is ripping out the knitting and not catching the sequins. So while it does un-knit quite well, I’d suggest you undo your knitting with care rather than rip out in haste.

To give you an idea of other colorways, I’m sharing photos of 2 of the 8 other colors, and a free shawlette pattern worked up in a third colorway.

The "Rainforest" colorway on the left and the "Lucky Rose" colorway on the right feature royal blue and mother-of-pearl sequins respectively, the perfect complement to the other colors in the yarn.

The Zig Zag lace shawlette in the 405 Primrose colorway is a warm, shoulder-hugging capelet style shawl.

Zig Zag Lace Shawlette - free pattern courtesy of Universal Yarn.

Tomorrow we'll look at the pattern for a mega-scarf in that lacy stitch pattern you may have noticed in the background of the above photos.

Knit a cowl with a mock cable pattern

Here’s an easy to knit cowl with a stitch pattern that imitates or mocks a knit cable pattern. I know that many people say not to knit pattern stitches with multicolored yarn because you won’t be able to see the pattern, but I tend to be a bit rebellious, so I tried using Classic Shades Frenzy and really like the results.

Knit this easy and quick one skein cowl project with a mock cable pattern

While the color repeats aren’t dyed to be extremely long, some of them are long enough to work into wide stripes when worked across just a few stitches. There are 32 stitches to one side of this cowl. Why would I make a 2-sided cowl and seam the sides? Well, the truth will be revealed tomorrow, but for now, let’s say that working across 40 stitches on size US10 [6mm] needles produced these lovely 1" to 2" wide stripes with a few 1-row stripes in between.

This easy mock cable pattern uses yarn overs and some strategic decreases to create the illusion of a twist.

I also really like how the mock cable pattern gives the stripes in the fabric a little tilt here and there. Definitely worth being a rebel. For those of you who think that knitting cables is hard, working up a mock cable is a great easy solution.

Garter stitches frame the mock cable pattern to create a real cable look.

If you know how to make a yarn over, purl 2 stitches together, and a left-leaning decrease, you can make this pattern.

Here’s the stitch diagram and instructions for the mock cable. To make this lovely cowl, you'll only need 1 ball of Classic Shades Frenzy and size US10 [6mm] needles. Make 2 panels and sew them together along the garter stitch ridges.

Cast on 32 sts and knit the ribbing first as follows:

Row 1 (WS): K4, [p2, k2, p2, k2, p2, k4] twice.

Row 2 (RS): Knit.

Rows 3 & 4: Rep Rows 1 and 2.

Row 5: Rep Row 1

Then work your way across the stitch diagram (or text instructions below) repeating the stitches and rows in the blue box.

Stitch Diagram for Mock Cable Pattern

Work until you have 4 complete repeats of Rows 1-10 (4 mock cables) and then work 1 plain knit row and then rows 1-4 of the ribbing again. Cast off loosely.

Tomorrow I’ll explain how to take this one-ball project and make it into a 2-ball project.

We’ll also look more in depth at a new-to-me left-leaning decrease that you may want to wait to try out.

Text Instructions

Row 1: K4, yo, k3, K2togtw, k13.

Row 2: K4, p8, k2tog, p3, yo, p1, k4.

Row 3: K6, yo, k3, K2togtw, k11.

Row 4: K4, p6, k2tog, p3, yo, p3, k4.

Row 5: K8, yo, k3, K2togtw, k9.

Row 6: K4, p4, k2tog, p3, yo, p5, k4.

Row 7: K10, yo, k3, K2togtw, k7.

Row 8: K4, p2, k2tog, p3, yo, p7, k4.

Row 9: K12, yo, k3, K2togtw, k5.

Row 10: K4, k2tog, p3, yo, p9, k4.

Rows 11-20: Repeat rows 1-10.

Special Abbreviation:

Knit 2 together with a twist (K2togtw): Knit 2 together by inserting RH needle in front leg of first st and then in back leg of 2nd st, then knit, drawing up loop between strands as usual.

Beautiful stripes created by Classic Shades Frenzy chunky yarn

Knitting with Classic Shades Frenzy

This month, we continue getting ready for cool weather, holiday gifts, and colorful knits by spending a few moments with two more yarns in the Classic Shades family by Universal Yarns. Last month we looked at a few cousins, including this cute sweater in Class Shades Metallic. Today we look at Classic Shades Frenzy. This is a chunky (or bulky) weight yarn that is amazing to knit.

 

Long-repeat, multicolored chunky yarn Classic Shades Frenzy

The label on the skein of Classic Shades Frenzy that I tried says it’s a medium (4) weight. While knitting this with size 7 or 8 US [4.5mm or 5mm] needles would give you a dense, warm fabric, I think that it’s more of a chunky yarn, as it yields a gauge of 12 to 15 stitches per 4" on anything from 9 to 10¾ US [5.5mm to 7mm] needles. The label recommends 13 stitches per 4" on size 11 US [6.5mm] needles.

There are 100g balls and 158yds [145m] per ball.

End of ball with all the colors of the colorway lookin' pretty

The versatility and the variable gauges that you can knit with this yarn is a result of its construction. The yarn is 70% acrylic and 30% wool. The acrylic is high-end, which means it’s very soft, it has a mixture of a medium to long staple (staple is the length of each individual strand of fiber), and it’s as light as a feather. The wool gives the yarn stability, elasticity, and added warmth and softness without weighing the yarn down. Many times chunky yarn knits up into very heavy fabric, but Frenzy just doesn’t seem to weigh a lot. 

The inner layers of my ball of Classic Shades Frenzy

Frenzy is spun as a single ply, with about 4 to 5 twists per inch. This means that it stays lofty and spongy. This also means that it's squishy (which is why it can be knit with multiple gauges) and sometimes it was "splitty." I found that it only split on me when I was trying some tricky maneuver, like a purl 2 stitches together through the back loops, With SSK, and k2tog there was no issue. If you're a new knitter, try to use dull pointed needles ‒ bamboo or plastic usually fit the bill.

Classic Shades Frenzy comes in 10 colorways. The one in all of my photos is called “Into the woods”. I analyzed the ball I was knitting and found that up to 10 different, identifiable, unique colors went into the spinning of this yarn. In any 6" to 8" segment of yarn you can see 2 different colors marled together like an old-fashioned barber’s pole. In other segments, the fibers took the dye in a more mottled or speckled way. There are long color repeats that stand out, but within each one, there's always something interesting going on. 

Skein of Classic Shades Frenzy in Harbor Lights colorway

It appears to me that some of the colorways may have more than 10 colors and others have fewer, but if I could, I would make something out of each one. There's so much versatility in how they look and it would be easy to pair the knits with any garment in your closet.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at how Frenzy is knit up, and how it blocks, plus a freebie stitch pattern.

Close up of yarn skein showing many different colors

KNITmuch Giveaway 075: Big Needle Knits by Melanie Porter

Enter now for your chance to win this new giveaway!

Big Needle Knits by Melanie Porter
Publisher: CICO Books
ISBN: 978-1-78249-253-5

 

Melanie Porter has long used giant needles for her knitting creations, and here she shares 35 stylish designs with you. There are lots of projects to knit using needles from sizes US 15 to US 50, as well as some that use extra large needles (35mm), and the great thing about using big needles is that you can work up items quickly to great effect.

Divided into three chapters—Chunky Textures, Summer Knits, and Mega Knits—and using a variety of beautiful bulky yarns, there’s a whole host of inspiration here for any knitter. Hats, scarves, and other winter items are all featured in different stitches and yarns, but there are lightweight knits too, including a tunic dress, shrug cardigan, and cowl. Go from small-scale ideas—a necklace, headband, coin purse, and bangles—to supersize projects, such as the oversized shawl, throw, body warmer, and pouffe. There’s a comprehensive techniques section, too, which covers the basics for beginners and acts as a reference guide for experienced knitters.

Contest ends on October 23rd at 5:00pm.. Get your entries in now!

Big Needle Knits by Melanie Porter

How to Enter the KNITmuch Giveaway Contest

To enter this contest, log in below through Facebook or with your email, then follow the instructions. You’ll have the opportunity to get multiple entries and multiply your chances of winning! We also encourage you to explore the awesome content on our blog.