Inner Zen

Inner Zen

Sometimes we all need one of those projects - one which is soothing without being too plain. A bit of detail without needing too much concentration.

Say hello to your Inner Zen - a sideways shawl designed to restore your peace and harmony.

Knit during the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting turbulence I needed something calming to knit that wasn’t just acres of garter stitch.

This side to side shawl proved to be unexpectedly therapeutic. Starting from just a few stitches it is worked in sections - weigh your yarn first - with an increase section, a long straight section and then a final short decrease section.

The end result is a reversible, elongated crescent-ish shawl. Easy to wear and with negligible leftovers - always a bonus.

If you subscribe to my newsletter please check your inbox for a discount code.

If not, there is an early bird discount code for the next 7 days - with 25% off when you use the code InnerZenEB

Three good reasons to knit a sideways shawl

The KISS Shawl - pattern available on Payhip

Just my personal opinion but sideways shawls are vastly underrated, and I’m always surprised that there aren’t more of them available .

This is my KISS shawl (short for Keep It Simple Shawl) and I think this is the only true side to side shawl I've ever knit. I’m not quite sure why this is as there so many advantages to this way of knitting a shawl. If you’ve never knitted one before allow me to offer a few advantages to the calm, zen-like experience that is a sideways shawl.

1. There is absolutely no risk of running out of yarn making it perfect for one-off special skeins. As long as you have a reasonably accurate set of scales (ideally ones that measure to within 1g) you can weigh your yarn at the start, increase to the halfway point and then start the decreases secure in the knowledge that you won’t end up playing a fraught game of yarn chicken.

2. You can flirt with a little bit of lace patterning at the edges but there's plenty of plain garter stitch for relaxation purposes. Nothing too stressful and only a minimal bit of chart reading required.

3. It makes a perfect elongated, wrappable shape which is definitely my favourite shape to wear.

In fact, they are so much fun I think I've convinced myself that it's time to knit another one.

This one is in Turbillium from @theuncommonthread and I've worn it a lot, but I'm thinking I'd like one in a lighter colour for spring/summer.

The right time?

Wishing and Hoping - baby blanket pattern on Ravelry

Confession time.

I have had this baby blanket finished and wrapped, sitting in my wardrobe for weeks now. The baby it was intended for is already 8 weeks old and under normal circumstances it would have been gifted along, hopefully to start its journey of being a much loved companion.

And yet, there it sits. Still in my wardrobe. I can’t put my finger on the reason why I haven’t given it away yet. I’ve pondered and asked myself repeatedly why not and the answer is a disappointingly vague “It just doesn’t feel right”.

Logically I know there is no risk. It has been washed, dried, carefully wrapped in tissue and then in wrapping paper. It’s been untouched by human hands in my wardrobe for at least 3 or 4 weeks. And yet, it just doesn’t feel like the right time to gift it.

Normally a new baby into our circle is a time where we come together, where we greet the new arrival, support the new parents and generally do that whole ‘global village’ thing. Plus we get to have newborn baby cuddles which are, of course, just the absolute best. But right now we can’t do any of those things. We can’t be there to help the new parents - we can’t even make them a cup of tea or hold the baby for a few precious minutes of peace and quiet.

I could force it of course. I could write a breezy note and send it off it in the post. But it just seems like too much of a burden to place on new parents right now. I’m sure if I had just brought a tiny human into the world I would be overwhelmed with all kinds of feelings. I’m bad enough now and my kids are both well into their teens. In years past I probably would forced it. I would have sent the gift because it’s the ‘done thing’. But now I tend to wait and listen to my gut instinct a little more.

And my gut instinct is telling me to wait. The blanket isn’t going anywhere and yes, the baby might be a little (or a lot) bigger by the time I get a cuddle but the blanket will find it’s new home eventually.

When the time is right.

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Boundaries Blanket

Boundaries Blanket on Ravelry

I feel as though the alternative title for this should be “How to photograph a blanket”.

No matter how much I try for ‘artfully draped’ I always seem to end up with ‘randomly dropped’. No one wants to see a blanket stiffly stretched out like a body on a slab but equally, it’s hard to show ‘casually rumpled’.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that although the Boundaries KAL is now at an end, the whole pattern in a condensed version is now available to purchase through Ravelry. There are 12 squares in total which are knit separately and then seamed together. I would normally at this point say that the squares are handy portable projects - ideal for keeping in your handbag - but if you are anything like me you haven’t used your handbag for weeks.

For the next few days - until May 1st - there will be an early bird discount of 25% on this design. Just use code Boundaries at the checkout.

And, although the KAL has ended, the Facebook group we set up for it is still running. If you would like to join - to see what the squares looked like in progress or just to hang out there as you knit - please PM me on Ravelry with the email address you used to purchase the pattern and I’ll add you in.

Wishing and Hoping

Wishing and Hoping

I hope you are well.

It's such a simple statement isn't it. One which, up until recently we said almost casually, without thinking. Now of course those few words bring up so many feelings and emotions.

Expressing a sincere hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well as we navigate through these difficult, emotional times.

I usually find solace in my knitting but I have to confess that there have been times during this past week where I couldn't bring myself to pick up the needles at all. 

At other times, it has been a wrench to put it away, so desperately have I needed something to focus my mind on. I decided to carry on with my planned projects and at times when I was feeling calm and in control I picked up this baby blanket and knit on it, trying my hardest to put good karma and good thoughts into the stitches.

In a few short months a good friend will be wrapping her much anticipated, precious baby in this blanket (hopefully) and I wanted it to capture all of my good wishes and hope for this beautiful new life. The world it is welcomed into might be a scary place right now, but this will pass (although it might not feel like it right now). Eventually we will be able to celebrate the baby's birth, have a wild party, hug each other and celebrate life.

For now, we can't do those things. But a warm and comforting blanket might just be the next best thing.

If you are on my mailing list please do check your email for a special discount on this pattern which goes on sale this weekend. Or, if not please use code WISHINGEB for a 25% early bird discount (until March 31st)

How to knit a mitered square blanket

How to knit a mitered square blanket - available here

The wonderful things about mitered square blankets (sometimes called memory blankets) is that you can really personalise them and make them your own. Most patterns are really just a basic recipe to help you get the idea of how they are constructed and after that you really can freestyle to your hearts content. They are ideal for stashbusting and using up scraps of yarn - it's so pleasing to construct a real, beautiful, practical "thing" from a what is essentially a bag full of scraps.

Many mitered square blankets embrace the colourful nature of hand-dyed sock yarn and show it off to great effect. You can go as wild as you like or stick to a more restrained colour palette.

My Mitered Square blanket is often commented on although in truth it still isn't finished. I still use it as a blanket - I just haven't yet decided how large I want it to be. So every now and again I'll pull it out and add another row of squares. Each little square only uses about 3g yarn (yes - I really did measure it on my little digital scales) and so it's perfect for using up all but the tiniest bits of yarn. If you don't have tiny digital scales, a tightly wound ball of sock yarn equivalent in size to a walnut approximates to about 5g yarn in my experience.

Unless you have a very specific colour scheme in mind there a few points it is worth considering before you start your blanket.

Variety: In most cases the blankets really do look better with more variety in colour. To get the best result you really do need a lot of different scraps otherwise you run the risk of the same colour cropping up too frequently (or even adjoining). If that's fine with you then by all means go for it but one of the most common complaints from people who have started a blanket and then stopped is that they don't have enough variety to choose from. For this reason, sock yarn mini swaps are quite common amongst knitters and knitting groups.

Size of squares: It sounds blindingly obvious but it's worth mentioning at the start. The larger your individual squares are the more yarn they will need. Some people embrace this wholeheartedly and are happy to just knit large squares and add in new colours to the square as each scrap runs out. My brain is wired to need a little more order than that, so I'm happiest when I can complete a small square in one single colour. I've also seen some really fantastic blankets knit with teeny, tiny squares (about an inch across) which look fantastic - but the thought of all those ends is enough to make me hyperventilate.

Portability: Again, forgive me for stating the obvious but apart from the initial stages, this is not a very portable project. You have to take your yarn scraps with you if you want to work on it out of the house and if you are the type who likes order and symmetry (raises hand) then you might need to have space to spread it out and determine where colours are placed.

Square 1

Square 1: 

This tutorial starts by casting on 20 stitches with a stitch marker placed on the needle at the halfway point. This will yield a very small square though, so for your blanket you might want to think about starting with 40 stitches in total (20 +20).

For my sock yarn blanket I use a 3.25 mm needle - the fabric doesn't need to be as dense as for socks - but's worth experimenting a little to get a fabric you are happy with. You are going to be spending a lot of time with this project after all.

With your first yarn, cast on 10 stitches using the long tail cast on, place a marker and then cast on another 10. The next row is your right side and you are going to work as follows:

RS: Knit to 2 st before marker, ssk, slip marker, k2tog, knit to end.

WS: K 

These 2 rows form the basis of your mitered square.

All you are doing is decreasing two stitches on either side of the central marker on each RS row. WS rows are just knit all the way across. If you find yourself getting confused about your right and wrong side, clip a removable stitch marker into the fabric of the right side. Once you add in more squares and join in colours it will be much more obvious which is the right side.

Keep working in this manner until you have 2 stitches left on the needle. Pass the first stitch over the 2nd to bind off, break yarn and draw the yarn through the loop to finish your square. Now the fun starts as you pick a second colour to join to the first.

Square 2

First you need to cast on stitches for one side of your square (10 for this example), place a marker and then pick up and knit 10 stitches from the right hand side of the square (the right side as you look at it).This is done with the right side of your first square facing you - stitches are always picked up in this manner.

Turn the work and knit 1 row (WS), then proceed as usual with your mitered decreases. 

Carry on as usual and in no time at all you will have a second square joined to the first.

Square 3

Square 3

With your third colour you are now going to pick up and knit stitches along the left hand side of square 1. In our example that means picking up and knitting 10 stitches with your new colour, placing a marker and then casting on a further 10.

To easily cast on stitches in the middle of a row I like to use the simple thumb cast on. For many of us, this is how we first learn to cast on and whilst it can be a bit loopy and lacing in structure, in my experience it's fine for these little squares. After this you just proceed as you did with square 2. Knit back along the WS and then continue alternating decrease and plain rows.

Square 4

Square 4: Are you hooked yet?

The 'corner' patches are always fun as you are picking up stitches from sides of 2 squares. With your next colour, pick up and knit 10 stitches from the left hand side of square 2, place marker and pick up another 10 stitches from the right hand side of square 3.

Turn and knit along the WS. Then work as usual. 

From this point on it really is just a matter of having fun and playing with colour. You will start the next section by casting on 10 stitches, placing a marker and then picking up and knitting along the left hand side of square 2.

Once you get the hang of it, it really does become intuitive and you'll be excited to see how it starts to come together. The only mistake you can really make is to accidentally start your mitered decreases in the wrong corner but, honestly you'll soon see if you've done that - and you could always call it a design feature. Honestly, the hardest part, once you get into the swing of it is choosing the next colour - but that’s also the most fun.

As this is a bit of long tutorial, that you might want to save and come back to I have condensed it into a handy PDF. The Mitered Square ebook has been re-written for 2023 and now includes information on the yarn amounts you’ll need for different sizes of squares - and for options in different yarn weights too (sock weight, DK and with sock yarn held double.

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