July 6, 2024

I’m using this Darvish rune as a starting place to design a LOTR themed baby blanket. I dislike picking up around a center block, so I incorporated the rune into the rows of a larger design. If you’re interested in making a similar blanket, I hope I’ve added enough details that you can copy mine.

I wanted the colors of the deep forest, but without being so dark that it’s almost black, because that would make the details hard to see. I chose Berroco Vintage Chunky in color Spruce. I think it’s absolutely perfect for what I wanted. There are very slight strands of lighter yellow/green heathering that give a wonderful depth.

I also wanted the effect of a forest with twisting vines, so I used spaced, alternating cables in a ‘waterfall’ pattern around the sides of the rune, and I also swapped the original touching cables in the pattern for crossed ones.

I used Stitch Fiddle to rework the rune and incorporate my changes. But it wouldn’t let me download the design all on one page (and it would have been too small to see anyhow) so I just took screenshots. Once you know the basic pattern of the sides, you shouldn’t need to reference a picture anyway. I did not CHANGE the original rune pattern, I just used icons that were available in Stitch Fiddle, which are different.

Basic “Pattern”:
CO 112

(Note: seed stitch borders are NOT shown on chart)
Work 12 rows of Seed Stitch (12 rows roughly matches the width of the 8 edge stitches. I actually only did 10 rows on mine, and wish I had done 12)
Place markers 8 stitches from each end (if you have a hard time remembering to do your edges, like I do) and continue to work edge stitches in seed stitch throughout.

Everything is symmetrical and mirrored on both sides, so once the waterfall cable pattern is established, it’s pretty easy to keep up with.

Set Up, Chart rows 1-2: Work 2 rows with seed stitch borders, and the center panel knit on the RS and purl on the WS.

Begin working the lower waterfall pattern, row 3 of the chart.

Row 3: seed stitch border Knit 6, (2/2 Left Cross Cable, K4) to end, knit last 2, seed stitch border
Row 4-6: seed stitch knit on RS/purl on WS, seed stitch
Row 7:seed stitch Knit 2, (2/2 right cross cable, K4) ending with cable, knit 2, seed stitch
Rows 8-10: same as rows 4-6

Repeat rows 3-10 two and a half times more for 7 total cable rows. After the 7th cable row (row 27 on the chart), you’ll stop after the next WS row, and begin working the set up rows for the rune panel.

From here, you’ll continue to work the waterfall cables using either 2 or 3 crossings per row on each side of the center rune panel with the same spacing you’ve already established, see images.

For the rune letters themselves, you will be cabling on both the right and wrong sides to get definition! Just remember to keep the knits on the RS and purls on the WS and it’s not too hard to wrap your mind around.

September 17, 2024
I finished and gifted in August and Katie loves it! And Katie and Paul have asked us to be godparents!! ACK! Wow, what an absolute honor. We are overwhelmed.

The blanket turned out slightly wider that it is tall, which annoys me. For future reference, I should have done 9 repeats above and below the rune. That would have made it square or slightly long. 10-11 repeats would have given a more proportional rectangle.