knitting pattern

Oct 6
2023

Tie Dyed Knits!

by Lauren

Have you ever tie dyed your knits? I’ve always wanted to but was nervous that I wouldn’t like the result and cry about all of the time I spent knitting. I’ve definitely had my tie dyeing efforts on my own clothes go south, but at the same time, sometimes they turn out amazing! Ultimately I decided to be brave and try something new. I had some white fingering weight yarn in my stash from Knitcrate that was meant to be experimented with and dyed, so I knitted up my “Girly Knits Bra Top” and “Lounging My Best Life” pants pattern on my knitting machine and gave it a go. Thankfully, they turned out as fun and colorful as I was imagining!

machine knit leggings and tank top girly knits

tie dyed knitted tank top and leggings girly knits

The dye that I used was a highly rated kit that I found on Amazon in “Unicorn” colors, which you can find here. My vision was to have an ombre effect of pastel colors. While these colors were a bit brighter than I was going for, you can’t deny that they are fun! I invited some friends over to tie dye their white goods alongside me, and it was a lot less nerve racking doing this process with their support. As you can see, all I did was tie rubber bands around sections of the top and pants, and use a different color dye for each section. The second photo was the set in a bucket after I rinsed the dye out, which clearly did not fade!

Part of the fun of tie dying is that you do give up a bit of control, and let whatever colorful artistic magic is going to happen happen. It was very exhilarating to take off the rubber bands and ultimately see the end result. Here is the finished set below, I like to describe it as what I would look like if I collided with a rainbow!

lounging my best life tie dye knitting machine knit pants pattern 1

lounging my best life tie dye knitting machine knit pants pattern 4

I hope you enjoyed seeing this knitting tie dye journey and perhaps inspires you to give tie dying your knits a go!

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

Aug 7
2021

Knitted Pants and Shorts using Fingering Weight Yarn!

by Lauren

When I designed my “Cozy Up With Me” machine knitted pants and shorts pattern last year, I got a lot of requests for them to be adapted for a standard gauge knitting machine using fingering weight yarn. So here they are! “Lounging My Best Life” is a machine knitting pattern now available on Ravelry and features Knit Picks “Muse” Hand Painted Sock Yarn in Thrill. You can knit them on a standard gauge (4.5mm) flat bed knitting machine, and still use the video tutorial I created as the techniques used are the same. Paired with the “Get it Girl” Bra Top, a tank top pattern that can easily be converted to standard gauge, this makes an undeniably adorable loungewear set!

“Lounging My Best Life” is also a machine knit shorts pattern which you can make using your standard gauge knitting machine. These shorts are so cute and comfy, and I have loved wearing mine around the house and to sleep in. For this pair I used Knitcrate’s “La Brebis” Marled Sock Yarn in Grey Twist. While this particular yarn is discontinued, you can use any 4-ply yarn you like to make this design!

I know a lot of hand knitters also prefer knitting with fingering weight yarn, so these shorts and pants are available as a hand knitting pattern as well. “Keep Dreaming” is a hand knitted shorts (and pants!) pattern featuring Knit Picks “Muse” Hand Painted Sock Yarn. Isn’t this yarn gorgeous? It is the Kindness Speckle color way, and when knit up looks like a beautiful piece of art . This design is basically the same as “Ombré All Day” Shorts and Pants but using fingering weight yarn. I love how they came out, especially paired with the “Get it Girl” Bra Top (which you can adapt for any gauge). You couldn’t look any cuter while getting some zzz’s!

I always listen to your pattern requests, so if you have any please comment below!

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

Jun 18
2021

How to Knit Lace on an LK150 Knitting Machine using the Needle Beetle

by Lauren

Hello! Today I have a new video tutorial where I will be showing you how to knit lace on your LK150 knitting machine using the Needle Beetle by Kris Krafter. The Needle Beetle is an automatic needle selector and will help you knit lace by selecting which stitches you will need to transfer each row for your lace pattern, eliminating potential mistakes and making the transfers much easier to see. The Needle Beetle selects repeats of 8, so you can use it with any pattern that is a multiple of 8 stitches. Check out the video to learn more about the Needle Beetle and see it in action to fully understand how it works and can help you knit lace.

In this demo I show you how to read a lace chart and translate that to the Needle Beetle. I walk you through every row of a 26 row lace chart which is the lace pattern featured in my two newest designs, “Awesome Blossoms” Lace Sweater and Dress and “Lace for Days” Leg Warmers. After the lace demo, I show you how to do a latched up ribbed edge, a technique used in the leg warmers pattern. To give you an idea of how quickly you can knit lace on a knitting machine using the Needle Beetle, the picture below is the front of the sweater which I knitted in only one day!

LK150-lace-knitting-pattern-using-needle-beetle

“Awesome Blossoms” is a machine knitting pattern that can be either a sweater or a dress, and is based off of an existing hand knitting pattern I designed years back called “Take a Bow”. This sweater is updated from the original design to have a crew neckline and sloped shoulders so that you can add sleeves. I’ve added an additional .pdf to “Take a Bow” so you can make these mods with the hand knitting pattern – if you have purchased the pattern you should have received an update! I love this design as a drop shoulder sweater with sleeves, and I hope you do too. The yarn I used for this sweater is a gorgeous DK Merino Silk blend which unfortunately is discontinued, but a yarn that has the same fiber content and is just as beautiful is Knit Picks “Gloss DK” which I used for another one of my machine knit samples as well as the original hand knit version.

awesome-blossoms-magenta-lace-sweater-with-sleeves-lk150-machine-knitting-pattern-2

awesome-blossoms-magenta-lace-sweater-with-sleeves-lk150-machine-knitting-pattern-3

I hadn’t thought of this dress design being a beach cover up before, but this cotton yarn I used from Knitcrate inspired it! This yarn is so much fun – it is a Pima Cotton with a subtle variegation that almost makes it look tie dyed when knit up, especially in lace. It was a limited edition yarn called Uru Yarn Cotton Basic that is now sold out, but I’m wondering if there’s something similar out there? If a yarn comes to mind let me know! I’ve also seen knitters make this dress into a graduation dress, a wedding dress (!), and an everyday top, it’s so versatile! Any DK yarn will work with this pattern (as long as you’re able to get the gauge stated) so I encourage you to go ahead and use your favorite.

This is another version of “Awesome Blossoms” with just a touch of lace, that is included as an option within the pattern. This version is nice in that it knits up faster with less lace, and that you can just wear a bra with it without worrying about having to wear a tank top underneath. Which version do you prefer? One knitter pointed out that this lace pattern looks like tulips which was inspiration for the name, do you see them?

“Lace For Days” is a leg warmer pattern that features the same lace pattern as above, but on a much smaller scale if you want a quick win! Wear them under boots, over tights, or to lounge around in to make your legs look pretty. Available in 5 sizes to fit Girls-Adult, this is both a hand knitting and machine knitting pattern and you will get both when you buy the pattern. They feature Skacel Knitting’s “Simplicity” Metallic which has just a hint of glimmer to give your legs some extra sparkle.

A couple other things I mention in the video are the handheld steamer I use, and an invite to join my machine knitting facebook group!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and and learned something new about using the Needle Beetle. If you do make any of these designs, please share photos on Ravelry or Instagram where I’m @girlyknits, I would love to see what you make! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

Apr 16
2021

Bow Back Sweater and Dress Patterns!

by Lauren

knit picks high desert peek a bow back sweater knitting pattern

If you are familiar with my knitting patterns, you will know that there’s nothing I love more than bows and back interest, and especially when the two come together! This is a design I have been wanting to create for the longest time, and I’m so excited to have it available now as both a hand knitting and machine knitting pattern, and as a sweater and dress! The hand knitting patterns are called “Peek a Bow” sweater and dress, and the machine knitting patterns are called “Put a Bow on It” sweater and dress.

knit picks bow back sweater knitting pattern

The beauty of this design is that the middle bow is strategically placed so that it will cover your bra closure, so you can show off your backside while still wearing a bra. The keyholes and bows are added once the sweater is complete so you can ensure they hit the right spot. If you want to show just a smaller peek of your backside, you can alternatively make 1 keyhole (pictured right), which is another version in the pattern that is just as cute, or no keyhole at all. Part of what makes this design so adorable is the puff sleeves, so even without the keyholes it’s the perfect girly sweater!

These patterns call for a worsted weight yarn, and I’ve used a variety of them to show you the possibilities. I always encourage knitters to use their favorite yarn though I’m happy to share mine – as long as you can get the gauge with your yarn (19 sts and 27 rows = 4″ in Stockinette Stitch) you are good to go!

knit picks high desert yarn in lupine and dusk

This super fun pink/purple color combo used for the hand knitted sweater is a brand new yarn from Knit Picks. It is called “High Desert” Worsted, and is a 100% American grown and spun wool yarn. I had the honor of being among the first to be able to try it out. I received the Lupine and Dusk colors, and had so much fun knitting with it! It’s surprisingly soft, and has a great bounce to it. And these colors! So girly and fun.

malabrigo bow back dress knitting pattern

For the pink hand knitted dress, I used Malabrigo Worsted. This yarn is so soft and luxurious, and has the most beautiful variegation of color! I used the Pink Frost color which is a gorgeous dusty pink and a perfect match for this girly design.

bow back dress with puff sleeves lk150 machine knitting pattern

For this machine knitted dress, I used Knit Picks Brava Worsted. I love that this yarn is so affordable and easy to care for – you can put it through the washer and dryer without worry, and it looks and feels great for a 100% acrylic yarn. I also love that it comes in so many fun colors, and especially the heathers. For this dress I used Dove Heather with Cobblestone Heather, and also made dresses using Fairy Tale and Wine (for a Christmas Dress!) that you will find on the pattern page!

fuzzy bow back sweater with puff sleeves lk150 machine knitting pattern

Lastly, for the machine knit version of the sweater, I used Caron “Latte Cakes” which has become one of my favorite yarns to work with. It is so unbelievably soft and fuzzy, and surprisingly holds up in the wash as well! I’ve had some favorite fuzzy store bought sweaters that sadly only survived one wash so I was skeptical when I first bought this yarn. I threw a swatch in to see what would happen and was delighted to see that it came back exactly the same! I also used this yarn for my favorite Winter hat and it has held up great.

I also made the machine knit sweater with Knit Picks Brava Worsted in Tide Pool with Lion Brand Heartland in Great Smoky Mountain for the bows. This sweater has more of a sporty look which is super fun – the possibilities are endless with mixing and matching yarns and bow colors!

I hope you enjoy these new bow back designs! I had so much fun creating them, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with! If you make a bow back dress or sweater, please make sure to share it on Ravelry or tag me on Instagram so I can see, there’s nothing I love more than seeing your creations!

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

P.S. I also created a video showing you how to make a bow on a knitting machine, and I show you exactly how I create the keyholes and attach the bows to the back of the sweater/dress which you can reference if you’re making the hand knitted versions too. Hope you enjoy!

Mar 10
2021

How to Knit a Top and Skirt Set on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

by Lauren

sweater top and skirt lk150 machine knitting pattern

Hi There! I’m so excited to be back today with another machine knitting tutorial! I’ve just come out with a brand new 5-part video series covering all the techniques used to make my new top and skirt set design “You Glow Girl“. This pattern comes in 10 sizes ranging to fit a 32-50″ bust and 34-52” hips, which you can find on Ravelry here! If you get the pattern you can make it alongside me in this video series where I walk you through every step. This set is also available as a hand knitting pattern here.

The yarn I use in the demo and pictured here is Lion Brand “Date Nights” in the Lapis color. It is so sparkly and fun and I absolutely loved knitting with it! It also has great elasticity which is perfect for this fitted design.

We start by making the Top, and in Video #1 we make the front of the Top. The techniques I cover are how to cast on and knit mock ribbing, how to knit the increase rows at the bust and customize the length of the top, how to bind off for the underarms, shape the underarms, put the left side and neckline on hold, and how to shape the neckline. I then show you how to knit the short row shoulder shaping, how to scrap off the shoulder and neckline, and lastly how to knit the other side mirroring the shaping and short rows.

In Video #2, we make the back of the Top and I show you how to knit this optional keyhole. I show you how to scrap off half of your knitting to create the keyhole, tips for customizing your keyhole size, how to do the short row shoulder shaping, place your back neckline stitches on hold, shape the back neckline, and scrap off the shoulder and back neckline. I then show you how to rehang your other side and mirror the shaping and holding. Lastly, I show you how to join the shoulders using a 3-needle bind off to prepare for knitting the neckband.

In Video #3, we knit the neckband! I’ve seen a lot of requests for how to knit a neckband on an LK150, and am so happy to be able to show you how it’s done in this tutorial. I cover every detail of how to pick up the neckband of your sweater, including how to pick up selvedge stitches, held stitches, the ratio at which to pick them up, and how to pick up before and after the scrapped off neckline stitches to ensure a smooth transition. I then show you how to knit the neckband and offer tips for fixing dropped stitches. Lastly I show you how to join the other shoulder using a 3-needle bind off, seam the neckband to the inside of your sweater top, and lastly seam the neckband edges together.

In Video #4, we talk about the sleeves! I cover how to knit the two decrease rows at the top of the sleeve on your knitting machine to create the puff sleeve look, how to bind off, and exactly how I seam the sleeves to the Top using mattress stitch.

Lastly, in Video #5 we cover how to knit the skirt waistband. I show you how you can use ravel cord to help you pick up your waistband, how to knit the waistband, pick up and hang the first row of the waistband, join the picked up row, then how to bind off using a backstitch bind off to finish the waistband. I then explain how the skirt is seamed together and lastly offer tips for inserting elastic into your waistband for extra support if you desire.

I’ve also made this set using Lion Brand “Pound of Love” in Maize (pictured right), which turned out super cute as well!

If you would like the pattern for just the top, it’s available that way too. The tops pictured below were made using Knit Picks “Brava Worsted” in Cobblestone Heather and Eggplant. I am wearing the 3rd size in the pattern, and the purple top is made in the 8th size.

I hope you enjoy this new design! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

sweater top lk150 machine knitting pattern

Oct 14
2020

How to Knit a Lace Dress on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

by Lauren

Hey there! I’m super excited to be back again today with another machine knitting tutorial! This time we’ll be knitting lace which is so much fun! There are so many interesting things you can do with your knitting machine, and lace is one of those techniques that it so rewarding and fun to watch take form.

In this video tutorial, I’ll be walking you through all of the techniques used in my new dress design “Wild Irises”, which is available as a Girls Dress Pattern and Adult Dress Pattern. Not only is this a machine knitting pattern, it is a hand knitting pattern as well and you will get both when you purchase the pattern!

In the video tutorial, I first show you how to cast on and do a decorative picot hem. Then I walk you through every row of the lace chart and how to read the symbols. Next I show you how to scrap off and rehang your knitting to create a gather, then how to finish your knitting with a picot edging. Lastly I show you how to add I-Cord straps directly onto your knitting, and all of the finishing techniques I used for the dress.

Here is the chart below for you to follow along with while watching the video tutorial. In the video I take you through each lace row and explain what the symbols mean, so no worries if it doesn’t make sense yet!I hope you enjoy this tutorial and that you have as much fun as I did knitting this lace pattern! If you do make this dress, please share photos on Ravelry or Instagram where I’m @girlyknits, I would love to see what you make! 😊 To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

Here are the links mentioned in the video:

Girls Dress Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wild-irises-girls-dress

Women’s Dress Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wild-irises-lace-dress

Yarn Used in Demo: Lion Brand Low Tide

Yarn used for other Dresses: Knit Picks Brava Worsted

7-Prong Transfer Tool

Handheld Steamer

Here is a list of times of everything demonstrated in the video in case you’re looking for help with a specific technique:

Casting on with waste yarn – 4:42

Using ravel cord – 5:35

Joining main yarn to knit picot hem – 5:45

Eyelet row for picot – 6:11

Fold and hang hem – 7:22

Joining row – 8:01

Knitting lace chart – 8:43

Row 0 – 9:24

How to do a double decrease – 10:36

Row 2 – 16:23

Row 4 – 21:23

Row 6 – 26:08

Row 8 – 28:33

Row 10 – 30:48

Row 12 – 34:40

Row 14 – 36:30

Row 16 – 38:16

Row 18 – 39:04

Row 20 – 40:30

Rows 22-31 – 42:05

Removing waste yarn – 43:02

Row 32 – 43:29

Rows 34-45 – 47:10

Rows 46-66 – 49:27

Steam blocking your lace – 51:40

Gathering the skirt – 53:47

Scrapping off with waste yarn- 53:56

Removing work from machine – 54:35

Rehanging knitting – 54:49

How to hang 2 stitches together – 55:34

Knitting gathered row and bodice – 56:33

Removing waste yarn from gather – 57:25

Eyelet row for picot edge – 57:54

Last row to prepare for chain bind off – 58:55

How to do a chain bind off – 59:34

Seaming picot edge – 1:01:33

I-cord straps – 1:04:32

Picking up stitches for straps – 1:05:15

Setting up to knit in I-cord – 1:05:56

Binding off straps – 1:06:43

Finishing straps and tying knot – 1:07:48

Seaming strap to inside of picot – 1:08:37

Conclusion – 1:10:51

Aug 31
2020

Knitted Shorts and Pants!

by Lauren

In my last post I shared how to make knitted shorts and pants on a knitting machine, and they turned out so cute that I decided to make them into hand knitting patterns too!

These knitted pants are shorts are super cute, and are so much fun to make. They are the same as the machine knit designs, but are knitted in the round from the top down so that they are seamless and you can try them on as you go. A much smaller needle is used for the waistband so that it creates an elastic-like fabric so they can stay up on their own, with instructions included for inserting elastic if you wish, or adding eyelets to insert a drawstring because drawstrings are super cute too!

The pants have a relaxed fit and are so comfy and cozy, you won’t want to take them off! If you want them to fit more like leggings (perfect for Winter outings!) knitting them a size down will do the trick 😊

The shorts feature Knit Picks Chroma Twist Worsted which is a new Superwash Merino Wool yarn that comes in 10 fabulous color combinations. Each colorway has a twisted color changing gradation that is so much fun to watch take form. This yarn is super soft and luxurious and was such a delight to work with. I bought a couple skeins because I was obsessed with the pink and purple Lupine color (💜 💕!!) and ended up making these shorts, which I think are the perfect project for it!

If you would like a non-wool yarn, Lion Brand Ferris Wheel is a great alternative. I used this yarn to knit the pants in the Carousel colorway. Like Chroma Twist Worsted , this yarn naturally forms a gorgeous color changing gradient, and comes in tons of fun color combinations. Any option you choose will guarantee you a beautiful and unique pair of knitted pants that you will treasure. Both the shorts and pants use a worsted weight yarn, so either yarn can be used for either pattern.

You can find the patterns for the knitted shorts and pants on Ravelry or Etsy as “Ombre All Day” Shorts and “Ombre All Day” Pants.

You could of course knit these designs in solid colored yarns as well and they would be just as cozy and cute! For inspiration, here are machine knit versions of these designs. The dark grey pants were knitted using Lion Brand Pound of Love in Charcoal, the burgundy leggings were knit using Knit Picks Brava Worsted in Currant, the grey shorts the same yarn in Cobbestone Heather, and the pink shorts were made with Lion Brand Touch of Alpaca in Blush.

Hope you enjoy these fun new patterns!

💜 Lauren

Jul 15
2020

How to Knit Shorts and Pants on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

by Lauren

Hey Guys! I’m super excited to be back with another machine knitting tutorial! This time we’re talking about shorts and pants, woohoo! I have two brand new designs, “Cozy Up With Me” Shorts and “Cozy Up With Me” Pants. They come in sizes 0-26 and have tons of options for making them custom to you. The techniques used for both designs are the same so you can use this video tutorial for either pattern. And, if you’re a hand knitter, I’ve got you too! These are also available as knitting patterns (featured in fun colorful yarns!) as “Ombre All Day” Shorts and “Ombre All Day” Pants.

In the video I demonstrate making the size Small Shorts, and walk you through every step including how to cast on with waste yarn, knit and join the bottom leg bands (including how to do a picot hem), how to bind off for the crotch, shape the front and back, do short rows at the top of the shorts, knit the waistband, add an eyelet for a drawstring, how to fold and join the waistband on the machine, and bind off using a backstitch bind off. I then show you how to seam the 2 legs together, and finally demonstrate the steps for knitting an i-cord drawstring on your machine. I hope you find this video tutorial helpful and that you learn some new things!

The yarn I use in this tutorial is Lion Brand “Touch of Alpaca” in Blush, the grey shorts pictured use Knit Picks “Brava Worsted” in Cobblestone Heather, and the yarn I used for the knitted pants is Lion Brand “Pound of Love” in Charcoal (and I only used 1 skein!) These are all great options that come in beautiful heather colorways, but any worsted weight yarn you like will work.

If you make either the of these designs please post a photo on Ravelry, or tag me on instagram, @girlyknits! There is nothing I love more than seeing your creations! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Here is a list of times of everything I demonstrate in the video 😊 :

Casting on with waste yarn – 2:59

Using ravel cord – 4:05

Joining main yarn to knit the bottom band – 4:25

Knitting a row of eyelets for a picot hem – 5:07

Picking up and joining the hem – 6:10

Joining Row – 7:26

Knitting the inseam and tips for length – 7:55

Binding off crotch – 8:49

Decreasing at front and back – 11:28

Additional back decreases – 12:16

Removing waste yarn – 13:55

Short Rows – 14:14

Knitting the waistband – 17:44

Eyelet for drawstring – 19:25

Picking up row to join waistband – 20:36

Joining waistband – 24:15

Backstitch bind off – 24:46

Removing shorts from machine – 26:56

Seaming inseam – 27:15

Seaming backs together – 28:50

I-cord drawstring – 30:45

E-wrap cast on – 31:05

Drawstring tips – 32:35

Conclusion – 33:39

💜 Lauren

May 19
2020

How to Knit a Bra Top on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

by Lauren

Hey y’all! Today I am super excited to share my very first machine knitting tutorial! This past Fall I took an intensive machine knitting course at FIT here in New York, and have been obsessed ever since. I purchased an LK150 knitting machine and have had so much fun learning what I can create with it. You can finish most projects in a day which is AMAZING!

I wanted to create a tutorial for the beginner machine knitter, covering some basic techniques that you can do with your machine. I’ve adapted one of my most popular knitting patterns, the “Girly Knits Bra Top”, as it is a great piece to learn and practice on, and it’s super cute!

In the video I show you step by step how to make this design, including casting on, doing mock ribbing, increasing, decreasing, putting your knitting on hold to work one side at a time, and knitting in I-cord (so fast and fun!) I also cover seaming your bra top and using Kitchener stitch to join the front to the back. See the bottom of this post for the times in the video of each technique! The yarn I use in the video is Lion Brand “Pound of Love” in Oxford Grey.

If you don’t have an LK150, no worries at all! These techniques apply to any flat bed knitting machine, and if you get the pattern, I have instructions for adapting this pattern for any yarn/gauge you’re working with. The pattern is called the “Get it Girl” Bra Top which you can find on Ravelry here! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

I didn’t want to leave anyone out, so this pattern is available as a hand knitting pattern too! As this pattern is based off of the “Girly Knits Bra Top“, it is very similar, though this pattern now includes extended sizes, a different back making joining the straps easier, instructions for knitting the pattern flat if you don’t have circular needles, tips for measuring your bust to adjust the pattern to fit your personal cup size, and instructions for how to adapt this pattern to any yarn/gauge. Want to use fingering, sport, or bulky yarn, or create a size not listed in the pattern? No worries! I have included a guide for calculations you can do so you can plug your numbers into the pattern and make it work for you.

I also have a new pattern for a tank dress that uses the same machine knitting techniques covered in the video, available as a machine knitting and hand knitting pattern called the “Dream On” Tank Dress. For this dress I used Knit Picks “Brava Worsted” in Cobblestone Heather.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial! If you make either the “Get it Girl” Bra Top or the “Dream On” Tank Dress, please post a photo on Ravelry, or tag me on instagram, @girlyknits! There is nothing I love more than seeing your creations!

Here are techniques and times in the video 😊:

Casting On: 4:10

Ravel Cord: 7:10

Mock Ribbing: 8:38

Folding and Joining Mock Ribbing: 10:25

Knitting Joining Row: 13:00

Decrease at Left Side: 14:04

Knitting Body of Bra Top: 14:54

Increasing: 15:15

Removing Waste Yarn: 17:55

First Underarm Dec Row: 19:00

Putting Left Side in Holding: 19:40

Decreasing at Underarm and Neckline on Right Side: 20:40

I-Cord Straps: 25:22

Removing Straps from Machine: 27:45

Working Left Side: 28:48

Working Left Strap in I-Cord: 32:35

Finished Front: 33:45

Remove Back from Machine: 34:40

Seaming Sides using Mattress Stitch: 35:29

Joining Strap to Back using Kitchener Stitch: 38:10

Weaving in Ends: 41:52

💜 Lauren

Mar 15
2017

All You Knit is Love Sweater Pattern

by Lauren

Today I am so excited to share that “All You Knit is Love” is now available to download on Ravelry! This sweater pattern was originally designed for The Fiber Factor Knitting Design Contest Challenge #2 “Knit Inside the Box”. We were challenged to design a boxy sweater that incorporated creative colorwork, using up to 8 colors. I thought it would be fun to revisit this design and give you a behind the scenes look at my creative process and inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

Inspiration

When we first got this challenge I was a little overwhelmed with possibility because I LOVE colorwork. If you are familiar with my designs you know that I use colorwork quite frequently, and just love color in general! Because of that, I wanted to experiment with some new techniques that I had not seen done and had never tried out before, and really push myself to be creative.

My first idea was to create a heart argyle pattern using cables. I hadn’t seen it done before in knitting the way I was envisioning it, so I thought it would be fun to try out. Off to swatching I went, and after much trial and error, I figured out a technique I was happy with. Basically there are 2 single cables, and when they cross, there’s an intarsia heart behind them. It’s kindof like you’re knitting love into your sweater, and I loved the idea of that! 🙂

The other inspiration I had for this sweater was to use big block letters to create a bold statement message, a popular trend at the time. I had seen this image of a storefront in Barcelona that I had previously posted about, and it stuck with me – the perfect phrase would be “All You Knit is Love”! I thought it would be fun to play with colorwork inside the letters, and was also very inspired by the trend of bright pastel colors. I had seen images of artwork by pip & pop in one of my trend reports at work, and I was obsessed with the color scheme and wanted to use a similar palette for my design. Fun fact – even though I designed this sweater in 2013, I am still loving pastels! They really stuck with me 🙂

ombre sweater

I had also seen this sweater at Urban Outfitters and loved the idea of creating a similar ombre effect for this challenge. Now that was the challenging part, because we weren’t offered color changing yarns for this challenge. Hmmm….but onto the next step, choosing colors!

Skacel provided us with these awesome swatch cards to choose our desired colors, which they would normally offer to their wholesale clients. It’s not always that we would get the actual yarns to look at and play with, sometimes it was just pictures of the colors, so this was especially nice for this challenge. You could actually take a small cutting of the yarn off the page and place it next to another one – this was beyond helpful in creating my pastel rainbow of colors!

hikoo simplicity color swatches

So I ordered my yarn and hoped for the best. Much to my delight, the colors were beautiful and went really well together!

Execution

Now to figure out how to create the ombre effect I was hoping for. I charted out the block letters and was playing with ideas. My first idea was to have a stippling effect where the colors changed – kind of speckled and fair isle looking. This indeed turned out to look more like fair isle than ombre so I tried again.

I had seen some knitted designs where the yarn was held double with the same color, then held together with the transition color, then to double of the transition color. This technique really seemed to be the most successful in creating a smooth gradient. I hadn’t planned to double ply my yarn with this design though, so I thought, what if I un-plied the yarn to half the plies, did that with the transition color, and then held them together and knitted them?! I tried this out and indeed it worked. Now, this isn’t the easiest or most practical thing to do, but it was a creative solution to the problem and it looked great!

In case you’re wondering what the inside of this sweater looks like…here it is! Needless to say, finishing this chart felt like a HUGE accomplishment! I had a lot of fun, however, watching it take form 🙂 The heart argyle or “heart-gyle” as I like to call it 😉 became a theme in this pattern, which I incorporated into the front, back, and a fun elbow patch!

I also enjoyed adding this mesh lace shoulder insert for some fun and flirtiness 🙂 Now, I have to admit, when I finished this design, I was like yeah, there’s a lot going on, and the judges confirmed that worry! I honestly did just have so many ideas and wanted to use THEM ALL. While I do love all of the bells and whistles and think they ended up working together in a special way, the great thing is that because this is a knitting pattern, you can customize it however you want!

I think it would be fun to have a plain stockinette front with just the words to speak for themselves in the back, to use the heart argyle pattern all over the front and back, or to make the the entire sweater in stockinette and just have a fun pop color of mesh lace at the shoulder inserts. It’s really like you’re getting 3 sweaters in 1 as there’s so many ways you can knit this sweater! You could even knit the shoulder inserts in stockinette in the base sweater color for a more toned down look.

I’ve posted about this sweater a few times on Instagram recently and the message was clear – you want to knit this design! I appologize for not getting it out sooner, I honestly didn’t realize so many people would want to knit it! I am thrilled that you do and CAN’T WAIT to see how you interpret it! The pattern is now available on Ravelry for download here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-you-knit-is-love-heart-gyle-sweater

Happy Knitting!

💜Lauren

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