FSO Patterns

The Shootout this week looks at Patterns.

I prefer to make my own patterns, even if I'm not quite expert at designing things that fit just the way they should. This scarf is done in a classic 16-stitch feather&fan lace pattern, something simple enough not to look up any more; I can just do it on the bus or a train or wherever.

This blue scarf in a wool-alpaca blend (so incredibly soft!) is the first pattern I did out of my new lace stitch book. I found some very thin wool-cashmere yarn on clearance this summer - six balls of black and six of grey - just perfect for making a lace wrap to wear when the office is a bit chilly. Now to pick the lace pattern and start knitting.
This pattern caught my eye last fall, especially for the no-sewing part. I hate all the sewing and tucking in of yarn ends at the end of a project.
So I picked up all the blue-green merino wool in the shop, but it wasn't enough. Then my friend sent me two more balls, and that wasn't quite enough. Just a month ago I broke down and ordered some from the States, and the sweater is finally finished.
It hasn't been blocked yet, which will help with the shaping. But it does seem a bit off.
Yes, it's meant to be for somebody rather tall. The sleeve shaping, however, isn't quite what the pattern indicated. The way it's knitted, though, you can't go back and fix just the sleeve fit.

Some random patterns I've made. I like to work with color or texture on a pretty standard t-shirt or sweater shape. Since knitting isn't 'square' (stitches are taller than they are wide), standard graph paper distorts the image significantly. If I really want to see what it should look like, I knit a swatch for gauge, then make graph paper to fit on the computer.

The cat is a commercial pattern I'll be making a second copy of just as soon as I find the right fibers for it.

And this t-shirt I made from a few odd balls of a nifty linen-cotton blend picked up on clearance.
I buy so much yarn that way! No one color is enough to make a whole project (why it's being sold so cheap in the first place), so it's mix & match. I quite like the way this one fits, too. Usually these bargain odds & ends wind up in my collection bin, waiting endlessly for something else to come along.

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Link to the Friday My Town Shootout here.
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