Bump in the Night

Designed by Amy King

I love a thick-and-thin yarn, but many people get stuck wondering what to make out of it. This shawl is a funky, warm, and interesting way to use that wonderful, squishy singles yarn.

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Abbreviations

Spinning Notes

Spinning thick and thin is a lot about spinning incorrectly. You make the best lumps and bumps by pulling too far back into your fiber supply. Just a little too far back, and it will make your spinning perfectly uneven.

Knitting Notes

This shawl is worked side to side, first increasing to the center and then decreasing to the other end. You can work it two different ways. I’ve given directions for specific sizes and stitch amounts for the increases. If you’re worried about not having enough yarn, however, or if you know you have more than enough and would like a larger shawl, you can divide your yarn in half, and then use half to create the section of the shawl with the increases and the other half to decrease and finish the shawl, skipping the even section in the middle. Either way, you will have a lovely shawl in the end.

Pattern Stitches

Cable Edging

(worked flat over 11 stitches)

Row 1 (RS): P1, C6R, k3, p1.

Row 2 and all WS rows to Row 8: K1, p9, k1.

Row 3: P1, k9, p1.

Row 5: P1, k3, C6L, p1.

Row 7: K1, p1, k9.

Knitting the Shawl

First Section

Second Section

Third Section

Finishing

Tetris Pullover

Designed by Julia Farwell-Clay

This slightly boxy drop-shoulder pullover uses a modular construction to highlight organically occurring color shifts from the random spinning of space-dyed roving.

Sizes

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Abbreviations

Spinning Notes

From Beth Smith, spinner:

For this yarn, I focused on what Julia wanted to happen with the colors, which was to have them as mixed up as possible. I spun a few yards from the full thickness of the top — short forward draw but with a light pinch — and sent her photos. We talked about color repeats and how long she wanted each color bit to be. We decided that I should strip the top in half so that the color lengths would be shorter and change more often. When plying there was some color matching, but the overlapping of different colors was desirable for this particular sweater.

I spun this yarn with a light pinch because Romney is a heavier wool and can make a dense yarn pretty easily. I didn’t want to compress the yarn too much: I wanted a lighter and airier yarn without the woolen surface.

From Julia Farwell-Clay, designer:

When I originally spun the sample yarn for this sweater it was a DK-weight yarn with the colors as marled as possible. I ended up being pressed for time to both spin and design this sweater, so I asked my friend Beth Smith to spin the yarn for me. What Beth sent was a lighter-weight yarn than I would have spun for myself. This ended up being a wise decision on her part, as the Romney made for a lofty yet slightly crisp yarn.

After swatching, I decided to loosen up both the gauge and the profile of my original sweater idea, knitting the sport/fingering yarn closer to a gauge one might think better suited for a heavier yarn. The resulting fabric allowed the yarn to drape a little, which was suited to a slightly boxy, easy-to-wear shape. A fiber with a different character, like Merino or a silk blended with Bluefaced Leicester, for example, would be equally suitable for this project, so long as it is spun to a yarn that makes a pleasant knitted fabric at the recommended knitted gauge.

Knitting Notes

The sweater is worked flat and in front, back, and sleeve pieces. The front and back are worked modularly, then joined at the shoulder using a three-needle bind off. Hem and neck stitches are picked up after seaming and worked in the round. Sections are named according to their position on the sweater as it will be worn. In other words, a so-called Right section may appear on either the right or left of the working fabric, depending on if a right-side or wrong-side row is being worked, so sections will be referred to by their “as-if-being-worn” position.

Knitting the Sweater

Lower Front Left

Lower Front Right

Upper Front Left

Front Neck Left Shaping

Upper Front Right

Front Neck Right Shaping

Lower Back Panel

This section is worked side to side.

Upper Back Panel

Sleeves

(make 2)

Finishing

Knitting the Neck

Hem Edge

Wenny Shawl

Designed by Amy King

Singles yarns come in all sizes. This shawl shows off the skinnier side of singles. Much like its thicker cousin (see Bump in the Night), this shawl has a single cable accenting the edge, this time with a bit more openness and toothiness.

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Abbreviations

Spinning Notes

This fiber is a little tricky: you need to spin to the staple length. This is a great thing to remember. When you work with Wensleydale, pull out a bit and look at it. It’s long! It really doesn’t need a super lot of twist to hold together. Spinning this low twist for singles should be a dream. Set that wheel to pull in faster to help remind you to let go quicker than you would for other fibers.

Knitting Notes

This shawl is worked side to side, first by increasing to the center and then by decreasing to the other end. It can be worked two ways. I’ve given directions for specific sizes and stitch amounts to increase to, but if you’re worried about the amount of yarn you have or you know you have more and want a larger shawl, you can divide your yarn in half. Use half to create the first (increase) part of the shawl, and then use the other half to create the second half of the shawl. Either way you will have a lovely shawl in the end.

Pattern Stitches

Shark Tooth

(worked flat over 3 stitches, increased to 8)

Row 1 (and all odd-numbered rows through row 11): Knit all stitches.

Row 2: Slip 1, yo, k2.

Row 4: Slip 1, yo, k3.

Row 6: Slip 1, yo, k4.

Row 8: Slip 1, yo, k5.

Row 10: Slip 1, yo, k6.

Row 12: Bind off 5 (1 stitch remains on right needle), k2.

Cable

(worked flat over 6 stitches)

Row 1 (RS): P1, k4, p1.

Row 2 (and all even-numbered rows through Row 6): K1, p4, k1.

Row 3: P1, C4R, p1.

Row 5: P1, k4, p1.

Knitting the Shawl

Increase Section

Note: While the body of the shawl is gaining only 1 stitch per right-side row, sometimes the edging will be gaining a stitch as well and sometimes losing 5.

Note: If you are working this shawl with two balls of yarn instead, ensure you end this section close to the end of the first ball, ending after row 12 of Shark Tooth edging.

Decrease Section

Finishing

La Cuerda

Designed by Laura Nelkin

Knit jewelry is an excellent way to use up smaller bits of handspun. La Cuerda, a long sinuous rope, plays with a new technique Laura developed for working beaded I-cord. Beads are placed on stitches to create rings of sparkle around the entire I-cord strand. The beads are added individually on regular stitches and in sets of three on elongated stitches, creating a pattern of color and texture throughout the strand. It’s incredibly addictive to experiment with the placement of color. Start to play, and see what you come up with — the possibilities are endless! La Cuerda is long enough to be worn wrapped two or three times around the neck and is easily adjusted to make it longer or shorter.

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Spinning Notes

From Carol Knox, spinner

This was fantastic fiber to play with and a beautiful colorway. I spun this short forward draw, drafting back and forth across the top in a worsted style with no twist in the drafting triangle. It made a beautiful, smooth, yet very soft yarn — one of the nicest I’ve spun. 

Knitting Notes

Working I-cord. I-cord needs to be worked on double-pointed needles, as follows:

Wrapping yarn. Insert the right needle into the next stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn twice around the right needle at its widest circumference, and then knit the stitch. When you encounter these wrapped stitches on the next round, drop the extra wrap, creating an elongated stitch.

Placing beads. With super floss, crochet hook, or Beadle Needle, place bead onto next stitch on left needle, then knit the stitch. This will lock the bead into place. See the appendix, Adding Beads to Your Knitting, for more advice on how to do this.

Knitting the Necklace

Finishing

Weave in all ends, making sure to thread the ends through the clasps a few times to secure them. Block if desired.

Winter Library Shawl

Designed by Jillian Moreno

I do a lot of my work at my public library, and in the winter there is a bit of a breeze that flows through the spot I like best. This is my favorite shawl to wear at the library. The quarter-moon shape and the weight of the fiber and gauge help it stay on my shoulders without slipping, and the bit of flowered embroidery brings a little spring to my winter work.

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Spinning Notes

I spun the embroidery yarns woolen and plied each to balance, looser than you might think you want for stitching. I did it this way because I want my stitches to spread softly on the knitted surface.

Pattern Stitch

Moss Stitch

(worked flat on an even number of stitches)

Row 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2: *P1, k1; repeat from * to end of row.

Knitting the Shawl

Set up Short Rows

Shape Shawl Body

Finishing

Wet-block the shawl to the finished measurements. Weave in ends. Embroider flower motif as shown in diagram or in your own design.

Rigby Cardigan

Designed by Bristol Ivy

One of my favorite reasons for knitting with handspun is its texture, which I wanted to accentuate in this sweater. My goal was a project that felt textured and cozy, and that took advantage of the wonderful zeal and vibrancy handspun yarn has. The first step toward this was choosing to make rolags from the handdyed sliver and spinning it into an open, fluffy, woolen-spun 2-ply with a little bit of extra ply twist. The yarn is bouncy, lofty, and full of life, with the irregularities and toothiness inherent in carded fiber. From there, I picked a simple stitch pattern that would further accentuate that texture — a variation on Fisherman’s Rib called English Rib. Typically, any stitch that compresses the row gauge could lead to a heavy, sagging fabric, but the open and airy woolen-spun yarn construction counteracted that. The cardigan that resulted is simple, clean, and wearable, with hints of architecture in the waist shaping in the back; ribs trail together and branch off to create a structured and flattering shape.

Sizes

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Abbreviations

Pattern Stitches

English Rib

(worked flat over a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1)

Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, *p1, k1; repeat from * to end.

Row 2 (WS): Slip 1, p1, *k1 below, p1; repeat from * to end.

Knitting the Sweater

The Sleeves

(make 2)

Body

Left Front
Back
Right Front

Finishing

Hive Mind

Designed by Adrian Bizilia

The cellular patterning and deep, dark honey color of these mittens remind me of a beehive. These are a simple knit with peasant thumbs and a bold graphic stitch pattern that is easy to memorize. A contrasting color outline sharply defines the mitten edge. These mittens will look great in two semisolids or a semisolid and a striped yarn.

Sizes

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Yarn Amount

Gauge

Needles

The pattern is sized by gauge; use the needle size needed to obtain correct gauge. I’ve suggested needle sizes for each garment size:

You may use any of the following for working a small circumference in the round:

Other Supplies

Spinning Notes

For these mittens, I wanted a springy, balanced, 2-ply sport-weight yarn, so here’s what I aimed for:

Both fibers are combed tops that I spun using the worsted short-draw method. I wanted a hard-wearing yarn for these mittens, so I flattened the fibers as I spun the singles, taming them and creating a smooth yarn that would also show the patterning better.

For the MC (Treacle semisolid fiber). Break the wool into two equal lengths and spin each from the end onto its own bobbin, then ply from the bobbins.

For the CC (Frost handpainted fiber). You want the colors to line up, but not perfectly, so that there is a bit of overlap and therefore soft transitioning between colors. Split the length of fiber into four equal pieces lengthwise. Roll them into little balls with the same color on the outside of each ball. Split the contrasting color fiber into two equal lengths. On one bobbin, spin piece 1, starting at the outside end. Spin in a piece of scrap fiber (something that’s a different color from your project fiber), just so you’ll know when plying that you’ve come to the end of the first skein, followed by piece 2, starting at the outside end. On a second bobbin, spin piece 3, starting at the outside end. Spin in the piece of contrasting fiber, then piece 4, starting at the outside end. Ply your handpainted singles, allowing some overlap where the colors change. Depending on the dye job and evenness of spinning, you might want to do a little surgery and remove some of one singles to help the colors meet up the way you want. When you get to your contrasting-color sections, remove those and tie a knot. That’s the separation of your two — hopefully matching! — skeins, one for each mitten.

Finishing. Soak your yarn in warm water and shampoo or wool wash, rinse, and hang to dry.

Knitting Notes

When working with the handpainted skeins, be sure to start at the same end of each ball for each mitten so that your colors will match. Tying a knot in the same end of both skeins will help you find the matching ends later. These mittens are knit in the round from the bottom up.

Charts are for stranded knitting with all knit stitches (stockinette) and are read from right to left on all rounds.

I did not catch the floating yarn at all in the body of the mitten, but I did twist the yarns together at each side of every thumb round to keep them from pulling across the inside of the thumb.

Tubular Cast On for 2x2 Ribbing

Method 1

Cast on 26 stitches in scrap yarn. Do not join. Switch to MC.

Round 1: (K1, yo) across. Distribute stitches across needles as you prefer, and join for working in the round. (52 stitches)

Method 2

Crochet a chain of 26 stitches with scrap yarn. Switch to MC.

Round 1: (K1 into bump at back of crochet chain, yo) across. Distribute stitches across needles as you prefer, and join for working in the round. (52 stitches)

For Both Cast-On Techniques

Round 2: *Wyib, slip the knit stitch purlwise; purl the yo; repeat from * around.

Round 3: *K1; wyif, slip the purl stitch purlwise; repeat from * around.

Round 4: *Wyib, slip the knit purlwise, p1; repeat from * around.

Round 5: *K1, slip 2nd stitch onto cable needle and hold to back, k1, p1 from cable needle, p1; repeat from * around. Remove scrap yarn.

Knitting the Mittens

(make 2)

The Hands

The Thumbs

Right Thumb

Left Thumb

Work this chart twice around for 52 stitches.

Finishing

Dye Goddess Pullover

Designed by Jillian Moreno

When I saw the sweater Lisa Souza was wearing at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck — a pullover knit from spiral-ply yarn — I fell instantly in love. It looked like the exact sweater I want to wear on blustery fall days — it’s the knitting equivalent of a big bowl of comforting soup. I asked Lisa to choose and dye the fiber for my version, and she presented me with deep, rich greens in matte Merino for the thick-and-thin ply and a bright acid green in lustrous Merino/silk for the core ply, which is so shiny it flashes like sparks over the sweater.

Sizes

Finished Measurements

Fiber

Yarn Description

Spiral-ply yarn is made up of two plies. One ply is used as a core yarn and one ply (the thick-and-thin yarn) is wrapped around the core by plying with uneven tension. The spiral-ply and core yarns were spun with a worsted draft; the thick-and-thin yarn was spun with a woolen draft.

Yarn Amount

(Note: This amount does not include fiber for sampling and swatching.)

Gauge

Needles

Other Supplies

Spinning Notes

Your core-ply yarn should be heavily twisted — more than what you’d use for a regular 2-ply yarn. I used a twist angle of 60 degrees.

Spinning thick-and-thin yarn takes practice. Sarah Anderson has great instructions in her book The Spinner’s Book of Yarn Designs.

Knitting Notes

This sweater is knit in pieces from the bottom up.

When swatching your spiral-ply yarn, use a needle size between what you would use for the thickest and for the thinnest parts of the yarn. This yarn is knit a bit looser than you might think necessary to give the thick parts room to puff!

Pattern Stitch

2x2 Rib

(multiple of 4 stitches)

All Rows: *K2, p2; repeat from * to the end.

Knitting the Back

Armhole Shaping

Knitting the Front

Armhole Shaping

Front Neck Shaping

Knitting the Sleeves

(make 2)

Sleeve Shaping

Finishing

Knitting the Neck