Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A Silly Hat for Emily

This  remnant appeared from nowhere, most likely found by Emily.  And for many days it sat in my line of vision saying "make something out of me."  Now this is cheap yarn in an interesting varigated pattern, probably something like Jiffy by Lion brand.  I don't know what it was originally, maybe socks for someone, maybe mittens.  I really don't know.  So I decided to make a playful hat for Emily out of it.  







Material:  a remnant of unknown amount, maybe the size of a tennis bal
l.  It was Jiffy and weighed 37 grams, which would be about 58 yards.
Needles: 5.5 mm
 double pointed, set of five.
Tension:  7 stitches to the 5 cm.

Cast on 64 stitches (16 per needle)
Work a row in stoc
king stitch
Work 2 rows in 1/1 ribbing
Work about 11 rows in stocking stitch
Work 1 row in purl
Work 1 row in knit
Begin the mitered decrease:
round 1: on each needle - ssk, knit to the last 2, k2tog
round 2: knit
Repeat these two rounds until there are 4 stitches on each needle.
work round 1
Break off the yarn to about a 12 inch length of yarn and thread through the remaining 8 stitches.

Make a tassel that's about 2 1/2 inches long.
I simply used up the remaining yarn.
Using the length of yarn on the hat, attach the tassle

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Emily's Cabled Pink Cardi


This sweater is from a Patons booklet that I bought in Hong Kong in the early 80s. It's number is 80, and the title is Baby Scene: Knitting and Crochet for Tinies and Toddlers. I finally made it for Emily, after having started it much earlier for I have no idea who. A girl, obviously. But I had a picture of Emily in it on my blog and someone asked where it came from. I'm pretty sure it would be hard to find anywhere, except maybe on e-bay. Actually I just found it for sale on a site They are asking $12. I paid HK$7.50. I think the book can be had for a price. But anyway, here's the cardigan directions:

Sizes to fit chest 18 inches, 20 inches, 22 inches
Length of cardigan 9 1/2 inches 10 1/2 inches 11 1/2 inches
Sleeve length 5 inches 6 inches 8 inches
Material: the pattern calls for Patons Fairytale 4ply (Courtelle/Bri-Nylon)


button-up(cardigan 20 gram balls 4 ball 4 ball4 5 balls
Needles: a set of both 2 3/4 mms (12UK, 2US) and 3 1/4 (10UK, 3US)
Buttons: 6 for the button-up
Tension: 14 stitches and 18 rows for a 2 inch square swatch

note 1: I used Patons Beehive 4ply. They both have the same yardage - 240 yds/50 grams. Dale Baby Ull has 189 yards, that's because it's all washable wool. I do not like using cotton, which has no give despite all the stretching out it does, and I don't like all acrylic (or should I say, all synthetic) which looks pretty bad after a few wearings. What ever you use you, or someone, will be happier if it is machine washable.

note 2: I always change some things in a pattern.

BACK

With the 2 3/4 mm needles cast on 63 (71, 77) stitches.
Work in 1/1 ribbing for 10 (12,14) rows, increasing 1 stitch at each end on the last row.

The increase row looks like this: p1, k1, M1, work to the last 2, M1, k1, p1 (65, 73, 79) stitches on the needle.

Change to the 3 1/4 mm needles. Work in stocking stitch until the work measures 5 (5 1/2, 6) inches, with the right side facing for the next row.

shape the raglans as follows:
Cast of 3 (4, 4) stitches at the beginning of the next two rows. (59, 63, 69)
row 3: k1, ssk, work to the last 3, k2tog, k1
row 4: purl
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 21 (23, 25) stitches on the needle.
Work one more row with out decreasing.
If you are making the v-neck cast off firmly, otherwise place stitches on a spare needle.

RIGHT FRONT  this is the side where the center is on the right side of the needle as the front is facing you.

With the 2 3/4 mm needles cast on 31 (35, 39) stitches.
Work 10 (12, 14) rows in 1/1 ribbing, increasing 1 stitch at the end of the last ribbing row.
Increase on stitch on the outside edge of the first and second sizes. (32, 36, 39)

Change to 3 1/4 mm needles and work in pattern as follows:

row 1: k1, *(p2, Tw2F, Tw2B, Pe, k1)* 3 times, knit to the end.
row 2: P4 (8, 11) (k3, p4, k2) 3 times, p1
row 3: k1, (p2, k4, p2, k1) 3 times, knit to the end
row 4: as row 2
row 5: k1, (p2, Tw2B, Tw2F, p2, k1) 3 times, knit to the end.
row 6: as row 2

These 6 rows for the pattern. Continue until the Front matches the Back at the armhole at the side edge with the wrong side facing.

Keeping with the pattern shape the raglan as for the back.
Work until you have 16 (17, 19) stitches on the needle with the right side facing.

Shape neck:

While still decreasing at the raglan side as before, knit the first 4 (5, 5) stitches and place them on a spare length of wool. The working on the remaining stitches decrease 1 stitch at the neck edge on the next 4 (4, 5) rows. Then continue, decreasing only at the raglan edge until only three stitches remain.
Work one row.
Next row, k2tog, k1
Then next row p2, turn and k2tog and place the single stitch on to the needle with the back to save it.


LEFT FRONT this is the side in which the armhole is on the right front side of the needle.

Work in correspondence with the RIGHT FRONT, reversing the shapings and noting that the ssk worked in place of k2tog at the raglan shaping and the 6 rows of the patterns are worked as follows:


TO BE CONTINUED

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Socks with Clocks for Emily

.

I just picked up a remnant of a skein and some needles and started in. I got the pattern idea from a vintage pattern for socks knit on two needles. I have changed it into a sock knit on 4 needles, which I think is much easier.



wool: less than 50 grams of Dale Baby Ull
needles: set of 5 2 1/4 mm double pointed needles (US#1)
tension: 8 sts to 10 cm, 11 rows to 10 cm
size: to fit a one year old foot, size 4 or 5 shoe. The sock is about 5 inches long in the foot, and 4.5 inches around.

Cast on 40 stitches (14,12,14) and work for 12 rows in 1/1 ribbing.
Start the clock pattern:
round 1: knit 7, purl 1, knit 4, purl 1, knit 14, purl 1, knit 4, purl 1, knit 7
round 2: as round 1
round 3: k1, p1, Cable 4 to the back, p1, k14, p1, C4B, p1, k7
round 4: as round 1
Repeat these 1 rounds 7 more times, 8 cable twists in all.

Heel: knit 10 on first needle, knit 10 onto second needle, knit 10 onto third needle, knit 10 onto forth needle.
Using the forth needle with its 10 stitches knit the 10 stitches on the first needle. So now you have the heel on one needle and the instep on two needle, and one working needle. Set the fifth one aside. Work back and forth on the heel stitches, always slipping the first stitch, until there are 13 rows, stopping in the middle of the needle.

Turn the heel:
row 1: k2, ssk, k1, turn
row 2: s1pw, p5, p2tog, p1, turn
row 3: s1kw, knit up to the stitch just before the gap, ssk, k1, turn
row 4: s1pw, purl to the stitch just before the gap, p2tog, 1, turn
row 5: as row 3
row 6: as row 4
row 7: s1kw, knit up to the stich just before the gap, ssk, turn
row 8: s1pw, purl to the stitch just before the gap, p2tog, turn
row 9: s1kw, knit to the middle

Place the instep stitches on just one needle.

Pick up for the gusset:
One the first needle knit 6, then pick up and knit 7 stitches up the heel flap. Once this is successfully done, then put the first 6 onto the second needle. Knit across the instep. Then on the third needle pick up 7 stitches on the heel flap and then knit the last six stitches. (46 stitches in all)
Next row, knit around.

row 1: on the first needle knit to the last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1, knit 20 on the second needle, then on the third needle knit 1, ssk, knit to the end.
row 2: knit
row 3: as row 1
row 4: knit
row 5: as row 1

Rearrange the stitches so that they are more even on the needles and work in knit stitch for .....

Tow: first arrange the stitches so that there are 10 on the first needle, 20 on the second needle, and 10 on the third.

row 1: on the first needle knit to the last 3, k2tog, k1; on the second needle k1, ssk, knit to the last 3, k2tog, k1; then on the third needle k1, ssk, knit to the end. (36)
row 2: knit
row 3: as row 1 (32)
row 4: knit
row 5: as row 1 (28)
row 6: knit
row 7: as row 1 (24)
row 8: knit
row 9: as row 1 (20)
row 10: as row 1 (16)
row 11: as row 1 (12)
row 12: k2tog, k1; k1, ssk, k2tog, k1; k1, ssk (8)

Break off the wool, put end on a darning needle and thread through the stitches left on the needles, and then through a few more and insert into the inside of the sock and weave through several stitches and break off.  

Make a second sock to match.