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Knitting Friday
Two ibuprofen at bedtime seem to keep my aching bones at bay, at least until 4 am which is usually the time I bound out of bed. Also, walking around the perimeter of the house 20 times (on the inside, of course, I don't want the neighbors to think I'm a complete loon) is a nice, easy, doable exercise which, while it can't top a treadmill, does count as a healthy exercise if it's done often. OK, those are my pain and exercise tips for today, on to the knitting.
I have another knitting website pick this Friday: How to Read a Knitting Pattern. It's a basic and thorough "how-to" guide for understanding what is sometimes as challenging as a foreign language, the knitting pattern. Don't dismiss it with: Well, I'm too advanced a knitter to need this, because there are tips even super-experienced knitters should remember like: read your pattern through first before knitting and mark rows so you don't skip instructions. One basic knitting rule I have: Never get knitting hubris, it will trip you up every time.
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| #1 Rainbow Shawl |
I won't go into the genesis of the Rainbow Shawl again (see last week's KF for more info) but picture #1 shows you the finished shawl with the crochet thread ball still attached (upper left) because I'm such a wimp when it comes to closure. It took about two and 3/4 small skeins of typical No. 10 crochet cotton (available in big box stores; I got mine at A. C. Moore) and I used a H hook. Here's the very fast pattern complete.
Rainbow Shawl: Chain 78 and keep the first and last 3 stitches as double crochet throughout.
Row 1 - 4: Double crochet across starting in the 4th chain from hook. (Note: Ch 3 does not = a double crochet.) Turn.
Row 5 - Increase Row: Chain 3 and work the first three stitches as DC, then *2 DC in next stitch, 1 DC in next stitch* across ending with 4 stitches to go. 2 DC in next stitch and 1 DC in each of the last three stitches (edging.) Turn. (Note; I fudged it so the pattern worked on 78 stitches because the variegated thread hides a lot. If you work this on different yarn, the CO should be 2x stitches plus 1, plus the 6 edge stitches. )
Row 6: Chain 3, and half-double crochet in each stitch across.
Continue in this 6 row pattern until you have increased the shawl to your desired length. At that point, make Row 5 a no-increase row (work it as you work Row 1 through 4) and continue in pattern until you reach your width. End your shawl by working Row 6.
Edging: With the yarn still attached and a larger hook (I think I used a J hook), work your way up the one side of the shawl, across the top and down the second side in the crab stitch evenly placed. When you reach the bottom edge: Chain 10 and slip stitch into first bottom edge stitch. Repeat this is every stitch across the bottom and you're done. Block or don't.
This shawl overlaps at the top so I fastened it with a colorful Knit Picks wooden cable needle and I was good to go. As usual, the Rainbow Shawl is really a generic pattern and you can tweak it to fit your size and tastes. Obviously, I'm not married to the double crochet/half-double crochet pattern so you can try all sorts of wild and wacky stitches if you like. (I liked simple stitches because I wanted the colors of the crochet thread to be the "star.") Even the edging is just a suggestion.
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| #2 Lacy Feather & Fan |
Also this week, I worked on the Lacy Feather and Fan scarf whose link is here:
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| #3 Close-up of F & F |
This is crocheted with a H hook in lace weight wool. I don't know why the right edge wants to curl but the scarf it supposed to be blocked when finished. It's a beautiful, simple pattern which, as usual, I keep screwing up. Finally, I wrote a cheat sheet and all is working well. The pattern calls for a chain of 76 but that was just too wide so I'm using 57 for better results. A closer picture of the pattern is in #3. It's such a pretty pattern and looks like knitting without the angst of lace knitting. Plus, this is one lace pattern which could be a traveling project since it's so easy to memorize.
I'm also working on a knitted project this week, the Elann Pasticcio Circular Vest, which is no longer available as an Elann free pattern. A little back story: about 6 years ago when this vest was available, I chose not to copy down the pattern but chose to work on another free vest also offered by Elann. Fast forward to today when I'm older and wiser and I realize that the Pasticcio vest is worked in one piece, as a circle, and really is the easier of the two patterns. Luckily, although Elann no longer carries the pattern, you can find it on this site:
Sharon Watterson has kindly provided the pattern pages (scroll down) plus a detailed explanation on the how -tos of this vest. As you can see from pic #4, it's knit from the center out. (I did my usual crochet hook "button" at the CO and did not divide 8 stitches on DPNs as suggested.) As usual, this vest is being made on my "swatch" yarn, that is, cheap stuff, because the armholes may be tricky and you're at 28 stitches in each of your 8 sections before you start them; much too late in the game to pull out good wool if I make a mistake or if the
pattern needs tweaking. Having said that, as usual this prototype is working up so easily and if I don't have any problems at the armholes, I'm going to kick myself for not starting this in good yarn.
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| #4 Pasticcio Vest |
But more of this saga next Friday. It's time to say good-bye for today. See you next week. Happy knitting.
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