Mother of Purl (15 page)

It has been almost ten years since I opened La Knitterie Parisienne, and in that time I’ve taught thousands of knitters the same skills and techniques that you have mastered in my book. What I find most satisfying is to witness a knitter graduate from a nervous beginner—panicking at a dropped stitch and struggling to differentiate

between a knit and a purl stitch—to a confident craftswoman who in turn passes her skills on to the beginner who comes and sits beside her at my knitting circle. I hope that you too will be inspired to share your knowledge and skills, and that the joy of knitting will be one with which you will carry throughout your life.

For many novice knitters, walking into a knitting store can be overwhelming and intimidating—observing the vast selections of yarns, the different choices in needles, and wondering if they dare sit down at a table full of laughing, chatting, rowdy women. Let alone join the more advanced knitters who rarely seem to even glance down at their projects as they chat and knit. At La Knitterie Parisienne, our goal is to create a friendly and welcoming environment so that both new and advanced
knitters are encouraged to learn and join other knitters who’ve come to make La Knitterie Parisienne their home away from home. La Knitterie Parisienne is the place where we make knitting fun, where strangers become friends, and where fabulous fashions are created. I hope you will find knitting as rewarding as I do.

The patterns in the following pages are organized in such a way as to guide you from simple designs, like a very easy scarf, to more challenging projects, among them a three–piece cashmere suit.

I’ve spent over two years designing and knitting these patterns, and I hope you enjoy knitting them as much as I enjoyed creating them for you.

[
Simple and Beautiful Scarf
]

Cast on 24 sts with 1 strand of Kureyon and 1 strand of Eyelash held together. Knit in garter until desired length.

Bind off loosely.

I chose 3 different balls of Kureyon. Some colors ran from blue to pink, others from pink to green to purple. I wanted colors to run into each other in rainbow form.

Cut fringes 20” long.

Place 3 pieces in each fringe.

Antoinette Spolar Levine of
Curb Your Enthusiasm

[Ribbon Scarf]

Cast on 18 sts with 1 strand of Giotto and 1 strand of Eyelash held together.

Knit in garter to 70” or desired length.

Bind off loosely.

Tip to bind off: Leave a piece of yarn 4 times the length of your desired width.

Finishing: Cut fringes approximately 20” long. Fringes will be 10” long.

Use 3 pieces of each yarn for fringes.

[
Very
Sex and the City
Scarf]

Yarn is used double throughout.

Cast on 14 sts.

Knit 8 rows in garter.

∗ Knit 1 row wrapping yarn 3x around both needles, knit 6 rows. ∗ Repeat from ∗ to ∗ until desired length.

Finish with knit 8 rows instead of 6 rows.

Bind off loosely.

Cut 22” fringe strands to make actual fringe size 11” in length.

Place 4 pieces in each fringe.

Anel Lopez Gorham of
Popular

[Lost in Translation
Scarf]

Cast on 26 sts.

ROW 1:
K1, ∗ YO, K1 ∗ repeat from ∗ across the row to last st, K1.

ROW 2:
K1, purl across to last st, end with K1.

ROW 3:
K1, ∗ K2tog ∗ repeat across the row, end with K1.

ROW 4:
K1, ∗ YO, K2tog ∗ repeat from ∗ end with K1.

ROW 5:
K1, ∗ YO, K2tog ∗ repeat from ∗ end with K1.

ROW 6:
Knit across.

ROW 7:
Knit across.

Repeat from Rows 1 through 7 until desired length.

Bind off loosely.

J. Robin Miller of
General Hospital

[Fiori Scarf]

ROW 1:
Knit 1 st wrapping yarn around needle 3x.
ROW 2:
Knit 1 st dropping extra loop.

To ensure you have enough for your fringes, cut fringes before you start your work. Cut 22” fringe strands to make actual fringe size 11” in length.