0 Comments 5 Things I Learned While Knitting

Right, it's been a while now, and I don't really have any soon-to-be-finished projects. The Sacred Geometry project is only like half done, meaning I coloured in three out of six facings, so the next part will only be coming in some time. And my current knitting project, which is a lovely toffee colour cardi with 3/4 sleeves, is still in progress due to one little misfortune of which I'll be sure to tell you later.

Not to keep you waiting too long I decided to write one of these 'counting' posts everyone seems to be so fond of on the Internet. And naturally, I thought I'd write about knitting:

1.     You can never know too much about knitting. I pretty much self-taught myself to knit, and it's been quite a learning curve. Despite the fact I was ok with all the basic stitches from the beginning, I read the pattern left to right instead of right to left. I was tightening cast-offs too much and my cast-ons were too sloppy. Hell, I still have knit stitches turned the wrong way on the needle, but hey, as long as the result is the same!

The point is, no matter for how long you have been knitting, there is probably something out there you don't know yet or something you are doing wrong. And there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I love finding tips that help refine my techniques and make the knitting look neater and more 'professional' if you like. Let alone finding new amazing patterns!

There are plenty of books available on the subject, and Pinterest has just as much helpful knitting info around which you can search. Find yourself a source you like best, and keep learning new things – that is the fun part!

2.      Always knit a pattern sample. And I mean ALWAYS. There was a time when I would see such statement and go pfffff!.... What's the worst that can happen if I don't after all? It just seemed like too much of a hassle, especially if the project was big on its own. However, while an extra couple of inches to the width of a piece wouldn't really matter when you're making a scarf, they most definitely will make a difference in something that requires fitting. Something like a hat, a pair of gloves/mitts or a cardigan.

The thing is, you can't always find the exact same yarn which is suggested in the pattern. A lot of the times you would rather pick your own yarn that would fit your wardrobe's colour scheme. And sometimes you will simply have to work with some leftover yarn or something you got ages ago and thus cannot replenish. Because of that the gauge you get while using suggested needle size may vary.

Nonetheless, suggested needle size is as good a place to start as any, because it might as well fit the yarn perfectly. From there you will instantly see if you need to go up or down a size (half or quarter the size more likely). Most of the time it is trial-and-error process, but soon enough your guesses will become more and more accurate.

3.     You shouldn't dread unravelling your knitting if you made a mistake. Now, that depends on the mistake, obviously. Sometimes all it takes is to drop a single stitch (i.e. drop it from the needle and let it unravel until the place you need to change, then hook the stitches back up with a crochet hook), but sometimes you will need to undo it all and start from scratch.

I have done the latter for a number of reasons, be that changing my mind about the pattern, forgetting what I had planned for a particular piece or making an ultimate mistake of casting on less stitches than it is needed for the piece to fit. The thing is, better do it again and do it right than keep the mistake. Reason one – you will always know it's there even if it's not clearly visible. Reason two – if you make something for someone else you want it to look its very best, especially if that is a gift. Reason three – well, it's ultimately extra practice for you.

I know it means losing some hours of work irreversibly, but believe me when I say you will enjoy the result much better when it's as perfect as it can be.

4.     Blocking is absolutely essential, so do not ignore it. Make all those hours of hard work stand out in a neat and beautifully even piece. There are numerous ways to block your knitting, and it often depends on the type of yarn you used. You can search for different blocking techniques online and pick whichever you think works best.

What I do most of the time is I shape the piece on the ironing board with glass-head pins according to the measurements on the pattern chart and gently steam it with an iron without touching the knitting itself. Then all it takes is to let it cool down completely and voilà!

Blocking not only makes patterns look their best (even if it's plain stockinette stitch all over), but it also helps improve the fitting, especially when you are dealing with sleeves. But don't forget that hats, gloves, mitts and other smaller accessories need blocking too!

5.     Knitting undoubtedly makes perfect gifts, but only when it is done properly. And by properly I mean using quality yarns for quality wearable pieces. Keep it classy, people! No cheap-looking fluorescent yarns which a person would struggle to fit into their wardrobe. No arm-knitting scarves, because quite frankly, that's lazy knitting. No acrylic yarns for winter warmers, since they don't keep you warm and bobble like crazy.

Nothing says you care better than a fine-knitted piece made of good quality yarn in a lovely colour (preferably the one you know a person likes). Whether it is a sweater, a throw or just a pair of wool socks to wear at home. Possibilities are endless! Just make sure you make it with all your love, which I am sure you already do <3


These are just some of the observations and conclusions I made throughout my knitting 'career', and in no way am I claiming them to be a 100% correct.  Some are quite common, others are just something that works for me personally. Either way, it is up to you whether you choose to agree with them or not. Feel free to share what works for you or what you like best about knitting in the comments!

Take care for now,

E.V.

0 Comments Sacred Geometry | Part 2

It has been some time now since Part 1 of this (as it turns out) lengthy project of customising a relatively small desk top chest of drawers from IKEA. As promised, in this post I will be showing you the finished facings of the six drawers with pattern outlines done in pencil. But first, I thought I should tell you why I chose this particular design.

Sacred geometry. The use of geometric patterns in Arabic art emerged only a couple of centuries after the birth of Islam as a religion and culture (circa 7th century CE), and subsequently became one of the most pronounced traits of Islamic art and architectural design. Based mostly on Euclidian "elements", islamic geometry was exploring and building upon the knowledge of the Greeks, creating most fascinating interlacing ornaments from the simplest forms:

To Muslims, these forms, taken together, constitute an infinite pattern that extends beyond the visible material world. To many in the Islamic world, they concretely symbolize the infinite, and therefore uncentralized, nature of the creation of Allah. (Wikipedia)

I think the idea behind it is truly fascinating. And what I found by drawing the patterns myself for the last few days is that the process is rather meditative, too.

Anyway, I am not going to bore you further with talks about the symbolism behind each pattern and each geometric element, but rather let you finally see the photo of six facings of drawers with finished pencil outlines. I wanted each one to have a different design, and that is what I came up with in the end:

1.     For the largest drawer I decided to have something simpler with less lines and messy linking points, and, quite frankly, less work to be done. The inspiration came from photographs of tiling in Seffarine Medersa (Fez, Morocco). As with most other designs, there are quite a few variations of this pattern, mostly changing the size and style of the motifs, sometimes having them overlapping. I chose the simplest, flat mosaic-like design:

Right half of the drawer with the grid and pattern outline

As you can see, it is a horizontal grid-based pattern, where main lines are falling roughly at 60º. Little crossed curved sections all over the pattern are drawn with the help of compasses set on one radius. The outline is then drawn by hand, just like in the other designs.

2.     This drawer features one of the most generic eight-point designs in Islamic geometric art. It is built using tangent circles, various points of which are then connected at different angles to create the multitude of different elements and shapes, like four- and five-point elements, triangles and octagons:

Working the pattern from the centre outwards

From the picture above you can see this pattern has two underlying grids – one going parallel to the shape of the drawer, and the other identical grid tilted by 45º.

3.     This pattern from the walls of Alhambra (Granada, Spain), although very pretty, turned out to be a complete nightmare to make! If you see below, you will notice that it is constructed by filling out the whole surface with interlocking circles that incorporate the twisting trefoil motifs within:

Diagram source here 

It was not difficult to construct conceptually, since it only required a pair of compasses set at a single radius. But I wanted the trefoil motifs to be fairly small, meaning that the radius had to be even smaller (in my case only 7mm), so the biggest struggle was to keep the circles evenly aligned throughout. I managed, in the end, but this pattern took me the longest to complete an outline, even though it was one of the smallest surfaces available.

4.      Originating from 13th century Persian tiling, this pattern is still very common in Islamic geometric art and architectural design, and is commonly referred to as "cross and star":

It is constructed using eight-point geometry, which results in a tessellation of two perfectly interlocking motifs, an eight-point star and a cross (hence the name, duh!). Unlike the previous pattern, this one was possibly the easiest to make.

5.     This pattern has the most unique feel to me, since I saw it first hand on the wall of Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra, India. There some segments of it were, in fact, powdered semi-precious stones rather than tiles. Here, on my little drawer, it will be a bit more humble.

Triangular grid and the beginning of the pattern outline

The pattern is essentially based on a grid of miniature equilateral triangles, where the end design is, again, only one of many possible variations. Here, it is a six-point star encompassed in what appears to be a thick woven border, with smaller hexagonal infills. What I also like about this pattern is that it features some floral elements (constructed with a pair of compasses set on a very small radius), thus differentiating it from the other five.

6.     Finally, the last facing is here! It is the drawer I gave you a preview of in Part 1 of this post, which features the most complex-looking design based on 12-point geometry:

Similarly to the design of drawer 2., it is constructed by first drawing a group of tangent circles. The only difference is that whereas in the other design there were two identical grids built on top of the circles, here there are three – at the right angle, at 30º and at 60º (notice the three superimposed crosses in each circle). You can see that this design is essentially the same, and thus features the same base elements. What I particularly like about this one though, is that it has a lot more stars in it.

Done! Here is the brief description and a more detailed look at each of the six facings for you. I hope reading it was not as exhausting as writing it all up, and I really hope that you share my enthusiasm about the designs! Let me know what you think in the comments ;)

I have already bought (and swatch tested) a set of pearly acrylic colours which I am planning to use on the drawers. Who am I kidding? I have already painted one drawer today! But that will be Part 3 for you, where I will show you the six facings in colour :p

E.V.

0 Comments "A Time to Reap" Mitts

As promised some time ago, I'm sharing the result of knitting some fingerless mitts from Rowan Fine Art yarn I had left from the making of Onerva shawl. I found this lovely pattern from Ravelry on Pinterest (as I would), and I instantly knew what I will be using the leftover yarn on. I followed the pattern in every step, although I did use slightly bigger needles to get the required gauge.

Knitting this model was relatively hassle-free, if you leave out the fact that it took me almost one hour and two failed attempts of knitting the first inch of it to tame the set of double-pointed needles that kept falling out and retreating under a sofa. Although it got easier after some time, I have to admit, I did not master knitting with those, as you can clearly see the ladders on all four sides of each mitt. Quite annoying. But a good thing they're symmetrical.

The pattern is probably the easiest I could pick (although quite tedious since I hate knitting large portions in stockinette stitch), but this simplicity is what attracted me to the pattern in the first place, so no complaining here. Unfortunately the miniature lace insert at the top and bottom got kind of lost in all the colours, but the mitts still ended up looking nice.

Now to the part I kind of dreaded – the thumb gusset. I agree, dreading it would be a big word to use, but since I've never faced such a task before, it felt like a big step for me. In reality it was one of the easiest things, although it did add some volume to the stockinette part. The funniest part was knitting the tiny thumb with only 6-7 stitches on each of the three remaining needles – it turned out looking like a tiny mushroom!

Thumb gusset

Again, since it was my first ever attempt, there can be seen some ladders around the gusset. Well, I'm sure that with these things practice makes perfect, and that in time I will master the art of knitting with perfect tension throughout!

Just like in the original pattern, they come quite high up the arm and are slightly slouchy in the wrist, which creates that effortless comfort look. They work (and look) perfect with 3/4 or half-sleeve tops, keeping the arms fully covered in those colder days and giving them an extra layer under the coat. The fitting is also rather elegant to be able to leave them on indoors where there is no requirement to appear formal. 

Here, I hope you liked them! Take care for now.

E.V.

2 Comments The Story of a Batwing Lace

Today I was faffing about the internet once again looking at awesome potential knitting projects. And that is despite the fact that I currently have two projects in progress, which I am working on from time to time, including a camel wool helm-hat for my mum (winter here is getting colder) and a toffee-coloured cardigan with half-sleeves in textured knit for myself. Both to be shared here once they're done. 

However, thinking of what I could make took an unexpected turn, and I started recollecting what I had already made instead, where I found something I would be nothing less than proud to share with you. 

The story starts more than a year ago, when I decided to knit myself a nice wool sweater in ivory/cream, the decision I made after about two hours and more than a dozen shops visited on Oxford St in London around November. There was absolutely nothing decent of that colour! And whatever had the colour, had wrong style or, what's more important (to me), fabric composition. So, to finish off an otherwise unsuccessful shopping spree, I went to John Lewis and got myself somewhat four balls of Rowan Fine Lace in colour Porcelaine, which I figured would be more than enough for a lacy sweater.

I started knitting a simple model – 1.5-inch rib at the bottom followed by a pretty lacy pattern I found somewhere on the internet. Then, my MBA dissertation happened, and when I picked the project up again in April I had no clue whatsoever what my original plan was! So I unravelled the 8 inches of the back part I had already knitted, and started to research a new, simpler pattern, Online.

I soon found this lace sweater by Vogue Knitting and I absolutely fell in love with it! The pattern is fairly easy, and it is knitted by simply working increase charts bottom-up, then dividing the work in two and knitting some more for the sleeves, and finally joining the two parts together leaving an opening in the middle for the head. Doesn't really get much simpler than this.

To achieve the required gauge I had to knit with two strands of yarn at once, so practically I was only left with two skeins, and I was kind of worried it will not be enough. Not that I couldn't buy more, but I was feeling too lazy to go all the way to John Lewis for just one ball of yarn, plus if I only used a few metres of it I wouldn't know what to do with the rest of it again. Luckily it was enough (possibly since I was knitting the smallest size), although I had to unravel the pattern sample to finish off the seams.

Anyway, after such a lengthy intro, here come the pictures:

The sweater turned out to be very soft and insanely warm, so a good thing the pattern is lacy. Despite the fact that it is a double-strand 100% wool knit, it is very gentle on the skin and slouchy batwing sleeves make it rather cosy. Just what you need when the weather is less than perfect in those colder months.

The only thing I kind of wish was different is the sweater being cropped just at the waistline, which makes it quite difficult to match with the bottoms without showing some skin (which I dislike solely for the reason that the open parts feel uncomfortably colder). I usually end up wearing it with a high-waist pencil skirt, just like the one in the pictures, or with anything high-waist, really. Otherwise, I think it is one of those perfect pieces. Its soft and neutral ivory colour is easy to match, and the simple yet elegant design fits many styles and moods.

Let me know what you think in the comments ;)

E.V.

0 Comments Sacred Geometry | Part 1

When I just moved back to Russia I faced a problem of scarce storage space for some of my everyday junk. For everything, really, but the tiny desk I got for myself absolutely positively could not afford to have a pile of make-up products, hair accessories and sunglasses simply resting on it collecting dust. The simplest solution was soon found in IKEA (yes, again), with this lovely mini-chest of drawers made of untreated wood. Not only it takes up relatively little space on my desk, but it also fits all the small junk just fine. Another good thing about it is that you can re-arrange the six drawers whenever and however you like or need.

There was only one problem: how on Earth was I going to give it a custom design?

Not because I couldn't, no. But there were simply too many options. Should I make random doodles with a sharpie hoping they would make a nice pattern? Should I imprint newspapers on them? Should I cite something? Colour-block? Draw something to show what's inside? And many other creative things one can think of doing with six facings of untreated wood. It all was getting a bit too overwhelming, so I shelved the whole idea of doing anything with them at all.

That was until a few days back, when my post-New-Year's-Eve-celebration brain had a sudden epiphany – Islamic geometry!

Having visited the North of India a few months back, where one can see a strong influence of the muslim Mughal Empire, particularly in architecture (including such wonder as Taj Mahal), I finally saw first-hand the fascinating Islamic art with its lacy masonry, architectural grandeur and simple yet at the same time very elaborate geometric patterns. The latter probably had the strongest effect on me. My eyes would find it hard to rest, following the narrow lines around the tiling only to find that those lines are infinite. It was somewhat of a unifying dance of simplest geometric shapes, skilfully combined together to form something much grander. Breathtaking.

So I thought, what could possibly stop me from making six little replicas of Islamic tiling like those of Taj Mahal, Alhambra, and many others, on the facings of the drawers? The fact that I have never made one pattern like that maybe? No problem at all – with a little help from Pinterest, arming myself with a pair of compasses, a triangular ruler and enough pencils, I began 'drafting' the patterns on paper.

My idea is to draw a different style on each of the six facings, plus have the top surface as well as the sides covered in a more simplistic design (possibly including the arabesque border, which is the name for a floral ornament). I am still not sure what I want to do with it in terms of colours, but I'm sure some ideas will come along the way.

Not to leave you empty-handed in terms of pictures, here are some snaps of my current progress on the design of the first (medium-sized) drawer:

12-point circular pattern

Beginning to transfer the outline on the drawer facing. Same pattern in the background

Finished outline

This project is a massive amount of work, so I probably won't be able to maintain a certain frequency with which I'll be putting up the following Parts. However, I can promise you that I won't drop this project since I got way too into it already :) Anyway, in Part 2 I was planning to talk a little bit more about the designs and their meanings, and show you the complete six facings pre-colour, so stay tuned for more!

E.V.