A Knitting Sampler

I grew up in a house full of sewing, I was taught to sew at a young age and my Mum is a fantastic sewer, so our house was full of her (and sometimes my) work. She had a tapestry sampler at the top of the stairs which I used to stare at, study, and admire, it was such an amount of work which had gone into it, but I never really  thought much about why she'd done it.

I've been increasingly developing my knitting skills over the last few months and so had the idea to make a small knitting sampler, a good way to test out some new knitting patterns, as I've only really knitted in garter or stockinette stitch before.

The definition of a sampler is:

A (needlework) sampler is a piece of embroidery produced as a demonstration or test of skill in needlework. It often includes the alphabet, figures, motifs, decorative borders and sometimes the name of the person who embroidered it and the date. The word sampler is derived from the Latin ‘exemplum’ - an example.

Ok so my knitting sampler isn't really as above, but it was a good way to try out some new patterns.

 1. Moss Stitch
I started simple with Moss stitch. The pattern for this is very straightforward, just involves a lot of counting (which I love!) and I also love the texture of this stitch.

2. Chevron

So then I wanted to go onto more of a pattern so went onto a chevron pattern. I love this and would love to change the colour of the zig zag on this, that would be an amazing jumper!

3. King Charles Brocade

I tried the King Charles Brocade next as I love the delicacy of this knit. I'm not sure that I would want it all over a garment, but I love it as an edging, around the neckline or cuffs. 

4.  Purled Ladder

Next a geometric pattern. Quite fun to count, but I'm not entirely sure where you'd use this?

5. Seed Stitch

And finally, another small textured knit, similar in fact to the Moss stitch at the start. Again I love this stitch, it is very simple and satisfying to do, and I would love a scarf or jumper in this pattern. 

1. Moss Stitch

Any odd number

Rows 1 and 4: *k1, p1; rep from *, end k1

Rows 2 and 3: *p1, k1; rep from *, end p1

2. Chevron

Multiple of 8 sts + 1

Row 1: k1, *p7, k1; rep from *

Row 2: p1, *k7, p1; rep from *
Row 3: k2, *p5, k3; rep from *, end p5, k2
Row 4: p2, *k5, p3; rep from *, end k5, p2
Row 5: k3, *p3, k5; rep from *, end p3, k3
Row 6: p3, *k3, p5; rep from *, end k3, p3
Row 7: k4, *p1, k7; rep from *, end p1, k4
Row 8: p4, *k1, p7; rep from *, end k1, p4
Row 9: Rep Row 2
Row 10: Rep Row 1
Row 11: Rep Row 4
Row 12: Rep Row 3
Row 13: Rep Row 6
Row 14: Rep Row 5
Row 15: Rep Row 8
Row 16: Rep Row 7

3. King Charles Brocade

Multiple of 12 + 1

Row 1 (RS): k1, *p1, k9, p1, k1; rep from *
Row 2: k1, *p1, k1, p7, k1, p1, k1; rep from *
Row 3: k1, *p1, k1, p1, k5 (p1, k1) twice; rep from * 
Row 4: p1, * (p1, k1) twice, p3, k1, p1, k1, p2; rep from *
Row 5: k1, *k2, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, k3; rep from *
Row 6: p1, *p3, (k1, p1) twice, k1, p4; rep from *
Row 7: k1, *k4, p1, k1, p1, k5; rep from *
Row 8: Rep Row 6
Row 9: Rep Row 5
Row 10: Rep Row 4
Row 11: Rep Row 3
Row 12: Rep Row 2

4. Purled Ladder

Rows 1 and 2: knit
Row 3 (RS): p2, *k2, p2; rep from *
Row 4: k2, *p2, k2; rep from *
Rows 5 and 6: knit
Row 7: Rep Row 4
Row 8: Rep Row 3

5. Seed Stitch
Any odd number

Row 1: k1, * p1, k1; rep from *