It’s always exciting to launch the first patterns for the Celtic Knits Club. I get to play with the brand new colours, work with cables and translate the club’s inspiration into my knitting. I didn’t want to play favourites, so I used both yarn colour options for these installment samples.
The Sherkin Hat is knit in the ‘Jade’ colour and the Sherkin Mitts were knit in the ‘Lime’. I love seeing how colours develop, moving from skein to needle. There is so often an unexpected surprise!
Island Inspiration
This year, the islands of Ireland inspired the Celtic Knits Club. In this accessory set, I was focused on the transitions between the sea and the land and wanted to represent each in the designs. On the hat I started with Staghorn cable, that works into a pointed decrease at the crown. This very much felt like a cliff edge along a coastline. Then I combined that with a Wave and Knot pattern stitch, with the knitted columns waving in and out between the knot stitches.
The mitts are a much smaller canvas to work on, so the stitches used were simplified to just the Wave and Knot pattern which flow from an interesting Mistake Rib at the cuff. Can you see it?
Pattern Details
The stitch patterns used in all of our installment one patterns are not too difficult to work. The Staghorn cable is a large cable cross but easy to work with a cable needle. The Wave and Knot stitch ‘looks’ like a cable, but the wave is in fact created using a series of increases and decreases.
If you are a new cable knitter, both projects should be very manageable, especially with the video back-up!
Both projects will need US size 7 / 4.5 mm circular needles and US size 8 / 5 mm needles suitable for working in the round (40″ plus for Magic Loop, or Double-Pointed Needles).
Sherkin Hat
SIZES
Small (Medium, Large)
To Fit Head Circumference up to: 21 (22.75, 24.75)”/ 53.5 (58, 63) cm
2-3” / 5-7.5 cm negative ease recommended.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Band Circumference: 18 (19.75, 21.75)” / 45.5 (50, 55) cm
Length: 9 (9.25, 9.5)” / 23 (23.5, 24.25) cm
Sample size 19.75” / 50 cm modelled with 3” / 7.5 cm of negative ease.
YARN
Stolen Stitches ‘Deas’ (86% Merino Wool, 14% Mohair; 202 yds / 185 m per 3.6 oz / 100 g); colour: Jade or Lime; 1 (1, 1) skein
Approx. Yardage: 125 (143, 167) yds / 114 (131, 153) m
Sherkin Mitts
SIZES
Small (Medium, Large)
To Fit Hand Circumference up to: 7 (8, 9)” / 18 (20.5, 23) cm
0.5” / 1.5 cm negative ease recommended.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Hand Circumference: 6.5 (7.5, 8.5)” / 16.5 (19, 21.5) cm
Length: 7.75 (8.25, 8.75)” / 19.5 (21, 22) cm
Sample size 7.5″ / 19 cm modelled with 0.25” / 0.5 cm negative ease.
YARN
Stolen Stitches ‘Deas’ (86% Merino Wool, 14% Mohair; 202 yds / 185 m per 3.6 oz / 100 g); colour: Jade or Lime; 1 (1,1) skein
Approx. Yardage: 102 (125, 150) yds / 93 (114, 138) m
Bonus: Sherkin Notebook Cover Part 1
I’ve got one extra special surprise in this set of patterns … a notebook cover!
Now, this is not yet a complete cover and is still a work in progress. You’ll see why below.
For this club Badly Made Books created a brand new notebook for us with a ‘Book Stick’. This will allow you to customise your notebook, using waste paper and your own notes.
Each installment of the club will have an insert included that will have a foldout insert of the charts for the next patterns. Sean, from Badly Made Books, has very kindly created a ‘how-to’ video with us and he’s detailed how you will put your ‘Book Stick’ together and insert all the pages. So you can sit back, relax and watch as Sean pops it all together before you rewatch and give it a try, pausing as needed.
In this first club installment, I’ve designed the start of the cover for this notebook. The rest of the book cover pattern will be included with the next club installment, using the stitch pattern from that installment’s pattern (that’s still to come).
So for now, this book cover is a work in progress!
How To Buy
If you’d like to join in the Celtic Knits Club 2024, you can purchase the digital club here. You will get all the patterns and videos as they are released as well as invites to any zoom launches. The patterns included use an aran weight yarn, 2 skeins for the first installment, 3 for the second and 4-10 (depending on your pattern option and size) for the final installment. The club also has our new exclusive colours of Deas yarn but you can purchase our in-stock Deas, here.
All that’s left is to say is when you’re ready, join us over in Knithub as we chat and knit through this club installment.