QUICK + EASY
KNITS Patterns for Beginners and Beyond • No. 2
CONTENTS 04 Editor’s Note 06 Overcoming Knitting Insecurities 10 How to Read Knitting Charts
PATTERNS Aventurine Shawl................Susanna IC Coesite Mitts...................... Mone Dräger Larimar Tee............................ Lana Jois Corundum Shawl.... Annika Andrea Wolke Charoite Wrap.......... Blazenka Simic-Boro Feldspar Tee.....................Hanna Lübben Axinite Hat......................... Emily Kintigh Kyanite Cowl........................ Megi Burcl Chalcedony Pillow............. Laura Barker Dioptase Hat..................... Molly Hackett
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WELCOME
WHEN WE LAUNCHED the first iteration of Quick + Easy Knits, we included a survey to gauge the experience level of our readers. While most of the Interweave audience is a pretty knit-savvy bunch, we suspected that these simple, straightforward patterns might appeal to a newer audience: knitters who have finished their first scarves and hats and are looking for what’s next. And while some of our readers fell into that group (welcome!), the majority of folks downloading the collection had years of knitting experience. If you’re one of those knitters, this probably comes as no surprise to you: We all enjoy simple, relaxing projects. The draw of quick and easy is not reserved for new knitters alone. With that in mind, we created a second collection of easygoing patterns full of simple knit/purl patterns, garter stitch, and straight forward shaping. The mix of tees, shawls, hats, and a pillow (thrown in for good measure) make for great summer knitting projects. And if
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QUICK + EASY KNITS No. 2
you are a newer knitter looking to expand your skill set, these patterns introduce basic concepts that will set you up for more advanced projects in the future. As with our first iteration, this issue also includes links to helpful techniques, articles, and more, so if you are trying something for the first time, we’re here to help. For example, a few of the patterns in this issue include graphic knit/purl stitch patterns. The easiest way to represent these stitch patterns is by using charts. We know charts can be intimidating to the uninitiated, which is why we’ve included an article dedicated to reading them. I urge you to give it a try. Once you get the hang of using knitting charts, you’ll never go back. Wherever you are on your knitting journey, I hope you enjoy these patterns. Best,
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UN
YA
AL
ER IV S
RN
Palomar in Cotton Supreme DK from the ebook: Seaside Supreme www.universalyarn.com fine fibers available at your local yarn shop & online
Forsythia by Elizabeth Smith
70% merino wool, 30% silk 150 yds/50g
p. 888.566.9970 - info@fairmountfibers.com - www.fairmountfibers.com www.Interweave.com
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FEATURE
AVENTURINE SHAWL Susanna IC DIFFICULTY LEVEL YARN WEIGHT
OVERCOMING KNIT TING INSECURITIES By Lisa Shroyer
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FINISHED SIZE 84" wide and 29" tall.
(50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose; 174 yd [159 m]/13/4 oz [50 g]): #13 Arctic, 6 balls. Yarn distributed by WEBS. NEEDLES Size 7 (4.5 mm): 40" circular (cir).
ON A KNITTING RETREAT A FEW YEARS AGO, I was sitting through an introduction-to-brioche
monster in an ancient Greek myth. Like Medusa with yarn balls in her snake hair.
class and noticed the woman to my left struggling with the stitches. With two colors of wool spiraling tightly around her needles at odd angles, she couldn’t even get her needle tip into a
What are some other disparaging remarks knitters make about their work? Let’s run down the list of insecurities all knitters feel at some
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
stitch to work it. She sighed heavily and said, “I’m a terrible knitter.”
NOTIONS Markers (m); tapestry needle.
But the truth was, she was actually a super-sharp knitter. She was brand new to knitting and was tackling an advanced technique, one that requires a comfort with yarn and needles and an ability to read the stitches on your needle.
GAUGE 17 sts and 34 rows = 4" in garter st.
For more info, see How to Read a Knitting Pattern.
She was also new to reading knitting patterns, so she was struggling with her hands and her
NOTES • This triangular shawl is worked from the center neck down and outward to the points. Double increases are worked on the right side at the center and along both edges. After the solid body is finished, the garter-based eyelet lace
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Find pattern info at a glance is worked in increasing sequences with garter stitch sections in between. • A circular needle is used to accommodate the
mind as she sat there trying to interpret the abbreviations on the printout in front of her. I pulled my chair closer and quietly helped her over the next 30 minutes, including rewriting the instructions in longhand for her. By the end of the class, she had several inches of brioche fabric. She was not a terrible knitter by a long shot. What would it mean to be a TERRIBLE KNITTER, anyway? I like to think it refers to the secondary definition of terrible: formidable in nature; exciting extreme alarm or intense fear. Like a
large number of stitches. 6
STITCH GUIDE
ues and tutorials o/knitting-glossary.
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QUICK + EASY KNITS No. 2
KNIT, YO, KNIT (KOK) (K1, yo, k1) in same st—2 sts inc’d.
No. 2
point . . . and turn them upside down!
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THE BASICS
MY KNITTING IS
too tight. HOW TO RE
KNIT TING C
You’re a newer knitter, and you’re pulling the yarn really taut as you make each stitch. It hurts your hands; it’s also hard get the needle into bytoRoxanne Richardson the stitches. It makes you slow and clumsy and you get frustrated.
Getty Images/Alina Kvaratskhelia
YARN Valley Yarns Worthington
THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR KNITTED S
REFRAME IT: Tell yourself, “I’m can taking on patterns be presented in either w a totally new skill, and itcharted will take a while form. When instructions are before I’m comfortable the andstitch adeptpattern with it.ofBut the fabric on the eventually, I will be adept with it.revealed GO ME as FOR gradually the knitting pro TRYING SOMETHING NEW.” stitch by stitch and row by row. When structions are charted, symbols that the stitches are arranged in a grid in
that they correspond to the placemen stitches of the pattern. Because the e pattern (or at least a single repeated presented in its entirety, charted inst
provide immediate context for the pa matter which row you are working at time. This context makes it easier to place while knitting and makes it eas tify mistakes—whether in your knitti
TIPS, TUTORIALS, HOW-TO & MORE
PHOTO 1
In this issue of Quick + Easy Knits, tackle a new technique with support from our online knitting glossary, get a crash course in reading charts, and learn how to let go of those pesky knitting insecurities once and for all. 10
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QUICK + EASY KNITS No. 2
GAUGE 17 sts and 3
For more info, see Ho
NOTES
• This triangular shawl neck down and outw increases are worked
TECHNIQUES TO KNOW
center and along both body is finished, the g is worked in increasin stitch sections in betw
K2tog
FEATURE
Make 1 Right and Left
2
Nancy Shroyer
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wrong colors.
Getty Images/ Fernando Trabanco Fotografía
EAD CHARTS
nt of the
attern, no t any given keep your sier to idening or on the
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You did all that work and you don’t like it. You feel like you must have bad taste.
REFRAME IT: It’s not that YOU don’t look good, it’s that there’s some element of sweatermaking and tailoring that you haven’t mastered yet. Put it away for now, and when you’re ready, take it out, put it on, and study what isn’t working. Learn from that—what can you do next time to prevent the problem? Can this sweater be undone and salvaged if you address that part?
entire stitch motif) is tructions
KNIT, YO, KNIT (KO
I CHOSE THE
That’s a sad feeling, and I’m sorry! We’ve all been there.
ogresses—
STITCH GUIDE
Need more help? Find techniques and tutorials online at www.interweave.com/go/knitting-glossary.
(K1, yo, k1) in same st—
good on me.
n the inrepresent such a way
• A circular needle is u large number of stitc
Weave in ends Yarnover
THIS SWEATER DOESN’T LOOK
STITCH written or written out, e needles is
Ssk
Fair Isle knitting can be hard to see in low contrast colors.
I’m not good enough
THE BASICS
The chart depicts the right side—or “public” TO FOLLOW THIS PATTERN.
side—of the knitted fabric. And because the right
side ofwant the work is represented, a chart will look That lace shawl looks amazing and you to knit it. the same regardless But it also looks HARD. And you haven’t knit anythingof whether it is worked in rounds or worked flat (although there may be that complex yet. You feel intimidated and inadequate. stitches outside the pattern repeat when working
REFRAME IT: What does the pattern entail? Buy the back and forth). pattern. Read through it. Study the charts. Do you chart itself. This is one reason why many knitters all the terms and symbols? The steps being understand prefer charts over written instructions. ANATOMY OF A CHART described? Are the techniques beyond your skill level? Does the combination of all the techniques and the If you’re new to charts, it may take a little pracTHE CHART SYMBOLS scope of the project make it hard, but technically within tice to learn how to read them. In this article,
we’ll explore the basics of reading charts. We’ll look at the differences between reading a chart that is worked in rounds and a chart that is worked back and forth in rows (or “flat”). We’ll also talk about the importance of learning how to “read” your knitting—an essential skill that will make using charts even easier. A knitting chart is a visual representation of the stitch pattern, which can be seen by comparing the swatch in Photo 1 to Chart 1, where the sailboat image is clearly identifiable in both.
The symbols in a chart represent the action that is required to create a particular type of stitch. Even though there is no universal standard for chart symbols, they should at least bear some www.Interweave.com 7 resemblance to the actual stitch as it is viewed on the right side of the work. Figures 1 and 2 show the difference in appearance between a knit stitch and a purl stitch and the symbols that
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are often used to represent them. A knit stitch is smooth and is usually represented by a blank square or a vertical line. The symbol for a purl stitch will usually mimic the “bump” that is created when the top of the stitch in the row below the new stitch on the needle comes to the front of the work.
CHART 1 19
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FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
14 12 10
k on RS; p on WS p on RS; k on WS pattern repeat
RIGHT CABLE
one square in the grid or span
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several squares. For example, a symbol for a knit stitch or purl
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stitch will fill one square be-
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CLIMBING LADDERS
cause only one stitch is worked. A symbol for a cable cross will span two or more squares, depending on the total number of stitches in the cable. However,
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16 sts
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A cable symbol will span several squares.
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the number of squares allotted
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for the symbol isn’t necessarily
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an indication of the number of
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stitches that are worked from
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the left needle. Rather, it’s an
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indication of the number of
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stitches that are added to the right needle once the stitch
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is complete. For example, a k2tog symbol will appear in a single square even though two stitches are worked from
A k2tog symbol appears in one square because only one stitch will remain.
5 3 1
41 sts
the left needle, because only
the left needle, but one stitch will be added to
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the right needle when the yarn is draped over the
1 11 sts
A symbol may be confined to
the decrease is worked. And when a yarnover
needle, so the yarnover symbol (usually a circle) or
or
KNIT STITCH
PURL STITCH
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2
THE CHART GRID
increase is worked, no stitch will be worked from
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er than having to constantly refer to the key.
13
7
6
symbol means as you work from the chart, rath-
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9
8
symbol. This will help you remember what the
one stitch will remain on the right needle after
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QUICK + EASY KNITS No. 2
Try out a new knitting technique!
REFRAME IT: Colors do weird things once you knit them together, especially in Fair Isle patterns. You took a color risk and SCIENCE happened. Because there is a science to combining colors, swatching is really key to success. Try out other color combinations until you find something you love.
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will be shown in a single square.
THE CHART ROWS Each horizontal row of a knitting chart corre-
When you encounter a new chart symbol, take some time to understand why this symbol was
sponds to a row of knitting. The chart is read
chosen to represent this action/result. After you work the technique, look at the result below your right needle and compare that result to the
es from the cast-on to the bind-off. When you
from bottom to top, just as the knitting progresswork back and forth in rows, the first stitch of every row is worked into the last stitch of the www.Interweave.com
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AVENTURINE SHAWL Susanna IC
Garter stitch is sometimes overlooked as being just a beginner stitch, but it can create some of the most beautiful projects. Take the Aventurine Shawl— squishy garter stitch looks both cozy and elegant with the addition of eyelet lace. YARN Valley Yarns Worthington, distributed by WEBS
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COESITE MIT TS Mone Dräger
The Coesite Mitts are worked in the round, starting at the cuff, and include a thumb gusset for an excellent fit. Texture comes in the form of an allover zigzag pattern. If you’re new to reading stitch patterns from charts, check out our tech article, How to Read Knitting Charts. YARN The Yarn Collective Fleurville 4 Ply,
distributed by LoveCrafts Get the FREE digital magazine now!
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L ARIMAR TEE Lana Jois
Vertical lines of knit stitches give the simply constructed Larimar Tee a sophisticated look. The identical front and back are worked separately, then seamed together. You’ll get some practice picking up stitches around the armholes: A thin trim of ribbing is added at the end. YARN Bernat Softee Baby Cotton, distributed by
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CORUNDUM SHAWL Annika Andrea Wolke
If you can increase, decrease, and join a new ball of yarn, you can make the Corundum Shawl! Gradient blocks of color are broken up with sections of eyelet lace that ease the transition from one shade to the next. This shawl starts small at the center neck and increases outward to the points. YARN Knit Picks Comfy Worsted
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QUICK + EASY KNITS GIVEAWAY
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Chalcedony Pillow
Feldspar Tee
Quick + Easy Knits is back with more patterns you’ll love! To celebrate our new patterns, we are giving one lucky winner a yarn pack from our sponsors, Plymouth Yarn Co. and Universal Yarn. You’ll get enough yarn to make two of the outstanding patterns shown.
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Giveaway runs from 6/23/2021 to 7/23/2021. Please visit our site for full rules and restrictions. Open to US residents only, void where prohibited.
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patterns to take you to the next level
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CHAROITE WR AP Blazenka Simic-Boro
There’s something so satisfying about knitting lace in bulky yarn. The Charoite Wrap is worked in rows from end to end, with a serpentine lace pattern winding its way up the center. Finish off this quick knit with lavish tassels. YARN Lion Brand Yarn Hue + Me
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FELDSPAR TEE Hanna Lübben
Worked in the round from the bottom up to the underarms, the beginner-friendly Feldspar Tee uses garter ridges set against stockinette fabric to create subtle stripes. The addition of sweet eyelet lace at the hem, neckline, and cuffs gives the whole top an airy feel. YARN Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop
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A XINITE HAT Emily Kintigh
Hats are great projects for learning new techniques, and the Axinite Hat is no exception. Practice simple lace knitting, crown shaping, and working a small circumference in the round as you complete this perfect warm-weather accessory. YARN Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort
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K YANITE COWL Megi Burcl
The Kyanite Cowl combines the functional appeal of a cowl with the drapey goodness of your favorite shawl. The cowl begins with a long, narrow triangle that transitions into a parallelogram. The end of the cowl is twisted before joining, creating the effect of a Möbius cowl with a long tail. YARN Trendsetter Yarns Tiger
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CHALCEDONY PILLOW Laura Barker
Give your living room a refresh with this cozy pillow. Start by working the triangular flap back and forth using simple increases, then cast on stitches and work the body of the pillow in the round. Simple knit and purl stitches give the Chalcedony Pillow its touchable texture. YARN Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted
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DIOPTASE HAT Molly Hackett
If you love a classic ribbed beanie but are looking for something a little more unique, try the Dioptase Hat. Worked from the bottom up, this hat incorporates slipped stitches into the ribbed pattern to give the hat a little added texture. YARN Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend, distributed
by Fairmount Fibers Get the FREE digital magazine now!
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