Madeline's Wardrobe

Knitting Busy Bee

2013-01-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

Last month I've finished two new designs - a sideways shawl and a cowl. Can't decide which one I like more :-) Now I just have to find some time to organize my notes, create the charts and write the patterns. I hope I will be done before the end of this week.

I'm so(u)cked in..

2012-11-30T01:59:00.001-08:00

Believe me or not - but socks are one of the knitting projects I was always super scared of... right after sweaters! Me, a person who has no problems with the most complicated lace projects!

Last month I decided to make a knitted/crocheted Xmas gift for every member of my family this year (surprise, surprise....) and one of the projects I chose to knit was... a pair of knee-high socks - a perfect gift for my baby sister! So I watched dozens of videos on YouTube about Turkish cast-on, working socks using the Magic Loop method and working 2 socks at the same time, got myself a great book about knitting socks - Socks from the Toe Up by WendyKnits. I'm completely so(u)cked in from the minute I read this book! The instructions are super easy and the patterns beautiful!

I have already successfully finished the Xmas socks for my sister (photos after Xmas, since it's a surprise) and I am knitting a 2nd pair of socks for myself!

I'm using Wendy's On-Hold Socks pattern for nice & simple lacy socks. I really like how they look, but next time I will use a solid color yarn.

I had the blue yarn for ages in my stash - I think I got it 2 years ago from a second-hand shop. I like it a lot but hate the fact it's cut every 1-2m. Lots of knots on the wrong side....

FREE KNITTING PATTERN: Cyrcus Lace Shawl

2012-11-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

CYRCUS LACE SHAWL - FREE KNITTING PATTERN

A beautiful and delicate lace shawl with decorative edging. This shawl is perfect for a wedding or simply for everyday use. It is based on traditional Estonial designs of Haapsalu shawls. Estonian traditional shawls can be rectangular, square or triangular. They are known for their airy designs and beautiful decorative edgings.

Yarn

This shawl can be knitted with different weights of yarn - from cobweb to dk, but I suggest using lace or fine lace weight yarn (approx. 800-1200m/100g) The red shawl shown on the pictures was knitted with merino/angora hand-dyed yarn by Fyberspates (approx. 900m/100g) and 3.5mm needles.

Needles

If you use laceweight yarn I suggest using 3.5 - 4mm needles. You will need both straight and/or circular ones.

Instructions

The body of the shawl is knitted to the desired dimensions, then stitches are picked up from all edges and the decorative edging is worked along each side.

Body

Cast on very loosely 81 stitches.

Work 3 rows in garter stitch (knit all rows). To create an easy edge for picking up stitches, the first stitch
of every row should be slipped purl-wise. Starting with a RS row, work the body pattern until you
reach desired length of the shawl.

All WS rows are sl1, k1, p77, k2.

Row1: sl1, k6, (yo, skk, k5) x10, yo, ssk, k2
Row3: sl1, k4, k2tog, (yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog) x10, yo, k4
Row5: sl1, k3, k2tog, (yo, k3, yo, ssk, k2tog) x10, yo, k5
Row7: sl1, k3, (k2, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k2) x10, k2, yo, ssk, k3
Row9: sl1, k1, k2tog, yo, (ssk, k5, yo) x10, k7
Row11: sl1, k3, yo, (ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, yo) x10, ssk, k5
Row13: sl1, k4, yo, (ssk, k2tog, yo, k3, yo) x10, ssk, k4
Row15: sl1, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, (k3, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1) x10, k5
Row16: sl1, k1, p77, k2

Repeat rows 1-16 untill you reach the desired length. The edging is designed the way it will fit all shawl lengths.

When the body part reaches the desired length, work 3 rows in stockinette stitch. Do not bind off.

Edging

With the circular needles, start picking up stitches along each side of the shawl.

For the first 3 side stitches from the long side, pick up 2 new stitches per each (6 in total). Then pick one new stitch per each side stitch until you reach last 4 stitches for which you again have to pick up 2 stitches.

Now continue picking up stitches from the short side - 2 new stitches for each of the first 3 and the last 4 side stitches - 1 stitch for the side stitches between.

Do the same for the following long side.

When you reach the live stitches of the last side, (make 1, k1) for the first 3 stitches, knit until you reach the last 4 stitches, (make 1, k1) for each of them.

Cast on 13 stitches, purl them back towards the body, the last stitch of the edging should be knitted as p2tog with the first stitch from the side of the body.

Now begin to work the edging’s pattern stitches as shown on the chart below, or follow the written instructions ALONG all the sides of the shawl. Gradually, all the stitches picked up along sides will be used as the edging is worked along.

Row1 sl1, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, yo twice, k2tog, k5 (14sts in total)
Row2 sl1, p5, k1, k4, yo, p2tog, p2tog with the 1st of the side stitches
Row3 sl1, k2, yo, k2tog, k9 (14sts in total)
Row4 sl1, p10, yo, p2tog, p2tog with the 1st of the side stitches
Row5 sl1, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, yo twice, k2tog, yo twice, k2tog, k4 (16sts in total)
Row6 sl1, p4, k1, p2, k1, p4, yo, p2tog, p2tog with the 1st of the side stitches
Row7 sl1, k2, yo, k2tog, k11
Row8 bind off loosely 3 sts, p9, yo, p2tog, p2tog with the 1st of the side stitches (13sts in total)

When you finish working all border stitches, loosely cast off stitches, leaving 20cm tail.

When you finish knitting your shawl, place it for 30 minutes in a lukewarm water with a bit of soap. Gently squeeze the shawl to remove the exceeding water (you can wrap in into a towel and step on it a couple of times). Stretch the shawl over a bed or carpet and block it using pins. When it’s completely dry, sew the cast-on/cast-off sides of the edging together.

Download the pattern in PDF

New Pattern: Kyreneia Semi-circular Shawl

2012-11-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

I've received many requests for a knitting pattern for this shawl of mine which I designed few months ago. Guess what - I finally found my notes and here it is - a brand new, easy-to-follow knitting pattern for Kyreneia Semi-circular Lace Shawl! You can knit it in 2 different colors, plain or use shaded yarn as the one I've used for the Rainbow Shawl.

Kyreneia Semi-circular Lace Shawl

New tutorial available - Kanzashi-style bobby pins

2012-10-29T03:34:00.000-07:00

After over 3 days of hard work, I'm happy to present you with my brand new photo tutorial for Kanzashi-style bobby pins. The tutorial takes you through the process step-by-step with clear photos and text description.

WIP: Granny triangle shawl No. 2

2012-04-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy crocheting the Granny Triangle Shawl - it's fun & quick, definitely an easy pattern to follow while watching your favorite series (my series of choice for this week is Bones, love it!)

The yarn I'm using is very interesting and colourful, I like the texture it creates. Still have to decide how to finish the shawl - with a wide scalloped edging or just with long nice fringe, as the one I've posted earlier.

Just got new yarn

2012-04-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

... and I love it! It's a bit thicker than my usual choice but I totally love the texture of this one. I still haven't decided what to knit with it, probably a nice cowl or maybe a thick shawl.

I've decided to knit a sample to see how it will look like and with what needles size should I go. This one looks very nice, me thinks :-)

I bought 4 small skeins of the yarn, I hope it will be enough for a shawl/cowl.

WIP: The attack of white shawls

2012-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for a short break from knitting, let's crochet something! I've started working simultaneously on 2 new projects and can't decide which one I like more :-) Sometimes I really would love to be an octopus and be able to work on more than 2 projects at the same time!

Unfortunately, I'm no octopus so just have to move from one project to another... I really should focus on one project only and start the next one after finishing the first. But the ever-growing pile of yarn is so tempting!

Here's the 2nd white shawl, this time a triangular one. I'm about to finish it with a wide border.

WIP: Blue ruffled shawl

2012-03-27T03:16:00.000-07:00

A new shawl I'm working on currently, I have to say I absolutely LOVE the blue shade of this yarn! The shawl will look great.

The yarn is 50/50 mohair/acrylic, very nice and soft. I'm working with 2 strands of the yarn, as it is a lace weight one and I want the shawl to be a bit thicker & warm.

I really enjoy working with this pattern, I will post is as soon as I have time to write it down and when I finish this one, to show the final results.

Work in progress: green modular crochet shawl

2012-02-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

Work in progress - yes, another green shawl. I can't help it, I simply love green color, especially now during the winter. This time I decided to play with modular crocheting. As you may see on the photos, each of the rows is made of 2 full motifs and one half motif. Oh my... they give me a huge headache when attaching one to another! I had to unravel the connections many times before I made them correctly :-) I think watching a good mystery series doesn't help......

I'm almost done with the shawl, just need additional 4 full circles and 2 semi ones to complete. Then a simple single crochet border around and tassels on two sides. I think it's going to look really nice.

Busy knitting bee

2011-11-18T01:13:00.001-08:00

I had a couple of very busy knitting weeks recently but no good weather to take any photos. My goal this weekend is to finally photograph every single shawl/scarf/hat/mittens from this huge pile! Keep your fingers crossed for a nice sunny day tomorrow!

Not all of the finished items are on the photo - 2 scarves are still blocked and I'm almost done with another shawl.

Christmas Sale - 30% off on all shawls & scarves

2011-11-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

I think it says it all - let's the Christmas crazy time begin! For all my customers I have a special Xmas gift - a huuuge discount on all items from my Etsy shop - 30%!

Learning new tricks - Intarsia

2011-10-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday - inspired by a great book I got on sale, Icelandic Knitting Using Rose Patterns, I came up with an idea for a new shawl (actually, the idea was stuck in the back of my head for few weeks now). Here comes the tricky part - garter intarsia! I've never tried it before but it sounded like fun.... lot of fun with 6 small bobbins at a time and a yarn which loves to tangle :-) If you think normal intarsia is easy - try garter intarsia!

Unfortunately, the book didn't have any clear instructions how to deal with all these colors and how to twist the strands without making holes or the whole thing breaking apart... To my surprise, you can't find much info on garter intarsia on the net or even YouTube.....

After a couple of tries (and different styles of bobbins) I finally found the solutions - my old business cards as bobbins. Now I'm working only with 3 colors but I'd love to add another two, blue and green - that's gonna be fun! I think I need another 50-70 rows to practice before I move to the shawl.

Shop Update

2011-10-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have listed 2 new shawls in my Etsy shop this week - have a look!

The Rainbow Shawl
Have to say I'm really proud of this one! The colors are great and I love the design. It's a semi-circular shawl hand knitted with pure wool yarn.

Purple Plum Shawl
This shawl is knitted with one of my favorite yarns - Zauberball. Love how the colors change creating a lovely striped pattern. This shawl is based on my own pattern as well.

Halloween for Cats

2011-10-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Top Hat by ToScarboroughFair

First of my Halloween themes - today I decided to find a cute outfit for Mr. Julius The Cat. I couldn't stop laughing while exploring Etsy listings! Here are some of my favorites.

Knitting a rainbow

2011-10-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm knitting my own personal rainbow! I absolutely love how all the colors blend together. This shawl will definitely become one of my favorites, the colors are so vivid and nice. I had this yarn for a few months before I decided to use it, 'cause I really liked the look of the center-pull ball.

Today on my needles

2011-09-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

I'm working on 2 new shawls currently - an airy and super soft mohair/silk stole and yummy purple/pink semi-circular shawl. Can't decide which one is my favorite. I absolutely love working with mohair lace yarn (but HATE unraveling it) but I like how the 2nd yarn creates beautiful striped pattern.

I've also listed one of my last shawls - a beautiful brown triangular shawl knitted with Crazy Zauberball yarn. You can find it in my Etsy shop.

Madelines Lace Scarf - new Ravelry pattern

2011-09-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just published on Ravelry a new pattern for this gorgeous lacy scarf .

You’ll need:

pair of straight needles or circular needles – 4mm (US 6)
lace weight yarn (the grey shawl was knitted with Cashwool by Ice Yarns, 50g/250m per skein, 2.5 skeins used)

The pattern includes:

written description row-by-row
2 charts

Stitches & techniques:

knit, purl, k2tog, skk, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso
pick stitches up along an edge

Madelines Lace Scarf Knitting PDF Pattern

Waiting in line

2011-09-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just realized I have a huge collection of shawls I've finished within last month and never listed! I need an assistant :-) Here you can see 6 new shawls, one is currently blocked and I have 20-30 rows left to knit of another.... Wow - sometimes I amaze myself!

I'm still waiting for my new mannequin to be delivered, so I think I'll use my good old hanger this week and retake the photos later using the mannequin....

What you can see behind the shawls is one of my all time favourite film poster by a great Polish artist - Wieslaw Walkuski. I'm a huge fan of his works!

There's no such thing as too much yarn

2011-09-15T02:18:00.000-07:00

I got these beauties yesterday - the white one is for a custom ordered wedding shawl and the other colors are for new shawls. Can't wait to start working with them!

New lace shawl in Shetland style

2011-09-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

I really like experimenting with different styles and techniques of knitting and maybe that's why most of my shawls are one and only. I have to remember to start writing down the patterns for my shawls as most of them are designed by me.....

This one is a variation of a shawl I've found in one of my knitting books. The shawl is inspired by traditional Shetland shawls. It's worked in garter stitch from the bottom to top, with center panel. I have to say I was slightly terrified after casting over 400 stitches on and the first 20+ rows where a huge pita. I'm half done now and the works goes faster with every finished row.

As I rarely work with stitch markers, this time they were a must! Otherwise I'd have given up after first 5-10 rows.... The tiny stitch markers you can see below where made by my Plurk friend, Selana and I have to say that I absolutely love them as they are very light and perfect for lace knitting! You should definitely check her Artfire shop out!

Playing with dyes.... again

2011-09-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a new batch of yarn I hand dyed with food colourings over the weekend. I'm still stunned with how well the yarn catches colours. I have to say that I get better results with the food colourings than with the normal, quite toxic dyes.

The first two from the right side are merino/silk yarn and I dyed them for new shawls I have in plans. The other two are nice and soft angora yarn, this time for cute stripped mittens and a matching hat, maybe there will be enough for a cowl as well.

I wish I could spare more time for knitting, dyeing and other crafts but it's quite difficult to do with my day job (which I really like). Can't wait to be retired and to have all days for my hobbies only.... but that will probably happen in 40+ years so all I can do now is to cut one more hour of sleep and spend
it on things I love.

Busy holidays

2011-08-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of my summer holidays... buuu... but it was really great! My mom and brother&sister came to Cyprus to visit me. We had lot of fun and spent most of the time on a beach. I'm 5 shades darker than I was 2 weeks ago!

Here's one of the places we visited - the Aphrodite's Beach, a place where - according to Greek myths - Aphrodite was born from a sea foam. It's beautiful, isn't it?

And that's a place really close to Aphrodite - Kourion Archaeological Site, the ruins of ancient palace and amphitheatre.

I also managed to find some time to knit in the evening - the results are great! I have finished 5 shawls, yes - FIVE! Very productive 3 weeks :-) Here's one of the shawls I've finished - a lovely Halloween coloured semi-circular shawl with decorative lace border. I really like how it ended up, I've used one skein of Crazy Zauberball yarn - my new love!

Monday Update

2011-07-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

So I finally finished the custom shawl I've been working on last week - it looks great! I hope the nice lady who ordered it will love it as much as I do. I knitted the shawl based on one of my own knitting patterns available on Ravelry. I used hand dyed merino/angora yarn.

I've also started working on another project (I know, I'm crazy.... but I can't just sit and do nothing). It's a next shawl, this time knitted with 2 different colors - olive green and dusty blue. The yarn was also hand dyed by me and this idea for a shawl was in the back of my mind for last couple of months.

New packaging for MadelinesWardorbe shawls

2011-07-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

To cut on the shipping costs, I decided to change a bit the way I pack the shawls before shipping - I use standard white envelopes, a rubber stamp I made by myself some time ago and the yarn the shawl inside the envelope was knitted with.

I use various colors of ink to stamp the envelopes - I think they look quite cute :-)