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: 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.

Ensata Revisited

Brooklyn Tweed are launching a new yarn this month, and they’ve knit up a new sample of my Ensata Scarf to show it off! I love the fun, juicy-looking colour and the slightly softer, plump texture in this yarn. Tones Light will be available to purchase from the 17th of August, with more details and colour-reveals coming soon.

The Ensata Scarf & Cowl pattern includes directions for knitting the scarf in either fingering or laceweight yarn, plus directions for a fingering-weight cowl knit in the round. During the month of August, Brooklyn Tweed are offering a rare $1 USD discount on the pattern on their website, with no coupon code needed.

Photo: ©Brooklyn Tweed

Photo: ©Brooklyn Tweed

Photo: ©Brooklyn Tweed

New collection: Twisted Strings

I’ve been dreaming of making this collection a reality for literally years, and I’m so happy to be able to present it to the world! Twisted Strings is a collection of five accessories inspired by the decorative tracery found on Baroque string instruments, in unapologetic celebration of my particular brand of nerdery. The names of the individual designs - the Dowland Wrap, Tielke Shawl, Playford Hat, Jaye Mitts, and Simpson Cowl - are borrowed from seventeenth-century composers, instrument-makers, and music teachers and publishers.

My interest in the seventeenth-century musical world is a long-standing thing - I studied various aspects of it in my university days, which I touched on in my earlier post Why ‘Baroque Purls’? At around the same time I took up playing the viol - badly - before moving on to singing, which happily was a much better fit for me. I still enjoy messing around with songs from this period, but my cats do tend to object.

A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to visit Europe for the first time, and one of the big highlights for me was visiting Leipzig and its Bach Museum, churches, and Museum of Musical Instruments. I took a ridiculous number of photos, some of which you can see below, and I took my inspiration for the cable patterns in this collection directly from a few of the decorative details I captured.

If you’re interested, you can find more examples of beautiful historical instruments in the Orpheon collection, and via the MIMO (Musical Instrument Museums Online) database, which I wish had existed when I was at uni!

A case full of viols, and an early edition of Playford’s Introduction to the Skill of Musicke (Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig, 2016)

This clavichord was one of the few instruments we were allowed to touch (Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig, 2016)

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Dowland Wrap:

Named for the composer John Dowland, famous for his melancholy songs and instrumental works for viols, the Dowland Wrap is a dramatic rectangular wrap featuring a central cable panel flanked by contrasting garter stitch.

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Contrabass, Italy, mid-17thC (Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig)

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From ‘Flow my teares’, a lute song from Dowland’s Second Booke of Songs or Ayres (1600)

Dowland Wrap features:

• a rectangular wrap worked from end to end

• a central cable panel inspired by the geometric tracery decorating 17thC string instruments, with wide garter stitch edges for textural contrast

• simple 1-over-1 cables, which can be knit without a cable needle (instructions for my favourite twist method are included)

• requires 5 skeins of Malabrigo Dos Tierras (50% baby alpaca, 50% merino wool; 210yds/192m per 100g skein), or 1050yds/960m of DK-weight yarn. Sample colourway: ‘Azul Profundo’

• 72.5”/184cm long and 17.5”/44.5cm wide, relaxed after blocking

• charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

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Tielke shawl:

The Tielke Shawl is an asymmetric triangular shawl featuring a garter stitch ground and a cable panel which grows in complexity as you knit: it flows from simple twisted cables, representing the strings of musical instruments, into a complex intertwining motif. The shawl is named for the Tielke family of musical instrument makers - Joachim, who created richly decorated instruments in his Hamburg workshop, and Gottfried, who made the five-stringed contrabass (now in Leipzig’s musical instrument museum), which inspired the shawl’s cable detail.

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Contrabass by Gottfried Tielke, 1662 (Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig)

Tielke Shawl features:

• an asymmetric triangular shawl worked from one point to the opposite side

• simple garter stitch with a cable panel running along one edge, inspired by the geometric motif decorating a 17thC contrabass

• simple 1-over-1 cables, which can be knit without a cable needle (instructions for my favourite twist method are included)

• requires 4 skeins of Malabrigo Washted (100% superwash merino wool; 210yds/192m per 100g skein), or 820yds/750m of worsted-weight yarn. Sample colourway: ‘Sunset’

• 74.5”/189cm wingspan and 31.5”/80cm depth, relaxed after blocking

• charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

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Playford hat:

The Playford Hat is named for the music publisher and bookseller John Playford, known for publishing music by various composers, the collection of dance melodies and steps The English Dancing Master, and instructional books for various instruments including the violin. The hat’s all-over cable pattern is inspired by the delicate latticework framed with hearts inscribed on a beautiful violin by Hans Krouchdaler (circa 1700).

Playford Hat features:

• a cabled beanie worked in the round from the bottom up

• an all-over cable pattern inspired by the geometric lattices framed with hearts on a highly-decorated Baroque violin

• simple 1-over-1 cables, which can be knit without a cable needle (instructions for my favourite twist method are included)

• requires 1 skein of Malabrigo Arroyo (100% superwash merino wool; 335yds/306m per 100g skein), or 205yds/187.5m of sport-weight yarn. Sample colourway: ‘Borraja’

• 18”/46cm circumference and 8.75”/22.5cm length, relaxed after blocking

• to fit 19-23”/48-58.5cm head circumference

• charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

From The English Dancing Master (1651)

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Jaye mitts:

The Jaye Mitts, named for the viol-maker Henry Jaye, are a pair of fingerless mitts featuring a delicately intertwining cable motif, and simple twisted cables on the palms representing the strings of musical instruments. Many modern viols being played today are careful copies of Jaye’s original instruments.

Jaye Mitts features:

• a cabled pair of mitts worked in the round from the bottom up

• cable motifs inspired by the geometric decoration on a 17thC descant viol, and plain twisted cables on the palm side

• simple 1-over-1 cables, which can be knit without a cable needle (instructions for my favourite twist method are included)

• requires 1 skein of Malabrigo Sock (100% superwash merino; 440yds/402m per 100g skein), or 196.5yds/180m of light fingering weight yarn. Sample colourway: ‘Teal Feather’

• 7”/18cm circumference and 7.25”/18.5cm length, relaxed after blocking

• to fit 7-8.5”/18-21.5cm palm circumference

• charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

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Descant viol by Henry Jaye, mid-17thC (Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig)

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Simpson cowl:

The Simpson Cowl is named for viol-player and composer Christopher Simpson, who wrote The Division Viol to teach players how to embellish and improvise on a melody or bass line. The short cowl is worked in the round, and features an all-over pattern of intertwining cable motifs which I extrapolated from the lattice motifs found on various seventeenth-century viols and other instruments.

Simpson Cowl features:

• a cabled cowl knit in the round from the bottom up

• an all-over cable pattern inspired by the decorative latticework on 17thC string instruments

• simple 1-over-1 cables, which can be knit without a cable needle (instructions for my favourite twist method are included)

• requires 1 skein of Malabrigo Washted (100% superwash merino wool; 210yds/192m per 100g skein), or 201yds/184m of worsted-weight yarn. Sample colourway: ‘Pearl’

• 22”/56cm circumference and 8.5”/21.5cm depth, relaxed after blocking

• charts and written instructions are both provided in full.

From The Division-viol, or The Art of Playing ex tempore to a Ground (1665)

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The cable patterns featured in these designs have some elements in common across the whole collection, most notably interwoven latticework motifs of varying complexity, combined with 2-stitch cable ribs which symbolise the twisted strings of musical instruments. The cable patterns are relatively fuss-free, and can be worked entirely without a cable needle - instructions for my favourite method are included in the patterns, and you can also find my tutorial here. You will come across a few stitches worked through the back loop (because they give a crisper look to the cable tracery), but I’ve kept these to a minimum for the sake of ease.

All five patterns are available for download on Ravelry and Payhip, where you can find additional photos and details, and purchase them individually or together in an ebook (with a reduced price per pattern).