Pattern Love: Fragment Scarf Knitting Pattern

 

It's February. In theory, love is in the air, but in reality we're hunkered down with our Netflix and knitting. I love the Fragment Scarf. It's a winter wardrobe staple, adding a little bit of extra warmth to every outfit. I wear it all day long with just about everything. The Fragment Scarf doesn't get enough love, so I thought I'd show it some with a sale!

This weekend only (February 12-14, 2022) the Fragment Scarf knitting pattern is just $3. No code needed. Raid the stash, hit the yarn store, you only need 1 skien to knit this little slip of a scarf, but get 3. It's a quick knit. Now, head on over to the shop, and show the Fragment Scarf some love! 

Get yours here:

Share your knits!

I would love to see and share what you've made! Share your knits and WIP's on Instagram using the hashtags: 

#fragmentscarf  

#wholeclothpatterns 

Tag me @_wholecloth

Handmade Baby Gift

When my newest niece was born I hustled off to the yarn store to treat myself to try something new (to me). I bought the fingerling weight Loft from Brooklyn Tweed in Camper. It's got little fleck of other colors in it knitting into a really dynamic fabric. So I did a little math and converted my Simple Ribbed Pixie Bonnet pattern to the light weight yarn. Thing is, one little hat doesn't look like a very satisfying gift. I went shopping for something else to add to the present and I saw this sweet fleece vest. It didn't come in baby sizes, the lining was the wrong color, and I don't feel good about giving cheap stuff to tiny babies, so I made one with fabrics from my stash.

A hand knit pixie bonnet and a home sewn vest make a great baby gift, all tucked into a bento bag that Mama can use to stash a spare diaper and wipes later on. All fabric & pattern details below.

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Hat Pattern: Simple Ribbed Pixie Bonnet by SweetKM
Hat Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Camper from Loop Yarn in Philadelphia
Hat Button: Vintage

Bag Pattern: Wholecloth Bento Bag by SweetKM
Bag Fabric: Robert Kaufman Essex Linen Blend from Fabric.com*

Vest Pattern: Improvised
Vest Fabric: Michael Miller Organic Sherpa Fleece from Fabric.com*
Vest Lining: Long Stashed Cotton Print (similar)
Vest Binding: Robert Kaufman Essex Linen Blend from Fabric.com*


*Fabric.com links are affiliate links.

The Fragment Scarf : Ways to Wear It

I've been working the Fragment Scarf (available on Etsy or Ravelry) into my daily wardrobe every chance I get. It's little, and effortless, and works so many different ways that I can't resist its squishy texture if the temperature drops below 50 degrees! It's a quick knit. Raid your yarn stash and you could be wearing one tomorrow, or gifting a half dozen at Christmas with time to spare.

When I made the first Fragment Scarf I was heavily inspired by Style Bee's stripped down accessorizing, that makes a scarf seem absolutely essential. Since then I came across the scarf stylings of Rosemary and Thyme. Kriste's boy scout chic approach is perfect for my standard button-down uniform and makes me want to skip rocks and climb trees (or maybe just grocery shop) in the most stylish way possible. 

Yarn Possibilities

image credit Madeline Tosh (Mo Light Viper) / Purl Soho (Tynd 18) / 

Purl Soho (Cattail Silk Willow Gray) / Quince & Co. (Finch Fox) 

The Fragment Scarf pattern is written for Quince & Co. Finch. It's the perfect combination of body and drape for the kerchief scarf style. It would also be great in the muted hues of Madeline Tosh Mo Light. For a more lush interpretation the Purl Soho Cattail Silk would make a softer drape perfect for dress up. This one skein project is a great opportunity to try a top shelf yarn like Woolfolk Tynd, or a locally grown, spun, or dyed fingering yarn.

How to Wear It

This little snippet of a scarf has become a wardrobe staple for me. The wool keeps you toasty warm, but it often makes me think more of a necklace than a scarf, or maybe some knit jewelry middle ground. :) The cardi (this one is a Driftless) and Fragment, or jacket (this one is a Tamarack) and Fragment work as fall outerwear. In the winter when I'm too stubborn to turn up the heat the oversized sweater (both my own patterns- black, gray) and Fragment make me feel like it's a few degrees warmer inside. 

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Get your copy of the Fragment Scarf Knitting Pattern

on Etsy

on Ravelry

All things Fragment Scarf:

Blog Detailed Description 

Pinterest Inspiration

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Wholecloth Bento Bag Tester Inspiration

Image from Elisa 

Instagram: @weckum 

I am ever so grateful to the group of testers for the Wholecloth Bento Bag sewing pattern. It's certainly true that the online sewing community is a one of the best parts about sewing. The testers caught my spelling errors, and gave great feedback on where the instructions were lacking. The collaboration with these sewists gives me great confidence in the end result. They are also a great source of inspiration! Looking at their finished bentos makes me want to ransack my stash for pretty prints and mellow stripes! Take a moment to see what a few of the testers have done with this design here, and in the #wholeclothbentobag hashtag on instagram.

Get the 

Wholecloth Bento Bag 

sewing pattern in the shop! 

Image from Sophe of Urban Roots Handmade. 

Instagram: @urbanrootshandmade

Image from Nicole of Pokeycan.

Instagram: @pokeycan

Image from Dawn.

 Instagram: @simply.dawn.marie

Image from Theresa 

Instagram: @teawithjamandbread

Image from Kara

Instagram: @knitsandsews

Image fromCatherine of Thread Snips. 

Instagram: @threadsnips 

Image from Jess of Coral Bunny and Lo.

Instagram: @coralbunnyandlo 

Image from Chelsey 

Instagram: @chelseylanefields

Image from Helle

Image: @misshelle_kreative

Image from Rachel of Sterling Sewn

Instagram: @sterlingsewn

Thank you testers! And thank you to everyone who has already purchased a copy of the Wholecloth Bento Bag pattern! Be sure to share your bags with #wholeclothbentobag & #sweetkmpatterns, and tag me @kristi_sweetkmhttps://www.instagram.com/kristi_sweetkm/

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Bag Making: New Wholecloth Bento Bag Sewing Pattern

The new 

Wholecloth Project Bag 

sewing pattern is now available in the shop! 

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I'm excited to introduce a pattern that is definitely a tried and true staple in my sewing room! The Wholecloth Bento Bag is a simple design and a very versatile project. The bag is made from a single rectangle of cloth that is folded and sewn into the bento shape. The corners of the opening tie to keep the contents secure. All of the seams are enclosed to make the inside just a lovely as the outside. The pattern includes 4 sizes of bag that you can print on your home printer and assemble. If you'd rather skip the printing you can draft your own with the dimension chart included in the instructions. You can make all 4 sizes in an afternoon with 1 1/2 yards (137cm) of fabric!

I've been making some variation of this bag for years. A bento is my very favorite way to keep my current knitting project in my purse without it getting all jumbled up with the gum wrappers and spare change languishing at the bottom of my bag. Based on the way my family uses our bento bags I've created 4 sizes for the bento pattern. The finished size small is 10in x 11in (25.5cm x 28cm) and just the thing for holding a few small toys in the car. The XL is 17 1/2in x 19in (44.5cm x 48cm) and easily holds a change of clothes for an after school playdate. I use the size large to hold clothespins for laundry day.  My daughter carries her ballet slippers and leotard to class in a size medium.

The interior finish of this design is especially polished. The entire bag is sewn on a standard sewing machine. The illustrated pattern instructions show you how to completely enclose the interior seams for a finish that will stand the test of time and use. 

My favorite fabric for a bento bag is linen because it's durable and wears beautifully.  The solids shown above are Robert Kaufman Essex Linen Blend in yarn dyed black and natural (affiliate). They have the characteristic slump of linen. The top of the stack above is a Maker Maker Lines (affiliate) print for Andover Fabrics. I love all of Sarah's prints, and the linen blend substrate is perfect for a project bag. I picked up the white/natural print (alternate color way) at Gather Here when I was in Boston last week. It is the same Essex Linen Blend substrate, but the ink of the print gives this bag a nice rigidity that keeps the flaps up when it's stuffed with yarn. Any lightweight woven fabric will work for this pattern. I've used a lot of light weight denim in the past, and I picked up an adorable cotton double gauze to make some reusable birthday gift wrap bentos for the kids. 

Actually, my favorite fabric for a bento is whatever scraps I have on hand. Size small only requires a 9in x 25in (23cm x 63.5cm) piece of fabric, making it a great stash buster!

The Wholecloth Bento Bag PDF sewing pattern includes:

-4 bento bag sizes S, M, L, XL complete with notches and seam allowance

- clear step by step illustrated instructions

- PDF pattern to print and assemble at home using your home printer and 8 1/2" x 11" paper 

- pattern dimensions to draft your own pattern pieces rather than print and assemble the PDF

Get yours now!

Wholecloth Project Bag Sewing Pattern

This morning SweetKM newsletter subscribers got a sweet discount code in their inbox for the Wholecloth Bento Bag. It's not to late for a launch day discount. Sign up for the newsletter and get a 20% discount code for the Wholecloth Bento Bag good until Monday November 13th!

I would love to see what you make! Share your your projects on instagram using #wholeclothprojectbag & #wholeclothpatterns. Tag me @_wholecloth!

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The Fragment Scarf : New Knitting Pattern from Wholecloth Patterns

Last fall I knit myself a little scarf. It's just a triangle of subtle textured fabric that ties at the back like a bandana. It's a tiny little thing, but I wore it all winter long. It straddles the fine line between ornament and essential, keeping me warm in style. It's the kind of thing I'd leave on all day to protect myself from the vagaries of forced air heat. It imparts turtleneck warmth to any crew, and a little panache to a basic tee. Now that spring has made a tentative appearance, it's the perfect compliment to a light jacket. This is the Fragment Scarf, a new Wholecloth Patterns knitting pattern. 

THE PATTERN:
The Fragment Scarf knitting pattern has been professionally edited, and tested by a group of knitting volunteers. The textured repeat of this scarf is created with an easy to remember stitch pattern. The pattern includes complete written, and charted instructions. I would call this an advanced beginner pattern, but a determined beginner could knit it with a little help from the collective online knitting brain. It's a great opportunity to learn to read a chart, with clear text instructions as a back up.

THE YARN:
My sample scarf is knit with Finch in Shell from Quince and Co. I love the chiseled relief of the stitch pattern in this yarn, but the simple design lends itself to substitutions. Different fibers will alter the effect, and drape of the scarf. If you're knitting the scarf for warmth, wool is the way to go, but it also makes a great statement necklace. My first version is knit with Quince Tern. The silk content of Tern makes the scarf drape much more loosely around the neck, at a small expense to stitch definition. I would love to wear a pure silk, or linen version in an eye popping hue.

This fragment of a project is a great opportunity to experiment with different yarns. It's knit with less than one skein of fingerling weight yarn making it the prefect project for stash busting, or a yarn splurge.

Construction: Knit top down with decreases at the sides. Rolled edge band is picked up and knit.
Skills: Knit, purl, k2tog, p2tog, ssk, ssp, yo, pick up and stitches.
Gauge: 24 st and 40 rows in 4in (10cm)
Needles: US size 6 / 4.0mm straight needles or size needed to achieve gauge
Yarn: Quince Finch (100% American wool, 221 yes/50g hank) 1 hank or 163 yds comparable fingerling weight yarn
Notions: Tapestry needle, 2 stitch markers
Size: One size.
Finished Dimensions: 26 1/2x28in / 67x20cm
Instructions: Written & chart

To recap, you can buy the Fragment Scarf knitting pattern right here. If you'd like a discount, or to stay informed on sporadic developments around here, subscribe to the Wholecloth Patterns newsletter. Between now and April 5th subscribers get a 20% discount on the Fragment Scarf knitting pattern. 

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NEW! Passing Showers Tee Knitting Pattern

The Passing Showers Tee is the newest pattern from Wholecloth Patterns (formerly SweetKM). It is inspired by a quick summer down pour, on a hot summer day. It’s the sort of top you can throw on as you leave the beach, or when the chill of the evening brings an end to a day in the sun.

I love a summer sweater, possibly because they are easy to wear, definitely because they are easy to knit. The Passing Showers Tee has evolved from earlier SweetKM designs that I have made repeatedly for my daughter over the years. It is a relaxed cotton blend pullover with decorative ribbing at the hem and shoulders, dolman sleeves, boat neck, and split hem. Summer knitting should be fast and light, the sort of thing you can pick up for a road trip, or a day by the lake. The very simple construction makes this the perfect take-along project for a road trip, the beach, or a baseball game. It uses a relatively small amount of yarn, making it a great showcase for a special fiber.

This sample is knit with the delicious O-Wool Balance in Opal. This yarn has a low resiliancy which is perfect for the decorative ribbing, and a subtle texture that matches the relaxed styling of the sweater. The wool and cotton blend, and beautiful color palette make it ideal for summer garments.

Check out the #passingshowerstee on Instagram to see yarn inspiration for tester sweaters.

Construction: Knit flat in one piece with a neck opening in the middle. Joined at side seams.

Skills: Knit, purl, yarn over.

Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows in 4in (10cm) in stockinette after blocking. Be sure to make a gauge swatch for the best fit.

Needles: US size 7 / 4.5mm straight needles or size needed to achieve gauge.

Yarn: O-Wool Balance Worsted (50% merino wool 50% cotton, 130yds/50g hank) 2(3, 3, 4, 5) hanks or 250(305, 370, 457, 540)yds comparable worsted weight yarn.

Notions: Tapestry needle

Size: 2T(3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10)child

Finished Chest: 24(26 ½, 29, 30 ½, 32 ½)in/  61(67.5, 73.5, 77.5, 82.5)cm

To Fit Chest Measuring: 21(23, 25, 26 ½, 28)in / 53(58.5, 63.5, 67, 71)cm

Finished Length (front): 12 ½ (13 ¾, 15 ¼, 16 ¼, 18 ¼)in/  32(35.5, 39, 41, 46.5)cm

Get you copy on:

ETSY