Fancy a new stocking for Christmas 2020?

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to work Ladderback Jacquard. Once you've mastered Ladderback Jacquard, you might want a new project to try it out on, and you're in luck, because I've just released my latest pattern: Fireside Stocking!*

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, nothing was stirring, except for… two children attempting to set a Santa trap, some last minute present wrapping, and an argument about whether the turkey will fit in the oven. Christmas doesn’t always run smoothly, but when I go to bed, I love the excitement in my children’s eyes when they hang out their stockings, even if they’re a little sceptical about whether Santa will actually have delivered any presents in the morning.

No matter how chaotic your Christmas Eve is, there’s still space for a traditional Christmas stocking, either hung over the fireplace, or on the bedstead.  The Fireside Stocking* is knitted from the top down in the round, with stripes of traditional festive colourwork motifs: trees, stars, hearts and reindeer. The stocking is a good size, with plenty of space for all those gifts that Santa will deliver on Christmas Eve. So your beautiful colourwork doesn’t get caught while Santa is filling the stocking, I’ve included tips on how to take control of your floats.

The top of the stocking has plenty of space to embroider a name, which solves any later arguments about whose stocking is whose! Adding a name also makes the Fireside Stocking a perfect gift. A tutorial is included on how to embroider the name if you’re new to embroidery.

Want to buy the pattern now?

You can get the pattern on Ravelry* and PayHip – use the code STOCKING to get 20% off until 11.59pm GMT, Monday 7^th 2020. Don’t forget to add the pattern to your favourites while you’re there!

The pattern is also available on LoveCrafts.

********

Sizes
One size:

• Circumference: 37 cm (14.75 in)
• Leg length to heel: 37.5 cm (15 in)
• Foot length from heel to tip of toe: 28.5 cm (11.5 in)

Tension
19 sts and 26 rnds = 10 cm (4 in) in stocking stitch worked in the round on 4.5 mm (US 7) needles after wet blocking, or size needed to obtain correct tension.

You may find that you need to use a different needle size for the colourwork sections to maintain the same gauge throughout.

Yarn
Aran-weight yarn in the following colours and amounts:

• A (red): 185 m (200 yds)
• B (cream): 165 m (180 yds)
• C (green): 80 m (90 yds)

Needles

• 4.5 mm (US 7) circular needle 40 cm (16 in) in length and DPNs
• 4 mm (US 6) circular needle 40 cm (16 in) in length

Notions

• Stitch markers x 3
• Chart row marker
• Scissors for cutting paper
• Sewing pins
• Tapestry needle
• Sewing thread (optional)

Pattern notes
The sample is knitted in Drops Alaska (aran, 70 m per 50 g ball, 100% wool) in Dark Red 11 (A), Off White 02 (B) and Light Olive 45 (C).

Links to the following resources are given at the end of the pattern:

• Wrap and turn
• Yarn dominance
• Catching long floats
• Ladderback jacquard

This pattern was tech edited by Jo Torr.

*Ravelry link. May cause issues for people with photosensitivity. Proceed with caution.

Want to take care of your floats? Why not try ladderback jacquard!

Have you ever tried to work colourwork in the round, but found that you’ve struggled to maintain your tension when the stretch between areas of the same colour is more than a few stitches? Ladderback Jacquard might be the technique you’re looking for! Rather than catching floats at the back of the knitting, the floats are caught in a separate layer of fabric that sits behind the main layer, so your floats are invisible from the front of the work, even if you’re working a long stretch of one colour.

This tutorial shows you how to use Ladderback Jacquard when working two-colour colourwork in the round, and includes a mini project you can practise the technique on.

Ready? Here’s how to work Ladderback Jacquard.

The tutorial

Before you begin

Look at your chart and work out where to place the ladder stitches.

• You want 3-5 stitches between the ladders, and if you are working on DPNs or magic loop, it is helpful if you have a ladder stitch at the beginning or end of each needle – this helps you maintain tension at the ‘corners’.
• The ladders do not have to be evenly spaced, although you might find it easier to keep track of them if they are.

 

Set-up

Work as far as the start of the round before the first colourwork round.

Set-up round

On the rnd before the first round of colourwork (in this case, Rnd 1 of the chart), you need to add the ladder stitches as follows:

1. Using MC, knit to the position of the first ladder stitch (picture 1).
2. Using CC and starting with the yarn at the back of the work, take the yarn to the front of the work between the needles, then back over the needle to create a yarnover (picture 2). You should bring the CC up from under the MC when making the yarnover.
3.  Using MC, knit the next stitch, making sure the CC yarnover is trapped by the MC at the back of the work (picture 4).
4. Using MC, knit to the position of the next ladder stitch (pictures 3 and 4).
5. Repeat Steps 2-4 until you have reached the end of the round, making sure your tension is even on your MC stitches and that the CC floats are relaxed (pictures 5 and 6).

 

First colourwork round

1. Following the chart for the colour changes, knit to the first ladder stitch (picture 1).
2.  Bring both yarns to the front between the needles (picture 2).
3.  With just the float colour, purl the ladder stitch through the back of the loop. When you’re purling the float stitches, make sure the non-float yarn is in front of the purled stitch. This will ensure the ladder stitches do not show through at the front (picture 3).
4.  Take both yarns to the back between the needles (picture 4).
5.  Following the chart, knit to the next ladder stitch.
6.  Repeat Steps 2-5 until you have reached the end of the round (pictures 5 and 6).

 

All further colourwork rounds

1. Following the chart, knit to the first ladder stitch.
2. Bring both yarns to the front between the needles.
3. With just the float colour, purl the ladder stitch. As before, make sure the non-float yarn is in front of the stitch you are purling.
4.  Take both yarns to the back between the needles.
5. Following the chart, knit to the next ladder stitch.
6. Repeat Steps 2-5 until you have reached the end of the round (pictures 1 and 2 show what your work should look like from the front and the back).

 

Note on the colour of the ladder 

The float colour will not necessarily be consistent up the ’ladder’ – use the ‘float’ yarn, regardless of the colour. In the example, the ladder should be worked in the following colour:

• Rnd 2: Ladder 1: MC; ladder 2: CC
•  Rnds 3-8: Ladders 1 and 2: MC
•  Rnds 9-10: Ladder 1: CC; ladder 2: MC
•  Rnd 11: Ladders 1 and 2: CC

Ladder 3 is worked in CC throughout.

Where the ladder happens between colour changes in the chart, you should use the colour to the left of the ladder for the ladder, e.g. for the ladder between stitches 7 and 8 in Round 2, you should work the ladder in CC.

 

Finishing round

The finishing round is worked on the round after the final colourwork round.

1. Break CC.
2. Knit to 1 stitch before ladder stitch (picture 1).
3. Slip the final MC stitch knitwise with yarn in back, slip the ladder stitch knitwise with yarn in back, knit the two slipped stitches together through back of loop (picture 2).
4. Repeat Steps 2-3 until you have reached the end of the round (picture 3).

 

Once you have completed the finishing round, all your stitches will be in MC. Continue working in MC alone as directed in the pattern.

Finishing

Weave in your ends. You can reduce show-through by weaving the ends into the ladder layer.

 

********

Ladderback jacquard test piece

You will need:

·        Scraps of yarn in two colours (MC and CC)

o   The yarn should be the same weight, and same composition.

o   A wool or wool blend is ideal for this technique.

o   The yarns should have good contrast so you can see what you’re doing.

·        A long circular needle [at least 80 cm (32 in) in length] for working magic loop, or DPNs in an appropriate size for your yarn:

o   4ply: 3 mm

o   DK: 4 mm

o   Aran: 5 mm

o   Chunky: 6 mm

·        Stitch marker x 1

Instructions

Using MC, cast on 22 sts. Join in the rnd, taking care not to twist the cast-on edge. Pm to mark beginning of rnd, slip this marker at the end of each rnd.

Rnds 1-2: Using MC, *k1, p1; rep from * to end.

Rnd 3: Using MC, k to end.

Rnd 4: Work the Ladderback Jacquard Set-up round.

Rnds 5-16: Work Heart Chart Rnds 1-12, using Ladderback Jacquard to control the floats.

Rnd 17: Work the Ladderback Jacquard Finishing round.

Rnds 18-19: Using MC, *k1, p1; rep from * to end.

Using MC, cast off all sts loosely in pattern.

 

Finishing

Weave in all ends. Stand back and admire!

 

Abbreviations

sts: stitches

rnd(s): round(s)

pm: place marker

k: knit

p: purl

CC: contrast colour

MC: main colour

*********

Thanks for using this Ladderback Jacquard tutorial, I hope you found it helpful. If you did, why not sign up to my newsletter so you can be first to hear about my latest designs, tutorials and craftalongs?

You can find my patterns on:

Ravelry

PayHip

LoveCrafts

Yarn Along: 29th April 2020: Bright Above Me

Hello... whispering very quietly... I appear to have three children that are entertaining themselves for a few minutes, so I'm popping by to see what you're up to. We've been on lockdown for five and a half weeks now. Pre-lockdown, I dreamed of all the extra time I'd have without having to do the school run, or all the after school chauffeuring, now several weeks into lockdown I'm mostly wondering how I manage to spend all of my time cooking or cleaning up having cooked!

For the first couple of weeks of lockdown I got very little crafting done. I thought I should be doing easy knitting that I didn't have to concentrate on, but all that happened was that my mind wandered. As soon as I realised that what I really wanted to work on was really complicated, fully-immersive knitting that could distract me from what was going on in the world, I started getting a lot more done!

Starfall sweater yoke

For ages I have been saying that I should get my Starfall Sweater done, but every time I picked it up, I was uncertain about how it was going to turn out, and one evening, having knitted a second sleeve that didn't match the first, I finally gave up and decided to put the yarn to better use. One project that has been on my mind ever since it came out last year is Bright Above Me by Dieuwke Schack-Mulligen. I actually started knitting the sweater last year, but got annoyed by the long strands that had to be caught as they were showing through on the outside and I abandoned the project before I really got started. Since then, I have learnt how to do ladder back jacquard, where you create a second layer of fabric on the back for all the floats and it is actual magic! Yes, it does require a bit more concentration, but it is totally worth it for the finished result.

Bright Above Me yoke

Ladderback jacquard

I've hardly read anything since the schools closed (see comment above regarding cooking...), but I am enjoying reading a few pages of How to Stop Time by Matt Haig every night before I go to sleep. I've read some of Matt Haig's non-fiction before and like his writing style, but this is the first of his novels that I have read. Tom, the main character ages very slowly: 15 years for every Earth year. He looks 41, but is in fact well over 500 years old, and he remembers everything from the long life that he is living. This is another book I have on long-term loan from the library (all the libraries are shut, so I can't return anything), and it is proving to be a perfect read for now. The chapters set during the Great Plague London in the 17th Century feel apt for the current pandemic. During the plague, Tom lost the love of his life, Rose, with whom he had a daughter, who ages at the same rate as Tom. In the present day, Tom is trying to built yet another new life for himself, while still pining for Rose and for his long-lost daughter. While I'm reading this quite slowly, I really want to know how the plot will unfold, and whether Tom will ever be able to find peace.

Work in progress

What are you currently working on? Are you finding yourself wanting mindless knitting that requires no attention, or something really involved? If you've been eyeing any of my patterns, don't forget that everything in my Ravelry store is buy one get one free until the pubs in the UK reopen (can you tell that I am missing my weekly pub meet-ups with my knitting friends?!).


Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along.