Entrelac cap

I promised to write out the pattern for the entrelac cap/beret, so here comes. If you want a less slouchy cap, leave out one repeat of the 7-stitch squares. I've included instructions for making an Excel spreadsheet that will do the calculations for you. I highly recommend doing that, it will make your life a lot easier! You won't have to worry about finding the same yarn or getting gauge. I actually haven't even specified my gauge. I used a DK weight yarn and 3.5 mm needles.

Here's a couple more pictures of my cap:

Modeled by the wire basket.

Laying flat on the table.

Here you can really see how neat that tubular cast on edge is. This is one technique that is really worth learning, if you don't know how to do it yet!

The Entrelac Cap

By Lotta Breyer

*These instructions are written using centimeters, but you can easily substitute inches, it will not change how you do your measurements.

** At the end, you will find instructions for how to do your calculations in Excel. Enter the measured values and the formulas into your spreadsheet, and the rest of the numbers will be automatically calculated.

Knit a swatch! This is very important, since I can’t possibly tell you how many stitches you will need, unless you knit a test swatch. It can be any size, but a bigger swatch gives you a better measurement. You can knit the swatch in stockinette stitch. Measure your stitch and row gauge.

Measure your head circumference in cm. Calculate the amount of stitches needed: (HeadCirc/10)*gauge, for example, (56/10)*22=123.2. Round this down to an even number, such as 122 or 120.

The cap is knitted using tubular cast on. Start by casting half the amount of your calculated stitches (e.g. 60) using provisional cast on¹. Join in the round and knit 2 rounds. This seems like not enough stitches, but you’ll just have to trust your measurements. On the third round start picking up the stitches from the provisional cast on while undoing the waste yarn at the same time. Purl the first stitch from your needle. Knit the first stitch from your cast on. Purl the next stitch off the needle, knit the next one from the cast on. Continue in this manner until all the stitches are used. You should now have your calculated amount of stitches on your needle. Knit in k1p1 for 8 rounds.

Start the entrelac. The entrelac squares are 7 stitches wide (you can also use 8 or 9, if it better suits your stitch count). Calculate the closest number to your stitch count that is divisible by the size of the squares. (e.g. 120/7=17.1, so I could use 119=17*7 or 126=18*7; 120/8=15, which matches perfectly.) If you need to change the amount of stitches, knit one more round of rib and increase by the needed amount.

Start entrelac by knitting a row of triangles: K2, turn, P2 (or knit left to right), turn, S1 K2, turn, S1 P2, turn, S1 K3, turn… until you have used up 7 (or 8 or 9) stitches, and start the next triangle. Make as many triangles as it takes to finish the round. The direction of the rows of entrelac squares alternates between clock- and counterclockwise, the first round of triangles being clockwise. Because the first square of a row is attached to the first and last square of the previous row, this still results in a tubular piece of fabric.

To start the second round or entrelac, pick up 7 stitches from the side of the first triangle and knit them. Turn, S1 P5 P2tog, turn, S1 K6, S1 P5 P2tog etc. until you have used up all the stitches on the side of the square. Pick up the stitches for the next square and knit similarly. Continue to the end of the round.

The next round will be worked clockwise again. Pick up 7 stitches from the side of the 1^st square of the last round and purl across them on the wrong side. Turn, S1 K5 SSK, turn, S1 P6, turn, S1 K5 SSK… continue until all the side stitches are used up. Pick up the stitches for the next square and knit similarly. Continue to the end of the round.

Knit 4 repeats/rounds of 7-stitch squares. On the 5^th and 6^th entrelac round, only pick up 6 stitches from the side of each square. On the 7^th round, pick up 5. 8^th round 4.

After the round of 4-stitch squares knit a row of triangles again. Pick up 4 stitches and knit them. Turn, S1 P2 P2tog, turn, S1 K2, turn, S1 P1 P2tog, turn, S1 K1, turn, S1 P3tog,. Continue in the same manner to the end of the round.

Top decreases:

Count the amount of stitches you have, e.g. 18*4=72. Using the Excel stitch calculator, calculate your decreases, for example every row in 5 places. Decrease until you have 4 or 5 stitches left. Put all stitches on one DP needle and knit an inch of I-cord.² Pull yarn through remaining stitches and weave in ends.

¹Provisional cast on: Take a length of waste yarn and make a slip knot with your knitting yarn. Cast on stitches like you would with long tail, the waste yarn being the tail. The waste yarn can later be removed to reveal a row of live stitches.

²I-cord: place all stitches on one DP needle and knit across. Push the stitches to the other end of the needle, bring the yarn around and knit across again. Repeat until desired length.

Copyright Lotta Breyer 2007.

You may copy and use this pattern for your own personal use, but, please, don’t sell, distribute, or copy it for others without my permission.

Excel calculation:

Your spreadsheet should look something like this:

Enter numbers into yellow cells. The rest will be calculated automatically.
Measure:	Head circ.	56	cm
Swatch:	Stitches:	21	s per	7.5	cm
	Rows:	24	r per	7.5	cm
Gauge:	Stitches:	28	s/10 cm
	Rows:	32	r/10 cm
Cast on:	Head circ.	117	stitches
	Cast on:	58	stitches
Entrelac:	size of entr square	7	s
	number of squares:	18
	Stitches for entrelac:	126
	Add:	9	stitches
	add 1s every	13	stitches
	Entrelac rows with full size square	4
Top decreases:	Number of stitches:	72	s
	First decrease	2	s
	Number of rows left:	13	r
	Decreases per row:	5	dec
	stitches btw decr on first row	12	s ->	K	12	, K2tog

Here is what you need to type in into the cells to make your own spreadsheet. If you start at the corner of a spreadsheet, your column for calculations will be C. The First cell with a number is C3. That is where I have the number 56 above for head circumference.

EDIT: The contents of cell C9 have been changed below. Simplyducky was paying attention and found a mistake -the reference that was there before was for the unadjusted row gauge. Thank you!

Enter into cells:

C3 enter your measured head circumference

C4 enter counted stitches from swatch, E4 enter width of the area of the swatch you counted the stitches from

C5 enter counted rows from swatch, E5 enter total height of the counted rows

C6 enter =C4/E4*10

C7 enter =C5/E5*10

C8 blank

C9 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C6*C3/10,0)

C10 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C9/2,0)

C11 blank

C12 enter size of entrelac square (7)

C13 enter =EVEN(C9/C12)

C14 enter =C13*C12

C15 enter =C14-C9

C16 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C9/C15, 0)

C17 enter =4-(C12-7)

C18 blank

C19 enter =C13*4

C20 enter =C19-(C22*(C23+2))

C21 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/6.28*C7/C6,0)

C22 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/C21,0)

C23 enter =ROUNDDOWN(C19/C22,0)-2 and E23 enter =C23

And if entering all that stuff is just too much work, you can always e-mail me and ask me to send the spreadsheet as an attachment. :)

Socks for the cold weather

Ok, so I got a head start on working on some of the stash yarns, although the yarn diet (which includes a competition on who uses the most stash yarn during the month) doesn't start till February 1st. But I can't possibly not knit until then! I started with the LL sock yarn, the colorful one for the 2-year-old. This is both the knit and the purl side:

I actually like the purl side better!
I wove in the ends so that they can be used either way. Here's Mr S trying them on:


After I got these done, I actually started working on a sweater I started a year ago. It was only missing a shawl collar, so not too much work left on it. I don't know why I haven't gotten it done earlier... It's finished now, but I don't have any pictures yet, plus I have to block it. Maybe this weekend.

Yarn Diet and The Stash

I have a confession to make. I have been terribly bad at sticking to my knit-along commitments. Please don't shoot me! I signed up for Socktoberfest, and guess what: didn't submit a single pair of socks. I just didn't make any during that time ( :-O !!), and didn't feel like starting new ones just for that. I also signed up for Lonesome skein, and, well, you guessed it, haven't submitted a single thing. I haven't even been following what others have knit -shame on me! But this time I'll do better. I signed up for a yarn diet that I found through Kristel's blog (her blog is in Finnish, but don't be scared away, her knits are beautiful and worth looking at even if you don't understand a word she is saying.)

A couple of weeks back I organized my stash, and inventoried everything I have. I wasn't actually even doind as bad as I thought. Half of my yarns were leftovers from previous projects, which I don't think counts against me. It just means I knit a lot. But during the yarn diet I'll try to use up as much as I can of the new yarns in my stash. Here's what I've got to work with:Three totes full of yarn. Well, actually more like two and a half, and only one of them is full of new yarn. But to be honest with you, all my sock yarns are elsewhere, and if I'd put them in these totes, I'd most likely have all three of them full.


Some Misti Alpaca lace weight in a delicate green color for a lace scarf. Haven't decided on the pattern yet.

Nashua Handknits Creative Focus worsted weight. I was originally going to use this for some mittens, but now I'm not sure. We'll see what comes out of it. This stuff would felt nicely, so maybe some felted slippers...

Artfibers Sylph, 1060 yards, which should be enough for a sweater. Adorably soft, I can't wait to start knitting with this stuff!


Undyed yarns, both worsted for a kid's sweater, sock yarn and mohair for a scarf. Or two. There's a lot of yarn in there!


Tahki Donegal Tweed. This is a sweater for me. Still haven't decided on a pattern, but I've got some ideas. I should get started on this and get it done.


Jo Sharp Classic DK wool, also a sweater's worth. This I was planning on dyeing, but I haven't really thought about it any further than that.


Patons soy-wool, a very nice yarn, and the colors are beautiful, but I have absolutely no idea what to make out of it! Felts very nicely.


Artfibers Hana, 100 % silk. This will be a scarf.


RY Cashsoft, 9 balls. I bought these for making scarfs, but when I got them, I just loved all the colors together, and now I think I should make a sweater out of it. I might have to get a ball or two more to have enough, and I have absolutely no idea of how to combine them (stripes? Fair isle?...), but I love the yarn and want to use it.


Koigu and Lorna's Laces sock yarn. The parrot colored LL will make socks for the 2-year-old, and the Koigu is for me.

So plenty of projects for the next month or two. Or even more. :) I did place an order for some Treking XXL last week that hasn't showed up yet, so that'll be a part of the stash, too.

Last week we made another trip to New York, and again I had a lot of knitting time on planes and at airports. I started a new project just for that, and started a week ago on Friday and finished yesterday. Perfect little travel project, the Diamond Fantasy Scarf:

The yarn was Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock in Black Purl, 100 g. Needles 3.5 mm Inox aluminum.

P.S. You probably noticed that I changed my blog template. If you find anything that isn't working out -colors, links, etc., please let me know!

Last day

I've been working on a little coin purse to take part in Sia's NeuleIdea (Knitting Idea) contest that ends at midnight tonight. Last minute? Oh, no, I've still got several hours left! I'm hoping this isn't too close to the "bags" category that is not included in the contest. The purpose of my coin purse is to have something to carry with me that I can take to a store to carry some money and credit cards in, instead of my giant purse that is very heavy. At least if you're strolling around the mall for a couple of hours.

Here's my little purse:
I used some left-over sock yarn, maybe about 50-60 g of it, and size 3.0 mm needles. The pattern is mine, nothing too special, just a tube knitted in a lace pattern. The strap is 7-stitch I-cord.


I lined the inside in some quilting cottong I had laying around. The side facing the knitted lace is red, because the underside of the red-and-green fabric didn't look too attractive showing through the holes in the lace.

Here's another shot for scale:


That is my hand inside the purse, and that's about all you can fit in it. Actually, if I made another one, I could use them as pockets to keep my hands warm. Hmm... :D

22 days later

Merry Christmas to you all! It's been way too long since the last time I posted, but I'm sure most of you can relate, when I say that the few weeks before Christmas have been a little crazy. There has been knitting, though, and lots of it. Quite a few Christmas gifts were started and almost as many finished. My trips to San Francisco and New York facilitated lots of undisturbed knitting time at airports and on air planes.

In San Francisco I managed to find time to visit Artfibers, which was a very nice experience. I small cozy yarn store tucked away on the second floor of a building. Fortunately I had read about how it might be hard to find, so I didn't give up when I didn't see it right away. I completely lost track of time while fingering all the absolutely wonderful yarns in the store. So many merino, silk and alpaca blends in mesmerizing colors... I got some of Sylph, enough for a 3/4 sleeve sweater (I'm thinking fitted with a V-neck) in a water green color (04). I also got a few balls of Hana that I'm planning on using for a two color lace scarf (the pattern is yet to be determined). The time at the Oakland airport and on the plane was spent knitting these socks in Trecking XXL:
These were gifted to the FIL last night. The picture doesn't really do justice to the colors, which are very nice and very suitable guy-colors. I have to find more of this stuff! I really like Trecking, but I find it hard to find all the different colorways. If anybody knows of a yarn store that would carry a lot of them on-line, please let me know!

My trip to New York was spent knitting this:
We Call Them Pirates hat, of course. The yarn is Rowan Wool Cotton, which I totally fell in love with. It is just soooo soft! I already have more bought for another one of these. Here's the inside of the finished hat:
I think it will be very warm! I'm not so much into this pirate stuff myself, but if I had a hat this soft and warm, I'd be wearing it with skulls or without. Here's E modeling the finished product:

Those are some scary pirate teeth! ;) This hat will be gifted to my godson, and E already ordered one for himself in blue and black, so that is now on my list of things to knit. I enjoyed the well written pattern, although I changed the top decreases a little bit, so the hat would be less square.

After I got the hat done, I had to rush into these socks:

They are "More fun than cables" from Stitches of Violet. Also a very nicely written pattern with a little bit different heel than what I'm used to doing. I think it has a name, but I just can't think of it now... They were supposed to be the Christmas gift for the MIL, but I didn't manage to get them finished on time, so she will get them for her birthday, which is in January. But now my wrists are sore from all the knitting, and I just need a break!

22 days till Christmas...

I've had an odd two weeks, where I've been fretting over undone projects and my incapability of making desicions and getting started. I had finished so many projects that I didn't really have anything in progress, and I wasn't sure what to do next. But Thanksgiving and driving to the in-laws provided me with 12 hours of sitting in the car and therefore 12 hours of knitting time. I finished the gloves from the previous post and started and finished one of my secret projects (not shown here for obvious reasons). I also got started on a sweater for my older son:The yarn is Filatura Di Crosa Andina mix, very nice and cuddly soft. I had first planned to knit a sweater for myself from this yarn, but I wasn't sure I had enough, and the color was quite suitable for a boy, so I changed my plan.

I also found the perfect pattern for another Malabrigo scarf -Kathy's Shifting Sands. I saw Jared use the pattern for Malabrigo, and I really like how it looks. Again, I have a hard time photographing this yarn/color. All these blue tones show up that really aren't there. It's really very red (the colorway is called Velvet grapes).
This picture is terrible, but shows the color and texture pretty well:
It's 22 days till Christmas, and I've got a ton of projects to plan/start/finish. So off to work...