New patterns: Parterre Hat & Scarf

I have two new patterns to share today, a cabled hat and scarf duo in DK weight yarn. The cable pattern reminds me of a formal garden with flower beds laid out in groups of interlocking shapes, a style called a ‘parterre’. The travelling cables create geometric shapes softened by twirling verticals. The Parterre Scarf has two options for the width, a classic scarf (shown here) and a wider wrap, and the Parterre Hat includes three sizes and can be styled with the brim turned up or down.

Inspiration & design journey

I really enjoy playing around with cables and seeing what kind of shapes and patterns I can make with them, often going through many iterations of charts and swatches before I find ‘the one’! This scarf design really came together when I introduced the areas of plain reverse stockinette. Alternating with the areas of denser cables, they provide calm spots among the twists and turns. In the matching hat, the reverse stockinette areas are introduced in the decreases section to help the crown cables pop.

Yarn requirements

For both hat and scarf samples I used Tweedy from Hedgehog Fibres, which is a non superwash DK weight yarn made up of 50% Falkland merino wool and 50% thread waste and recycled wool. The recycled content includes fun little pops of many different colours, and I enjoyed seeing them appear as I knit my samples. I used the colours ‘Dreaming in Light’ (a pale yellow) and ‘Lullaby’ (a warm lavender) for the hat samples, and ‘Amethyst’ (a cool lavender) for the scarf.

Parterre Hat features:

• A beanie with intricate geometric cables

• Three sizes are included, to fit 19 (21, 23)”/48.5 (53.5, 58.5)cm head circumference

• Requires 140 (170, 207) yds/128 (156, 189)m of DK weight yarn (shown in Hedgehog Fibres Tweedy)

• Choose a wool or wool-blend yarn in a tweedy, solid, or heathered shade

• Hat dimensions, after blocking and unstretched:14.5 (16, 17.5)”/37 (40.5, 44.5)cm brim circumference, and 8 (8.5, 9)”/20.5 (21.5, 23)cm long from brim to crown. Lavender sample in Size 2 shown on my 22”/56cm head.

Parterre Scarf features:

• A scarf with intricate geometric cables and areas of negative space

• Two width options are included, and the length is easily adjustable to your preference

• Requires 994 (1325) yds/909 (1212)m of DK weight yarn (shown in Hedgehog Fibres Tweedy)

• Choose a wool or wool-blend yarn in a tweedy, solid, or heathered shade

• Scarf dimensions, after blocking: 88”/224cm length and 10.25 (13.75)”/26 (35)cm width. Sample shown in narrower width option (10.25”/26cm).

Find out more about my Parterre Hat and Parterre Scarf patterns, including Ravelry and Payhip purchase options.

New patterns: Melisma Hat & Scarf

This classic hat and scarf combo is all about the cables! They twirl across a background of 2x2 ribbing, and with only a handful of cable crosses on alternating rounds or rows the set is relatively quick to knit in worsted weight yarn. Best of all, the cable pattern is moreish and satisfying to watch unfold. The hat, with instructions for two very stretchy sizes, and the scarf, with two width options and customisable length, would make thoughtful gifts for loved ones of any gender.

Inspiration & design journey

These designs have been in the pipeline for quite some time. An initial idea for a scarf with diagonally flowing cables was charted, swatched, and fussed with several times before I hit upon this nicely balanced version. Then late last year I submitted the design to Pom Pom Quarterly for an issue which, as it later turned out, was not to be. And so I did what any self-publishing designer does with a rejected design they adore: I sourced the yarn (kindly provided by John Arbon Textiles) and started knitting.

I love the way these cables tumble over each other as they flow across their ribbed background. Being a choir nerd with a background in musicology, this sort of movement makes me think of lines of melody twirling together in a duet. Leaning into this, I’ve named the patterns melisma, after the technical term for a vocal run or a group of several notes sung to one syllable.

Yarn requirements

I knit my hat sample using a single skein of Harvest Hues Worsted from John Arbon Textiles in the colour Burdock, and four skeins for my scarf in the colour Russet. Harvest Hues is a blend of equal parts Bluefaced Leicester, Falklands Merino, and Zwartbles wool, and I really love the depth of colour which comes from blending the dyed and naturally dark brown fibres together before spinning. A 4ply version of the yarn and fibre for hand spinners are also available in the same blend and colour range.

Special techniques

The crown of the hat uses double decreases (k3tog and sssk) to mimic the cable crosses in the body of the hat. One nice benefit of this is eliminating any cables from the crown decreases section, so there’s no need to wrangle a cable needle as well as your dpns or other small circumference needles. The scarf includes an optional fringe, which I’ve written a tutorial for in case my tips might be helpful: How to add fringe to a scarf.

Melisma Hat features:

• A beanie with twirling cables and 2x2 ribbing for plenty of stretch

• A quick and satisfying knit with only a handful of cable crosses on alternating rounds

• Two sizes are included, to fit 18-20 (22-24)”/46-51 (56-61)cm head circumference

• Requires 130 (173)yds/119 (158.5)m of worsted-weight yarn (shown in John Arbon Textiles Harvest Hues Worsted)

• Choose a wool or wool-blend yarn in a solid or heathered shade

• Hat dimensions, after blocking and unstretched: 11.5 (15)”/28.5 (38)cm brim circumference, and 8.5 (9)”/21.5 (23)cm long from brim to crown. Sample shown in size 2 on my 22”/56cm circumference head. 

Melisma Scarf features:

• A scarf with twirling cables over a background of 2x2 ribbing, with optional fringe

• A quick and satisfying knit with only a handful of cable crosses on most right side rows

• Two width options are included, and the length is easily adjustable to your preference

• Requires 753 (1097)yds/688.5 (1003)m of worsted weight yarn (shown in John Arbon Textiles Harvest Hues Worsted)

• Choose a wool or wool-blend yarn in a solid or heathered shade

• Scarf dimensions, after blocking and unstretched: 72.5”/184cm length, and 10 (14.5)”/25.5 (37)cm width. Sample shown in narrower width option (10”/25.5cm).

Find out more about my Melisma Hat and Melisma Scarf patterns, including Ravelry and Payhip purchase options.

New pattern: Candy Cones

Introducing Candy Cones, a collection of little stuffed ‘trees’ which I designed to brighten up my apartment during the holidays. I've been wary of putting up a proper Christmas tree because my cats like to get into absolutely everything, so I designed these as a safe (and cute!) alternative. With five texture options, you can choose the difficulty level according to what you feel like knitting: stockinette, or mini bobbles, or fiddly travelling cables. And they’re so nice and quick it’s hard to make just one.

Inspiration & design journey

The cable textures for these little cones went through a number of iterations, and taking them from my rectangular swatch to the actual cone shape threw up a few surprises. It turned out that dotting the diamond-trellis and swirl cables with bobbles made for a much too fiddly knitting experience once shaping was brought into the mix, so after some head-scratching I edited out the additional bobbles. I want these little cones to be fun to make as well as to look at, and sometimes making things extra complicated is just not worth it. While the final cable textures are still fiddly, especially in the later rounds, they’re still doable - and those last few rounds are over in a flash!

Yarn requirements

When I was choosing my yarns for this pattern, the most important thing was colour. I wanted clear, cheerful colours in pinks and greens, ideally available in smaller balls or skeins so that I could use a few different shades. I settled on Scheepjes Stone Washed (78% cotton, 22% acrylic; 142yds/130m per 50g ball) in Tourmaline, Rhodochrosite, Turquoise, and Malachite for my cable and bobble textured cones, which has a subtle semi-solid look that shows off the textures well. For my stockinette cones I used Scheepjes Twinkle (75% cotton, 25% polyester; 142yds/130m per 50g ball) in 923, 926, 934, and 941, which has a pretty lurex sparkle that’s tricky to capture on camera.

Special techniques

Each cone begins with a Pinhole Cast On. My favourite tutorial for this method is this illustrated one by Emily Wessel of Tin Can Knits: Pinhole Cast-On.

After working the base in garter stitch, it’s time to pick one of the five texture options and knit the cone. If you haven’t tried knitting mini bobbles before, you might find my tutorial useful: How to work mini-bobbles. And if you’d like to try my favourite method for working the little 1-over-1 cables, I have a tutorial for that too: How to work mini-cables without a cable needle. A few of my clever test knitters added beads to their cones, which is a really cute modification! I’m currently working on a tutorial for a beaded cone as a bonus option, so look out for that in the next few days.

I recommend adding a circle of cardboard or plastic to the base of the cone just before you work the first decrease round, to keep the base nice and flat. You can also add tiny weights on top of the circle if you wish (e.g. poly pellets or pebbles). Begin to add stuffing to the cone when you are about two thirds of the way through the patterned rounds, and then add more just before you work each remaining decrease round. I’ve included the photos below as a visual example of when to stop and stuff.

Candy Cones features:

• Stuffed decorative cones (or trees) with five texture options to suit your preference

• Each cone requires less than half a 50g ball of sport weight yarn: 47yds/43m (for stockinette cones) or 67yds/61m (for patterned cones)

• Shown in Scheepjes Stone Washed (78% cotton, 22% acrylic; 142yds/130m per 50g ball) and Scheepjes Twinkle (75% cotton, 25% polyester; 142yds/130m per 50g ball)

• Choose a springy yarn to make the cable and bobble textures easier to knit

• Dimensions when stuffed: 3.25”/8.5cm diameter at base, and 7”/18cm tall.

I can confirm that they stand up to cat shenanigans pretty well! One cone even survived a stabbing with a plastic pterodactyl beak at the hands of my four-year-old nephew, which is pretty impressive if you ask me.

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Find out more about my Candy Cones pattern, including Ravelry and Payhip purchase options.

Pattern update: The Beeswax Set

My Beeswax Hat, Cowl, and Mitts have been some of my most popular patterns since I first published them nearly a decade ago. My pattern writing has evolved a lot since 2014 when I first published them, and even more since 2018 when I last updated their charts and layout. And because I want them to continue to reflect my best work as a designer, I’ve been working on a big update to polish them up.

The Beeswax Hat, Cowl, and Mitts knit in Pakihi DK from Ruataniwha Dye Studio.

The changes

My main intention was to update the ribbing instructions, which I’ve had the occasional question about over the years. But after making that change and looking more closely, I found more and more tweaks I wanted to make. One of the new changes I’ve made is updating the cables to include purl stitches, where they originally included only knit stitches for the sake of simplicity. I decided the slightly more polished look of the purl cables was worth making the switch. It doesn’t make a huge difference to the appearance of the cables, but I personally find it more satisfying!

Additional changes include a new smaller size for the Beeswax Hat (for kids!), a taller option for the Beeswax Cowl, a larger gauge option for the Beeswax Mitts, stitch counts added throughout to reflect the variable stitch pattern repeat, new schematics, and additional small tweaks to bring the patterns in line with my current style.

I blocked this Beeswax Hat over a balloon to show off the pretty crown decreases. The Beeswax Cowl in the background is the new taller size.

New samples

As part of this process I knit up some new samples to show off the new sizes. As a designer I find knitting my way through a pattern super helpful, because I can refine it as I go and catch any errors. For most of the new samples I used Pakihi DK from Ruataniwha Dye Studio, a woollen-spun blend of NZ polwarth and arapawa wool. The cables are beautifully crisp in this yarn! And for the smaller Beeswax Hat, I used Possmerino DK from Trichromat Yarns, which has a lovely soft halo and luxurious softness.

The new smaller Beeswax Hat, knit in Possmerino DK from Trichromat Yarns.

Finally, I had the updated patterns professionally tech edited to make sure they’re as clear and error-free as possible. I hope you love the refreshed patterns, which are now available on Ravelry and Payhip.

New pattern: Observatory Gate

In the mood for some cosy cables? This squishable scarf was created in collaboration with John Arbon Textiles, who are launching their new Yarnadelic Worsted yarn tomorrow (which just happens to be my birthday - I’ll be 43)! The Observatory Gate scarf is thick and cosy, with an all-over cable pattern meandering to and fro over a background of reverse stockinette.

Every now and then I see something when I’m out and about and just know it needs to be turned into knitting somehow. Inspiration struck during a walk through Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens when I laid eyes on the intricate wrought-iron Observatory Gate, so named because it marks the way to an old historic observatory. I snapped the photo below and began charting and swatching, trying to find an effective way of capturing the gate’s wavy, fluid trellis-pattern in knitting. After many false starts involving twisted-stitch mini-cables, larger cables, and even colourwork, I hit upon this cable pattern which strikes a good balance between knitability and aesthetics.

The Observatory Gate at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Australia

To knit my sample I used 5 skeins of Yarnadelic Worsted by John Arbon Textiles, which is 100% Falklands Corriedale wool, at 235yds/215m per 100g skein. Yarn kits for this pattern will be available on their website shortly, in a range of beautifully-heathered colour options. I used the colourway ‘Black Gold of the Sun’, a complex greenish-black shade perfect for evoking old ironwork. I haven’t knit many cabled projects in a colour this dark, but now that I’ve tried it I’m obsessed. Shoutout to my new-ish pair of reading glasses, without which I would not have been able to weave in the ends no matter how good the lighting!

I love how the woolliness of the yarn helps minimise the little imperfections in my tension; my usual stretched-out cable stitches look much better after washing and blocking. I’ve previously used the sport-weight version of Yarnadelic for knitting colourwork (in my Cat’s Eye Cowl), and I thought it worked brilliantly - the woolliness once again helps smooth everything out and makes for a cohesive fabric, and there are so many inspiring colour options. I’ll definitely keep the worsted version in mind for heavier-gauge colourwork.

The scarf measures 77”/195.5cm in length, which can be adjusted by working a different number of cable-pattern repeats, and the 13”/33cm width is easily adjustable by adding or subtracting a multiple of 12 stitches to the cast on. If you’re confident with working 2-over-2 cables this should be a nice straightforward project with an impressive result.

I recommend blocking your scarf once it’s finished to tidy up any wonky stitches and help the edges uncurl. I wet-blocked mine by soaking it in warm water with a little wool wash, gently rinsing it and squeezing out the water, and carefully laying it out flat to dry. I didn’t use any pins or wires because I didn’t want to risk stretching it too much and flattening the cables. Instead I smoothed it out with my hands, and used a long wooden ruler to check the edges were straight and even.

My scarf laid out to dry on my foam blocking mats - please excuse the claw and nibble marks, my cats are a bit too keen on these mats!

Observatory Gate features:

• A scarf knit from end-to-end, with an all-over pattern of interlinked cables

• One size is included in the pattern, with suggestions for adjusting the length and width

• Requires 1,107yds/1,012m of worsted weight yarn (shown in John Arbon Textiles Yarnadelic Worsted)

• Choose a non-superwash wool yarn in a solid or heathered shade

• Scarf dimensions, relaxed after blocking: 77”/195.5cm length, and 13”/33cm width

• Charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

My little helpers love to get in on the photoshoot action.

Find out more about my Observatory Gate pattern, including Ravelry and Payhip purchase options.