Sock Madness III design

Since I just found out that neither of my designs made it into Sock Madness III, I'm releasing one of them here. I'm still looking for a test knitter for the second, because I hope to sell it.

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Tessellation



I love colorwork, and this slipstitch pattern is one of the easiest ways to do it. The original stitch pattern came from a tea cozy pattern, but I used it to make a sweater for my daughter, converting it to circular for the sleeves. I thought it might make a cozy and colorful sock. Hope you think so, too!

Materials:

• fingering weight: 70g main color (MC); 15-20g each of two contrasting colors (A and B) –OR- 70g MC and 30-40g painted or highly variegated; I used Elann’s Peruvian Baby Silk, in Sapphire (MC), Parchment (color A), and Cornflower (color B)
• set of 5 dp needles, size 2, or size to get gauge
• stitch markers (optional)
• yarn needle

Gauge:
9 stitches/inch in stockinette

Terms:

• dip stitch(dpst): Insert needle into stitch three rows below next stitch; pull through a loop of working yarn and place it on left needle. Knit this loop together with the next stitch, through the back loops.
• wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle
• wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle
• w&t: wrap and turn
• kfb: knit in front and back
• m1: make one by lifting bar between the last stitch knitted and the next stitch using the left needle and going from the front; knit this stitch through the back loop

Notes:
Just a few hints that may help:

-When doing the short-rowed heel, you can place a stitch marker each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel! When working the wrapped stitches, take the stitch markers out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.

-A very useful way to hide the wraps on short rows is shown in two Cat Bordhi YouTube videos:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVikAvPuE4
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFrVqx-iN7k

-To avoid having a bazillion ends to weave in, you can just carry the colors not in use up the side of the sock at the beginning of the round, running the working yarn behind the others on one round, then in front on the next, and twisting them all together when changing colors.


Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html), a Magic cast on (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html), or your preferred method, cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k6, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k8, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p10, kfb) twice
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k12 between them) until there are a total of 64 stitches, 32 for the instep, 32 for the sole. On the following round, k16, m1, k 32, m1, k to the end of the round. There are now 66 sts., with 33 on the instep and 33 for the sole. Knit 3 rounds with no increases.

Begin pattern:

Round 1: with A, (sl 3, k1, dpst, k1) 5 times, sl 3; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 2: with A, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 3: with MC, (k3, sl 3) 5 times, k3; sl 1 (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 4: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; sl 1 (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round Round 5: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; k to the end of the round
Round 6: with MC, k
Round 7: with B, (k1, dpst, k1, sl 3) 5 times, k1, dpst, k1; sl 1, (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 8: with B, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; sl 1, (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 9: with MC, (sl 3, k3) 5 times, sl 3; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 10: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 11: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k to the end of the round
Round 12: with MC, k

Repeat these 12 rows until foot measures 2” less than final desired length, ending with row 4, 5, 10 or 11.

Begin short-row heel: (done with MC)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work in pattern for 33sts (note the round number); k 32, w&t
Row 2: p31, w&t
Row 3: k30, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 9 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k9, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p10, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k11, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p12, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

You still have 66 sts.

Leg:
Begin leg pattern on the round following the round you noted when you started the heel.

Round 1: with A, (sl 3, k1, dpst, k1) 11 times
Round 2: with A, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 3: with MC, (k3, sl 3) 11 times
Round 4: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 5: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 6: with MC, k
Round 7: with B, (k1, dpst, k1, sl 3) 11 times
Round 8: with B, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 9: with MC, (sl 3, k3) 11 times
Round 10: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 11: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 12: with MC, k

Repeat these 12 rows 5 more times, for a total of 6 runs through the pattern on the leg. Tie off colors A and B as you finish with them on the last run-through of the pattern.

Cuff:
With MC, (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

Curly Scarf Patterns

Not being very good at crochet (I always say I need a weapon in each hand), I've been meaning to work out a knitted pattern for those lovely curly scarves that are so easy to make in crochet. I actually found a free pattern on Ravelry (where else?), but didn't like how it was working up, so I went ahead and made up a pattern on my own. Then I made up a different one. (That's just how I roll, I guess.) So, I thought I would make them available to others; no need for others to re-invent the wheel. They knit up pretty quickly; about 3 hours, I'd say.

Curly Scarf


Materials:
Lion Homespun (less than one skein; I haven't tested this, but you can probably make two scarves out of one skein)
size 11 36" circular needle
size 17 needle for bind off
yarn needle for threading in ends

Terminology:
kf&b: knit front and back

Finished measurements:
about 60" long and 4" wide

Note: this is NOT how I made the scarf in the picture; this is how I would make it, were I to make it again.

With size 11 needle, cast on 110 sts, placing stitch markers every 10 sts.
Row 1, 3,5,7: k
Row 2: *kf&b, k4; repeat from * across (132 sts)
Row 4: *kf&b, k2; repeat from * across (176 sts)
Row 6: *kf&b, k; repeat from * across (264 sts)
Row 8: kf&b across (528 sts)
Row 9: bind off, using size 17 needle

Curly Lacey Scarf


Materials:
Lion Homespun (less than one skein; I haven't tested this, but you can probably make two scarves out of one skein)
size 11 36" circular needle
size 17 needle for bind off
yarn needle for threading in ends

Terminology:
yo: yarn over

Finished measurements:
about 60" long and 4" wide

With size 11 needle, cast on 110 sts, placing stitch markers every 10 sts.
Row 1: k
Row 2: k1, yo, *k5, yo; repeat from * to last 4 st; k4 (132 sts)
Row 3: k
Row 4: k1, yo, *k3, yo; repeat from * across to last 2 st; k2 (176 sts)
Row 5: *k3, yo, k1, yo; repeat from * across to last 3 st; k3 (264 sts)
Row 6: k
Row 7: k1, *yo, k2; repeat from * across to last (396 sts)
Row 8: *k1, yo; repeat from * across to last st, k1 (791 sts)
Row 9: bind off with size 17 needle

Other variations I haven't had the time to try, yet:

1. fun fur held double with the base yarn on the last row
2. increasing the size of the needle every row or every other row
3. another novelty yarn, such as a metallic, on the last row, in place of the base yarn

Other suggestions?

(BTW, for those of you who are nerds like me, the whole point of the stitch markers is error detection: after finishing a row, there should be the same number of stitches in each segment marked off by the markers. Also, it helps in error prevention, since you will be doing your increases in the same spot in each segment, thus allowing you to catch errors as you make them. It also helps speed things up, if you don't have to count from one every time, when casting on a bazillion stitches.)

Heather's-Mittens-to-Socks Conversion Kit

In the Little Needle Lovers group on Ravelry, someone suggested a KAL for Heather’s Mittens (about halfway down on the right). Since I’m not particularly fond of mittens, and I live in Southern California, so don’t need them very often, but LOVED the color pattern, I decided to convert the mittens to a sock pattern. Other folks expressed interest, so I promised I would make it available and here it is. I have made several options available, since that will allow people to do whatever they’re most comfortable with, and I am nothing if not accommodating and complete! ☺

So! The variations will be as follows:

gauge: 10 st/in or 7.5 st/in
toe-up or top-down
short-row vs afterthought vs forethought (a la Charlene Schurch) heel

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

w&t: wrap and turn

kfb: knit in front and back

ktbl: knit through the back loop

Notes:
Just a few hints that may help:

-When doing the short-rowed heel, you can place a stitch marker each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel! When working the wrapped stitches, take the stitch markers out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.

-A very useful way to hide the wraps on short rows is shown in two Cat Bordhi YouTube videos:
Part 1:
Part 2:

Toe-up, 10 st/in:
Using a figure 8 cast on, a Magic cast on , or your preferred method, cast on 20 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k8, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k10, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p12, kfb) twice
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k14 between them) until there are a total of 80 sts.

Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work measures 2” less than final desired length.

Toe-up, 7.5 sts/in:
Using a figure 8 cast on, a Magic cast on, or your preferred method, cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k6, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k8, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p10, kfb) twice
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k12 between them) until there are a total of 60 sts.

Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work measures 2” less than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart.

Short-rowed heel, 10st/in:
(done with MC only)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work following chart for 40(note row number of chart); k 39, w&t
Row 2: p38, w&t
Row 3: k37, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 10 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k10, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p11, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k12, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p13, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

Short-rowed heel, 7.5 st/in:
(done with MC only)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work following chart for 30(note row number of chart); k 29, w&t
Row 2: p28, w&t
Row 3: k27, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k8, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p9, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k10, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p11, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

Forethought heel, 10 st/in:
Note the last row worked on chart. With MC, k40st. With waste yarn, do a provisional cast on of 40 st, then k across these sts with MC. Follow directions for Top-down toe, 10 st/in.

Unpick provisional cast on, placing live stitches back on the needle. Continue on foot, starting with the row of the chart following the row noted when you started the heel, and ending when foot length is 2” shorter than final desired length.

Forethought heel, 7.5 st/in:
Note the last row worked on chart. With MC, k30st. With waste yarn, do a provisional cast on of 30 st, then k across these sts with MC. Follow directions for Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in.

Unpick provisional cast on, placing live stitches back on the needle. Continue on foot, starting with the row of the chart following the row noted when you started the heel, and ending when foot length is 2” shorter than final desired length.

Toe-up Leg(either gauge):
Return to working chart B on the row following the row you noted when you started the heel. Work until leg is 1” shorter than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge.

Toe-up Cuff(either gauge):
With MC, (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”. Bind off loosely.

Top-down Cuff, 10 st/in:
With MC, cast on 80 sts. Work in (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”.

Top-down Cuff, 7.5 st/in:
With MC, cast on 60 sts. Work in (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”.

Top-down Leg(either gauge):
Begin Chart B from Heather’s mittens and continue following the chart until work equals the final desired leg length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge.

Top-down foot(either gauge):
Return to working chart B on the row following the row you noted when you started the heel. Work until foot is 2” shorter than final desired length. NOTE: you will only work needles 1 through 3 of the chart for the 7.5 st/in gauge sock.

Top-down toe, 10 st/in:
Using only MC,
Round 1: (k1, ssk, k34, k2tog, k1) twice.
Round 2: k to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds eleven more times, ending with 36 st. Repeat Round 1 only four more times. (20 st.) Kitchner stitch remaining stitches together.

Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in:
Using only MC,
Round 1: (k1, ssk, k24, k2tog, k1) twice.
Round 2: k to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds eight more times, ending with 28 st. Repeat Round 1 only three more times. (16 st.) Kitchner stitch remaining stitches together.


Afterthought heel, 10 st/in:
Work following the next row of the chart for 40 sts. With waste yarn, knit across 40 sts. Go back to beginning of waste yarn, and work across those same stitches, following the remainder of the chart row. Continue on to foot and toe.

To insert heel, carefully unpick waste yarn, putting each stitch on a needle as it is freed. Rearrange sts for knitting in the round, attach MC and follow directions for Top-down toe, 10 st/in.


Afterthought heel, 7.5 st/in:
Work following the next row of the chart for 30 st. With waste yarn, knit across 30 sts. Go back to beginning of waste yarn, and work across those same stitches, following the remainder of the chart row. Continue on to foot and toe.

To insert heel, carefully unpick waste yarn, putting each stitch on a needle as it is freed. rearrange sts for knitting in the round, attach MC and follow directions for Top-down toe, 7.5 st/in.

Waaaaaaay Overdue Update

For some reason, I don't feel that I can update well if I don't have pics, and since the digital camera went belly-up a month or more ago, I've not been posting. However, I HAVE been knitting, so I finally borrowed a friend's camera and shot (most of) the things that I've been working on. So! On to the updates! (I'm keeping this post to finished items, as I didn't realize until just now how many things I've got going....)

First, the pumpkins came out fabulous, if I do say so myself.
The one in the back is the one I did with three strands of fingering weight (Knit Picks Palette) in three different oranges. The pix don't really show it, but the three different colors of yarn give the surface a lovely, mottled appearance. Also, interestingly, this one knitted up the same as the two in worsted weight, but didn't shrink nearly as much during the felting. So, I ended up with one big one and two smaller ones, which was what I actually wanted, even though I knitted three big ones. Life's funny, sometimes. Will write a more detailed post on these shortly, with a review of the pattern.

Next, we come to the next in the (seemingly endless) parade of tea cozies:
This one came out well, the pattern is good and quick, but it is a little underwhelming. Ah, well, it is the one she picked, and as close to the colors she asked for as I could get. (I even tried over-dying the blue, to get closer to what she wanted, but no soap.) The pic is before I wove the ends in or did the loop on top, but this is pretty representative.

Next is not really my project, but my Death Socks in Sock Wars II. (I felt the need to document my death.) They are lovely, well-knit, and fit great. My assassin also sent along some lovely stitch markers that I am using in Sam's Christmas sweater. Thanks so much!


Now, we come to my present for my hubby for our most recent anniversary. Oct. 13 was our 16th wedding anniversary, and when I tell you we dated for 9 years before we were married, you can understand that I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for gift ideas. However, the Hubster is a gun nut, so when I saw this, I knew I had to do it. Good pattern (I only made two small alterations to it) and a quick knit, I was very happy with my Luv Gun.

Next up is an item that is mostly a failure. My daughter has this tiny (about 4" high) doll that she asked me to make clothes for last year. So, I took some leftover sock yarn and knitted Thumbelina up several dresses. Then I got creative, and added a sweater to one and a bonnet to another. Well, Thumbelina has been wearing the same three dresses for a year now, and she needed something new, so I tried my hand at designing a summer outfit for her. (Yeah, right before the real fall weather finally kicked in; my timing, as always, is excellent.) Honestly, in my head, these were much cuter: a pair of drawstring bell bottom pants, a camisole, and a bell-sleeved cardigan. However, the reality didn't quite match my concept. It didn't help that T went MIA while I was making these, leaving me with just a drawn outline to try to get the sizing right. Still not quite sure how I would change these to make them work, but I did explore a technique to knit a sweater with as few seams as possible: back and fronts knit together, including the button bands, sleeves knit in the round, then the whole thing knit as one piece from the armholes up (raglan), with the armpit stitches of the sleeve and the body grafted together. Leaves only some small holes under the arms to be sewn, and some fudging at the back of the neck. Am using the same technique on Sam's Christmas sweater; will say more about that in my "in progress" post.

And lastly, the list of FOs concludes with the freakin' Lobster-Pretzel scarf:

Tried to get close-ups of the various stitch patterns I used, but was not as successful as I would have liked. (This is one thing I will be looking for, when I finally replace the dead digital.) However, the important thing is that this sucker is FINALLY DONE! I finished the knitting ages ago (despite my agonies of running out of yarn TWICE), but hadn't blocked it because I didn't have a piece of cleared floor big enough to lay it out (it's quite long). But, I finally pushed enough stuff around in the sewing room (yes, it's still the sewing room; no progress made there, unfortunately) to clear enough room to block it, and now it's done. The info about the lobster is here; the rest of the scarf is basically sampler blocks, working in from the lobsters on each end: basketweave of my own design, this block, and a block from a Barbara Walker stitch treasury. Am pleased with how this came out, just hoping the wool I picked (Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks) isn't too scratchy. Am very pleased with the pretzels, though, and they're very simple: using a provisional cast on, knit an i-cord "long enough" (for worsted weight done with 5 sts and size 7 needles, this came to about 8", I think) to twist into the required shape. To attach to the edge, cast on until you get to the place you want the pretzel, knit the live stitches off one end, cast on 3 more stitches, pick up and knit the bars between stitches along the long curve of the pretzel for 4* stitches, cast on 3 more stitches, take the waste yarn out of the provisional cast on and knit those live stitches. (Sounds much more complicated than it is to do.)

So! Those are my FOs for the time being. Next, I will document several feral projects that have been plaguing me: Teo's jeans, Sam's Christmas sweater, and the Flower Basket Tea Cozy. (That post may not be suitable for sensitive readers.....)

*In the picture, you can see I picked up more than 4. In retrospect, I think picking up fewer stitches would have worked better, which is why I wrote this the way I did.

Also-Rans

Not looking good for my making it to the next round in Sock Madness. As of about an hour ago, there are only 6 slots left in my division, and I still have more than an hour to go until lunch, with 2 more pattern repeats and the cuff on my second sock to do. And, even if I finish, not sure I'll be able to post a pic before I get home tonight. Sigh! I'll keep my toes crossed (can't cross the fingers and knit at the same time!) but it's not looking good. Still, they're nice-looking socks, even if I can't take a good pic.


It occurred to me that, now that I know they are not using my sock designs for Sock Madness, I can post the pics and patterns here. So! Without further ado:
****************************************************************************
Bridget's Madly Cabled Socks

on foot

These socks are worked from the toe up, because that’s how I like to work socks ( ☺ ) and have a short-rowed heel, because I think it looks nicer than a heel flap. Purling the sole stitches is what Charlene Schurch calls a “Princess Foot”, because it is more comfortable to walk on the knit side of the stitches than the purl side.

Materials:
100g/190yds dk yarn
set of 5 dp needles, size 5, or size to get gauge
16 stitch markers (optional)

Gauge:
22 stitches/30 rows to 4 inches/10 cm

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

kfb: knit in front and back of next st

pfb: purl in front and back of next st

k tbl: knit through the back loop, resulting in a twisted stitch (I do all my ribbing with a twisted knit stitch; it seems to make for a springier ribbing.)

Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html) cast on 16 stitches.
Round 1: p8, k8
Round 2: pfb of first stitch, p3; take up another needle, p3, pfb in next stitch; take up another needle, kfb, k3; with free needle, k3, kfb. Stitches are now evenly distributed on 4 needles, 5 stitches on each.
Round 3: pfb, p8, pfb, kfb, k8, kfb
Round 4: pfb, p10, pfb, kfb, k10, kfb
Round 5: p14, k14

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the inreases by two each increase round (so round 6 would have 12 st between them) until there are a total of 48 stitches.

Begin pattern:
Round 1, 2, 4, 5 &6: p24,* p1, k6, p1* repeat to end
Round 3: p24, *p1, sl next three stitches to cable needle and hold in front, k3, k3 from cable needle, p1* repeat to end

Continue with these 6 rounds until the foot of sock is 2 inches shorter than desired final foot length, ending with Round 6.

Begin short-row heel:
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Row 1: p23, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 2: k22, wrap next stitch, turn

Work rows 1 and 2, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row. (If you like, a stitch marker can be inserted each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel!)

Row 3: p8, purl next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 4: k9, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 5: p10, purl next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 6: k11, knit next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn

Repeat rows 5 and 6 until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row. (If you inserted stitch markers, take them out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.)

Leg:
Purl across heel stitches then, continue the pattern as established on instep stitches. On next round, continue the pattern across the heel stitches to establish the pattern.

Work the 6 rounds of the pattern until leg is 3.5 inches, ending with Round 6.

Cuff:
Round 1: (k tbl, p1) repeat until end

Work until cuff measures 1 inch. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

BTW, if you want to make my anal-retentive heart sing, on the second sock you will make the cables twist the other way by holding the needle in back, k3 off the left needle, then k3 off the cable needle. I'm just sayin', is all.
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Mad Bridget’s Faux Cables

on foot

These socks look cabled, but there is no changing of the order of the stitches, and hence no need for a cable needle, or the “guts” method of just dropping a stitch off the needle, working the next one, then picking up the dropped stitch on the correct side of the work. They’re worked from the toe up, because that’s how I like to work socks ( ☺ ) and have a short-rowed heel, because I think it looks nicer than a heel flap. The stitch motif comes from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch.

Materials:
100g/190yds dk yarn
set of 5 dp needles, size 5, or size to get gauge
16 stitch markers (optional)

Gauge:
22 stitches/30 rows to 4 inches/10 cm

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

kfb: knit in front and back of next st

Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html) cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round.
Round 2: kfb of first stitch, k3; take up another needle, k3, kfb in next stitch; take up another needle, kfb, k3; with free needle, k3, kfb. Stitches are now evenly distributed on 4 needles, 5 stitches on each.
Round 3: kfb, k8, kfb twice, k8, kfb
Round 4: kfb, k10, kfb twice, k10, kfb
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k12 between them) until there are a total of 48 stitches.

Begin pattern:
Round 1: (p1, YO, ssk, k1, YO,ssk, p2) 3 times, k23,p1
Rounds 2, 4 & 6: (p1, k5, p2) 3 times, k23, p1
Round 3: (p1, k1, YO, ssk, k2, p2) 3 times, k23, p1
Round 5: (p1, k2, YO, ssk, k1, p2) 3 times, k23, p1

Continue with these 6 rounds until the foot of sock is 2 inches shorter than desired final foot length, ending with Round 5.

Begin short-row heel:
(worked back and forth over the St st stitches on bottom of foot)
Round 1: (p1, k5, p2) 3 times, k23, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 2: p22, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 3: k21, wrap next stitch, turn

Work rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left, ending with a wrong side row. (If you like, a stitch marker can be inserted each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel!)

Row 4: k8, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p9, purl next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 6: k10, knit next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 7: p11, purl next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn

Repeat rows 6 and 7 until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning. (If you inserted stitch markers, take them out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.)

Leg:
Round 1: (p1, YO, ssk, k1, YO,ssk, p2) 6 times (this establishes the pattern on the stitches coming out of the heel, and continues the pattern on the instep stitches)
Rounds 2, 4 &6: (p1, k5, p2) 6 times
Round 3: (p1, k1, YO, ssk, k2, p2) 6 times
Round 5: (p2, k2, YO, ssk, k1, p2) 6 times

Work these 6 rounds until leg is 3.5 inches.

Cuff:
Round 1: (k tbl, p1) repeat until end

Work until cuff measures 1 inch. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

At some point, I will post a reverse of the pattern stitch, so that you can make the second sock mirror the first, as I suggested for the cabled socks. Really. Real soon now.

Cowl

as worn, as square

I use ktbl for my ribbing, because it seems to give a tigher ribbing, and it also goes faster. Feel free to change the dimensions of the pattern to suit the intended wearer; the one pictured here had to be given to someone else and a new one made, as the original recipient felt it was just too tight. If you increase the number of stitches cast on, make sure you end up with a multiple of 4, and place your markers for the increase rounds at the quarter marks, or the increases will be not be spaced symmetrically#. Also, you may have to fudge the first row of the ruffle, if your final total number of sts is not evenly divisible by 3.)

Materials:

two 6-oz skeins each, Lion’s Homespun and a worsted weight yarn
size 13 24” circular needle (you can use dps for the neck, but you’ll need the circular once you start increasing, as there will be too many sts)
yarn needle

Gauge:

18 sts/14 rows=4” in ribbing
10.5 sts/15 rows=4” in garter stitch

Terms:

ktbl: knit through the back loop
kf&b: knit in front and back of st
kb&f: knit in back and front of st
pf&b: purl in front and back of st
pb&f: purl in back and front of st


Neck:

Cast on 52 sts, using one strand of each yarn held together. Join to work circularly, making sure not to twist work, and placing marker at beginning of round.

Round 1: *(Ktbl, p); repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat round 1 until neck measures 17”, or length from hairline in front to base of neck, going over the top of the head.

Collar:

Repeat Round 1 once more, placing markers every 13 sts. (52 sts)

Round 2: *Kf&b, k to 1 st before marker, kb&f of next st, slip marker; repeat from * to end of round. (60 sts)
Round 3: *Pf&b, p to 1 st before marker, pb&f of next st, slip marker; repeat from * to end of round. (68 sts)

Repeat rounds 2&3 for a total of 19 rounds, or length desired for collar, ending with a round 2. (204 sts)

Ruffle:

Round 4: *P3, yo twice; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 5: *K3, (k,p,k) in first yo, (p,k) in second yo; repeat from * to end of round.

Bind off loosely.

Finishing:

Weave in ends.

# To make the collar hexagonal, follow the pattern as written, with the following changes: cast on 54 sts (or some other multiple of 6), and place the markers 9 sts apart (or 1/6th of the way around) for the increases. Leave out the increases on every third row. To make it octahedral, again, follow the pattern as written except: cast on 56 sts (or some other multiple of 8), and place the markers 7 sts apart (or 1/8th of the way around) for the increases. In this case, only do the increases every other round. Both of these options will give a more rounded collar.

Bobble Scarf

Materials:

7 oz. worsted weight yarn
set of size 7 (US) dp needles
yarn needle
polyfil pillow stuffing

Gauge:

not really important, but I think it’s about 20 sts k5, p5 rib=3”

Terms:

kf&b: knit in front and back of stitch
psso k st: pass slip stitch over knit stitch
k3tog: knit three stitches together

Bobbles:

cast on 10 sts, leaving a long tail; join and work in the round, being careful not to twist the sts

Round 1: kf&b around (20 sts)
Rounds 2-11: k
Round 12: (sl 1, k3tog, psso k st) around (5 sts)

Place all sts on one dp needle and continue these 5 sts in I-cord (or this) until cord measures 5”; break yarn, and leave live sts on st holder or single-point needle.

repeat, making second I-cord 3” long, and transferring live sts to same holder or needle.

repeat, making 3 of the long cord bobbles, and 2 of the short ones. Do not break yarn on last long bobble.

Scarf:

knit across the 5 sts of last long bobble; cast on 5 sts; knit across 5 sts of a short bobble; cast on 5 sts. Repeat with remaining bobbles, alternating short and long bobbles and ending with final long bobble. (45 sts)

Row 1(WS): (p5, k5) 4 times, p5
Row 2(RS): (k5, p5) 4 times, k5

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until scarf measures half the desired length, approx. 24” (not including bobbles). Leave live sts on holder.

Repeat making bobbles and scarf for second half of scarf.

Finishing:

Graft two halves together.

Stuff a small amount of fiber fill into each bobble, then thread the tail through the cast on stitches, cinch tight and secure. Weave in ends.

Alternate method:

Grafting the two halves together is a pain in the patootie, since you have to go from grafting knit stitches to grafting purl stitches and back again. An easier method might be to knit the bobbles, knit the whole scarf, knit the second set of bobbles, then only graft the bobbles on, binding off the purl stitches. Or, if you were worried about running out of yarn, you could make both sets of bobbles, then knit the scarf until you reached the desired length, or ran out of yarn, whichever came first, then graft the bobbles on.

Starfleet Uniforms, the Easy Way!

Diagrams

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the first airing of the original Star Trek series, there has been a renewed interest in costumes from the series. I’ve been hauling out the old ones, and am finally getting around to making some that I’ve had on my mind for years.

Of course, the quintessential, recognizable-at-50-yards Star Trek costume is the mini-skirted Starfleet uniform. However, you don’t often see this well-done, as it is made in several gazillion non-standard pieces and, to my knowledge, no one is currently selling a paper pattern (though the Starfleet Technical Manual has drawings of what the pieces look like). Those who know me know that I have a very accurate (for being made when I was 13 years old) Medical uniform, made of actual, period polyester double-knit. (I was once stopped at a con when I was wearing it, by someone who demanded to know WHERE I had gotten that fabric and I said “1973”. She was crushed, as this was in the late 80s.) The reason it was so accurate (besides the fact that I’m pretty anal-retentive) is that someone I knew knew someone who knew someone who….whose father had worked on the show and had managed to smuggle one of the patterns off the set. I was able to make my costume, but didn’t have the foresight to make a copy of the pattern, unfortunately, before returning it. Consequently, I hadn’t made a regular Starfleet woman’s uniform since then, despite the availability of the Technical Manual.

Anyway, we decided that we needed to make uniforms for our WorldCon Masquerade entry, and so I was face-to-face with the need to finally draft these patterns, and figured I had two options: take apart the one I had, make a pattern, then re-assemble it, or draft the patterns as shown in the Tech Manual. In the interests of avoiding the inevitable, I spent a good deal of time “doing research”: i.e., watching DVDs of the old series episodes. (This was how I determined that the Tech Manual is WRONG on MANY things, but that’s another article.) I just was not looking forward to drafting that pattern in three very different sizes.

And then, brilliance dawned, if I do say so myself. It finally occurred to me that the easiest way to do this was to make a sheath dress out of some cheap knit fabric (basically, a knit muslin), fit it to the person in question, then simply DRAW the lines where the seams should go with a Sharpie. Then, it would be simple to dismantle the dress and cut along the marked lines, and voila! Pattern pieces! I could either mark which seams needed seam allowance added, or cut new pieces with them included.

And it worked like a champ! I was able to fit three women with very different body types, put the seams, the necklines, the hemlines all in the right places with a flick of the Sharpie and we were golden. Don’t know if I could have done it without having made the one from the original pattern, or if I hadn’t had it there for reference, but I can give you the info to do it yourself.

First, make a sheath dress from some stretchy knit fabric (preferably light-colored, as it is easier to see the marks) and fit it to the body in question without any darting or additional seaming (and that includes set-in sleeves; you’re basically making a T-tunic, with no underarm gussets). Next, mark the neckline and seamlines as shown in figures 1 and 2, including how high up you want the pleat to open, and LABEL YOUR PIECES. Then disassemble the pieces of the dress, and cut along the marked lines. You will be left with a total of 8 pieces, AF-DF for the front, AB-DB for the back.

Lay out the pattern pieces on a single layer of the fabric, right side up, making sure to cut the pieces in the right orientation, i.e., the side with the markings up, and (if you are using the traditional velour) all headed the same way. Now, comes the tricky bit. To make the pleat, you will have to cut piece BF next to piece AF, all as one piece (see figure 3). You must then cut a separate piece BF. Do the same for pieces AB and BB.

The only tricky bit on the assembly is sewing BF to the hybrid AF-BF piece, so that the seam line lies where you originally put the line between AF and BF. (An easy way to do this is to lay BF on the hybrid piece, both face-up, and mark where the edge of BF comes to on the hybrid piece. Then, move over two seam allowances to the left, mark that line, and lay BF face-down with the edge of the fabric along this new line. But there are many other ways to do it; do what works for you.) Sew this seam to the point where you want it to open for the pleat. Then sew CF to BF without catching the hybrid piece into that seam. Finally, sew DF to CF.

Repeat all that for the back pieces, building the back pleat in the same way, then assembling the rest of the back. Sew the back and the front together along the sides and the tops and bottoms of the sleeves. (Note: the originals had invisible zippers under the left arm, but the new generation of velour is stretchy enough that you really don’t need it; you can just pull it on over your head. But you can put one in, if you want to go for authenticity, or your fabric doesn’t stretch that much.)

Next, cut the ribbing for the neckline. There are several options here, as there was little consistency in the original series. You can a) cut the ribbing so it lies flat to the body; b)make the ribbing decrease to nothing at the back point and miter it at the front point; c)make it stand out from the body in the front and lay flat in the back. All of these are defendable from screenshots.

Measure the distance between the front point and the back point in both directions (they should be different lengths). For a), cut two pieces of ribbing which slant from 5” at the front to 3” at the back, one for each of the neckline measurements. Fold each in half the long way and cut the ends as in figure 4. Open them back out and sew the front edges together and the back edges together, pivoting at the point; clip the point. Refold the ribbing the long way with the seams inside (either open out the seam or serge them and lay them to opposite sides of the seam) and pin to neck opening, stretching the ribbing to fit the neckline.

For b), cut two pieces of ribbing which slant from 5” at the front to 1” at the back, one for each of the neckline measurements. Fold as for a), but only cut the front as in figure 4. Open out and sew the back as a straight seam and the front as for a); attach as for a).

For c), cut one piece of ribbing the length of the two neck measurements minus 1”, making it 3” at one end, 5” at a point one neck measurement (minus ½”) from the end, then down to 3” at the other end. Fold in half the short way, then again the long way, and cut only the back edges as in figure 4. Unfold; seam the back and attach as for a).

For all necklines, serge or overcast the seam.

Hem sleeves to be longer than ¾, shorter than full-length; call it 7/8. Hem it to be really short; that’s how they wore it in the show. (Or longer, if your modesty trumps your need to be “authentic”.) Hand hems don’t show on the velour, and there didn’t seem to be any machine hems visible on the show.

The insignia are available online (we got ours from an ebay store) as is the rank braid, or you can sometimes get the insignia at science fiction convention dealers’ rooms. Black knee-high, non-glossy leather (or leather-look) boots can be low or high heeled, zippered or pull-on; again, all those options can be documented in the original series. Buy or make trunks to match the uniform or in black, to match the tights. And make sure you wear hair and make-up from the 60’s; it is really jarring if you don’t. (And there are some classic styles that won’t remind you of childhood horrors or bad drug trips that work just fine.)

Have fun!

Continuous Bias Strips: Trick from the Quilters’ Bag

Pictures will be forthcoming.....

Quilters often use a bias strip to bind the edges of their quilt. Usually, they don’t want to use the commercially available ones: either they’re the wrong color, or the wrong size, or they want something with a pattern, or they want 100% cotton, etc., so they often have to make their own. I don’t know who invented this technique, but it was a huge boon when I was making a Victorian gown with applied decorative bias strips of velvet 5” wide. I needed a whole lot of this stuff, and had to go back twice to get more velvet, but it worked like a charm, and I now use it quite often to bind the tops and bottoms of corsets when I have trouble matching the color in a purchased bias tape.

The basic technique is this: a) take a true square of fabric and cut it on the true bias (corner to corner), giving you two right triangles. b) Slide one triangle past the other so that instead of the bias edges being next to one another, the straight edges abut. c) Now, flip one triangle over, laying it on top of the other, with the straight edges still aligned and right sides together (the other edges won’t line up; they’re not supposed to). Sew the straight edges together and press open or serge and press. d) Now, open your fabric out; you now have a parallelogram, with two edges on the bias, and two edges on the straight of grain. e) Determine how wide you want your bias strip to be (including seam allowances) and call it w; draw chalk lines parallel to the bias edges and w apart. (IMPORTANT: when you measure to put on these lines, make sure you measure perpendicular to the bias edge, NOT parallel to the straight-of-grain edge. Otherwise, your bias tape will be narrower than you intended. ) It may not work out evenly and the last strip may be too narrow. If this happens, simply trim off the last partial strip.

Now comes the tricky bit. f) & g) You need to fold the fabric so the remaining straight-grain sides are together (right side to right side) BUT offset by one width of your tape. This seam will have one width of tape hanging off each end of the seam. (Make sure you line them up so that the marked lines cross on the seam line, not the edge of the seam allowance.) Sew and press (or sew, serge, and press) this seam. h) The marked lines should now describe a spiral around your tube, roughly meeting up across the seam you just sewed. Cut along the marked lines and voila! You now have a continuous piece of bias tape. (Note: you have just repeatedly cut across two seams; those short seams will separate, if treated roughly. Also, you can easily stretch the strip out of shape (it IS a bias strip, after all), so treat it gently. Wind it onto a card or roll until used and try not to manhandle it when applying.)

The remaining question is, of course, if I need L inches of w-inch-wide bias tape, how big a square do I need to start? Turns out that the answer is pretty simple. Multiply the total length you need in inches (L) by the width (including seam allowances) in inches (w), then take the square root of that product. The resulting number (a) is the length of one side of the square you should start with (also in inches). (I’ll spare you the mathematical proof I did to convince myself that this is true.)

The trouble comes when a is larger than the width of your fabric. You then have to either break it down into several squares, (the most you can get out of one square of fabric of width W is (WxW)/w; you can then figure out how many of these squares you’ll need) or sew several widths together to make the required width. I think the second approach could rapidly get unwieldy and out of hand, so I would recommend the first approach, even if you don’t like the math. (I suspect there are spreadsheet programs out there that can do this calculation fairly easily, and make a chart of width versus total length. I know that there are such charts in various places on the web (don’t know where, off-hand, though quilting sites would be a good place to start looking).) But this method will give you the answer. (Remember, if you use the first method and you need a square of side a, and your fabric is only half that wide, you’ll need 4 squares of side (a/2) to make the same amount of bias, not 2 squares.)

I would also recommend that you assume you will need a little more than you think, and cut accordingly. While mathematics is exact, this method loses a little in the seam allowances, and in those instances where you end up with a partial strip in figure e). It would be a shame to come up 5” short, when you could have made your square just a little bit bigger to start with, with very little effort.

Knitted Mitts or Gloves

Materials:
1 skein Cascade Yarns Fixation (98.3% cotton, 1.7% elastic) (you can make several pair out of one skein, and the white dyes beautifully)
two sets of size 6 double-pointed needles
stitch markers

gauge: 6 rows=7 stitches= 1”

Right Glove

Cast on 42 stitches, spread evenly over 3 needles, place marker to show beginning of the rnd and knit circularly in pattern A for one inch, ending with Rnd 2.

Thumb

K21 sts, place stitch marker, P-K-P in next stitch, place stitch marker, K to the end of the rnd. Next rnd (and all subsequent Rnd 2s) follow pattern to last stitch before first stitch marker, K1, slip marker, P1, K1, follow Pattern A until 1 stitch before second marker, P1, slip marker, continue Pattern A to end of rnd. Next rnd (and all subsequent Rnd 1s), K to marker, slip marker, P and K in next stitch, knit to 1 stitch before second marker, K and P in next stitch, slip marker, K to end of rnd. Continue in this way until there are 15 stitches between the markers, ending with a Rnd 1.

Follow Rnd 2 of Pattern A until you reach the second marker. Stop at this point and move the last 14 stitches worked (all but one of the stitches between the markers) onto 3 new needles. Working only these 14 stitches, proceed in Pattern A, starting with Rnd 1, until the thumb is the correct length, ending with a Rnd 1. Break off yarn and thread it through the stitches and cinch them, then knot and secure the end.

Pinky

Once thumb is done, remove stitch markers for thumb, re-attach yarn to the left side of thumb (leave a long tail when you attach the yarn; this will be useful in tacking up the hole that forms at the base of the thumb) and complete the Rnd 1 of Pattern A. Work 5 more rnds in Pattern A, ending with Rnd 2 at the marker showing the beginning of the rnd. Slip 5 stitches off each needle next to the marker and place them on 3 new needles (It is easiest to keep the pattern if you put the last 4 stitches worked on one needle, the next 4 to be worked on another needle, and the remaining two (one worked, one not) on the third.) Work in Pattern A until length for the pinky is reached, ending with Rnd 1; break off yarn and thread it through the stitches and cinch them, then knot and secure the end.

Other fingers

Re-attach yarn to the left side of pinky, then work Pattern A once. Split off 5 stitches on either side of the rnd marker, as for pinky, (a total of 10 stitches) and work them to the length of ring finger, tying off as previously described. Repeat for middle finger. Index finger will have 12 stitches, worked in the same manner. Remember to leave a long tail each time you re-attach the yarn, so you can sew up the “finger crotches”.

Cuff

Pick up 42 stitches from the bottom edge and spread them out on 3 needles. (Because the pattern starts over 6 stitches, it is easiest to have 12 stitches on two of the needles and 18 stitches on the third.)

Rnd 1: (K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K2tog) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 2: (K3, P and K in next stitch, K3) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 3: (K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K2tog, K1) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 4: (K4, P and K in next stitch, K4) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 5: (K2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K2tog, K2) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 6: (K5, P and K in next stitch, K5) repeat to end of rnd
Rnd 7,9, &11: P
Rnd 8&10: K
Rnd 12: cast off, knitwise

Pattern A: Rnd 1, K; Rnd 2, (YO, K2tog)* repeat to end of rnd

Pattern B: Rnd 1, K; Rnd 2, (K2tog, YO)* repeat to end of rnd

Left Glove

Using Pattern B, work as for right until ready for the thumb.

Thumb

K20 sts, place stitch marker, P-K-P in next stitch, place stitch marker, K to the end of the rnd. Next rnd (and all subsequent Rnd 2s) follow pattern to first stitch marker, slip marker, P1, follow Pattern B until 2 stitches before second marker, K1, P1, slip marker, K1, continue Pattern B to end of rnd. Next rnd (and all subsequent Rnd 1s), K to marker, slip marker, P and K in next stitch, knit to 1 stitch before second marker, K and P in next stitch, slip marker, K to end of rnd. Continue in this way until there are 15 stitches between the markers, ending with a Rnd 1.

Using Pattern B, continue as directed for Right Glove

Finishing

Using the long tails that you left when you re-attached the yarn after each finger was completed, sew up holes between the fingers. Knot, trim, and work these tails and those at the ends of the fingers, into the fabric of the glove.

If desired, run elastic or ribbon through at the wrist.

To make mitts instead of gloves, simply stop the fingers after about ¾”, ending with rnd 2, and cast off. For a shorter mitt, stop when ready to start Pinky, and cast off.

Knitted Baby Blanket

size 10, 29 " circular needle
6 skeins (4 oz. skeins) of 4-ply knitting yarn

Cast on 187 stitches; knit 5 rows.

Start pattern:
Row 1&3: *K2tog,k3,yo,k1,yo,k3,k2tog; repeat from * to end of row
Row 2: knit
Row 4: purl

Repeat pattern 50 times. Finish blanket with 5 rows knitted, then cast off.

possible color patterns:

• one stripe of each of six colors (each stripe 9 repeats wide)
• stripes 5 repeats wide and run through six colors twice (takes a little more yarn, as blanket will be slightly longer)
• stripes 3 repeats wide and run through the colors three times
• 3-repeat stripes in each of three colors, then repeat that whole thing 6 times
• 5-repeat stripes, in each of six colors, then reverse the color order in the middle (don’t double middle stripe; blanket will be slightly shorter)
• 3-repeat stripes, colors A,B,C; pattern: ABC,BAC,ABC,BAC,ABC,BA (blanket will be slightly shorter)
• 3 4-repeat-stripes (A,B,C), 3 3-repeat-stripes (A,B,C), 5 2-repeat-stripes (A,B,C,B,A), 3 3-repeat-stripes (C,B,A), 3 4-repeat-stripes (C,B,A) (blanket will be slightly shorter)