Birkenwasser knits

This episode is about summer knits. I talk about knitting in the summer and two summer top patterns that I have designed, as well as two summer tops designed by Leila Raabe. There is also the drawing of my Instagram account 2000 follower giveaway and you can witness the return of my Topaz sample.



Steller tunic: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/steller-tunic
Lehtokerttu top: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lehtokerttu-top
Deschain: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/deschain
Bolan: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bolan-2
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birkenwasser/
Alignment: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alignment
Topaz: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/topaz-10

My Fade it! Collection includes four patterns: a cardigan, a sweater, a shawl and socks. All of them have fading as a design element. In this episode, I talk about the collection and about my current projects.



Fade it! Collection: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/fade-it-collection/patterns

Arctic Blizzard: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arctic-blizzard

In this episode, you will see the Timeless Henley pullover designed by Joji Locatelli. You will also meet my model and business partner who is modelling the pullover. Finally, I will show you the progress with my Indie Design Gift-A-Long projects.

Utmost Happiness is my latest design: a round-yoke pullover with gorgeous slip-stitch cables/mosaic knitting. I talk about the making of this pullover and where its name comes from. You will also get to see the ups and downs of my Indie Design Gift-A-Long projects. I have started four projects in the giftalong: a sweater, a cowl, fingerless mitts and a shawl. I also talk about affiliate links, and a couple of them are included in the link list below.



Utmost Happiness
Suoma DK
Amazon Audible offer, valid until Dec 14, 2018 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)



Indie Design Gift-A-Long
Trooper by Christelle Nihoul
Fouilloy Cowl by Kathleen Sperling
Reune Fingerless Mitts by Jean Clement
Breakwater Shawl by Stephannie Tallent

In this episode, I talk about my Topaz design for Making Stories JEWELS book. The inspiration for the design came from the streets of Helsinki, so I'm taking you downtown to see exactly where. I also talk about choosing colors for the colorwork.

Topaz by Katrine Birkenwasser for Making Stories JEWELS (photo: Ricarda Schuller Photography)

Topaz: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/topaz-10

Penrose tiling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrose_tiling

Earburn list of test knitters: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/birkenwasser-knits/3797156/1-25

In this episode, I talk about the Humulus sweater designed by Isabell Kraemer. I also show SeVilla yarns that I received for a new cowl design, and the Jewels book by Making Stories that includes my Topaz pullover design. As always, I show what I'm working on at the moment: two new fade designs, a brioche cardigan and a triangle shawl with lace and fringe.
Humulus: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/humulus-2

Rintalan tila: https://rintalantila.fi/tuote/iiivari-kainuunharmaslanka-3-saikeinen/

SeVilla: https://www.taitoep.net/verkkokauppa/langat/sevilla-detail

Jewels book: https://www.making-stories.com/shop/jewels

Topaz pullover: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/topaz-10

In this episode of Birkenwasser knits I talk about test knitting - both as a test knitter and as a designer. I show the Fluting Cowl designed by Whitney Hayward that I test knitted for Quince & co and a hat that I made with the same stitch pattern. Then I talk about my expectations and wishes when I arrange test knits.

Fluting cowl: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fluting

Fade it! Sideways test knit: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/birkenwasser-knits/3838921/

In this episode, I show my finished Zweig sweater, designed by Caitlin Hunter a.k.a. Boylandknitworks. Also on the needles: Humulus by Isabell Kraemer, a hat to go with a test knit cowl, and Tour-de-sock Stage 6 . Fresh off the needles: first look at (unfinished) new sweater design. And a pile of gorgeous yarn from Lanitium ex Machina.


Zweig by Caitlin Hunter: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zweig
Humulus by Isabell Kraemer: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/humulus-2
Sidetracked socks by Kirsten Hall: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sidetracked-socks
Lanitium ex Machina: https://www.lanitiumexmachina.com
My Ravelry group, Birkenwasser knits: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/birkenwasser-knits

Birkenwasser knits is on YouTube! Check out Episode 1 where I talk about my latest design, Alignment Sweater, and the inspiration and design path towards it. I also talk about a couple of current projects, and there's a little giveaway as well!







In this episode I talk about

Alignment Sweater

Tauride Shawl

Lemon by Helga Isager

Summer by Ankestrick

Lanitium ex Machina

Call for test knitters

The relaxed fit and enough length have made this my absolute favourite - I have been wearing the sweater so much that it's starting to pill, even if it's only the release day! Of course, I started wearing it after the photo shoot was done, so I have been wearing it all the time while my super efficient test knitting crew was working on their part.


This sweater is for the experienced knitter who likes a challenge: mastering Vikkel braids takes some practice. The end result is well worth the effort, though. Don't you just love the look of those lateral cables! If you are not familiar with the technique, there are several good tutorials on YouTube. Vikkel braid is also known as Estonian braid.

My May was filled with Madelinetosh projects: I participated in MadMay 2018 SALs (Stitch alongs - both crochet and knit accepted) in Madelinetosh Lovers Group on Ravelry. One of the SALs was General Sweater (work any sweater in Madelinetosh) and I decided to knit the super popular Tegna by Caitlin Hunter. I had a sweater quantity of Madelinetosh Dandelion in my stash, so I was all set to cast on on May 1st.




Tegna is worked bottom-up, so you start with the lace at the bottom, then continue in the round until armholes and then separate front and back which are worked flat, then joined at the shoulders with three-needle bind off. The lace is not too simple, so it took me three weeks to work the lace part. That didn't leave much time for the remainder of the sweater, but luckily it's only stockinette stitch with large needles. I even finished one day before the deadline!


Nonnu Neuloja podcast is hosting a Tegna knit along in her Ravelry group, so if you are looking for good company to knit your Tegna (and speak Finnish), I recommend that you check it out!


Linking up to CreaDienstag.

Tabular is on the cover of Pom Pom Quarterly Vivid Winter issue, and the minute I saw it I knew that I wanted to knit it. Jyväskylä Knit Fest Winter was approaching, so I decided to wait and buy yarn at Titityy during the festival. I was planning to use Coop Knits Socks Yeah!, but I changed my mind in the shop and decided to go with recommended Isager Highland Wool instead. And I even chose almost the original colors: MC and one CC are the same as the original colors, although the CC is not in same position.




At Titityy, I noticed that KnitPro has interchangeable needles also in size 3 mm, so I sat down, borrowed needles from a fellow knitter, and swatched to make sure that I can get gauge with that size. Swatch seemed perfect, so I bought the needles and yarn, and started the project the same night.


I was planning to make size 3, so that was what I bought yarn for. For some reason, I changed my mind and started a size 4 instead. That proved to be a good choice, as I noticed that the swatch with metal needles wasn't the same as what I got with the new wooden KnitPros - I was knitting tighter. Of course, by the time I noticed this was when I was knitting the bottom of the front, so there was too much effort invested to start all over with larger needles.


I decided to work the sweater a bit longer than instructed. Now, the instructions say where you can add length for the front, but not how much that equals for the back. You can see in the pictures that the front is knitted with increases in the middle and decreases on the sides, so adding length is a bit more complicated than simply doing x rows more for front and back. I ended up doing some trigonometry to figure out how much I would need to increase for the back, but as I only added 1 cm to the front the difference with the back was lost in rounding.


Only problem that I had left was that I bought yarn for size 3 and I was hoping that with my tight knitting it would be enough for size 4. I considered knitting the sleeves top-down so I could simply make them as long as there was yarn left. For some reason, I didn't, and of course I ran out of yarn when knitting the bottom hem. I didn't want to leave it at that, and luckily Kässäkerho Pom Pom stored the same yarn even in the same dye lot, so I was able to get one more ball at the Super Weekend in Kuopio. So I finished the pullover and it's lovely - and it's too small for me. And Business Woman, who was nice enough to model in the pictures, doesn't like it. I think it looks good on her. I'll have to talk her into liking it.

Let me introduce my latest design for you: Sylphide Sweater! It's knitted sideways from sleeve to sleeve, starting and ending with garter stitch cuffs. At the shoulder the neckline is created by splitting the work into front and back panels which are re-joined at the opposite shoulder. Stitches are dropped along the way, creating horizontal lace stripes. The sweater is worked flat in one piece, then sides are seamed and, finally, a garter stitch hem is added by picking up stitches at the bottom. Choose a yarn that will give enough drape – a linen–silk–alpaca mix as pictured or a similar yarn. Please also note that you will be unraveling sts, so choose a yarn that unravels easily! Dolman sleeves are full length, tight at the cuffs and loose at the top with a low armhole turning into body. The top is designed to fit loose against the body and sit on the hip. Measure your hip (about 5 cm/2” above the fullest part of your hip) to determine correct size. This light sweater is perfect for warm spring days and chilly summer nights.




This design is a collaboration with WalkCollection. You can see the sweater live at WalkCollection stand at Edinburgh Yarn Festival this weekend!

Last summer I took Joji Locatelli's "Approach to sweater design" class in Jyväskylä. As "homework" she gave us her Worsted Boxy pattern so we could take a closer look at how grading is handled in the pattern. Well, I thought that I would learn more if I knitted the sweater, so here we are!


There are two options in the pattern: seamless or seamed. As there's rarely an opportunity to knit in pieces and for all the other reasons why seamed is better I opted for the seamed version. It's a nice piece to knit while reading: as the name suggests it's basically a big box with neck opening and sleeves, so there's plenty of plain stockinette stitch to keep your hands busy while reading the newspaper. However, I have to say that I'm not used to knitting with such big needles, so it took a while for my hands to get used to it. Surprisingly I found a set of ugly plastic DPNs in size 5,5 mm from my needle storage, so I didn't even have to buy tools for this project. I have no idea where these needles originate from, though!


I'm really happy with the way the sweater turned out, and I can see why the pattern has been so hugely popular. However, it might not be the best pattern to learn about grading, as there is not much difference between sizes due to the boxy shape. Well, you get the idea, and you get a lovely garment as a result, so all good. Except the yarn. It was a disappointment: after two weeks of wear, it was all pilled. Good thing is that I opted for black, so the pilling is not that visible. There's also a lot of static electricity building up charges around this sweater, but I don't know whether it's the amount of fabric to rub against itself or the material or just the cold winter weather. I still wear it, because I like the look!




It's RUMS day.

Wigeon is a drop shoulder boxy pullover worked flat in pieces and then seamed. The body is composed of three large color blocks, and the two bottom ones are repeated in the sleeves. Top block drops from the shoulders to create the top part of the close fitting and full length sleeves. Shoulders are shaped with short rows and joined using three-needle bind off. The back is slightly longer than the front with a slit in the side seam. Worked in lace weight yarn takes some time, but the result is a rewarding lightweight pullover - throw it in your handbag to have something warm for the chilly spring evenings.

Repeating Horizons pattern was published in January, and I showed woolen version of the pullover, knitted in Madelinetosh DK, in my post at that time. I've been wearing it all winter, but it's starting to look like spring even here in Helsinki and the woolen pullover is getting a bit too warm. So it's time to share a silky version of the pullover with you. This is actually the first prototype version of the pullover. I knitted it last summer and I love the feel of the silk yarn: Katia rustic silk.




Participating in RUMS again.

Heute ist wieder RUMS Tag.