“There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

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In today’s email:

• Knitspiration: What makes a pattern "HARD?"
• Stitchionary: A beautiful bouquet of lotus flowers
• Pattern Pick: This scarf is a beauty and a beast
• PLUS: A good dog, the best Gaston, and more

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💡 Knitspiration

😓 What makes a knitting pattern "hard?"

I'm not a big fan of knitting difficult things.

I prefer to make things that LOOK complex but are relatively easy to knit.

However, there are some crazy knitters out there that like a challenge.

That got me thinking about what makes for a "Hard" knitting pattern.

I think it boils down to three things:

1. Time to knit​
   I'm not talking about time in days or weeks or even months. How many hours is it going to take to knit the entire project. Another way to measure this is how many stitches need to be knit to complete it.
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2. Pattern complexity​
   I've found the most difficult patterns to have an immense amount of detail throughout the ENTIRE project. Whether its lace knit on both sides of the fabric or some insane intarsia pattern, when you have to think about EVERY stitch, that's not easy.
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3. Finishing details​
   It's not enough to just knit the main body of the project. Some projects require a lot of finishing to...finish. Maybe it's a lace border around the edge knit in four different directions, or inset pockets that are lined, or a crazy button band. Finishing is where a lot of WIPs become UFOs, and the more you have to do, the less likely it'll get done.

Difficult Types of Knitting

Certain knitting traditions are known for incredibly complicated, challenging knitting.

These include (but are not limited to):

• All over Aran cabled sweaters
• ​Shetland lace shawls
• ​Estonian lace shawls
• German lace shawls (seeing a pattern here???)
• ​Bohus stickning sweaters
• Pretty much anything designed by Alice Starmore or Kaffe Fassett​
• Something called Tvåändsstickning 😳

The Hardest Knitting Patterns

So what are some of the hardest patterns out there?

Here are three we think could vie for the top spot

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​Lusta Sweater by Frida Franckie​

Why is it hard?

It's a sweater with a lace yoke that includes a ton of bobbles, ruffles, more lace, picot edging, more bobbles, more lace, and fringe. I'm exhausted just describing it.

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​The Princess Shawl by Sharon Miller​

Why is it hard?

Just look at it! 👀

A shawl like this can take a year to knit, and traditionally needed to be made of yarn so fine that you could pull the entire thing through the wedding ring.

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​A Winter Wedding Coat by Meret Buetzberger​

What is it?

This coat uses double knitting AND stranded colorwork AND 28 different colors of yarn!

Not only are you basically knitting TWO coats at the same time, you're also knitting it to go past your knees.

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So there you have it!

Our picks for some REALLY difficult knitting patterns.

Do you have a pattern you think we should have included. Hit reply and share it with us!

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📆 Daily Stitch

Lotus Flower Stitch

Speaking of difficult knitting, this is the hardest stitch pattern I've ever made.

It's not fun.

Don't do it. You've been warned!

Watch The Tutorial & Get Instructions

🧶 Pattern Pick

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks by Morgen Dämmerung

Do not be fooled by this beauty.

It uses a version of the Lotus Flower stitch from before.

While it looks gorgeous it is a beast to knit.

The only advantages to making this is you might have Gaston fighting for your affection...

...and it's a FREE pattern.

Get This Pattern

😂 Knits & Giggles

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Thanks for reading!

Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs: