Charts For Colour Knitting A designers’ source book Nig TROL MaOL ese Dal RaNY IRR fae aftelice Starmore is famous asa designer teacher, and master of knitting Pree nn ems See eT ave) a knitting gypsy” is how she describes herself eno area substantial collection of charted patterns for colour knitting. This is the source material that she uses in her work asa designer and ATE Corres Orta Chane en Perce eee eee Penance an ee Cem ee een me ce Ca ene ee Ror rere Cis Wen eccre enRca et T author has derived or adapted from textiles and other artwork, including Japanese porcelain and Celtic metalwork Sen enn) een ea res a See ne Conon ear enemies et * A technical chapter which gives a clear explanation of how to work with patterns and incorporate them into your own designs. There is a wealth of material for knitters of all levels of ability. Beginners can use a single Ron eet ee lesign, while experienced knitters can combine coe aon eee Just as many traditional knitting patterns have reece Mee eee eee so these charts can be used in a varieqwaf fabric media - in weaving and embroidery as well as in hand and machine knitting. Charts For Colour Knitting. is a book to Pench een Ren task in hand, Within its pages, needleworkers Reena crete ere See Rana eae cS Ch Same) iosDATEZ|, lou STAFF VYf-Alice Starmore’s Charts For Colour Knitting Windfall MCMXCII § DORADO COUNTY FREE LIBRARYArtwork and design by The Windfall Press Imageset by Lakeland Computer Services Castle Garth, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 7A Printed and bound by Butler & “Tanner Ltd ‘The Selwood Printing Works Caxton Road, Frome, Somerset, BALL INF Copyright © 1992 Alice Starmore All rights reserved ISBN 1 874167 00 1 Charts For Colour Ki ing Published in Scotland by ‘The Windfall Press Achmore Isle of Lewis PAS6 9DU,LALAVAVAVAVAWA Contents Introduction 5 Designing Patterned Sweaters 8 Traditional Knitting Patterns 24 Norway 26 Sweden 4 Finland 52 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania Russia South America Adapted Knitting Patterns Celtic Greece 90. ‘The Caucasus 94 Middle East 100 Far East 104 The Continuing Story. 4 Birds & Flowers 116 Sea & Shor 126 The Inner La 130Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/chartsforcolourk0000starIntroduction As a professional designer, my pattern library is my single, most valuable resou ¢ — as important as a broad palette of coloured yarn, It might seem strange that a collection of dots upon a pi element I turn to when desig ge is so vital, but pattern is the very first ning a garment. It is a frame- work which affects all that follows. The pattern controls how I use colour, and gives an underlying coherence to my colour scheme. In the sphere of traditional knitting, it isa large body of patterns — used boldly and consistently ~ that confers regional or national identity This book contains a comprehensive selection from my pattern library; some collected, some adapted from various forms of artwork, and some from my own imagination. In the chapters that follow, [ hope to tion with dots upon a page, and show that they have a hare my own fascina- similar power to words. Someone without even a grain of mathematical ability can still possess a well-developed geometric sense, and can gain pleasure from a pattern, just as if it were a well-turned phrase in a novel or poem. Different patterns have different effects. Those mundane or elevate, and they can even dots can excite, intrigue A complex, interlacing allover might be found to be sult of a small, innocuous repeating unit. Above all, I mn hope to convey a spirit of adventure and excit atthe design potential that pattern offers, for despite the vast hoard of patterns already produced, there are still an infinite number waiting to be discovered. The limits are only set by our imagination Alice StarmoreDesigning Patterned Sweaters Designing a colour-patterned sweater ean be much easier than its complex beauty suggests, and my aim is to provide you with a clear guide to the process involved. I find itis best to explain by example, and so I invite you to ‘look over my shoulder’ as I design a small collection of sweaters, starting with an easy design which any beginner can tackle, through to a design which will provide a challenge for the more experienced knitter. his book contains four different types of charted patterns — single motifs, allovers, horizontal borders and vertical panels. Similarly, the collection contains four sweaters, each based on one of these types of pattern. In this way I will cover all the points you need to know when using the patterns in your own designs. always begin with a theme which will give the collection a unifying identity. For this exercise, I have chosen “Autumn which immediately conjures up specific images — harvest, leaves, berries, fruits ~ and a rich association of colours. This provides me with a focus, and I then look at my pattern library for anything which will evoke these images. Ac this st referen: I may also look at other es which will give me ideas for adapting or designing new patterns, Au- tumn leaves for example, or maybe books of photographs. This is one of the ways in which I build up my source material } Having decided on the patterns to use, I then draw rough sketches of the designs, as shown here. I woukd like to emphasisethat you do not have to be a great artist to do this. The main point is to see what you are planning. Once I have sketched the designs, I think about yarns. The weig the size of the pattern thick yarn will make the pattern larger, thin yarn will make it smaller. The pat- terns and designs I have sketched will give me an idea of the weight of yarn required to produce the desired effect, For exam- ple, in the single motif design I would like the motifs to appear fairly large and bold on an oversize sweater, and so I will try a DK (US sport weight) yarn. For the allo- ver, border and panel designs, I will use a lighter weight of yarn such as the classic Shetland 2ply jumper weight, so that I can fit in all the patterns as planned in the sketches. The next step is to knit a swatch for each design. There are three vital reasons for doing so. First, I can see how the patterns look when knitted up, and make any nec- essary changes. Second, I can judge the effectiveness of my colour scheme. Third, Tuse my swatch to determine the number of stitches and rows to any given measure- ment — in other words my tension or gauge. This is necessary in order to con- vert the design into accurate working instructions. The swatch should always be large enough for the pattern and colour scheme to be clearly viewed, and for an accurate tension measurement to be made. 1 always make my swatch at least 10cm (4in) in width and length for a lightweight yarn, and at least 15m (6in) for a double knitting (sport weight) or heavier yarn. Bearing this minimum in mind, my swatches will vary in size depending on the size and combi- nation of patterns that I plan to use. I will discuss this further when I deal with each design in turn. As you work through this chapter, use either metric or inch meas- urements, but do not combine the two.8 Designing Patterned Sweaters Single Motif Sweater his is an ideal starting point for knitters who have never designed sweaters before. Single motifs can be worked on a basic stocking stitch sweater to produce an endless variety of original and beautiful results. For this sweater I have used a variety of different motifs from Pages 124 and 125, and scattered them over the design virtually at random, Generally, itis best to knit the single motif patterns using the intarsia method. This involves using separate lengths or balls of yarn for each different colour in each motif, rather than carrying the yarns from one motif to the next. This avoids the need to carry the motif yarns over ong distances. The alternative method is to knit the sweater entirely in the back- ground yarn and swiss darn (duplicate stitch) the motifs in later. Sometimes a combination of both is the best option. For example, you could intarsia-knit the motif in the dominant colour, then swiss darn the small touches of colour on com- pletion, Ifyou want to avoid calculating the in- structions for knitting the sweater, you may use an existing design and place your chosen motifs in any way you please. Bither use the written instructions for a basic sweater design which suits you and graph out all the stitches, rows and shap- ings in the manner shown in the chart opposite, or use an existing charted de- sign and rechart the outlines. You can then place your motifs on the chart. If you do this you must ue the same weight of yarn as the original design and make sure that your tension (gauge) is exactly the same as that given for the original, other- wise the sweater will not turn out to be the size specified. For example, you may use the chart opposite and replace the motifs with your own choice, but you will need to use the same weight of yarn and work at the same tension as I have stated in order to produce the given size. Making the swatch You must knit a swatch — whether you use an existing pattern or work out your own instructions. For a design with single motifs, I make my swatch large enough to work a complete motif with roughly 3em (lin) of plain background all around it. For this design, I will knit one of the larger motifs and gain a really good idea of how the design will look,Designing Patterned Sweaters 9 Chart for single motif sweater10 Designing Patterned Sweaters Drawing the measurement plan and calculating the knitting instructions The main advantage in calculating your own instructions is that you have freedom to work with any type of yarn, and you can produce any size and shape of sweater. Here is how I calculated the chart for this desi tI drew the measurement plan shown here, and I plotted all the required measurements for a simple shape of gen- A 60cm (24in) B S6cm (22in) C 7.5em (3in) D 26cm (10.25in) E 30cm (11.7Sin) F 19.5em (7.75in) | G 2lcm (8.5in) : H 7.5cem (3in) I 9m 3.5in) J 2cm —(0.75in) K 14em_(.5in) L 40cm (16in) M 65cm (2.5in) N 52cm (20.75in) - O 27m (10.75in) ‘Measurement plan for single motif sweater —F erous proportions. My tension was 10 sts and-13 rows to Sem (2in) using a double knitting (US sport weight) wool, and 4.5mm (US 7) needles. Using my tension, I converted the necessary measurements into the required number of stitches and rows, as shown opposite. c— J Te ——— —1If Sem (2in) (Osts and 13 rows then :~ A. 60cm (24in) = 120 sts. B 56cm (22in) = 143 rows, C__Iis not necessary to calculate the number of rows for the rib. I will simply knit to the desired measurement. ‘To make the rib tighter I will use smaller sized needles. If I want a closer fitting rib, I will cast on fewer sts (roughly 10% fewer than A) and increase to A on the last row of rib. D&E Again, itis not necessary to con vert these measurements for this design as there is no armhole shaping. Instead, | will place a marker at the armhole posi- tion when I reach measurement E. F 19.5em (7.75in) = 39%sts. G 2lem (8.5in) = 42 sts. H._7.5cm Gin) = 19.5 rows, Half rows cannot be worked, so I will take this result to the next largest number. i.e. 20. I 9em (3.5in) = 18sts. I can now caleu- late the number of sts to be decreased at each side of the front neck by subtracting IfromG: ie, 42-18=24 This leaves 12 sts to be decreased at each side, which must be decreased within the 20 rows of H. In order to give the neck- line a rounded shape, I will cast off 3, then 2, then decrease I at the edge of the next three rows, and decrease 1 at the edge of the next 4 alternate rows. The remaining 6 rows will be worked straight. Note: The shaping on the right neck edge (ee the charted outline on Page 9) begins 1 row further up because a purl row has to be worked before the shaping can begin. This is why the neckline is 1 row higher on this side Designing Patterned Sweaters 11 J 2em (0.75in) = 6 rows. This measure- ‘ment is converted into the next largest number of rows, K 14cm (5.5in) = 28sts, I can now caleu- late the number of sts to be decreased at each side of the back neckline by subtract- ing K fromG: ie. 42-28 = 14sts This leaves 7 sts to be decreased at each side, which must be decreased within the 6 rows of J. To shape, I will cast off 3, then 2, then decrease 1 at the edge of the next 2 rows. The remaining 2 rows will be worked straight. The shaping on the left neck edge begins | row further up, for the same reason as with the front neck. L 40cm (16in) = 104 rows. M Treat as G; knit the rib on smaller needles and approx 25% fewer sts than O for a close fit. I will increase to the full number on the last row of rib, N_ 52cm (20.75in) = 104 sts. O 27cm (10.75in) = 54 sts. Tcan now calculate how many sts I need to increase at each side of the sleeve, by subtracting O fromN: ie. 104-5450. This gives 25 sts to be increased at each side, which must be increased as evenly as possible within the 104 rows of L. To calculate, divide as follows — 104 rows divided by 25 increases = 4 with remainder 4. ‘Therefore increase on every 4th row, then work 4 rows straight. Tcan now chart out all my calculations to produce the charted outline shown on Page 9. With that completed, I can chart in the motifs, and the design is ready to be knitted.12 Designing Patterned Sweaters pattern is worked continously both horizontally and vertically. In this lover pattern is worked J ust as its name suggests, the allover is the g each row with two colours, background and a pattern, and stranding the yarn not in immediate use across the back of the work. The entire design can be worked in just two colours, or the colours can be changed row-by-row as in Fair Isle knitting. I would strongly recom- mend knitting all stranded patterns in circular fashion, and working steeks at all openings. This method is faster, easier, and produces a better finish than working flat pieces. This is because the pattern is worked in knit stitches on the right side, with the pattern always facing. Seams are also eliminated, and where knitted steeks are worked, darning-in ends is avoided. + Making the swatch Having established that I will knit the nin circular fashion, I need to knit swatch accordingly. As I will not be working purl rows in the sweater, I do not want to work them in the swatch, as this would alter my tension (knit and purl rows have a slightly different tension). To simu- late circular knittiiig I knit the swatch on either two double-pointed needles, or a circular needle, working on the right side only and breaking off the yarns at the end of every row. To avoid loose stitches at cach end I give the yarn ends a good tug as I go along. ‘To make the swatch I will work two horizontal repeats of the pattern (see Chart 2 on Page 14), casting on 40 stitches and working 40 rows. This will be enough to give a good view of the pattern and to measure the tension accurately. My tension — using 2ply Shetland and 3.25mm (US 3) needles ~ is 16 stitches and 16 rows to Sem (2in), + Fora complete guide on designing and knitting circular sweaters with steek, see The Fair Ise Knitting Handbook by Alice Starmore, (Blandford Books) US version, Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting (Taunton Press)LAST STITCH (OF REPEAT Designing Patterned Sweaters. 13 Chart 1 LAST ROW OF REPEAT FIRST ROW OF REPEAT FIRST STITCH OF REPEAT Finding the pattern repeat and charting the pattern The allover pattern consists of motifs which repeat both horizontally and vertically. It is important to establish the number of stitches and rows in a single repeat in order to fit the pattern exactly into the design. To do this | begin with the horizontal stitches, and start the repeat at a centre stitch in the pattern — in this case the stitch which runs between the first row of complete motifs and through the centre of the next row of motifs, as indicated on Chart 1 above. This centre stitch is the first stitch in the repeat. Moving leftward, I count the stitches until I reach the same centre stitch again. The repeat finishes immediately be- fore the next centre stitch, and contains twenty stitches Allover Pattern14 Designing Patterned Sweaters Temakes sense to start the row repeat at the centre of a motif in a pattern of this type, and it would be perfectly correct to do this. However, as the motifs are not symmetrical on either side of the centre row, I find that the pattern is aesthetically more pleasing when it begins on the row I have marked, and so I will make this the first row of the repeat. Moving upwards, I then count the rows until I reach the row again. The repeat finishes immedi ately before this row and contains 32 rows. T can now chart out a singh shown in Chart 2 below numbered at the right because every row beg: when working in the rou repeat as the rows are ide of the chart on the right 20STITCH REPEAT, Le >» Generally, if the pattern is symmetrical about a centre row; it is best to begin at the centre. Otherwise any position which looks good is acceptable. I have designed allovers with a definite starting edge, worked only once at the start, and with the row repeat beginning above it. A good example is the Celtic pattern on Page 87, where the row repeat begins at the centre of the first large diamond Drawing the measurement plan and calculating the knitting instructions For a circular sweater I draw the measure- ment plan shown opposite. Using my tension measurement, I can now convert the measurements into stitches and rows in the same way as for the first design. I will assume that you are now familiar the process, and will only discuss the particular points which apply to working with the allover pattern on the circular sweater. ith Fitting patterns around the body The pattern repeat should divide exactly into A, the all-round width of the sweater. T require 360 sts for the 112.5em (45in) width. The 20 st repeat divides into 360 sts exactly 18 times, which means that the pattern will repeat exactly 18 times around the sweater. Of course, the result is often not so convenient, in which case some adjustment will have to be made. The total number of stitches may be adjusted if the count is out by a very small amount. However this does alter the measurement and there is a limit to this solution. To keep as close to the desired width as p ble, it may be necessary to change the size of the stiteh repeat For example, if A was 120cm (48in), I would require 384 sts. The 20 st repeat clearly will not divide exactly, However, a 24 st repeat will divide exactly 16 times, and so I will alter the pattern to produce a 24 st repeat, as shown in Chart 3 oppo- site. ‘To alter the repeat, I marked 24 sts on graph paper and charted the motifs 4 sts further apart than in the original. I then added a couple of small motifs and extended the “branches” at the base of the motifs over 1 more row, to fill in the gaps.Designing Patterned Sweaters 15 112.5em (45in) B 55cm —(22in) 7.5em (in) 24cm —(9.5in) 31cm — (12.5in) 19m (7.5in) 18.5em_(7.5in) 7.5em (3in) Gin) (lin) (6in) 41.5cm (16.5in) 6.5em 25cm ZEOAT TOMB oOwe Above : Measurement plan for allover, border and panel sweaters Left : Chart 3 Far Left : Chart 2 < -24STITCH REPEAT, Y16 Designing Patterned Sweaters ‘The first and centre stitches of the round are the centre underarm stitches, which “divide” the back and front as shown below. These stitches are commonly re~ ferred to as seam stitches, although there is no seam. It is very important to centre the pattern at the back and front, for otherwise the sweater will look decidedly off-balance. If the pattern repeats into the round an even number of times and the stitch repeat begins at a centre point as I have described and charted, then the pattern will be automatically centred at the back and front, and no further calcula- tion is necessary. However, if the pattern repeats into the round an odd number of times, then the starting point of the pat- tern must be adjusted at the beginning of the round, in order for it to be centred. To achieve this begin the round with the last quarter of the stitch repeat. CENTRE BACK ¥ CENTRE ST OF FIRST ST OF ROUND AND. ROUND AND. UNDERARM UNDERARM SEAM ST. SEAM ST I CENTRE FRONT. Position of underarm seam stitchesFitting the patterns into the body length Once I have calculated the number of pattern rows required in the length (meas- urement B), I check where the pattern will finish at the shoulder, so that it will meet at an appropriate row. I have 176 rows of pattern to the shoulder. To find the finish- ing row I divide this number by the row repeat, as follows — 176 divided by 32 gives me a result of 5 pattern row repeats plus 16 rows. This is an appropriate point at which to finish the pattern. If it were not, I would slightly alter either the length of the rib, or the total length. The shoulders are grafted together, using the colour which domi- nates in the next row of the chart, Fitting the patterns around the sleeve ‘To calculate how many stitches to pic up around the armhole, I multiply urement D by two and then convert this measurement into stitches. In this case, I will need to pick up 153 sts. I will also pick up the body seam stitch. ‘This stitch will not be considered as part of the pat- tern, but will be worked in background colours throughout, and become the sleeve seam stitch and the first stitch of the round. The decreases which shape the sleeve will be worked at either side of this stitch. To centre the pattern on the sleeve, I divide the pattern stitches picked up by the stitch repeat, which gives 7 repeats plus 13 sts, With the chart upside down, (it can be read the right way up if the pattern is symmetrical) I will knit the last 6 sts of the repeat, then repeat the pattern 7 times, then knit the first 7 sts of the repeat. Once the pattern is centred, the continuity should be maintained through- out all the decrease shaping. Designing Patterned Sweaters 17 Fitting the patterns into the sleeve length I would like the pattern to finish above the cuff with the first row of the chart, as on the body. To establish on which row to start, I divide the total number of rows in measurement L by the row repeat. In this case, 132 divided by 32 = 4 repeats with a remainder of 4. Therefore, to finish on the first row of the chart - working upside down ~ I will knit rows 4 back through row 1, then repeat the pattern 4 times, To shape the sleeve, subtract the stitches in measurement N from the total stitches at the begining of the sleeve, and decrease the resulting stitches in pairs, placed as regularly as possible within the total pat- te id rows.18 Designing Patterned Sweaters Horizontal Border Sweater zi eeuee {aD DAD DAAAODODOT his design features an arrangement of horizontal border patterns from Pages 116 and 117. The style, size, ten- sion and working methods are exactly as for the allover sweater, and I will only cover the new points which are concerned with this type of pattern arrangement. Finding the pattern repeats and charting the pattern I check the stitch repeat of each pattern while making my choice, as each patter ‘must repeat exactly into the all-round width of the sweater. This does not mean that each repeat need be the same. For example, repeats of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 20, 24 and 36 willfit exactly into my total of 360 sts. However, two of my chosen patterns have a 20 st repeat and the third has a repeat of 10 sts. This means that I can chart out the whole arrangement within 20 sts and consider it as one pat- tern for the purpose of fitting. I will begin charting the repeat at the centre stitch between the motifs of the larger patterns. The smaller leaf pattern has no centre stitch and so it ean begin anywhere Before charting the arrangement, I want to be sure that the pattern finishes at an appropriate place at the shoulder, and therefore I will need to work out exactly where to begin. To do this, I first count up how many rows are in the arrangement. I will have a plain background row at the beginning and end of the two larger pat- terns, making these 27 and 19 rows, and I will be working the 10 row leaf pattern twice, making the total count 66 rows. [ now need to see how this fits into the 176 rows of measurement B, This involves playing around with the numbers until the options become clear. I will go through each possibility by way of illustration.Options 1 If Lwork 10/27/10/19 repeated, I will have two complete repeats plus the first 44 rows worked again. This means I will finish on the 7th row of a 10 row leaf, If T add another 3 rows to the total, I will finish on the 10th and final row of the leaf, which means that the shoulder can be grafted with the background colour, pro- ducing a leaf pattern on either side of a centre row — as shown in Plan 1 oppo- site. Adding 3 rows will mean adding just over 0.5m (0.25in) in length, which would be acceptable. I would consider this a good option 2. If Twork 10/19/10/27 repeated, I will finish on the Sth row of the 27 row pat tern, which would be incomplete at the shoulder. 3. If T work 19/10/27/10 repeated, I will finish on the 15th row of the 27 row pat- tern, which would also be incomplete at the shoulder. 4. If Lwork 27/10/19/10 repeated, I will finish on the 7th row of the 19 row pat- tern, If Tadd 2 rows to the total, I will finish on the 9th row and can graft the shoulders together with the 10th back- ground colour. This 10th row is the centre row of a symmetrical pattern, and if I swiss darn the pattern colour after graft- ing, the pattern will be continuous over the shoulder as shown in Plan 2 opposite. This is also a good option. 1g Patterned Sweaters 19 Plan 1 : Pattern arrangement for Option 1 ack 446 386 386 386 QVggoggogggoggy DOCUAORTIATE Front “8% 3 Plan 2 : Pattern arrangement for Option 4 DAS20 Designing Patterned Sweaters ‘The choice is between options 1 and 4. Either will work very well, though I prefer 4 for its continuity. I can now chart out the arrangement, beginning with the row pattern, as shown here in Chart 4. To make the swatch, I will cast on 40 sts and work 2 stitch repeats and all 66 rows of the chart. 20 STITCH REPEAT Chart 4 : Chart for knitting border sweaterDesigning Patterned Sweaters 21 ‘The options for fitting the patterns into the sleeve length are dealt with in the same manner. If you are concerned about matching the sleeve and the body patterns so that they more-or-less line up horizon- tally when the sweater is worn, you should proceed as follows — Begin the sleeve arrangement on the same row as on the body, at the beginning of the armhole, and follow the body arrange- ment downwards. Then continue until the sleeve is the required length. For this design, I prefer to fit in an exact number terns as shown here he pattern is centred on the sleeve as described for the allover sweater Pattern arrangement on sleeve : 10/27/10/19/10/27/10/19 = 132 rows22 Designing Patterned Sweaters his design combines a single motif from Page 123, an adapted vertical panel from Page 40 and an allover pattern from Page 119. The single motif, bor- dered by the Norwegian vine, is wor a vertical panel at the centre of the front, back, and sleeves, The remaining space is filled with the small allover pattern which adds interest and keeps the strands short when carrying the yarn between panels, Style, size, tension and working methods are the same as for the previous two de- signs, and I will only cover the points which are new to this particular design, ked as » make the swatch, I will work a full ingle motif, one Norwegian vine, and roughly Sem (2in) of the small allover pattern, Charting and fitting the patterns Each pattern must be charted separately because the row repeats are different in each one. The large single motif is to be worked as a vertical panel, and I have added an extra row so that the top of the first motif will not merge into the bottom of the next. At the same time, I want to give some continuity and also avoid a long stretch in one colour. I have therefore joined'the pattern at the small motifs on the 34th row, as shown in Chart 5. To separate each pattern vertically, I need at least I stitch in background between each one. I have included these stitches at each side of the Norwegian vine chart. $ Chart 6. Before charting the allover pattern, I need to calculate the number of stitches it will be worked over, between the back and front panels. One panel ~a single motif plus the vine at each side ~ totals 67 sts. There are 360 sts in the sweater body. The back and front panels will account for 134 of these, leaving a total of 226 sts. Half of this total (113 sts) will be worked in the allover pattern between each panel. The allover has a stitch repeat of 8, which means that the pattern will repeat 14 times with 1 stitch extra, into each group of 113 sts. The extra stitch is essential, as the allover patterned area should start and finish with the same centre stitch at each side of the panels. I ean now chart the allover pattern, with the extra stitch as shown in Chart 7. ‘The round will begin at the first seam stitch which is at the centre of the allover patterned area; there- fore I will set the pattern by knitting the rounds thus —33 PATTERN STS, Chart § (Above) : Chart for single motif Chart 6 (Top Right) : Chart for Norweg Chart 7 (Bottom right) : Chart for small allover Repeat the 8 sts of allover pattern 7 times; last st of allover; 17 sts of vine; 33 sts of single motif; 17 sts of vine; repeat the 8 patt sts of allover 14 times; last st of allo- ver; 17 sts of vine; 33 sts of single motif; 17 sts of vine; repeat 8 sts of allover 7 times. Next, I check where the panel will finish at the front and back neck. Because the neck necessarily cuts into the body space, it does not matter too much where the pattern finishes: it will look quite natural almost anywhere, However, [always try to avoid having the beginning of a large motif disappear at the neckline, and some- times minor adjustments in the length can give a better finishing point. There are 176 rows in measurement B. There are 8 rows in measurement J. Therefore there are 168 patterned rows to the back neck- line. This is just 2 rows short of exactly 5 single motifs. There are 24 rows in meas- urement H, and therefore there are 152 vine panel ing Patterned Sweaters 23 € 17PATTERNSTS => Le Lasrst patterned rows to the front neckline. This will be enough for 4 complete single mo- tifs plus the first 16 rows. If Ladd 2 rows to the total, then I will have motifs on the back, and will include the centre row of the Sth motif at the front. In this it is worth adding the 2 rows to finish at these positions. [am not con- pattern finishes at the lover pattern is small complete cerned where the shoulder, as the and asymmetric. Icis important to centre the pattern on the sleeve so that the centre stitch of the single motifs in line with the grafted shoulder seam. By adding 4 rows to the 132 rows of the sleeve, I will fit exactly 4 single motifs and add Lem (0.5in) to the length. If necessary, the cuff rib can be shortened to compensate. The allover and vine pattern chart will be worked upside down, but this is not necessary with the single motif chart, as the pattern is sym- metricalTraditional Knitting Patterns he most comprehensive range of traditional knitting patterns comes from Northern Eu- rope — more particularly the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, which [ have referred to in previous books as “The Baltic Circle”. The patterns of these countries show certain similarities, being based upon simple geometric shapes, but they have otherwi developed in quite different directions. Norway has an enormous body of patterns ~ the largest by far — kept within tight geometric parameters, but still extremely varied. Itis a logical style, easy to knit and perfectly suited to the techniques of stranded knit- ting. The only diversions from the regular, geomet- ric path, take the form of pictorial representations of people and reindeer. Practicality is not such a strong characteristic of Swedish patterns, being somewhat more free in form, and although stylised, not so tied to regular geometric constraints. Technique was not such a vital factor in their development, and designs were often worked to capture the effects of luxury woven textiles like French brocade. Consequently they can be difficult to knit, with long stretches in one colour. The effect can be well worth the extra effort.Across on the other side of the Baltic, we have not so much a national style, as a series of overlapping | regions. Finland ~ consistent with its position at the very hub of the Baltic Circle — is a veritable melting | pot of pattern styles, with small, regular geometric | patterns, Swedish- tyle patterns, n: aturalistic motifs, and a sprinkling of the coe jagged emblems so typical of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These latter countries are the most problematic, in that it is often not possible to tie a pattern to one particular nation. Hence, the three are grouped together for the purposes of this book. The geometry of the Russian patterns is also closely related to them. ‘The patterns from South America are all Andean in origin, and some of their elements are similar to those of Europe, contributing evidence for the con- cept of a basic geometric sense which transcends oceans and language barriers. In addition, South America has the marvellous range of totemic birds | and animals. One obvious omission in this section, are the pat- terns of Fair Isle, in Scotland. My collection of Fair Isle patterns has already been published, and I would rather use this space to bring other deserving pat- | terns into wider circulation.Horizontal Borders oe28Horizontal BordersHorizontal BordersHorizontal Borders 31Allover r Patternsi | t {| Allover Patterns 33Allover PatternsAllover Patterns2 36Allover Patterns RedAllover Patterns | |Allover Patter 39Allover Panels 40Panels f < 41Single Motifs 42Single Motifs44| Allover PatternsAllover PatternsAllover Patterns: 48| Allover Patterns ; 49gle MotifsAllover Patterns t } ittAllover PatternsLITHUANIA oe| Horizontal Borders |Horizontal BordersHorizontal Borders t 59Allover PatternsAllover Patterns 61Allover Patterns 62HH Allover Patterns 63Allover Patterns 64Ht HH EET | Allover PatternsAllover Patterns 66Allover PatternsAllover PatternsAllover PatternsSingle MotifsSingle Motifs= RUSSIA * utVertical PanelsAllover Patterns76Horizontal BordersAdapted Knitting Patterns M any old knitting patterns were adapted from other textiles, such as weaving and embroi- dery, and as a knitter and enthusiastic pattern collec- tor, I take great delight in carrying on this tradition. However, I have widened the process to include whatever I see on my travels, be it textiles, architec~ ture, jewellery, potéery ... anything. Some patterns are perfect for knitting technique and require little alteration. The Celtic “key” patterns from ancient manuscripts and stonework on Pages 80 and 86 were simply graphed out directly. The same applies to the patterns from Japanese Sashiko stitching on Page 107. Others require adaptation to a varying degree, such as the patterns in the Caucasian sec- tion, which were largely taken from carpets The process of adaptation can always include scope for personal creativity. The large allover pattern on Page 87 for example, was taken from quite a basic Celtic key pattern. I extended it; created the dia- mond spaces, and filled them with a cross which I designed myself in a Celtic style. This elaboration -an be both rewarding and fun,We are surrounded by a treasure house of decora- tion, and I can recommend actively hunting out patterns in this way. In doing so, we are following the “magpie” instincts of keen knitters down the ages — an instinct which has contributed more to the historical development of our craft than any other single factor. Older Scottish knitters of my mother’ generation have often told me of seeing a pattern while working away from home, and knit- ting it from memory as soon as they got the chance. Tewas in this way that patterns were spread by fisher girls around the British coastline, often with devel- opments and changes. Today we travel further and faster, and the scope for pattern hunting is better than ever before. Tty it and see.tH tH Horizontal BordersAllover PatternsAllover Patterns84| eH EEE | Allover PatternsAllover PatternsAllover PatternsVertical Panels 88t f«< | { ingle Motifs90Horizontal BordersAllover Patterns } |Single Motifs 9394Horizontal BordersHorizontal BordersAllover PatternsSingle Motifs 98Single Motifs 99Allover Patterns2 102Allover Patterns 103104Horizontal Borders 105Allover Patterns 106Tt i Allover Patterns 107108Allover PatternsAllover Patterns 1105 5 a 1Allover PatternsAllover Patterns 113The Continuing IS Story y pattern library is constantly being extended Mire patterns I have constructed myself, and this chapter illustrates that continuing story. When time and circumstance permit) I find it relaxing and pleasurable to sit with a blank sheet of graph paper and a sharpened pencil, and let the imagination run. Nature is my most consistent source of inspiration, for in between travels, I live on a remote island dominated by moorland, sea and shoreline — and many of the following patterns reflect this fact. A pattern may be the result of a walk across the moor or along a beach — or a trip to New York. Sometimes it will arise from a specific design project. The thistles on Pages 120 and 121 are the result ofa quest for a design with an emblematic Scottish theme. Other patterns have stemmed from a journey through the “Inner Landscape” of abstract geometry. They start with a single dot upon the page, which travels in whatever direction the mind takes. How does a body of traditional patterns begin, and is it ever complete ? The tradition must begin with an idea ~ either copied or original — and a sense ofexperiment. In my view, it will only be complete when every knitter has lost the urge to take it fur- ther, for the story is not finished and I hope it never will be. For those of you who by now are hooked on pattern, the end of this book is just a temporary stop. The next ports of call will be determined by where you go, what you see, and most importantly, where your imagination leads you. Wherever that is and wherever it takes you — bon voyage.BIRDS & FLOWERS 116Horizontal Borders 117Allover Patterns 118Allover PatternsAllover Patterns| Allover Patterns | 121Allover PanelsSingle Motifs 123Single Motifs | t 124t t Single MotifsCee ae: u SHORELINE gee hey |} Allover Patterns|Allover Patterns 129Allover Patterns t BIzAllover PatternsAllover Patterns 134Allover PatternsAllover Patterns 136Allover PatternsAcknowledgements The Swedish Institute, Stockholm Nordiska Museet, Stockholm Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Helsinki National Museum, Helsinki The Winston Churchill Memorial TrustUpon your tapestryOther books from Alice Starmore Rea e e Pea een Knitting From The British Islands ena Childrens’ Knitting From Many Lands Bell & Hyman The Fair Isle Knitting Handbook entered LOSSY Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle DT SRE oom aod weaters For Men Pavillion Books (UK) SEDER ee See)The Windfall aos ieee a MCMXCII ss