The Knitter - UK (2019-09)

In the first part of her new series on designing stitch patterns,

Emma Vining tells the story behind her ‘Tram Tracks’ cables

AS A knitwear

designer, I’m always

on the lookout for

interesting patterns

• and sometimes these
  occur in unusual and
  unexpected places!
  In this series of short
  articles, I’m going to be describing some
  of my favourite design inspirations and
  the resulting stitch patterns. I hope
  these will inspire you to customise
  your knitting and to create your own
  sketchbook full of personalised stitch
  patterns. You can see more of the types
  of patterns and locations that inspire me
  in my book, A Knitter’s Sketchbook,
  and on Instagram @purlemma.

LOCATION

The beautiful Belgian city of Ghent is

located at the confluence of the Leie and

Scheldt rivers. The city is a pleasure to

explore, with its combination of river

banks, medieval buildings and some

more modern features; all provided a

wealth of inspiration for my sketchbook.

From the top of the 91-metre-high

Belfry Tower, the views of the city are

stunning. Being able to have a bird’s eye

view often changes the way you see

a place or a pattern.

LINES AND SHAPES

Trams are an important transport

feature of many Belgian cities. The

tracks intersect as they bend around

corners and cross over pedestrian

plazas, creating smooth, criss-crossing

lines that contrast with the textured

cobblestones in which they are

embedded.

For my Tram Tracks stitch pattern

I have zoomed in on the particular

intersection that I could see below the

Belfry Tower. My sketch shows diagonal

tram track lines crossing straight track

lines. The point where the track lines

intersect has been reinforced with a

metal plate. This small detail creates a

subtle pattern change which I have

marked with dashes in my sketch.

STITCH PATTERN

I have translated my sketch into a

knitted swatch by using three stitch

cables for the diagonal lines and a

wide rib pattern for my straight lines.

As my tram track lines cross, I have

represented the intersections with

patterned triangles, one textured and

one smooth. This detail enhances

the design and draws the eye to the

shapes created at the intersections.

The textured triangles are knitted in

moss stitch, and the smooth triangle

is in stocking stitch. Further contrast is

created by the wide bands of reverse

stocking stitch separating the straight

rib lines.

YARN

I have chosen Fyberspates Vivacious DK

in shade Dovestone, and used 4mm

needles. The subtle blend of shades

reminds me of the multiple colours of

the cobblestones. The smooth yarn

ensures that my cable lines stand out

and that my textures are clearly visible.

NEXT STEPS

If you would like to customise my

design, why not try making some of

the following adjustments?

• Blur the distinct straight lines by
  knitting with a more textured yarn or
  one that is full of fibres, such as alpaca.


• Change the placement of the texture
  and swap the moss stitch and reverse
  stocking stitch sections.

Ghent is filled with

criss-crossing

tram tracks

FAR

LE

T:^ J

OR

G^ G

RE

UE

L/G

ET

TY^

IMA

GES

Notes sketchbook

from^

my

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