Category Archives: CAPELET

NEW Manos del Uruguay Serpentina

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Manos del Uruguay Serpentina

I came across Manos del Uruguay Serpentina on a distributor’s website while I was browsing through their patterns and BAM! I saw it and thought “What IS that?! WHY is that?! What is THAT??!!!” Pattern after pattern, it knit up so consistently stunningly (plus Manos is an ethical company with a great track record) …. It’s the holidays, and we could all use a little extra cheer this year, so I got some!

Manos del Uruguay Serpentina is a stunning artisanal experience … its both hand dyed and handspun, which automatically makes it both scrumptious and glorious. Gorgeous colours run throughout the yarn at random which enhances its tactile quality. The result is a fabric that is soft and squishy to the touch with plush stitch definition.

  • 100% Merino Wool
  • 100g/120m (131 yds) 
  • Aran to Bulky Weight
  • 15 to 16 sts = 4″/10cm
  • 4.5mm/US7 to 5.5mm/US9 needles
  • Hand wash, lay flat to dry
  • Made in Uruguay

Chimel

A simple toque takes on new dimension with this stunning yarn

Materials

Double Seed Stitch Scarf

Sometimes the simplest is also the most effective. A double seed stitch is just knits and purls. Be sure to keep track of your rows, and if you aren’t a pro at fixing mistakes try inserting a Lifeline every time you complete Row 4.

Materials

Minimalist Hat

Keep it simple – this hat pattern is actually a great little go to – it’s written for 4 thicknesses of yarn (DK, worsted, aran & chunky).

Materials

Shoulder Cozy

This shoulder cozy (or capelet) is soft, light, airy, and oh so cozy! Wear it over your shoulders or around your neck as a cowl.

Pattern Notes

Don’t be tempted to work another cast-on method here. You really do want the stretch of the e-loop around the bottom where it will hit both your bust and your arms. At the same time, don’t work a traditional bind-off on this piece. Follow our instructions and work it loosely. If you have to, pull it out and try again. You’re after a relaxed, stretchy neck edge so that you can style the finished piece in a variety of ways.

Size

  • Without cowl: Approx. 9 ( 11, 16, 18)”/ 23 (28, 41, 46)cm long when laid flat, after blocking.
  • With cowl: Approx. 13 1/2 (16 1/2, 24, 26)”/34 (42, 61, 66 )cm long when laid flat, after blocking.
  • To fit 4-7 year old (8-12 year old, Adult S/M, Adult L/XL).
  • Instructions are given for 4-7 year old size, with larger sizes in parentheses ().
  • Shown in Adult S/M with cowl. We knit this Shoulder Cozy in Color 1562, which is no

Materials

Hanmora

Colour and texture come alive in a basic hat

Materials

NEW PROJECT Getting Warmer

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The sweater in this picture is Carbeth, made with Cascade Eco Peruvian Tones

Getting Warmer

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get this project out to you (it’s been in the store window for a couple of weeks already) – you know how it goes … Life! Anyway, I thought it would make a great little neck accessory as the temperature drops. I love little shoulderettes, they’re so cosy and are great for changing seasons.

This one is Getting Warmer, a FREE pattern, and we made it with a yarn that’s new for us, Illimani Llama II. Illimani is a little company located in Quebec that imports gorgeous yarns from South America, especially alpaca and other camelids, like llama.

The pattern is pretty straight forward and is fairly accessible for beginners (depending on your level of beginnerness, of course). The ‘special’ skills include knit & purl in the same row, working in the round on circular needles, decreasing, and reading a pattern. Basically, if you can make a hat, you can make a Getting Warmer. The project works up on 6mm/US10 needles, so I think it qualifies as a “small, achievable goal”.

BTW, many thanks to Adrienne for doing the heavy lifting on this project!

Yarn Options

The yarn we used, Illimani Llama II, was a delight! It is super soft and is made from 100% de-haired llama, so it basically feels like baby alpaca (de-haired means that when the fibre is being processed the coarser parts of the coat are removed, leaving only the soft undercoat).

Other yarns options:

Cascade Eco Merino: one skein of Cascade Eco Merino would make an entire Getting Warmer, which would be pretty economical at $38.

Drops Air: two skeins of Drops Air would make a looser, more relaxed look, and the price tag would look sweet at under $20.

Diamond Baby Alpaca Sport: three skeins of super soft ‘n sexy Diamond Baby Alpaca Sport would make a neckie-thingie you’ll want to cozy up next to at the bar and offer to buy it a drink.

Berroco Vintage Chunky: three skeins of Berroco Vintage Chunky will get the job done with style and grace for people who are sensitive to wool or are really good at wrecking things by putting them in the washing machine.

Mineville Merino 2ply: If you want a little colour, you can still scoop up 3 skeins of Mineville Merino 2ply from our Clearance section!

Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk: if you want mega texture, go for a super soft mohair effect with Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk. For a loose, airy texture knit with a single strand (3 skeins), and for a denser, warmer fabric work with 2 strands held together (6 skeins). Both options are super affordable, from $18 to $36.

Materials

Needle Hack

If you don’t already have these needles in your kit, you might be interested in some Knitter’s Pride Interchangeable needles: you just buy one set of 3.5″ tips and two cords, and it saves having to purchase two separate circular needles. But note, you MUST get shorter tips that are 3.5″ to 4″ long! Any longer and they won’t work with the 16″ cord:

If you prefer Addi needles, they also make interchangeable tips that are the right length:

These shorter needles are ideal for making hats, neck things, baby things, and will always work with the longer cords from their respective brand. If you’re feeling like why not dive in and buy a whole set with a bunch of sizes (its usually more affordable than buying them one size at a time), here are a few brands who make them in the right size:

Short Interchangeable Needle Sets (with 3.5″ to 4″ tips)

FREEBIE Urchin Cowl

urchin-cowl-2

Urchin Cowl

Our latest pattern, Urchin, is a simple, textured cowl that can be worn around your neck or shoulders. We used soft and cozy Estelle Alpaca 60, but we know how you like to switch things up and use different yarns so we wrote the pattern for three different thicknesses of yarn. Urchin makes a fast, simple project and a great gift!

Size

  • width: 18”/46cm)
  • height: 11”/28cm

Materials: 3.5 sts/inch

Materials: 2.5 sts/inch

  • Estelle Alpaca 60 (100g/60m-65yds): 4 skeins
  • 8mm-32” circular needles
  • 7mm-32” circular needles
  • 1 stitch marker
  • darning needle
  • FREE Pattern

Materials: 1.5 sts/inch

 

urchin-cowl-combo

GAMBIT & Knit Hack

Gambit Rasta 1

Gambit

Gambit is a great little capelet designed to be worn OVER outerwear – clever and stylin’! It’s knit in super bulky yarn, so it’s a satisfying, quick little knit. We used Malabrigo Rasta, we couldn’t *not* indulge in it’s ridiculous softness and depth of colour. If Rasta is a bit too precious for your needs you can also use Cascade Lana Grande or Brown Sheep Burly Spun (see below).

Gambit Rasta COMBO

Notes on the Pattern

This pattern involves a few techniques that newbies might be unfamiliar with (short rows, provisional cast on, grafting/kitchener stitch) and is not for the absolute beginner – an advanced beginner should be fine with it.

The shaping is created with short rows, so you’ll have to be diligent and keep track of your rows. I found that I didn’t like the type of short row technique used in the pattern, it left gaps (I don’t know if this is because I used a different yarn than the original design). I changed to regular, old fashioned Wrap & Turn (W&T) short rows. Luckily, in garter stitch you don’t need to unwrap short rows, which makes things much easier. I worked to one stitch less than the number specified for the short row in the pattern, wrapped the next stitch, and turned.

KNIT HACK: To help keep track and stay oriented I put a locking stitch marker in the stitch every time I did a short row.

The garment is knit flat and joined together using kitchener stitch – anther happy discovery was that grafting in garter stitch is a bit simpler than in stocking stitch. You are going to start the project with a provisional cast on (a cast on using scrap yarn), I like using the crochet or ‘chained’ cast on method, the scrap yarn comes out extremely easily.  I wove in the ends using duplicate stitch and you can’t see them at all!

One more thing,  full disclosure – I accidentally used the wrong size needles (9mm/US13). Yup, even knitting store owners grab the wrong size on occasion. The capelet came out fine after blocking (our mannequin is on the small size and doesn’t move around much), but you should use 10mm/US15 needles to get the appropriate tension.

Yarn Options

Malabrigo Rasta: 3(4) skeins

Cascade Lana Grande: 4 skeins

Brown Sheep Burly Spun: 3 skeins

Other Materials

Shop Online Button Turquoise 250w

Gambit Rasta COMBO TRIO

Shaped Capelet with Braided Cables

 

Shaped Capelet with Braided Cables

I love this little garment, it’s the perfect cover to throw over your shoulders for chilly fall days. It’s knit sideways and includes some very cleverly hidden shaping (which creates gentle drape and and unfussy, elegant fit.

Size

  • circumference at lower edge: 38 ½ (44 ¾, 51 ¼)””
  • length from top of neckband to front hemline: 13 ½ (14 14 ½)”
  • length from top of neckband to back hemline: 16 ½ (17, 17 ½)”
  • shown in smallest size

 

Yarn Options

Berroco Vintage:  4 (5, 6) skeins

Cascade Eco:  2 skeins

Malabrigo Mecha:  4 (5, 6) skeins

 

Other Materials

  • 6mm/US10-24″ circular needles
  • 5mm/US8-24″ circular needles
  • Tapestry needle
  • cable needle
  • stitch markers
  • 5.5mm-I/9 crochet hook
  • Pattern via Ravelry/Interweave

 

Shop Online Button Turquoise 250w

 

Indispensable Capelet

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I love the look of this Capelet! It’s such a beautiful yet simple application of Malabrigo Rios. The only hitch is the pattern is written in French, but if you are comfortable with a little translation it’s an easy peasy project! Here are a few hints: rang = round/row, maille/s = stitch/es.



L’Indispensable chauffe-épaules

(Indispensable Capelet)

  • 3 to 4 skeins Malabrigo Rios
  • 5mm-29″ circular needles (or 24″)
  • 5mm-16″ circular needle, or double pointed needles, or use magic loop

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com!


New Free Pattern: Easy Mobius Capelet

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Easy Mobius Capelet Pattern by Haley Waxberg

Download FREE pattern HERE

The pattern is very simple, fast, and satisfying for time when you just need to produce something FAST. It is knit in the round using a really long circular needle and a nifty little cast on just for mobius knitting. To learn this easy new skill you can watch Cat Bohrdi’s great Intro to Mobius Knitting tutorial on you tube. Cat’s instructions are clear and easy to follow and you’ll be an expert in no time! The yarn we’ve used is handpainted. It is soft and has a slight sheen because of it’s silk content. Please note that silk has a tendency to grow with wear, so if you want your cowl bigger I suggest you block it bigger and if you want it smaller either subtract some sts from the cast on or reduce your needle size. That said, the look is big, loose and casual and it’s easy to go with the flow of this garment. If you want to make the cowl wider without using more yarn work exclusively in the knit stitch: the cowl won’t be reversible but ribbing sucks up yarn.

Size
S(M, L)
To fit 32-34 (36-38, 40-42) inch bust
To fit average North American dress size 4-6(8-10, 12-14)
Sample was made in size large and pinned at the back to fit out size small mannequin

Materials
4 skeins Manos Silk Blend, colour 3119, Adobe (50g, 135m/150yds; 30% silk, 70% extra fine merino wool) 8mm/36″ (longer is good) circular needles 1 Stitch Marker

Gauge
holding 2 strands together, in knit 4 rows, purl 4 rows rib
12 sts & 20 r = 4″/10cm

Techniques
Intro to Mobius Knitting tutorial by Cat Bohrdi on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4

Copyright © 2008
Knit-O-Matic, all rights reserved. No pattern of other material may be
reproduced or distributed – mechanically, electronically, or by other
means, including photocopying – without written permission of
Knit-O-Matic. Pattern is for personal use only and not to be used to
create items for commercial sale. Author Haley Waxberg. For pattern
corrections see our website at http://www.knitomatic.com.