Flicking through the pages was a joy in itself but the section on How to Knit Medallions was what really grabbed me. I’d tried to create various flat shapes in the past by knitting back and forth on straight needles but, no matter how hard I tried, my squares were never truly square.
Illogically, I put the book back on the shelf. It turned out it was “on tour” so, when I next went to look for it, it had moved on. Sad times. I could have asked for it to be brought back again, for a very small fee, but I didn’t. I have no idea why.
I looked for similar, free patterns online (a practice with notoriously inconsistent outcomes) and subsequently produced this ornate, lacy affair in August 2018:
Fast forward to January 2020 and I found myself again wanting to master this spider-like technique. I needed to go back to the source of my inspiration so asked my local library to invite A Little Course in Knitting back for another stay. This turned out to be the best 60 pence I ever spent, especially since, with 2020 being 2020, I ended up keeping the book for 7 months.
I made six medallions in total. The first was cast-on towards the end of February and the sixth was cast-off in the middle of April. Some took a couple of weeks to complete, probably due to me getting distracted by other things, while others were finished within a couple of days. The patterns were surprisingly simple and, for most of them, each increase was prompted by a stitch-marker. This meant that I could “switch-off” and simply enjoy the process. I could use a lot more words to try and describe exactly what my medallions were like to knit but I wonder if this photo might save us all the trouble:
Onwards, to the full set!
In this less three-dimensional format, you can see some of the variations in shape and pattern. Some are very plain, some have a swirl effect and others have more open increases with an almost holey structure. None of them are as complex as my purple lace coaster but they were a lot more fun to knit. They are not without impact and I find their simplicity rather charming.
- A Little Course in Knitting is written by Susie Johns and published by Dorling Kindersley [https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9781409365181-a-little-course-in-knitting/]. You may be able to preview a good chunk of it online (or borrow it from your local library!).
- The pattern I followed for my Irish moss stitch “square” is probably traditional but I learnt it from Bernadette Murphy’s Zen and the Art of Knitting - a gem of a book that I heartily recommend.
- The pattern I followed for the purple lace coaster was by Yvonne Hussey and lives at: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/clothflower.htm