A confluence is a meeting, joining, gathering at one point. In geography, a confluence is where two streams or rivers meet, like the confluence of the Missouri and the mighty Mississippi rivers near St. Louis.

An inflorescence, according to Merriam-Webster, is a cluster of flowers on one or a series of branches, which together make a large showy blossom. Whether singly or in groups, I’ve always loved flowers. There’s something especially magical about a cluster, an inflorescence, on the plant. Some of my favorite flowers bloom in clusters: lilac, hyacinth, hydrangea, snowball, wisteria, foxglove, lantana (especially the purple ones)… I could go on. And on.

One of my favorite ways of naming patterns is by running a naming contest. I always end up with something wonderful, often with lots of other fabulous ideas. This time the winning contestant thought the pattern looked like a mermaid’s tail, which made her think of the many myths and legends of river mermaids, sirens, water sprites, often referred to as nixies.

Both Rosehaven and Lazy River begin and end with a simple twisted rib stitch… then they diverge. Rosehaven transforms into leaves and rosebuds with a twisted rib background, while Lazy River separates and rejoins in streams of twisted stitches.

Ægeria was one of the four water nymphs known as the Camenæ in ancient Rome. Pregnant women worshiped her to help ease delivery. She was also known as a prophet who could foretell a person’s future.

A complex combination of cable motifs. The front of the sock has a large cable motif. The sides and back of the sock are three repetitions of a much different, simpler motif. The sock is named in honor of Oscar Wilde’s character Algernon in the play, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Based on old twisted stitch motifs from Austria, these fingerless mitts are a combination of tulips and staggered chains of windows. Mitts are worked in the round from the cuff toward the fingers, widening for a thumb gusset, then brought back together at the fingers. Gusset sts worked in rib before finishing.

February, 2011.Originally published in Fons and Porter’s Love of Knitting, Spring 2010 under the name Denim Lace Tunic, pattern has been renamed, re-tech edited, and re-released. It is now available to purchase online and at your LYS.

The lacy pear and trellis border on this scarf are set off perfectly by the simple garter stitch panel in the center, and the delicate garter stitch edges. Pears grow organically out of the lacy tip to reform into a lace-filled point on the other end. Pattern is named for one of my favorite varieties of pear, the anjou.

Anthea (pronounced ahn-THEE-ah), the Greek word for “flowery,” was used as a by-name of the goddess Hera. In the 17th century English poets used the name Anthea to symbolize spring. Here, Anthea is a feminine little sweater whose only decorations are the scallops and the row of blossoms along the bottom hem. With ¾-length sleeves and cropped len...

While working on the rectangular Domus Aurea shawl, I thought that the stitch would look lovely worked up as a triangular one as well. The model shows how the shawl looks with contrasting beads—beads that match the yarn would give an even more subtle effect. Nupps could be knit instead of the beads, or those stitches could be simply knit, if a s...

Aventine is one of the Seven Hills of Rome lying to the east of the Tiber River. Some say the hill was named for the birds that nested there. This little scarf shares the name Aventine, because its delicate stitch reminds me of a flock of birds in flight.

Named for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, this design is a rectangular version of Midnight Garden. It’s knit from one end straight through to the other, then bound off loosely. The pattern is written in three sizes: narrow scarf, wide scarf, and stole.

Sock designed for Woolgirl’s October 2009 Sock of the Month Club. Now available for individual sale.

I had way too many plants in my room when I was a teen. Way too many—more than 50 of them at one point. One of my favorites was one that I was completely unable to keep alive: the rabbit foot fern. The rabbit foot fern is still one of my all-time favorite plants, though I learned to not even try to grow them—they always die on me. Bu...

Boreas (Bor-ee-ahz) was the Greek god of the north wind and the bringer of winter. This reversible cowl is just the thing to keep everyone warm when Boreas’ cold north wind is howling. The reversible cables look exactly the same on the front and back sides of the cowl. Cowl is knit in the round, and is worked straight through to the end, then bo...

Scarf and shawl are knit from a provisional cast on toward the center of the garment. Stitches are left live until the second side is knit, then are grafted to the first side. Stitches are then picked up from the provisional cast on, and a border is knit. This is repeated on the second side, and then the two sides are grafted.

The double wings of this stitch made me want to name the pattern after a type of bird, or a place where birds are known to gather, like southern California’s San Juan Capistrano and the swallows that return to nest there every year.

A couple of years ago I came across this lovely old Shetland border stitch, Clematis. I promptly used the basic stitch in two different designs (Clematis and Niobe). I thought that I was long done with this border, but it had other plans for me. The current result is this crescent-shaped scarf/shoulder shawl. In case you were wondering, Cirrhosa...

Like cirrus clouds, this little scarf is soft, wispy, and lighter than air when knit with a fluffy lace weight yarn. The scarf is knit with a combination of cables and lace in one piece, from one end straight through to the other. The pattern nicely makes its own edge and end points, and won’t curl even before blocking because of the combination...

The Arthurian legend is filled to overflowing with characters, plots, intrigue… and confusion. For instance, take the lineage of one of the most loved characters: Sir Lancelot. Was he the son of King Ban or King Pant? Was his father from Benoic or Genewis (or is it spelled Gennewis)? Was his mother Helsin, Clarine (said to be King Arthur’s siste...

Clematis is an old Shetland border stitch. Though it’s lovely traveling up the side of something or attached to the outer edge of a square or rectangular stole, I thought it would be even prettier when traveling up the outer edges of a triangle. I flipped one side of the chart, so that the edges are mirror images of each other, then added a simp...

The cluster stitch is often used in Estonian knitting to add texture to delicate lace designs. Here it’s used instead with bulky yarn, a simple Estonian border, and an i-cord bind off making a warm and cozy cowl.

The ancient Greeks were among the great builders of their time. The stately columns they designed to hold up walls and graceful archways came in three basic styles: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Doric columns were the stockiest, simplest of the columns, Corinthian the most slender and decorative, while Ionic was somewhere in between. The sti...

As is sometimes the case, finding the name for this pattern was the most difficult part of the whole design process. It was clear that I needed help. I put the word out, and people suggested a sparkling array of possible pattern names. My favorite was Cuberos (kyoob-err-os). You’re right; it’s not a real word. It’s a combination of cube, for the...

Shoes. What woman doesn’t love shoes? Well, there are some, but for most of us the love affair started at some point in our teens, and rapidly became a lifelong passion. Mine was recently renewed by, of all things, a hank of yarn—a beautiful hank of lovely red yarn, whose color name is 1 Red Shoe. Later, I was delighted when I found a frivolous ...

I found these diamond stitch patterns when looking through a book of old German charted designs that date back to the early 1900s. I updated the designs to use both left- and right-leaning decreases, used a modern method of denoting the stitches in the charts, and wrote out the stitch instructions for those unfamiliar with knitting charted desig...

The twisted stitches in this toe-up sock with short-row heel make a nicely textured pattern that is fun and easy to knit, and results in a sock that even my husband will wear. Since the socks were for him, I left him to name the design. A few days later he returned with this play on the title of Paul Simon’s song, “Diamonds on the Soles of...

I’ve always loved the simple elegance of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. This design was inspired mostly by his decorative glass pieces. The name, however, comes from ancient Rome. Emperor Nero built a grand villa, Domus Aurea (Dough-muss Ow-ree-ahh), Latin for “Golden House,” and had the ceilings and walls covered with golden mosaics.

The shawl starts at one end with a provisional cast on. The first motif is knit on this end, a second in the center, returning to the first motif on the other side. The border, a third vine motif, is knit on last.

Based on old twisted stitch motifs from Austria, these socks are a combination of tulips and staggered chains of windows. They are worked cuff down, with simplified patterning on the heel flap, and tulips all the way to the tip of the toe.

Jupiter’s eighth largest moon, Elara, is in the Himalia group, and may have originated as a piece of an asteroid that broke apart in a collision. In Greek Mythology, Elara was one of Zeus’ lovers. He hid Elara from his wife, Hera, deeply underground, where she gave birth to a giant named Tityas.

When I originally saw Nancy Bush’s “Knitted Lace of Estonia” I was smitten. The Crown Prince Square Shawl pictured on the cover is stunning. Taking a close look at the beautiful stars in the border I knew I had to do something with that stitch. I removed all the nupps and moved the motifs closer together, then modified it to use it as the centra...

A floret is a small flower, or one of the small flowers in a cluster. I much prefer the old English spelling, “flourette,” which is a diminutive of the word flur, meaning flower.

The shawl is knit from the center toward one edge from a provisional cast on. The second side is knit after the first is completed by picking up the other side of the cast on chain, and repeating the pattern. The pattern is written for three sizes: narrow scarf wide scarf, stole. The narrow scarf assumes a thick lace weight or fingering weight y...

This is the third design in the West Coast Swing Collection. The other designs are Sugar Push (fingerless mitts), Syncopation (shell), and Basket Whip (cowl).

Shawl is knit from the top center, and worked down and out toward the bottom edge. The border is knit as part of the whole -- it is not knit on afterward.

This triangular shawl starts in the middle at the bottom of the center leaf panel. After that the right side is knit, then the left side. The full triangle is made a little larger, then it is finished with a wide applied border.

In architecture, a cloister is an enclosed courtyard or garden surrounded by a covered walkway with buildings on the outside, and an open colonnade facing in. Cloisters are usually part of a church or monastery; originally they were used primarily as places of quiet meditation or study. This pattern is named for Venice’s Basilica di Santa Maria ...

The combination of lace and chevrons in this sock is perfect for yarns with short color repeats. Solids, semi-solids, and tweeds would be marvelous, too.

This type of traveling twisted stitch pattern is said to have originated in Austria, and is often attributed to the state of Tyrol in the Alps. While designing these socks I though how wonderful it would be to go skiing in that part of the world. A friend shared an ad from a cross-country ski magazine with me. They advertised a trip to this area...

Hesperia is a triangular shawl knit from the top edge to the bottom point—but with a twist. The total width of the shawl is cast on, and it decreases every right side row until the bottom center point is reached.

Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the largest planet in our solar system. Dozens of moons orbit it. Himalia is Jupiter’s fifth largest moon. It is also the largest member of the Himalia satellite group, which is thought to be the remains of a large asteroid.

October 30, 2008: Pattern updated to include both written and charted stitch instructions.

The ancient Greeks knew Illyria as a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, a mythical place, a borderland between the known and unknown worlds, a place where fact and fiction blend.

There’s a special quality to the light in the spring — especially when it rains. There’s something magical about the combination of the bright green of the new leaves, the dark tree trunks, the colorful flowers, and the jewel-like raindrops. The rain glistens and sparkles, and brings a new life to the world. Then the sun emerges for a moment, an...

I’ve always been a fan of m. c. escher, and his amazing, mind-bending way of depicting, morphing, changing things. Though not even in his league, the stars in this design are reminiscent of some of his drawings in that you need to bend your mind a bit and look at the holes, rather than the solid bits between them, in order to see the large stars...

It started with some green yarn and a clover leaf insertion. Clover flowers sprung up in the middle of the field of leaves. Then the bees arrived. You can’t have a field of clover without bees.

Stole is knit from the cast on edge straight through to the bind-off edge. The border is knit at the same time. No seaming, no picked up stitches, no fuss.

Translated from the Greek, Ione (pronounced eye-Oh-nee) means “violet flower.” Ione was one of Nereus and Doris’ fifty daughters, a sea nymph, who with her sisters was helpful to sailors fighting perilous storms, most often in the Aegean Sea.

The ancient Greeks were great builders of their time. The stately columns they designed to hold up walls and graceful archways came in three basic styles: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Doric columns were the stockiest, simplest of the columns, Corinthian the most slender and decorative, while Ionic was somewhere in between. This top coordina...

In architecture, a cloister is a square or rectangular courtyard, completely enclosed by covered walkways often having rooms or buildings along the outside edges, and is part of a church or monastery. The edges of the covered walkways, on the garden side, often have lovely archways. This pattern is named for Isola di San Michele, the 15th centur...

Because of the color of this yarn, when searching for a pattern name I was irresistibly drawn toward chocolate, and regions that grow it. Kumasi is a city in Ghana, in western Africa’s rain forest region. Cocoa is one of the city’s largest exports.

I told my tech editor about this pattern a while back, letting her know what I was working on, what to expect to be added to her work queue. A few weeks later I let her know that it was blocking, and was nearly ready for her. I still didn’t have a name chosen for the pattern, and so referred to it as that “lacy crescent thing.” She thought that ...

Rene Lalique’s work in both jewelry and glass during the Art Nouveau era is world renowned, and was a driving influence of the movement’s form and flow. The simplicity and elegance of his style inspired this garment. Here, classic bellflower and feather and fan motifs are accented with tiny hexagonal beads that add a subtle little sparkle.

Like the branching of a lazy river, the stitches of this cowl split and merge, flowing from one edge to the other. Cowl is fully reversible, though the twisted stitches only show on one side. Because the entire cowl is ribbed, it is so stretchy that if one or two repeats are added to the circumference, it could also be worn as a capelet.

When I saw this fabulous leaf pattern I knew I had to do something with it. I originally thought it’d work in a lacy shawl or scarf, but in swatching it I found that it looks much better knit with thicker yarn. I remembered this fabulous brown yarn in my stash that was in sore need of a project, but didn’t have much in the yardage category. The ...

I cast on for this pair of socks when I was in Mexico. Because of its south-of-the-border origin I wanted a Spanish name for the pattern. The movement in the stitch pattern makes me think of the movement of the waves on the beach I could see from my room. Keeping both those things in mind I pulled up the online translator, and played a bit befor...

Designed for Lush Yarn’s Autumn Sock Club, 2010. Now available for individual sale. Pattern has been expanded to include two more sizes.

San Francisco is a magical city filled with wondrous things. One of my favorites is a one-block long section of Lombard Street. This crooked bit of the street started out straight, but it’s so steep that in 1922 the switchback course was added. In 1939 it was made into a one-way street. Though delightful to go down, one of my favorite parts of t...

People long ago believed in water sprites, sirens, nymphs, whose mischievous presence explained the inexplicable. The Lorelei, a large rock that soars some 400 feet (120 meters) above the eastern bank of the Rhine river near St. Goarshausen, Germany, is named for one of these sirens. The outcropping marks the narrowest part of the river between ...

According to the dictionary, a labyrinth is a place of “intricate passageways and blind alleys”; something complex in its arrangement; an elaborate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one’s way or to reach the exit; or the huge maze, Knossos, said to have been constructed by Daedalus for King Minos in ancient Crete ...

In general, SCUBA divers have a slightly different view of sharks than most people. Not only do we actually want to see them, but some divers go out of their way in search of things like hammerhead sharks, because they are such fascinating creatures. My husband and I have seen quite a few sharks in our undersea adventures: reef sharks, nurse sha...

Tweed, the Scottish name for twill, originated along the banks of the Tweed river, which separates England from Scotland. Melrose Abbey is a stunning ruin on the south side of the Tweed River.

Many are the legends surrounding Melusine. They often have a pixie marrying a human with the caveat that he should never intrude on her privacy. She would build him

October 30, 2008: Pattern updated to include both written and charted stitch instructions.

I saw this beautiful border pattern in a book of old German designs. After changing it to fit into an odd number of stitches, I pulled the motif out of the center of the diamonds and repeated it for the body of the shawl.

The movement of the stitches mimics the motion of a cable, but instead comes from a creative placement of increase and decrease stitches.

Niobe (pronouced nye-oh-bee), a variety of clematis, is based on an old Shetland stitch pattern—and is also one of my all-time favorite blooming vines. This scarf is started by casting on only six stitches. The width is increased by one stitch every fourth row until the maximum width is achieved. Later, decreases are made at the same rate until ...

Unlike most people I’ve known when I think of the perfect beach, I don’t think of a tropical island with swaying palm trees, or sunbathing in the hot sun with plenty of tanning lotion. Well, okay, I do think of tropical islands and palm trees, but what makes my heart soar are thoughts of a cold, rocky, storm-lashed coastline with high cliffs, an...

When I was a kid they said that moss grows on the north side of trees—just look at the moss, and you can figure out what direction you’re going, if you happen to get lost in the woods. After moving to the Pacific Northwest I’ve found moss growing on all sides of the trees, and no, it’s not necessarily thicker on the north side. Hope I don’t get ...

Yarn: lace weight; model knit with JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-silk, in Teal.

Knit and purl stitches make a satisfying yet fairly easy-to-knit path down the length of this scarf. Knit with a thick sock yarn or light sport weight yarn with large needles, it works up quickly. It looks a bit like fancy ribs until blocked, when the magic happens, and the zigzags are allowed to strut their stuff. Scarf is cast on at one end, a...

Raspberries. They taste like summer’s hottest days. So what are they doing on a thick winter cowl? Will they make winter’s bitter cold end sooner? Spring’s flowers bloom sooner? Summer’s fruits ripen in February? Not likely. But cuddling up in this thornless berry patch before you brave winter’s elements might just bring a touch of summer’s warm...

Rosehaven. Evocative of a sun room’s windows framed by old-growth climbing roses in full bloom, or the rose garden at a country manor house with bushes absolutely covered with fragrant old-fashioned blossoms. Knit this thick cowl and surround yourself with sweet-smelling blooms on the coldest winter days.

The center panel and border of this design are both started with a provisional cast-on. The border is attached to the center panel as it is knit. The last ten border stitches are grafted to the first ten border stitches to finish the shawl. The border naturally folds over a bit at the neck when worn, like a lacy collar. The smallest size provide...

Named for the Siskiyou Trail, a Native American trail that wound its way through central California’s valleys up into Oregon, and was used by settlers as the shortest path from San Francisco to northern Oregon, this pattern winds its way up the hand in a lacy zigzag.

Summary: Stole is started with a crocheted provisional cast on. The center panel is knit, then the border is knit on. Ten stitches are grafted together to finish the stole. There are four lace stitches in the center of this asymmetrical stole, bordered by a fifth pattern.

In trying to come up with a name for this design I wracked my brain for things with frilly edges—pretty things, feminine things, trees, leaves, flowers… Eventually I had it. There’s a very special creature that lives in warm, tropical seas, along the coastlines where there is both protection and food. It’s a type of nudibranch, or sea slug...

“Good morning starshine, the earth says hello.” Hair. The musical was controversial. The music was amazing. My parents got the sound track when it was new back in 1968, and I wore it out. One of my favorite cuts was always “Good Morning Starshine.” Do you know it? If you do, just try to not sing it while you knit these cabled stars that dance in...

This gently flowing stream babbles over pebbles in the shallows, parts to go around a branch sticking up, and flows smoothly where the water deepens. Coordinates with the Lazy River cowl pattern.

This is the third design in the West Coast Swing Collection. The other designs are Flying Lindy (socks), Syncopation (shell), and Basket Whip (cowl).

This is the third design in the West Coast Swing Collection. The other designs are Flying Lindy (socks), Sugar Push (fingerless mitts), and Basket Whip (cowl). Some swing dancers enjoy adding a little Syncopation to their steps; they think it makes the dance more fun. Having a little lace near the hem of this basic top makes it more fun to knit ...

This understated stitch pattern is equally nice for men’s and women’s mitts. Mitt size can be easily modified by varying the yarn and needle size, using one of the three sizes provided. This is a companion pattern to the Merced sock pattern.

Tethys (pronounced TEE-this), one of Saturn’s 53 moons, was discovered in 1684 by the astronomer Cassini. The moon was named for Tethys in Greek mythology, who was both sister and wife of Oceanus.

Shawl is knit on the bias, starting in one corner, and increasing on every right-side row. It is knit even through the body, then decreased to the point on the far end. The oriel stitch used in this design is very old. It’s evidently named for an architectural element of the same name found in Gothic revival structures in the United Kingdom. In ...

Shawl is knit from the border up to the top edge. Decreases worked on all right-side rows shape the garment into a triangle as it is knit. To finish, 10 stitches are grafted together; no stitches are bound off. The nupps were added for texture, and the delight in making them. They can be omitted or replaced with beads (instructions not included)...

Anemones have always been one of my favorite flowers, with their large single petals, and delicate stems… But I have always found the word to be so hard to say! (You can laugh at me now.) So I went digging around on the Internet, and discovered that the common name for several varieties has the word “windflower” in it. This was perfect. Fo...

Pattern now available in both English and Dutch. Dutch translation provided by YvonneP. Download pattern in either the original English or the new Dutch format (Vergeet-mij-niet.pdf).

Counting the stockinette stitch base, this bag has 4 different stitch patterns. The stitches are more solid near the bottom, getting more open as they near the top of the bag. The bag is finished with a stitch that is less stretchy than most, to help give the top of the bag and the handle some stability. The wide handle is short, to help keep th...