For knitters: moving beyond the simple garter stitch...

Eugene here with another Pattern Profile Post!  

So you've picked up some needles and maybe a (oh it hurts to type this) cheapie acrylic* ball of yarn and have mastered knitting and purling stitches.  Where do you go from there?

Except for perhaps yo's (yarn overs) and various other increases; i.e. M1F, M1B etc, basically knitting is made up of two ways for creating your fabric - the good old knit and purl stitches.  Where you go from there is limited only by your tastes and desires to learn more.  This week, I will touch on a few of my favourite things (Cue Julie Andrews!)...

Techniques such as this gorgeous, feminine lacy pattern:

Lacework from Craftsy

Basket woven-looking Entrelac:

Photo from the cover of Explore Entrelac by Rosemary Drysdale

Or even 2-colour Brioche that still haunts my owner to this day (and eluded plenty of swearing inside her head while attempting, ripping out, and repeating those two things over and over). (Or so I'm told.) This Brioche is not for the faint of heart! :

#%$@!-ing 2 colour Brioche
Photo from Craftsy

However, if you want to try brioche, I recommend single colour which is much easier and will give you a delightful, squishy, bouncy fabric:

Photo from Pinterest

Finally, there is Intarsia Knitting.  Intarsia is making a "picture" pattern/design using two or more colours of yarn in your project.  

Simple:

Photo from diy.com

Or cranked all the way up to something that would make the meanest, toughest, angriest, hulk-of-a man rock in the corner and cry after attempting:

Photo from knitandfashion.com

Want to start things off a little more slowly but are sick and tired of squares or scarves?  How about socks, hats, sweaters, tea cozies, cup sleeves (all the rage at your Local Coffee Bar!), doll clothes, or or or or .... where was I?  Ahem.

Let Self-Striping Yarn do all the hard work and make your socks look Ah-mazing!
Photo from google.com


(Editor:  Pssssst! Eugene! Maybe mention we carry a few self-striping yarns in our shop!)

 You just did, Madame Editor! Now let me get back to my writing! 

Where were we? Ah yes...

Oh, hai there self striping yarn again!
Photo from https://aemmeleia.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/autumn-tea-cozy/  (Bonus free pattern!)

A selection of quick and easy coffee sleeve cozies made by moi...  Ok not really; by my owner.

So there you have it!  Hopefully your appetites are whetted and you are ready to go where no one (or rather yourself) has gone before! 

Till next week, keep your needles and hooks busy and try not to freeze if you happen to live in, or near the GTA! (Snow!)

*Disclaimer:  Nothing wrong with starting out on Acrylic yarn! When you want to move beyond it however, you will discover the sublime, dreamy, feeling of real wools, cottons, linens, alpacas, silks, etc etc and never want to look back! ;)