As I was searching for help knitting the Turtle Dove pullover, I discovered that the designer, Espace Tricot. They used to offer all their pattern for free. They now charge for many of them. Some are still free.
I am attempting to update this page, but be aware that things change, and I can’t always keep up with what yarn shops and designers over time.
I am knitting the Turtle Dove sweater – even though I swore I would not knit another sweater this year – I lie to myself a lot. After having trouble figuring out the pattern in the beginning, I am now zipping along with the knitting. I have a page with helpful info about that pattern here.
Shawl and Scarf Patterns
I also have decided that shawls are a waste of time right now because I live in a hot, humid climate where I would never wear one. But shawls and scarves are perfect for knitting practice.
Espace Tricot has many very pretty shawls that seem to cover the spectrum from simple to more advanced.
The Eveil shawl looks quite simple with knits and purls. It’s a triangle shape so it’s easy to wear like a pointy scarf. Nearly any type or color of yarn would work.
If you feel like upping your game a bit, Fleur is a pretty triangle shawl that contains bobbles – I’ve never tried that – and is worked holding two yarns together.
What I really like is that the designers offer more difficult patterns (IMO) as well. That way you get to learn new things and expand upon your knitting abilities. The Fast Track scarf is one that looks very simple, yet because you carry a contrast stripe up the side of the scarf, which for me would be a new technique.
Some of my favorite patterns from Espace Tricot, added to my list of “things to knit” would be:
Flying Solo cowl – knit holding two fingering yarns together to create a gradient. This cowl splits at the bottom to fit on the shoulders! Would make a nice gift.
Ombre Tank – Here’s one I might be able to actually wear.
Petits Pins – baby blanket with lace. I have no babies to knit for, but I do like this blanket. There is a matching Baby Bonnet as well.
Last year I searched for a hunter orange yarn so I could knit hats for my kids who live in New Hampshire. Whenever hunting season is open – and it is regularly open year round for various animals in NH – walkers, hikers, bikers and anyone who ventures into the wilderness needs to wear hunter orange, aka safety orange, or an equally bright color.
Last year I was unsuccessful in finding the perfect, brightly colored yarn. This year I believe I have found it!
I came across the colorway “Kid You Not” by Hedgehog Fibres, in aran worsted weight and took a chance and bought two skeins from Eat, Sleep, Knit. Later, I found it at Wool and Company and was a bit less expensive. Hedgehog Fibres yarn is hand-dyed and comes from Ireland. It is beautiful, but pricey. What I also love is that it is superwash. Some people I knit for will not hand wash.
Pattern photo of “Habitat”Colorway “Kid You Not”
Knitting the Cabled Hat “Habitat”
Because the yarn is a semi-solid color I wanted to knit some cables. I searched through many cable hat patterns and ended up with the “Habitat” by Jared Flood. I’ve knit his “Skiff” cabled hat a few times, so I suspected this pattern would be similar, and it is.
I love the way the cables criss-cross up the hat, but that means lots of various cables to do all throughout the project. I do okay until I have to switch and use the DPNs, but the end product is always worth the work.
Shorten the Cable Descriptions
This pattern is charted only, which can be a bit intimidating, but not too tough to figure out. Every cable used is listed on the right-hand side of the chart, with a description of how to make that cable. The chart and cable description prints out on the same page.
The printing is tiny – too tiny for those of us with older eyes to see well – so I use a pen and make each cable easier to read at a glance. This can be seen beneath the pencils in my photo below.
For instance: C3Lp = Slip 2 stitches to CN (cable needle) and hold in front. Purl 1, and knit 2 from the CN. That description is written out, but I make my note to simply say: 2F, P1, K2. When I get to this cable stitch in the pattern, a quick glance tells me what to do.
Creating my easy-to-read chart using color coding
Coloring the Cable Chart
The next order of business before knitting this cable design, is to get out the colored pencils. I’m sure some tech-savvy people can do this using some sort of spreadsheet, but I color the chart by hand. (I do use Knit Companion and I think this can be done with “Magic Markers” in the program, but I haven’t tried it. I do like having a paper printout too, just in case technology is down.)
Next, I go through each cable listed and find it on the chart. Each of the seven various cables used in this knit will get it’s own color coding. Doing this is time consuming, but totally worth the effort. The C3Lp cable which I mentioned, is colored pink for my chart, so every time I come to a pink colored cable in the pattern, I know at a glance to do 2F, P1, K2 ……. 2F (hold 2 front on CN), P1 (purl 1 from the normal needle), K2 (knit 2 from the cable needle).
When I am knitting each row from the chart, I use a sticky note to mark my place. I find this way of knitting the cables to be quite easy to follow.
Needle Sizes I Used
This hat is being knit for my daughter who has a small head. The hat is offered in two sizes, but that only means the length will change, not the diameter. Because of this, I dropped down a needle size and used a size 6US to cast on and knit the short brim. In general, I am a tight knitter, so I hope that will help with size reduction. I switched to size 8US for the cables.
The difference between the Small / Medium and Large sizes is a cable section which is done right after the brim. Choose the shorter, Chart A for S/M or the longer Chart B for size L. Whichever chart is chosen, it will be knit only once. This is a set up section before moving on to the longer, main hat chart.
Habitat Hat Knitting Photos
After a few inches of knitting, the cables begin to show. There are a lot of cables to do in this pattern. The yarn is beginning to remind me of Cheetos!
Switched to DPN’s on row 25 which is not a cable row, to make things easier.
Cabling on the DPN’s and keeping track of the cable sections got a bit difficult, but I hate DPN’s in general.
Beginning the crown decreases“Habitat” HatCrown on “Habitat”
The Gift
Gifted this hat to my daughter who wore it on a New Hampshire hike in Fall!
My Last Remarks About Knitting “Habitat”
Loved the pattern and the yarn. Although this hat comes in “two sizes” there is not much difference between them. I may go up a needle size if I want to make a larger hat, but cables are stretchy.
I know from my experience knitting Jared Flood’s “Skiff” hat that I can do cables. This hat was similar, but was a quicker knit because there is no long brim.
Brooklyn Tweed patterns are full of information but sometimes it’s spread out on various pages. It is imperative that time is taken to read through the entire pattern carefully before beginning any project. I take a highlighter and mark all the important information as I read.
I used the sm/med size which makes the hat shorter only, and not by much. I knit it for my daughter, but for myself, I would knit the large size to make it a bit taller – only 4 more rows, so not a huge difference. I may do a rolled brim next time.
Getting the shot!
It’s fun to experiment with photography and as soon as I finish weaving in the ends (and sometimes before that!) I grab the iPhone and begin to get the shots that will be added to this blog and my Ravelry project page.
Learning the importance of knitting a swatch and keeping that info for later. It’s not a waste of time, but a necessary part of knitting patterns.
I’ve been seriously knitting (as much as possible) for a couple of years now. I still consider myself a newbie to the knitting world. The more I knit, the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. (Photo at top: Miss Babs sends along this little bits of yarn to try out whenever I place an order, which I think is so cool!)
I want to say that I am a beginner in many ways. Swatching and getting gauge is still something I need to work on. I am searching for information on these subjects myself. This page is full of good links to help me as much as any reader.
Swatching is Not a Waste of Time
When I first began to read about swatching I thought it was going to be a tremendous waste of time. And then I would just have to unravel the swatch before I began knitting the item. What was this gauge thing and how off could I be? Plus, I really didn’t understand how to make a swatch.
This Very Pink Knits video was very helpful in making me understand more about making swatches.
Tie Knots For Needle Size Used When Swatching
In the Very Pink Knits video above, around 7:15, she will show you this handy trick to remember needle size used when swatching. Leave a long tail and tie one knot for each size. In my swatch samples below you can see I have 5 and 7 knots tied which means the dark green swatch was knit in a size 5 (US) and the lighter was knit with a size 7.
Knots in the tail represent needle size used
I was thinking about swatching incorrectly. Each swatch can be kept as a reference to go back to and use when knitting something in the future. A swatch, made correctly, can be stored with other swatches to build an inventory over time. Of course labeling each one is important to remember the yarn used, needle size, etc.
Tags can be used to save swatch info, but must be attached to each swatch
Gauge is found by counting stitches across and also rows (up and down). Rows aren’t as important for scarves or items that can be a bit longer or shorter without a problem.
Brooklyn Tweed: Swatching 101 includes circular swatching
Changing needle size will help with gauge. Most times I need to go up a needle size to get gauge. This means I knit tightly and get more stitches in my 4 inch swatch count than there should be. When I go up to a bigger needle my stitches are bigger so there are fewer within the measurement. The type of yarn can also be a factor.
As you can imagine, not all knitwear designers knit the same, and they probably don’t knit the same way you do. And if you change yarn type – that matters too! This is why gauge is important to figure out before knitting something like a sweater. Pattern designers will give you the recommended gauge and you keep trying to knit swatches until you get that gauge – or very close to it.
Convert suggested needle sizes using this excellent chart (link below) which lists US, metric, and UK / Canadian sizes.
I’ve been caught in the trap of yarn buying and now I am overloaded with the stuff! Self control and knitting from my stash has worked while Covid kept my income too low to have much fun. I’m no longer a crazy yarn buyer!
No one ever told me I would have this problem when I began knitting. I would become a crazy yarn buyer.
All knitters probably have the over-buying bug when it comes to yarn. Yarn is pretty….very pretty. The more you realize the options available, you feel like you must try it all. Every skein, ball and hank will eventually be used to knit something … you tell yourself.
Sales Are Deadly
Sales are the absolute worst! Pattern sales are totally worth it, but yarn on sale, that I can’t pass up, will need a place to live in my small house. I’ve bought yarn in bulk even though I wasn’t crazy about the color. It would be cute as a sweater, right? And look at this self-striping yarn for making socks! It doesn’t matter that I had never knit socks, I might one day.
Eventually I created a short list (in my head) of what I like to knit, and which yarns were my favorites. Now, the choices don’t seem so overwhelming. I bypass sales on yarn I never use. There is a lot of “good” yarn out there, so I stick with patterns that would use my favorite types of yarn.
Jamieson & Smith wool skeins of yarn
I’ve come to love colorwork. Hats, mittens, cowls and other little projects that require use of two or more colors have become a favorite. Thin (fingering) wool yarn in smaller skeins are affordable and very useful and pretty for such projects. Jamieson and Smith’s small skeins are so affordable! And all those colors make me drool.
New Hampshire Travels
I’ve been vacationing in New Hampshire and have realized that fingerless mitts would have come in handy here! I could easily take iPhone photos without removing my mittens if I wore a pair of mitts, which I have knit, but didn’t bring. I could wear them for warmth in my chilly rental. So new colorwork mitts are on my to-do knitting list.
Now I buy a lot less yarn. I’ve accumulated bunches and don’t have a lot of space to store it. I guess having a big house could be a downfall for knitters with a lack of self-control and money to spend.
It comes down to being realistic. Knitting takes time. Before I get to that project I once loved, I have come across other patterns I love even more, and yarn needs change. You know what I am saying here. The yarn bought on sale gets pushed to the back of the drawer or bin and new yarn is added.
Left mitt done
Same pattern with different cuffs
Finished the Oulu Mitts before the end of 2020
Last year (Covid year) reduced my income greatly, so yarn buying had to cease. It was the perfect chance to find patterns where I could use up my yarn stash, or at least make a dent.
This is where I pat myself on my back for doing a fairly good job of sticking to my self-imposed no-buying rule! I caved when I needed a comfy and warm sweater for my trip and bought lots of Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter yarn to knit the Cobblestone Cardigan. I’m wearing it during my trip – a lot! So, I’m happy about that. My daughter is modeling the sweater below.
My daughter wearing the Cobblestone Cardigan and Katie’s Kep
If I Wear It, I must Like It
Living in a hot climate means I seldom get the chance to wear what I knit. When I visited a cold place for a few weeks, it was easy to see how much I would wear certain hand knits. The Cobblestone sweater is big and bulky and perfect to wear over anything.
And another item I brought was the neck wrap, which is a crescent shaped shawl. I have used that to keep my neck warm numerous times. Once I was back in Florida, everything was washed and stored away. Sadly, I won’t get much chance to wear those items again.
Sock Yarn Overload
Unfortunately I have lots of sock yarn – washable fingering in merino wool. I bought sock yarn back when I was simply buying yarn because it was pretty! I had no idea what I would use it for.
Now, I want nylon added to wool for knitting socks. I want earthy, rustic wool for warm clothing and colorwork. Sock yarn is often used for shawls, which I really have no use for.
Lime green sock yarn
Hedgehog Fibres “Beach Bunny” sock yarn
Practically Perfect Sock yarn by Emma’s Yarn in two tropical blue colors
Wool yarn from Finland – pretty colors but quite scratchy
Pretty purples
I’ve made progress in my knitting life by whittling down my list of must haves. I no longer randomly buy pretty yarn. I don’t knit to impress others online, or join in when everyone seems to be knitting “it”. If I won’t ever wear it, I won’t knit it. KAL’s were fun at first, but I’d rather knit on my own. And some patterns that go viral don’t interest me.
A lack of income has prevented me from buying this year, but I have a lot of yarn staring at me from the bins!
New England's Narrow Road 