Zipper Scarf

The Zipper is a unisex sideways knit scarf with a unique ripple pattern. Inspired by the dots and curves in Aboriginal art, the wave motif provides a great foundation for any color combo. It looks great in dark colors or brights, making it bold or subtle. This pattern inspired a lot of graphics and animations when I was exploring color combos, but I'll stay on topic and post them later.

 

This pattern uses stacked increases and decreases for the colorwork. This means that it is

Fiber friday: Medieval book repair, indigo, and morre indigo.

1. Medieval books were precious and expensive, but the parchment they were written on was not always pristine. You can read about the way these books were patched to turn ugly imperfections into colorful art as historian Erik Kwakkel  studies these examples.

2. Don't think too little of that old pair of jeans. Indigo is an amazing and historic dye which creates that signature blue color.

3. no text, just more indigo. I'll be starting an indigo Dying vat soon  (the kind you don't have to pee in) and there's urine in old style indigo BTW.

Star Pattern

These stars are a fun way to learn stacked increases. You may have seen these in the Fox Paws or Solarita patterns and wondered how they work. You can use these fun stars to practice stacked increases before jumping into a more complex project, or just make them because they're a lot of fun.This technique can be used to create lobed edging, flame stitch motifs, and shaping. Stacked increases are worked by slipping stitches back to the left needle to work them again.

Learn to use stacked increases

If you've learned how to work a stacked increase in my first article and possibly tried making a Star, you're ready to come up with your own patterns that use this unique stitch. This article is going to focus on how to adjust the height of your stacks  and go over some of the math. It is a lot like how you change the height of a stacked decrease.

How to do a stacked increase

There are so many people interested in knitting the Petal Cowl and Fox Paws, but not all knitters like to jump into a project with new and uncommon stitches. I've put together this article, a video tutorial, and a free pattern to introduce the fundamental increase that makes these patterns work.