Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: blanket squares

  • September Square and Fancy

    September Square and Fancy

    The Seasons are Changing

    Have you noticed that there is a little chill in the air first thing in the morning?  The day still heats up but it cools down again in the evening.  The seasons are preparing for a change.

    How do you celebrate the change?  Are you pulling out your favourite knits and making sure that they are clean and ready to wear when you are ready to wear them. I am pulling mine out and trying them on and trying to convince myself that maybe it is time! Even as I throw them off knowing it is still too hot!

    September Square

    Even the September Square, I wanted to knit each row of “trees” (I see them as trees, you may see them as something else) in autumn tones to reflect the season ahead.

    This stitch pattern is one of those patterns that can be knit to use up loads of colours. Each stripe of “trees” could be a different colour and the background colours could change as well. Instead I kept the background clean and uncluttered and the trees, simple rows of green.

    This pattern is a very interesting knit without being complicated. Each “tree” is made by increasing drastically in one spot and then decreasing on each side of the tree over three rows. Throw in a few slipped stitches to keep the trees pointy and then offset each pattern row to keep the movement fluid.

    Finding the name was a little more tricky – Tree Lines, Little Trees, and finally I settle on Tree Lined. Perhaps the name would have been more interesting had I seen something different in the pattern.

    Do you see “trees”? Or something else?

    September SquareDownload

    September Fancy – The Morning Glory Shawlette

    What I can pull out of my wardrobe in September are the shawlettes, kerchiefs and mini shawls that I have knit or been given over the years. It has been a while since I knit a small shawl and the fancy collection seemed to need one too!

    Meet my new go-to small shawl – the Morning Glory Shawlette. Knit with Cascade 220 Fingering, Morning Glory weighs less than 85 grams. It will be perfect for fall.

    You may recognize the border stitch from the August Bonus Square. Doesn’t it look pretty as the border here? If you need a little help with the border, a downloadable photo tutorial for the wrapped stitch technique (Daisy Chain Stitch) is available below the Morning Glory Pattern download.

    September FancyDownload
    How to make a Daisy Chain StitchDownload

    Why small shawls?

    For me, because of the edging. It is usually my favourite piece to knit, and on a small shawl it is so easy to see. Worn around the neck, it frames the face and draws all the attention up!

    I have a couple of favourites – Four Hundred and the Jazzy Shawl. Each for a different reason.

    The Four Hundred Shawl is one of my most popular small shawls. It was designed for a solid colour yarn. I kept it interesting with some simple lace patterning to add texture and depth. I still have a few skeins of the Bison Merino sock yarn from the Buffalo Wool Co. I designed 400 with that yarn and yardage, 400yds, in mind. Sometimes a solid coloured piece is just what you want!

    The Jazzy Shawl is a little bigger and really is something a little more special.

    When the Colinton Lace yarn arrived at the store, I was captivated. It was beautiful. I had never worked with spun mohair before, only the fuzzy varieties. It was something like working with silk, but felt a little heavier. The drape was incredible and the sheen amazing.

    The yarn wanted something different, and Jazzy grew out of that.

    And now Morning Glory joins them.

    Three small shawls, designed at different times and for quite different reasons. Four Hundred began with a particular yarn and 400 yards. Jazzy began with a yarn I couldn’t resist. Morning Glory began with an edging I wanted to see and wear.

    Perhaps that is one of the things I like most about small shawls. There is enough room to play with an idea, a beautiful yarn or an interesting edging — but they remain small enough to throw around your shoulders on a September morning when autumn is almost, but not quite, here.

    I have noticed a nip in the air in the morning and have done my best to wear my knits – but I still end up pulling them off. Summer is not quite ready to let go!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Monthly Knitting Adventures: June 2026

    Monthly Knitting Adventures: June 2026

    June Square and Fancy

    It has been an epic month. The reno is complete, the storage locker is empty and the house is currently a work in progress with stacks of boxes in each room. We are at the stage where every box is an adventure. What does it contain? Do we really need it? etc. More on this later.

    I have knit the square and the fancy for this month and I love them both. I hope that you will too.

    The Square

    Is is lace, need I say more? Take note of the code on the last page of the pattern. It will give you the Rain Shadow Shawl pattern at half price once it is released, most likely Wednesday or Saturday. It will be good for the remainder of this month (June 2026).

    June squareDownload

    The Fancy

    I went down a rabbit hole with this one. Did you know how many styles of pincushion are out there? I was vaguely aware. But now – I am in the know. Pincushions go back centuries and across cultures and stitchery techniques. I didn’t go too wild. I kept the shape fairly traditional, just added a little colourwork. I hope that you will enjoy the knitting. And may be check out some pincushion sites. LOL!

    Daisy pincushionDownload

    We are up to 8 squares now with the six monthly additions and the two bonus squares. So I am starting to think of how we might want to put them together. I mentioned a couple of the standard styles in the opening post, but I have a couple of fresh ideas. I will share them with you later in the month.

    Circular Cast-on – German Pinhole

    Here is a link to an earlier post on the pinhole cast-on used in the two patterns for this month.

    Rain Shadow Shawl

    Just a few pictures to whet the whistle once more. The pattern will be released next weekend. I got caught up in boxes.

    Apparently “later in the month” is a thing. I hope that I can get it all done “later in the month” LOL!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • May’s Colorful Knitting Adventures and Garden Inspirations – And a Reno Update

    May’s Colorful Knitting Adventures and Garden Inspirations – And a Reno Update

    Flowers play a big part in my love of colour. Vivid colour, mixed colour and glorious abandon to colour.

    One of the exciting things of a new home is watching the garden come to life. This garden is more minimal than my last. That will change as the season progresses and I get to work on my landscaping plans.

    I have discovered that I have a Lilac bush. It is small right now, but the blooms are mighty. These blooms are fragrant and they are purple, lilac purple. They are glorious!

    Does anyone know the name of this Lilac? The colour is so beautiful.

    How is your garden progressing? What are your favourite Spring Flowers? I am looking for suggestions for my Landscaping projects – any and all ideas are welcome.

    May Blanket Squares

    Like the blooms this month brought on a lot of inspiration. So there is the May Square, Little Puff Leaves. And the May Bonus Square, Indian Twist Stitch Square. I really played with colour when creating them and you can see that the bonus square pulled the Lilac purple out of my stash!

    The wonderful thing about sampler patterns is that you can try out new stitches without a major commitment.  The little puff leaves remind me of all the greenery that is showing up on the bushes and trees as we walk through the local parks right now!

    Little Puff Leaves SquareDownload

    Now the Indian Twist Stitch is pretty cool. This stitch pattern has fascinated me for years!  I decided that a sampler blanket was the perfect place to try it out!

    This pattern looks a little tricky, but is really quite easy.  Only two of the rows involve patterning and while slow to work they do pay you back by filling in a great deal of space.  This is the simple version in that the twisted sts all line up.  I am going to work another version were the rows of twisted sts offset each other. There is a photo tutorial included in the pattern.

    This square can be worked in the two colours as shown, but is also effective in a single colour!

    May Bonus SquareDownload

    Last fall a friend gave me a couple of Lavender Sachets. The lavender was fresh from her garden and the scent is fabulous. I decided that this month’s Fancy is going to be a Sachet, in my case a Lavender Sachet, but you can fill it it with anything you like.

    I did not use the worsted weight yarns for this fancy. I am using a light fingering weight. But you can use any yarn you like, just up the needle size to 1 size smaller than the recommended size for the yarn.

    I am already working on a second sachet.

    May FancyDownload

    The Reno

    This has been a busy month around here.

    The renos on the Great Room, Main bathroom and Laundry Closet – I can’t really call it a room – are complete.

    The laundry closet is a perfect gem – stacked washer and dryer on one side and a stainless laundry tub on the other side, complete with a drop down counter and handing space for the delicates to hang dry!

    It started out with a washer and dryer on each side of the door with small cupboards above each. It didn’t work hard enough. And as I really believe in a large laundry tub I figured out a way to add one. It so useful to have an oversize sink somewhere in the house.

    It is a pretty swank laundry tub. A Costco special.

    The counter is a salvaged flooring sample with a piano hinge. It is the perfect size.

    The Wool Room is rumoured to be complete today. Which only leaves the outside jobs, siding on the Wool Room, replacing the rotten boards on the deck (almost done) and then painting the deck and the final cleanup. All to be finished soon!

    I will do a photo shoot on the Great Room once it has been tidied up. Which will be after the Wool Room is complete. There is stuff everywhere!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Knitting a Colorful Blanket: March Square Tips

    Knitting a Colorful Blanket: March Square Tips

    Year of Blanket Squares

    The old saying for March is:

    In like a Lion and out like a Lamb.

    I have often wondered if the opposite is true. I should pay more attention. Right now March is coming in like a Lamb. It is beautiful out there today in my neck of the woods. So clear, and a little warmer, it is really feeling like Spring.

    The March square consists of bold cables that are offset each other to create a very textured surface. The garter stitch background helps highlight the texture. The cables are wide and round and all twist the same way. One cable is traditional the other cable has a lace faggoting center. It looks complicated but is very easy to knit.

    March Square 2026Download

    The March Fancy is a tassel. Not an ordinary tassel but a dressed tassel. Tassels as embellishments have been around for a long time. They can be very simple, or not so simple. Why create a tassel that is covered like this? It keeps the tassels neater for the long hall. Wouldn’t it look great on our Blanket, or maybe a a cushion.

    All Dressed TasselDownload

    I hope that you enjoy the March square and Fancy Tassel.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Make-A-Long a Blanket

    Make-A-Long a Blanket

    2026 is going to be the Year of Making a Blanket.  I need a new blanket for my new living room with my new couch and my new carpet! Every month I am going to make a new square or two. Do you need a new blanket or Afghan? Do you want to join me? This will be free. With a Blog post every month with a new square. You will need to subscribe to get the emails regularly! Post it where ever you knit with the hashtags #newblanket and #letissierdesigns. I would love to see your progress.

    I am going to be working the squares in Cascade 220 wool. I just started my first one! You can choose any worsted weight yarn you like. Or a fingering weight yarn, or any yarn. These are just going to be some squares. Some will be simple, others maybe not, it sort of depends on the other designs I will be working on, I may be trying out some different stitches. Sort of pre-swatching!

    Most of these squares will be based on the blanket I did 11 years ago with The Buffalo Wool Co. I am going to remake the squares in the cascade 220, the originals were done in the Tracks Sock. These will be quite a bit bigger!

    Look for some purple Sea Stars here and there! It is going to be called the Sea Star Blanket! Or maybe the West Coast Blanket!

    I have already started my first square. This is the informal or soft start of the project. I will be adding it formally to Ravelry next month!

    • – Knit one square a month – there will be a lap blanket at the end of the project.
    • – Knit two squares a month – there will be a full size Afghan blanket at the end of the project.
    • – Knit three or more squares a month – there will be a large bed sized blanket at the end of the project.

    So pick out a yarn, and the appropriate needle size.

    Fingering 3.25mm US #3 – Double Knit 4.0mm US #6 – Worsted Weight 4.5mm US #7

    Diagonal Rib Square for January (Shush! I am starting early, so can you!)

    Cast-on 56 sts

    • Row 1 – *(K2, P2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
    • Row 2 – *(K2, P2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
    • Row 3 – K1, *(P2, K2); repeat from *. end the last repeat with K1.
    • Row 4 – P1, *(K2, P2); repeat from *, end the last repeat with P1.
    • Row 5 – *(P2, K2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
    • Row 6 – *(P2, K2); repeat from * to the end of the row.
    • Row 7 – P1, *(K2, P2); repeat from *, end the last repeat P1.
    • Row 8 – K1, *(P2, K2); repeat from *, end the last repeat K1.

    Repeat the 8 row pattern 9 times.  Cast-off evenly.  It should be close to 11-12 inches square! I don’t know the size yet! But I will add it here as soon as I finish the block! LOL!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette