Movement patterns

In preparation for a little presentation to my Guild tomorrow night, I’m going through my swatches and notes for a workshop I teach, Strategies for Knitting with Self-Patterning Sock Yarns.  Some of my favourite stitch patterns to use with self-patterning sock yarns are what I call movement stitches.  I like to see the linear stripes created with these yarns changed around so they turn into zigzags or scallops.

Grumperina published a popular sock pattern called Jaywalker on MagKnits about one and a half years ago.  It uses a simple chevron stitch pattern which causes any striping in the yarn to zigzag its way along each row.  This stitch pattern could be quite effective in something other than a sock too.  Think blanket, summery top, cardigan, … the list goes on.

One day while flipping through Nancy Bush’s Folk Knitting in Estonia I was attracted to a lovely little lace pattern.  The Vausaba or peacock’s tail pattern as Nancy calls it creates a delicate scalloped edge and when a new colour is joined, snazzy scalloped stripes are created.  I then wondered what it would look like in a self-patterning yarn.  Low and behold it looks great.

So great that I was inspired to design a lacy cardigan pattern called Peacock both named for and incorporating the Estonian lace pattern.