I’d been thinking of doing a small collection of lacy sweater patterns, but couldn’t decide which ones to put in the set. Narrowing it down to just three was so hard! So I did the logical thing. I decided to do more than one volume. It’s just possible that the other volumes might have a shawl or two in them, but this first one is just sweaters.

This third volume in my Touch of Lace series includes four previously published designs with two things in common: the first is that they’re all triangular shawls, and the second is that all of the yarn that I used for the models is from Miss Babs.

This second volume of my Touch of Lace series includes four previously published designs with one thing in common: all of the yarn that I used for the models is from Anzula. Yum.

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.

During ancient times when Rome was the center of western civilization, man often looked to the stars to try to explain the world around him. Early astronomers noticed that Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star visible from Earth, and found in the constellation Canis Major, was high in the sky during the hottest days of the summer, which fell from early July through mid August. This time of year was referred to as the Dog Days of Summer.

The inspiration for the patterns in this collection have one thing in common: my life-long love of flower gardens. The patterns will vary in complexity, with the hardest one first, some will have written stitch instructions, and others won’t. I initially published two of the designs years ago, and they both have updated charts, and all new photos, one even re-knit in a completely different yarn. The other three are brand new. The complete collection, including all photo-only pages, is 32 pages long.

The short version is this: a group of us decided to do an ebook together. We’d noticed that frequently different designers, working alone at home, would release patterns using the same stitches at the same time, or very close to it. We decided to do it on purpose. Every design in this collection includes either a specific lace stitch, a specific cable stitch, or both. The rest was up to our individual identities to decide.

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.

Both designs are knit in the round, and feature the same three Swedish stranded colorwork motifs, though the main motif on the back of the mittens has been slightly modified to work on a hand. The mittens can be worked whatever method best suits the knitter: DPNs, two circulars, magic loop, or anything else that gets the job done.

A matching cowl and mitt set. Exact same stitch worked with the same yarn, but with very different needle sizes for completely different gauges, creates a wearable set.

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.

As I often do when trying to name patterns, I looked to the stars. This time I found a quartet of unusual star groupings. These stars are each in their own constellations, and also participate in asterisms, groupings of stars that are not physically related to each other. There are four seasonal asterisms: The Great Square of Pegasus in autumn, The Winter Hexagon, The Great Diamond in spring, and The Summer Triangle. The three stars in The Summer Triangle are Altair, Deneb, and Vega. These stars are in the Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra constellations respectively. Like these asterisms, the three designs in my Summer Triangle are not actually related to each other, except that they are all found here, in this grouping.

It’s a sizzling night. The heat is only outdone by the anticipation as I stare at a microphone set at center stage under a glaring spotlight. Covered by darkness, the orchestra awaits their cue. A woman glides into the light, and as she begins to sing and move with the music all the tiny beads and sequins in her dress glisten and sparkle and th...

Emergence is the process of coming into view after being concealed or hidden. As I write this, it is the last few days of the year 2020. The emergence of the covid19 virus caught the world by surprise, to put it mildly. I prefer to think about other things, those that have nothing to do with isolation, wearing masks, or any of the myriad hardsh...

According to Merriam-Webster, “shoaling” is a transitive verb that means “to become shallow.” The romantic side of me sees much more. I see a tall ship, her sails hanging limp in the calm, fog so thick you can almost cut it with a knife, and a sun-worn sailor hanging over the bow holding a heavy line that he dropped into the water to check the ...

Warm days, crisp, cool nights. The leaves change from green to shades of red, orange, gold. The sky is so blue it’s likely to take your breath away; Autumn. Depending on the time of year, it’s either my favorite or my second favorite season. As I sit here, the brilliant blue sky is the backdrop for the changing hues of the leaves, and the warmt...

My parents were young when big band music was new and hot. Naturally, they continued to listen to it fairly often once I came along. Whenever In the Mood came on Mom’s feet would start to tap. Dad would take her in his arms, and they’d dance around our living room. You’ll feel like dancing, too, when you get into the swing of mosaic knitting. W...

Wander through leaves and traverse over lacy brooks to discover the hidden mosaic in The Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone is an ancient tablet that was found in the late 18th century by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt. The text on the stone was written in two languages and three scripts by priests to honor their pharaoh. Luc...

When I was young it seemed like fringe was on everything: shirts, jackets, vests, purses, table cloths… there was even fringe along the edges of the hammock that hung in our backyard beneath the trees. I tried making fringe back then by cutting lengths of yarn and attaching them to shawls and blankets. Despite my best efforts, the fringe was al...

If you google “who sang I Heard it through the Grapevine” you’ll get a list of artists who sang the song over the years, a number of which I remember well. Artists such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, even Smokey Robinson, and James Brown, all sang the song long before the California Raisins did their little dance....

Something special is in the air; a magical glint to the light glistens while the garden outside prepares for its winter’s rest. As the days shorten and warm afternoons cool into crisp evenings, settle in with Autumn Garden for some extra knitting time.

Oh, how I looked forward to those rare Sundays when I was a child, and we went into San Francisco to play in Golden Gate Park. In those days we always parked in back of the aquarium, where we were greeted by a huge Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton that stood guard outside, daring us to enter. We always went through the aquarium from back to front—exp...

This triangular shawl begins with a cast on of four little stitches. The stitch count increases at the beginning of most right-side rows. Instructions for five sizes are provided for your convenience. Notes are also included for using up all your yarn.

Prohibition went from 1920 through 1933, but didn’t quite put the crimp in everyone’s style that was expected. Back room establishments opened where a password was required for entry, and police raids would break up the party that would otherwise have lasted well into the next morning. No password is required for this speakeasy, though… Simply ...

I have to admit to doing my share of yarn shopping late a night. One night I was browsing through single-cake gradients in search of a colorway that grabbed me. This one did exactly that. It starts as a wonderful blue-y green that fades into a delightful rose. I had to have it. Once it was here it took its own sweet time deciding what it wanted...

This little cardigan is the perfect thing to toss on over your shoulders, and goes perfectly with everything from leggings or jeans to that sweet little sundress you’re planning on wearing to your best friend’s June wedding. It’s dressy enough to wear at the office or out on the town, yet casual enough to wear grocery shopping, or running aroun...

From the beautiful old stitch pattern called Bellflower right down to the interesting plant Campanula rapunculus, which the brothers Grimm used as inspiration for Rapunzel’s name, this shawl loves plants that bloom, don’t you?

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji and The Solomon Islands is a small island nation called Vanuatu. I’ve been there. Twice. Our plane landed on Vanuatu long enough to refuel, as it wasn’t big enough to make the flight all the way from Fiji to The Solomon Islands (or back again) without stopping part way between. That glorious trip was ...

It began with pi, that little mathematical beauty that Archimedes of Syracuse, Greece calculated fairly accurately a couple thousand years or so ago. At first I was going to name my shawl after him, but I began having a hard time naming such a pretty shawl after a bearded old man. I thought, too, that it might be fun to name the shawl after the...

In Slavic mythology, a rusalka is a water nymph, similar to her Celtic and Germanic sisters. Several operas have been written about the rusalki, the most famous in 1901 by Antonín Dvorák. In the 1800s, two other composers wrote operas named Rusalka: Alexander Dargomyzhsky and Henri Duparc, though Duparc never finished his.

Back in 2014 I came up with a design for a lace crescent using some pretty green Aran weight yarn. I had a number of people like it, but practically no one wanted to knit it. They all said they would knit it in a heartbeat, if only it were designed with fingering weight yarn. Fast forward to this summer. I’d been floundering a bit, unsure what ...

When this beautiful golden yarn first arrived on my doorstep I was immediately captivated. It was the middle of January, and we were expecting snow to start falling any minute. The yarn color made me think of the warm golden days of summer, so I had to find stitches that evoked that same feeling. I decided to start with a cascade of falling lea...

If you know me at all by now you know that flowers are a huge, huge part of my life. Everywhere I go, everything I do I look for flowers and at flowers, and want to immerse myself in their loveliness. If I lived in the U.K. in the early part of the 20th century no doubt my cottage would have been filled with overstuffed furniture in a wild arra...

Unlike this scarf, which thrives in cold weather (just like me), the Lantana flower it’s named for prefers to grow well away from the frost. This is no doubt one reason it flourishes in southern California’s sun, and can be seen growing everywhere from neighborhoods to shopping centers—though the flower colors you’ll see down there will primari...

Back in 2013, I designed a cowl using the stitch that I used for this sweater. I thought the stitch looked rather heraldic, and so I thought I’d name it after Lancelot’s mother. Turns out that was easier said than done. While some of the stories in the Authurian legends are very clear cut, apparently Lancelot’s parentage doesn’t fall into that ...

There’s no explaining it. I took one look at the tulip border and the sundial stitches that I found while looking for ideas for this cowl, and simply had to use them together. How could I resist? Obviously, I couldn’t. One thing that we need most during cold and dreary winter days is the promise that spring is around the corner with its longer ...

Yarn chicken is a game we knitters play, either on purpose or accidentally, whenever we’re almost out of yarn but there is more to be knit. Will we make it to the end before running out of yarn? That’s the sixty-four dollar question. I played three games of yarn chicken (two of which I totally won) while working on this scarf. All yarn hanks ar...

Estonian knitters have developed some of the most beautiful lace stitches I’ve seen. When I saw these flower stitches grouped this way I was captivated. I had to fiddle with it a bit, I almost always do, but it didn’t take long at all to decide that this design would be a cowl, and that in addition to the lovely Estonian stitches, beads were es...

I was at TNNA in June, visiting with Claudia in her booth there, chatting about yarn, and this, that, and the other thing. All the while my eye kept being drawn to these five hanks of gorgeous yarn sitting there on a shelf. I visited Claudia several times during the show, and each time these hanks of yarn were about the only thing I saw, in spi...

As is so often the case, this little sweater practically knit itself, naming it, however, was another thing entirely. I had absolutely no inspiration for a name. Nothing came to me. At all. Absolute blank. I asked my testers, if they had any ideas, and one did. The eyelets in the ribbing reminded her of constellations, so she suggested Lyra. Th...

It seems like designs either practically name themselves, or they fight me every step of the way. Though the stitches for this shawl rolled off my needles, the name was elusive. I asked Melanie, the dyer who I worked with on this project, if she had any ideas. She pointed me toward a couple of gorgeous blue flowers, but the species names were d...

I started looking for a good name for this design practically the moment I cast on for it. I searched high and low, and nothing quite worked. Nothing reached out to me, and said This is it! Then one day a friend said that the stitch looks like drops of dew, which I totally love. Do you have any idea how many designs are named Dew Drops, or Dewd...

When I was a kid, back in the dark ages, I was actively enouraged to go play outside as much as possible. When it rained, though, I got to stay inside and watch movies on TV. Sometimes, I even lucked out and something really good was on, like Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The thing I thought was wonderful about this movie was that the ...

When I was young, I lived where the summer temps would soar. I’ve always hated hot weather—there are only so many layers of clothing you can remove before it gets downright embarrassing! The cool nights that follow the hot days almost make the heat worthwhile, though. Almost. For years I wanted the perfect little summer sweater for those cool n...

I am a tea drinker. I don’t have anything against coffee—except the taste. It’s awful stuff. Yuck. Anyway, I’d been wondering what to call this design while finishing up my morning tea, and looked at the sweater again. It’s a t-shirt that’s covered with leaves. Hm. A tee shirt or a tea shirt? Covered with tea leaves? We have a winner.

The sweater I knit for this design, the one you see here, was sitting on one of my dress forms, Rose, for ages, waiting patiently. My husband walked in not long after I had put it on Rose, and said, “That looks collegiate.” Hm. You know what? He was right. Rose wore Collegiate while I knit and released other designs. Then Nicole, the other dres...

I fell in love with the fir cone stitch that is the basis for this design years ago. I even used it once before, as part of a much more complicated shawl design (In the Woods). It’s simple beauty has been calling to me again, and so I thought I’d use it in something where it could stand out, where its own beauty, its simple elegance could reall...

When I was young, I looked forward to every new episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau with bated breath. The silence, the solitude, the beauty, the teeming schools of fish, the sunlight shining through the water, and the extreme, sudden violence, all melded in my mind, my heart, my psyche, until many years later when I was presented...

Geometry, tall buildings, ice crystals, sharp edges, crisp lines; in cold country these are rounded, softened by the drifting snows that winter brings. The crisp lines and geometric forms made with yarn overs, decreases, and cables are softened by the fuzziness of the mohair in the yarn. Beads add the sparkle of snow flakes illuminated against ...

From London’s Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Versailles, from Esterházy Palace in Hungary to Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, the main gates that provide the first line of security to so many castles are stunning lace motifs wrought of iron, and gilded with gold, instead of knit with two sticks and some string. At least, that’s what a ki...

Southern California, where we used to live, is famous for a lot of things, but not for growing blackberries. The grocery stores there seem to think that summer berries are gold, not food, and charge accordingly. Here in the Pacific Northwest, berries grow like weeds. In fact, blackberry vines are weeds all over our new State, including in our o...

Green. I’ve had a lifelong love affair with plants, and all the shades of green they come in. Plants became especially dear to me when I lived in southern California, and had such a hard time getting them to grow. I wasn’t the only one who wilted down there. Many plants I’d had for decades withered and died. Here in the Pacific Northwest, howev...

This gorgeous yarn sparkles like the night skies, so when looking for a name for it, I looked toward the skies, at the innumerable things in our solar system and the distant reaches of space. It occurred to me suddenly that the sky isn’t the only thing that sparkles at night. Millions of tiny little lights glimmer in our seas, too. One of my fa...

As usual, when I’m stumped and have no idea what to name a design, I ran a naming contest online. This time I did it a little differently, and had everyone leave their name suggestions on Instagram. I love the results. The knitter who suggested the winning name loves naming contests, and did a little research before making her suggestion. She n...

Coit Tower stands on the top of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. There are two ways to get to Coit Tower: you can drive there—Lombard Street ends at the top of Telegraph Hill—or you can walk. By far the best route is via the stairs on the east side of the hill. There are two staircases that climb from the Embarcadero to the top of the hill (a r...

Antares is a triangular shawl that is worked from the top down, beginning with a tab cast on, and is shaped with increases worked on RS rows at both ends and on either side of the center stitch. The beautiful Estonian lace stitch grows out of the garter stitch rows that form the top of the shawl. Shawl is finished with a delicate beaded border.

I’ve been known to run the odd naming contest on my blog when I cannot come up with a good pattern name on my own. I did that recently for this cowl design. Because the stitch is patterned from an architectural feature, the graceful ogee, I wanted a name related to a specific building, region, or even a tile design, something directly related t...

The Internet is a great source of information these days… some of it conflicting. Take the name of this sweater: Isaura. Quite a few sites told me that Isaura (pronounced ee-SOW-rah) originated with the Portuguese, Spanish, or Late Roman, and indicates that one is from Isauria, a region in Asia Minor. On the other hand, an equal number of sites...

According to my tech editor the romance text I first wrote for this pattern needed a “sleek Swedish guy to give it new life.” That got my brain reeling, but not with anything that is printable. Whew. Moving on… I’m a life-long book collector. In addition to piles of books of knitting, fiction, art, counted cross-stitch, needlepoint, gardening, ...

Was her name Desiderata? Maybe it was Ermengarda? Or it could have been something ending in -perga, like her sisters Anselperga, Adelperga and Liutperga? Regardless of what he called her, Charlemagne (who was also known as Karolus Maximus, Karl der Große, and Charles the Great) called his first queen “wife” for only a short time. One thing is c...

This is usually where I write about my inspiration for the design, or how I decided on the design name, or something along those lines. Sometimes this is a bit of a struggle, while other times words just flow out of me, through my hands on the keyboard, and onto the screen. This time? Oh ha ha ha. I first designed this shawl nearly four years a...

According to the dictionary set a neighbor gave to me when I was a child, the Thorndike-Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary © 1957, Volume 2, page 749, to be exact, a squall is “a sudden, violent gust of wind, often with rain, snow, or sleet.” I’ve never lived in snow country, and so haven’t experienced a truly cold winter, so I can’t speak ...

Whether you believe that William Shakespeare wrote all those plays and sonnets himself, or that a team of monkeys did it, if you’ve gotten around a bit in the world you will no doubt have heard a variety of lines quoted over the years from one or another of the many works attributed to him. I have often heard the first two lines of Shakespeare’...

At the river’s edge the water ripples, undulates, gently laps over shallow pebbles, twigs, and small fish, making lazy, swirling diamond patterns that are kissed by a glistening summer sun.

Some of my earliest memories include laying flat on my back on the lawn, gazing up at the sky, and trying to trace all the contrails left by jets filled with people going somewhere. The mystery of them, the pretty patterns they made so high up in the sky… Years later I was in one of those jets speeding across the sky, looking out, and seeing wh...

I had a rough idea for a pullover with a lace cowl for quite a while when I got the call from Louet. The idea solidified as I dug through countless stitch dictionaries looking for just the right stitch for the cowl. The body of the sweater and sleeves would be a simple stockinette to properly showcase the lace, and the lovely and easy-to-knit J...

Crocosmia is a bulb in the iris family. Native to South Africa, its long graceful stems open pair after pair of delicate blossoms all summer long. Often brilliant orange, the flowers add a dash of bright color to the landscape.

The Sea of Cortez is the original home of the lustrous black pearls so prized throughout Europe beginning in the 16th century. Guaymas is the current home of pearl production in the region, providing some of the worlds most lustrous gems from the sea.

Usually found in the Americas from Argentina to the State of Texas, the Phoebis sennae butterfly, or Cloudless Sulphur, is also periodically seen throughout central California and clear on up to Ontario, Canada.

When I saw this beautiful tulip stitch I was compelled to design a cowl using it. I just had to do it. While searching for the perfect name I came across the Lisca tulip and was equally smitten. Please forgive me calling it that though the stitch does not have the flower’s frilly edges. I am certain you will be able to find a garden of beautifu...

Lazy times in days gone by picnicking at the shore, everyone is dressed in white except that one woman who invariably wears a pastel floral print dress, cabled V-neck pullovers with a navy blue line to set off the neck, big picnic baskets, sun hats, fine china and crystal, boats with pennants flying, reading, a glass of wine, napping under a tr...

Where I used to live in southern California, the few ferns growing there were in areas sheltered from the sun and the cruel Santa Ana winds, seldom thriving except in the yards of expert gardeners who spent a fortune on water to keep them moist and happy. Here in the Pacific Northwest ferns grow everywhere. They are considered weeds by some, an...

In the year 800, Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, became the first emperor in Europe since the collapse of the Roman Empire three centuries before. Aquitania was one of the regions under his rule. A portion of Aquitania is now known as Aquitaine, a region in southern France on the Bay of Biscay.

Sunspots are a bright orange variety of morning glory, another of my favorite flowers. Their small, brilliant blooms greet the sun each morning with a dazzling display.

Fifteen years ago I’d certainly heard of Oscar Wilde, though the only piece I was familiar with was his terrifying Picture of Dorian Gray. Just thinking of that story still sends shivers up my spine. I’d no idea that the same author was responsible for the delightful story, An Ideal Husband, or my current favorite, The Importance of Being Earne...

A night-blooming morning glory? A bit of a contradiction, but there you go. But oh! can’t you just imagine the pure white blooms reflecting the light of a full moon? When planted on a trellis with any day-blooming variety, you’ll have showy blossoms from night through morning’s light. Lovely.

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favorite plays. It’s light, fun, silly, witty, and completely absurd. Delightful. The Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax is always dressed to the nines, and usually wears a good deal of lace. Certainly, if she were an early 21st century woman, she would want to deck herself out in a captivating lac...

Brilliant red in summer, chokecherries darken nearly to black by autumn’s harvest, when their sweetness is at its peak. The lacy leaves and red color of this sweater evoke blissful days of summer, wiling away the time, waiting for the fruit to ripen to perfection before making delicious jams and syrups.

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 sist...

Acantha was a minor character in Greek mythology, but one whose story is somewhat confused. In one version, Acantha was a woman who refused Apollo’s advances. In another version, Acantha was a man who returned Apollo’s advances. Either way, these cuffs, mitts, and mittens are great for all.

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 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, Cirrhos...

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, a...

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...

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...

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

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...

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 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 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.

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...

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 le...

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 war...

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.

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, a...

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.

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.

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.

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. But I think o...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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 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 coordin...

“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 i...

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...

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 sim...

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 st...

René 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.

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 sh...

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. For one...

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 b...

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.

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.

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 th...

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.

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...

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 centr...

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 star...

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 ...

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.

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, kno...

Looking back on it, I think that my mother’s favorite classes in school were her art classes. I think she enjoyed learning about classic art and architecture as much as she did learning drawing and watercolors. One thing that stood out in her mind, that she often tested me on to see if I remembered too, were the three main types of columns used...

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...

Very dear and deserving friends of ours recently adopted a baby girl. I wanted to make a blanket for her in celebration. After digging through piles of quilt patterns I found one called Lily. The amaryllis bulb is my favorite of those in the Lily family. The angles were right, the pattern simple but lovely—and the pattern lent itself well to my...

My parents grew up in the 1930s and 40s when a lot of songs were silly. We sang a number of the hits from that era in the car during our summer vacations. One of my favorites has always been the whimsical little song, Mairzy Doats. The stitch pattern used for this sock is an adaptation of the ivy pattern, which naturally recalled me to those tr...

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.

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 desi...

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.

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.

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 centu...

Pattern update! July 15, 2015

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.

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

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.

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...

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, ...

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 provid...

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 ...

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.

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...

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. That was the original Midnight Garden. I was never quite satisfied with the abrupt change between the border and the shawl b...

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.

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.

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 befo...

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 combinatio...

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 are...

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...

The colors in this yarn reminded me of the beginning of autumn—not those stunning years with the sudden cold snap that turned all the leaves into brilliant shades of reds and golds over night, but of the years where summer faded slowly into autumn, when the leaves slowly changed from greens to soft golds and browns, and Dad sighed patiently whe...

5 for 4. If you buy any 5 Fiber Dreams patterns at the same time, the least expensive one will be free.

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.

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 Sugar Push (fingerless mitts), Syncopation (shell), and Basket Whip (cowl).

I designed this for my dear friend Karen. The diamonds at the top are because her friendship is more valuable to me than gem- stones, the hearts are for love, and the semi-circles in the border are the hugs that I send her long distance because she lives 400 miles away, and we rarely see each other.

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.

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.

Pattern update! Tenaya has been revamped. New charts, new written stitch instructions, EIGHT sizes (expanded from the original three sizes), updated text, new photos, new yarn, re-tech edited. Wow.

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

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.

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

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.

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 ...

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

My childhood was spent in the 1960s and 1970s when Flower Power was a big thing: my friends and I had floral wallpaper on our bedroom walls and schoolbook covers, and big flowers splashed across a lot of our clothes. In 1972 Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” was on the radio seemingly non stop. It was a natural thing for his song to be stuck in my h...

The color of the waters surrounding the islands in the South Pacific changes from brilliant blue to a dark steely gray in mere moments when a sudden squall rages through, but when the seas are calm the water’s edge has a special quality to it—waves of softest pale turquoise gently caress the sandy beaches with a sparkling brilliance that will t...

Construction: Socks are knit top down. The stitch pattern goes down the back of the heel.

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.

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 Her ...

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).

This design emulates a traditional quilt pattern. The yarns used are fluffy, so when knit at a larger gauge, make a lightweight, warm lap blanket. Instructions also provided to make a lap blanket of approximately the same size, but with smaller yarn and needles, and twice as many stitches and rows.