Barbara Walker, in her Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, called this particular stitch pattern “Portcullis”. In my haste, I have totally ignored her right side / wrong side instructions and ended up with something that is diagonal and not looking anything like the stitch photograph presented in her book (Page 224, if you must know).

According to Barbara, this pattern makes a handsome, symmetrical (remember: I botched it) ribbed fabric resembling crochet. The fabric is free of curl, sturdy, and easy to block; it keeps its shape well.

I used Felted Tweed for this hat, in Crush and Melody, and have enough leftovers for another one. Should you choose to knit this in a solid color, I am sure it’ll look just as lovely. 

My gauge before blocking were 36 sts to 5″, and row gauge can be easily adjusted since this pattern comprises only of 2 rows. Finished dimensions after blocking is 22″ around.

Freebie for all. Go to the pattern page to retrieve instructions for your own. In this day and age when gas prices are high and costs for living continually escalate, it’s nice to get freebies every once in a while. Should you find errors or have questions, you know where to find me

It’s finally complete! 

Pattern: My own, a la Barbara Walker

Materials: 6 balls of Lane Borgosesia Knit USA (660 yds), 1.5 skeins of Cascade 220 in colorway 7814, Sz 10 and 10.5 needles, 8 metal buttons, 6 snap buttons

Notes: This jacket was knit from the top down, at a gauge of 14 sts and 20 rows to 4″. Cascade 220 was held double to obtain the same gauge using Sz 10.5 needles. I measured the width of my back for 13″ and cast on the appropriate number of stitches and short-rowed my way down for the shoulder slopes. Armhole length = 7″. When I reached the appropriate length for pockets, I cast on additional stitches for the pockets and knit down for 5″, and k2tog with the body stitches. No waist shaping for this jacket. Then it’s just more knitting until the desired length. Ribbing for the sleeves, jacket border and short row neck was finished off with tubular cast off. The button bands were knit in garter stitch to prevent curling (trust me, I tried stockinette and that didn’t turn out). I left the jacket untouched for days after blocking because superwash yarn has a tendency to stretch out and that wouldn’t be the best time to seam. Sure enough, the damn thing sprang back into shape after a while and I double checked before sewing the nylon lining in place.

Sewing: I decided that I was too chicken (this time) for a zipper, so I went with my original idea of snap buttons. The inside band was lined with nylon ribbon (ends were fused with a lighter to prevent fraying) to reinforce the jacket. I figured if I am going to pull the bands apart frequently I am going to need something sturdier. Yes, it helps.

Like I said, the pockets were a little high, but it doesn’t detract me from gloating. I like how it looks buttoned all the way up, and also when I leave the first two buttons out. It fits exactly how I imagined it would, and that’s no small feat when it comes to “winging” a pattern. This one is a keeper!

(And what’s a FO without side and back views!)

I’ve had a few inquiries in regards to the Swiss Cheese Scarf over the last few weeks and figured maybe others in blogland may be interested in making one for themselves. This is mindless knitting to the nth degree, but the results are beautiful (if I may say so) and a staple to anyone’s wardrobe.

The general idea is simple: Knit a few rows, bind of a few stitches, cast on the sts that you bound off the previous row, and knit some more. Rinse and Repeat. Pattern: Swiss Cheese Scarf, my own.
Materials: Sz 3 needles, about 800-1000 yds of laceweight yarn
Gauge: not important, but my scarf is about 10-12″ wide after blocking.
Recipe as follows:

CO 110 sts

Rows 1-6: Knit
Row 7: K5 (BO10, K8) 5 times, BO 10, K5
Row 8: K5 (CO10, K8) 5 times, CO 10, K5
Rows 9-14: Knit
Row 15: BO6, K8, (BO10, K8) 5 times, K6
Row 16: BO6, K8, (CO10, K8) 5 times, CO6
Row 17: Knit to end, CO6

Repeat Rows 2-17 until desired length, then BO all sts.

All rights reserved by me. Please use this pattern for your own enjoyment ONLY. Not for resale or distribution unless authorized by me.

I wanted an airy feel to this scarf, and just happened to have a bunch of laceweight yarn sitting in my stash. The same idea can be applied to any weight yarn, but you’d have to cast on fewer number of sts and play with the CO/BO number.

Edit: I’ve received a number of emails due to the holes not lining up properly. Apologies for those who have experienced frustration with this pattern, and special thanks to my readers for spotting the error. Thanks!

The scarf pattern in a downloadable pdf file is now available in the “Patterns” page.

Enjoy!