Elaine chroma.knits
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chromaknits.bsky.social
Elaine chroma.knits
@chromaknits.bsky.social
74 followers 140 following 50 posts
Creative, passionate learner, knitter, & maker. Wildlife lover, academic library staff, bisexual, supporting inclusivity for all always, Glasgow.
linktr.ee/chroma.knits
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chromaknits.bsky.social
Finally got Peggy modelled & I'm so chuffed with it! I was so inspired by Sarah Cliff's prints that I had to find a way to work them into my knitting with Susan Crawford's Peggy pattern! 1st I matched the colours & swatched. So happy with this experiment on how to choose colours in #knitting
The vest is black with three horizontal floral motifs across it - one at the waist, one at the armpits and one above the bust. I'm wearing it with a white long-sleeved linen shirt and pale cotton cargo trousers in a green that matches the motif zigzag margins. I'm standing outside in front of a privet hedge. Another shot of the vest, this time I'm in the golden setting sun in the park with trees and grass behind. Shows the original print of the blue forget-me-knots with the matching yarn colours. Shows the knitted swatch sample of the three colour options on top of a print out showing the pattern page of Peggy in the original colours, which are grey background with red, yellow, and blue motifs
May 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Peggy is finished and ready for it's first outing with knitting pals this evening after work! I love it! I was so excited that it fit. With steeking (cuttting the neck and sleeves - my first time doing this) you won't know if it fits until the end ... #knitting #ShetlandKnitting #SusanCrawford
Shows me (white middle-aged woman, shoulder-length light brown hair, glasses, in jeans and black jacket) standing in a matt silvery lift holding up a coat hanger to the mirror. On the coat hanger is a white longer sleeved linen shirt over my newly finished knitted black vest (tank) top with high crew neck and flower motifs. The motifs are in three approx. 2 inch wide horizontals, the bottom in blue, the middle in pink, and the top in yellow. The motifs are surrounded by a green zigzag reminiscent of leaves.
May 20, 2025 at 7:58 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
The neck has been steeked and the ribbing band added! A good weekend's work and I'm desperate to carry on! It'll need to wait until I'm not at work, the gym, or doing life's maintenance tasks #knitting
Shows a black vest top (tank top or sweater vest) with three horizontal striped flower style motifs. The bottom is blue, the centre is pink, and the top is yellow. The neck is a high crew neck with ribbing. The sleeves are still knitted together. It's lying in a white table lit by daylight.
May 12, 2025 at 7:53 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Nearly at the finishing stage with the Peggy vest top (pattern by Susan Crawford). It's at the wee weird thing stage pre-steeking the neck and arm holes. Excited to get this done! #knitting #colourwork #vintageKnitting #ShetlandKnitting
Shows a sleeveless black knitted top with three flower-like motif stripes. The bottom is blue, the middle is pink, and the top is yellow. The flowers are surrounded by a green zigzag border. It's a weird shape because the neck and sleeves still need to be cut out. It's lying on a white table.
May 10, 2025 at 7:25 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Making good progress on Susan Crawford's Peggy pattern this bank holiday weekend. My colours inspired by risograph prints by Sarah Cliff #knitting
Shows the black traditional Fair Isle vest top. It has flower motifs; blue at the bottom and then pink partway through
April 21, 2025 at 6:56 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Planning a thing with my yarn scraps #knitting
Shows a line of yarn scraps on a white table in daylight. They're lined up in a rainbow order starting at hot pink.
April 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
One swatch, multiple options! I used the first swatch and Photoshop elements to copy/paste and get an idea of what each colour choice looks like as an allover pattern #knitting
The first swatch shows a diamond pattern traditional Fair Isle pattern. The background is bottle green. There are three repeats of the diamond. The bottom one is pale mint, the middle one is jade, and the top one is Celtic green. They are divided by a brown stripe with differing shades of orange, starting with pale apricot, then darker, then a tangerine orange. The other photos are the result of me repeating each of the diamond colour choices into separate images so I can see what each pattern colour choice looks like as an allover pattern.
April 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
My weekend experiments for the Shetland Wool Week 2025 hat Aal Ower Toorie.
When I'm finished with this 3rd colour experiment, I'll cut the tube open, block it and take photos. Then I'll use Photoshop to repeat eaach colour option pattern so I can get a better idea of how it'll look. #knitting
Show a knitted tube in dark bottle green with pale diamond shapes in traditional Fair Isle patterns. The diamonds have a green blue centre pattern section starting in mint, then the next has jade, and the final one has celtic green. The swatch is still on the needles, and lying on a white table surrounded by the other balls of wool used. It's under a natural light. Screenshot from the Shetland Wool Week page showing the All Ower Toorie hat on a plank of wood outside. Below the photo it reads: SWW Hat Pattern. Aal Ower Toorie. The official 2025 Shetland Wool Week knitting pattern the ‘Aal Ower Toorie’ has been exclusively designed by the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers as the SWW Patrons for 2025.
April 14, 2025 at 11:50 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Saturday afternoon selecting colours for this year's Shetland Wool Week hat - Aal Ower Toorie #knitting
Shows a grid of 4 photos showing selections of yarn balls in various colours. Some are oranges, some are blues and browns, and one photo is black and white to show values. Text is the same as the post A screenshot from the Shetland Wool Week page showing what the hat looks like. It's an allover traditional Fair Isle diamond pattern beanie style with a tassel on top.
April 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Making good progress on
@susancrawfordvintage KAL - I'm making the Peggy vest top. Finished the black bottom and now onto the fun colourwork bit! Swatch placed above knitting for an idea of how it's going to look #knitting
Shows a piece of knitting in progress. It's 3 inches of black ribbing, followed by 2 inches of black stocking stitch in the round on circulars. Above is a 3 inch wide swatch of the motifs - a flower diamond effect motif with a zig zag border above and below. There are three motifs, one blue, one pinks, and one yellows with green zig zags. Shows the sample of Peggy knitted by Susan Crawford at Woolly Good Gathering in Edinbrugh last week. It's a grey vest top with blue and yellow horizontal motifs (3) with red zig zags.
April 7, 2025 at 9:22 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
This new publication from Common Threads Press hitting me in all the right places this morning 💕 www.commonthreadspress.co.uk/products/sof...
The writer speaks of the act of wearing and mending the hand knits created by our loved ones and how it helps with grief and creates new memories and comfort
March 31, 2025 at 6:30 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Wearing my granddad's vest top that my granny knit for him about 70 years ago. It's so pretty and I can't believe it fits! #knitting #knittersOfBlueSky #fairIsleKnitting #knittingHistory
Both photos show me wearing a fair isle vest top in oatmeal with green, yellow, and orange traditional patterning, on top of a white long sleeved linen shirt. I'm seated but you can just see my blue jeans. I have long light coloured wavy hair and glasses and I'm sitting in a cafe.
March 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
I was so inspired by Sarah Cliff's beautiful prints & wanted to incorporate them into colourwork as part of Susan Crawford KAL. Peggy is the perfect garment to swatch! My intention was to pick my fav, but now I'm wondering if all 3 colours work or a bit primary school? What do you think?
#knitting
Shows a photo of the pattern page for Peggy, a grey vest top with red, blue and yellow motifs in three stripes evenly spaced. My swatch lies on top of it, with a black background and flower like colours in blue, pink, and yellow Again, but with white flowers and the matching yarn balls Similarly but with pink flowers and matching yarn balls. Shows Sarah's print of blue forget me not flowers on a black background and my matching yarn balls to the left.
March 5, 2025 at 12:56 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Motoring on with Noss from Yuco Sakamoto's amazing pattern book My Fair Isle Journey. This is such a beautiful pattern & I'm loving my colour choices for it, especially as I was just trying to use stash rather than buy more yarn.

#ShetlandWool #fairIsleKnitting #NossJumper #NossSweater #knitting
Shows an in-progress knitted jumper knitted bottom up to almost the armpits. The jumper background is oatmeal and the diamond pattern goes from cool green edges to zingy chartreuse centre line. A close up of the jumper to see the individual stitches
February 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Finished the cable knit hat for my Grandma-in-law. She mentioned not having a warm hat & being worried about having to go to hospital for any reason.

She's a former knitter who's nearly blind so thought cable would be a good pattern she can feel, rather than colourwork she can't see #knitting
A cream Aran cable hat with a deep chunky rib rim
February 16, 2025 at 7:19 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Has anyone seen a fair-isle sampler like this before from the last century or earlier. If so, please get in touch!

I've found 2 so far, & I'm really keen to find out if this was a common way of recording fav colours/patterns. This was my granny's

Please share widely, I'd be so grateful! #knitting
Shows a roll of knitting on its end about 4 inches high by 3 inches wide. There are traditional fair isle patterns of various types and colours. There's a piece of cardboard next to it filled with handwritten references to the shades. Shows the roll unravelled a bit so the patterns can be more clearly seen. They are in all kinds of colours, soft and vibrant patterns
February 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Spent the day working on a cable hat for my granny-in-law. She's nearly blind and so I thought she could feel the details instead. She was a knitter until age stopped her, and I'm heartbroken for her to have lost her craft
#knitting
Photo shows a cream aran-weight hat on wooden double-pointed needles. There's about 3 inches of rib (plenty to double over the ears) and about an inch and a half of cable pattern. A mix of plait cable and simple 2x2 twist.
January 18, 2025 at 10:28 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Having mulled over the Substack controversy, I’ve decided to stay. The community is really uplifting. That said, it's clear there are dark bad places there that the owners are not only not moderating but seem happy to profit from. I don’t agree with their actions & I hope they'll change in future.
January 18, 2025 at 11:41 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
I've decided to branch into Patreon & Blogger & I'm looking for other makers who blog! Let me know your blog URL. I'm mainly interested in knitting & textile history. My blog can be found at linktr.ee/chroma.knits
#knitting
Photo is of a reproduction I made of the pattern from a 12th century Egyptian knitted sock. It's an intricate diamond pattern in blue on a white background.
January 15, 2025 at 5:14 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Ok, I'm looking for opinions and input... Someone pointed out the Substack controversy to me yesterday. That is, they've been defending, allowing, and profiting from Nazi content on their platform and they don't intend to moderate them.

I wasn't aware of this.
January 12, 2025 at 10:57 AM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Ok, does anyone know who made the gorgeous crochet lookalikes on #8OutOf10CatsDoesCountdown tonight? They were great!
Shows comedian Rosie Jones sitting with a black dress with white stars. On the desk in front of her is a little crochet version of her with the same outfit. It's about a foot tall. It's like amigurumi style and very cute
January 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Beyond excited to have found a study of the sock www.scanorthernlights.org/results/2007... (p8) including gauge (56sts to 4" - I was pretty close with c60sts), DMC references for the exact shades, & afterthought heel!! #knitting
Ref: 73.698 George Washington U Textile Museum
Shows a cream knee length sock with blue bands of knitted intricate diamond colourwork. There are 2 bands at the top, 1 around the ankle, 2 around the foot, and a wee one at the heel. The sock is worn away at the sole and heel and damaged at the top. It's a tiny bit dirty.
January 8, 2025 at 5:49 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
I've been diving into the world of two-colour stranded knitting by recreating the pattern from this 12th century sock found in Egypt. It's so stunning and the process so enjoyable that I wrote a substack for it!
#knitting

open.substack.com/pub/chromakn...
Knitting through time: Recreating ancient colourwork
I was looking for stranded colourwork using only two colours, and what a stunning example these 12th century Islamic socks are!
open.substack.com
January 4, 2025 at 4:17 PM
chromaknits.bsky.social
Yes! 🥳 This year's Knitting History Forum's line-up is fantastic, including a history of knitting in China presentation, which is currently a gaping hole in my Knitting History report knittinghistory.co.uk
Knitting History Forum
Visit the post for more.
knittinghistory.co.uk
December 14, 2024 at 7:06 AM