I washed and blocked the Wide Leaf Winter Set last weekend and finally have the FOs for show and tell.
It was amazing to me how quickly all of these pieces knit up. Aside from the finishing, they were done within a week I think. The scarf and mitts were each done in one day.
Working with mostly fingerweight yarns has skewed this knitter's perception on things. It's no wonder I've got the fire in my belly to knit up the other scarf/winter sets I have planned.
Wide Leaf Scarf
First up is the scarf. I loved the yarn, the colorway, and this fabulous wide leaf stitch. The scarf has a lot of texture, accentuating the muted, but colorful, hues in the yarn. The only misgiving I have with the scarf is it's length; I didn't have the yardage to go the distance.
Yarn
Maple Creek Farm Merino in the PA Fall colorway. Approximately 325 yards. Love this yarn, love this vendor, I can't wait to get more yarn from her at Rhinebeck.
Needles
Knitpicks Harmony Options size US 10 1/2, 6.5mm.
Pattern
I employed a seed stitch border, followed purl stitches, to frame the wide leaf stitch pattern from lace & eyelets, one of the new Harmony guides from Interweave Press. I made one modification to the stitch pattern, an additional purl stitch between the two leaves.
The washed and blocked scarf grew a bit to 58" by 8."
I really wanted the ends of the scarf to match. I knit each end of the scarf separately and kitchenered them together, smack dab in the middle. Never having kitchenered a purl stitch before, this was a challenge. I'm sure the next time I attempt it, I'll get it 100% right.
Wide Leaf Hat
The scalloping created by the stitch pattern gives this hat a tulip shape and evokes the jazz age. The color and shaping would make this an adorable baby hat.
I was especially pleased by the way the crown decreases worked themselves out. When it comes to hats, I generally design as I go along, and the k2togs in the leaf made a perfect segue for the decreases.
Needles
Knitpicks Harmony Options US 9, 5.5mm and US 7, 4.5mm.
Pattern
The pattern is basically four of the wide leaf patterns knit in the round. The crown shaping was done by switching to smaller needles for a leaf repeat or two and then incorporating k2tog decreases, as noted above.
Wide Leaf Handwarmers
The mittens were the most fidgety to make. The 23 stitch base pattern, coupled with the bulky yarn, meant I had to do some finagling to carry the motif over to the mittens. The final design actually looks like stacked menorahs.
The Hubster was kind enough to model these for me.
Needles
I used Knitpicks Harmony Options US 7, 4.5mm and US 6, 4.0mm. I used a much smaller needle on these to condense the leaf pattern to fit over the top of the hand, as well as, to create a tighter, and by extension, warmer, fabric for my hands.
Pattern
With a smaller canvas to work with, I omitted the second leaf, and centered the YOs. I started out with the larger needles on the wrist and switched over to the US 6's once I reached the thumb increases. Like the hat, I just designed these as I went along.
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