Wednesday WIP – Skull Tessellation (and a Freebie!)

Welcome to the inaugural post of a new series – Wednesday WIP!

I’m hoping this will encourage me to finish more projects…either that, or it will give me an excuse to justify casting something else on 😉

In the non-knitting world, I’m pretty reliable; I’ve been in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend-turned-husband for the last 23 years, I’m devoted to my friends, I’m loyal to my employer.

But when it comes to knitting? I’m wildly profligate, and easily seduced by a new technique, or a pretty yarn, or a pattern that teases me with new techniques to learn.

I used to feel guilt over this, and try to force myself to become at least serially monogamous. However, during my knitting drought last year, I was reminded that first and foremost I knit for my health. Knitting isn’t my vocation, I’m not on a deadline, and so I’ve transitioned into refusing to “should” myself for anything.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still goals in place (the annual Christmas socks won’t knit themselves!) but I no longer feel like I’m failing if I dance between projects, picking and choosing what feels right on any given day.

Today’s WIP is a bright summery green, paired with a peacock blue – colours of the spring that’s finally arrived here in Canada.
However, the subject matter is a wee bit darker; I’ve used the PatternGenius app to chart up a skull tessellation for my almost-teen who is currently obsessed with all things skull.

The plan is to make a hat, so last night I started with a two-colour Twisted German cast-on, 12 rows of corrugated ribbing, and then single row horizontal stripes.

Then I moved into the colourwork, using the blue yarn as the dominant colour because it is what creates the pattern across the green background.

I’ll be using the Invisible Stranded Knitting technique for the first time, as there are some sections of rather long floats here.

The plan is to work the skull chart until the hat is long enough (about 8 inches from the cast on since my kiddo likes them a bit slouchy), then work single stripe decreases.

When all is said and done, these should be some of the brightest, most cheerful skulls ever 😉

I’m including a freebie of the skull chart*; this isn’t yet the entire pattern – that’s still being designed as I go. But if you’re an adventurous sort, feel free to download the PDF and cast on. The actual repeat is 18 wide by 24 tall; I’ve made the chart 36 x 48 to better visualize what’s happening.

Click here to download the PDF.

So, that’s the current Wednesday WIP – what’s on your needles?

* This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

You’re free to use it to create (and release) your own non-commercial patterns, although this same license must be attached to it.

Although the chart itself, and patterns derived from it, can not be sold…of course you are always free to make and sell hand-knits from it. Even if it were legal here to restrict that, I’m all for cottage industry. You want to make and sell something from it, more power to you – I wish you many customers who all pay you what your time is worth! 😉