Diamonds in Kyoto

My husband Tim likes to take his time when he is taking his photographs... A lot of time... And while he is doing that, I have the wonderful pleasure of sitting looking at the scenery, meeting passers‐by and knitting. 

This is the 4th in a series of 12 blogposts featuring stitches from our Reversible Knitting Stitches E-book and showing some of the items that can be made from them. 

Today, I am thinking about the Elongated Diamond Pattern from Chapter 9 – and it's one of my favourites from the whole book. It's hard to say why some patterns really speak to us, but this is one that I really enjoy using. Perhaps I got to like it so much because of where I was knitting the Hamilton Table Runner that uses this stitch.

It was a lovely sunny day in September and we took the bus from our hotel in Kyoto to a temple just to the west, Daitoku‐ji. We had visited it many times before when we lived there and go back whenever we can. 

We went first to a sub‐temple, Zuihō‐in with a very dynamic "wave" garden which is supposed to energise you making you feel strong and active. I sat on the wooden area to one side of the garden and picked up the knitting I was working on. 
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As I knitted the diamond shapes of the pattern, I let my mind wander and take in the patterning in the garden. When it was time to leave, I was so surprised to see how much my work had grown! We must have been there longer than I thought. ​

We walked into the main temple complex and I sat on a bench in the sun in front of a large temple building. Many Japanese ladies came to speak to me and ask about the pattern I was working on. I speak so little Japanese, but it's amazing how much you can convey in just a few words. 

Then we went to another side temple, Koto‐in, which is known for its mossy lanterns and bamboo pathways. 
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And all the time my knitting was growing steadily. ​

So I have a great fondness for Elongated Diamond Pattern. The stitch features long diamond shapes framed by wide bands of Garter Stitch and each diamond is intermeshed with the ones in the row above and below.  As one diamond pattern decreases, the next gets wider. I found that I was always looking forward to getting first one diamond completed then the next one, so the pattern seemed to grow quickly. 

It is a very elegant stitch and lends itself to long projects such as the Hamilton Table Runner shown here. It is also a lovely stitch for other large‐scale items, such as afghans, blankets and throws. 

If you would like to read more about the Hamilton Table Runner pattern, then please click here, and to read more about our the Reversible Knitting Stitches book, please click here.

Until tomorrow – Happy Reversible Knitting! 

Moira 

Last Blogpost: Yarn Choices and a man's tie
12 for 12 Series Introduction: It's all about the 12's
Next Up: Scarves and winding paths

Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com
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Many thanks to Tim for his great photos for this blogpost. If you would like to see more of his work, these please visit his Flickr site.

Keywords: 12 for 12  Series– Twelve Reversible Stitches & Patterns,
Book/Reversible Knitting Stitches, Patterns/Placemats & Table Settings, Travel Notes,
reversible knitting, reversible stitches, knitting stitches, table runner, reversible table runner, reversible pattern, Kyoto, Japan, travelling and knitting,

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