Diamond Rose is a button or a brooch and a perfect last minute gift, very pretty and very quick if you know the Icelandic intarsia technique, a tradition that Hélène Magnússon prevented from being lost. It is very light, the construction is ingenious, with no seam and ends to darn but you can use even the tinest yarn scraps!
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Diamond Rose is a perfect gift pattern, really quick if you are familiar with Icelandic intarsia, an old tradition seen mostly in knitted shoe inserts that almost got lost. It takes me only one hour to complete but I do have a lot of practice! It is however a very good introduction to the technique and some more challenging designs in my book. Diamond Rose can be made both as a brooch or a fancy button. You can use any scraps of yarn, even the shortest ones. It is extremely light and won’t tug on your delicate knits or laces. Good news is that you don’t need to darn the ends. Size varies depending on the yarn and needles used but a large button doesn’t mean a disgraceful buttonhole: learn a little trick on how to use the Diamond Rose button with your favorite cardi without touching the already made buttonholes. If you are knitting a brand new cardi, learn a similar trick and wear different Diamond Roses everyday of the week if you wish! If you want to know more about the tradition of Icelandic intarsia and teh shoe-inserts, read my book Icelandic color knitting: using Rose patterns (Search press 2009) |
The designer Hélène Magnússon is a leading knit designer in Iceland, the author of many books about traditional Icelandic knitting and the editor of The Icelandic Knitter. She likes to put a new spin on Icelandic traditions. She began her professional life as a lawyer in Paris before she made a complete life change and moved to Iceland, where she studied textile and fashion at Iceland Academy of the Arts and worked as a hired girl in a sheep farm and a mountain guide. The varied skills she learned in those early years richly inform the amazing hiking and knitting tours she passionately guides in collaboration with tour operator Icelandic Mountain Guides. |
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Size: Depends on yarn used. As an indication, diameter runs over 15 sts and with the stretching, it is about about 7 cm (2”7) on 2,5 mm needles with a DK yarn and 5 cm (2”) on 2 mm needles with a lace weight yarn. Yarn: Any scraps will do. I´ve been using cotton, wool, metallic threads, fantasy yarns, lace weight yarn doubled against sport weight, etc… You will need less than 5gr for the main color and about 1 m (40”) for each of the other colors. Other: You will also need a compass, a piece of strong cardboard 2 mm (0”8) thick (or alternatively a piece of rigid plastic sheet), sharp scissors or a cutter and a bit of stuffing material (carded wool, polyester stuffing, more yarn scraps, etc…). For the brooch, a pierced brooch fitting. For a large button: a button matching a normal sized buttonhole. Needles: a circular needle comfortable to work magic loop or DPN´s needles, in a size suitable with the yarn used. Gauge: depends on yarn used but I highly recommend a tight gauge. |
Techniques: Icelandic intarsia, Magic loop (optional) Pattern: once you've made your paiement, you will receive an email with a link to dowload the pattern PDF. We don't send patterns by snailmail. Errata: no mistake was found in this pattern. |
