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Knitting Friday

 

Let's begin with something which should make us all happy:

Miss A

 

 Miss A at 10 weeks and she has filled in her face completely. I'm thinking this may be the last couple of weeks when we can pick up her easily. (Right now, we lift her over the gate; I think we're going to be removing the gate so she can walk through soon.) Probably the easiest to train of the three Seeing Eye pups and so curious. If she sees anything outside - the guy checking the sprinklers, a person waiting for a ride - she'll just sit down and stares. 

 

#1 Mystery Shrug

Moving on to knitting, I discovered a big mistake in my posting from last Friday. Not that the shrug pattern notes were wrong but the shrug I linked to was not the one I was making. It was long after that posting when I looked the pattern's picture link and thought: This shrug has a good sized border on its top and bottom, mine doesn't. Here's a picture of the black shrug I made. The tape was supposed to show the width but I can't read it. I'm thinking this one was about 17 inches wide. I made this will that black cotton I kept frogging and, I was right, I'm finally happy with a pattern.

Here's the quick shrug pattern with suggestions in red:

Mystery Shawl

DK weight cotton yarn (sorry I don't know the yardage but it was from 1 pound mill ends. I was less than 2 of the 4 skeins however.)

US 10 needles - DPN and circs (24" or more)

US 8 needles - DPN and 16" circs

Size:  S/M

Skill Level: intermediate

 

Using US 8 DPNs, CO 45 stitches and join. (Next time, I would cut back at least to 41 stitches.)

1.  Work an armband in seed for at 10 or more rows.

2. Switching to US 8 circs (easier to control the stitches on circs now ), working 1 row in K, increasing 10 evenly spaced stitches across -55 stitches. (For a wider shrug, increase more stitches.) You are keeping the stitch count odd because you will be making the three stitches at the join in seed and the rest of the stitches in your pattern.

3. After your increase row and still working in the round, switch to US 10 needles (DPN  or 16" circs) and work in the pattern you've chosen for 8 rows. (Some explanation here: I chose a 4 stitch pattern so at the beginning of the round: I worked 2 stitches in seed - 52 stitches in my pattern - then 1 stitch in seed making sure that the seed worked out as k, p, k on one row, then p, k, p on the next. Whatever your pattern is, just be sure you've increased to a multiple needed for it plus the three extra stitches for the small seed band at the join. I only used 3 stitches for the seed pattern at the join because I didn't want a wide band there.)

4. After 8 rows in pattern in the round, start working flat and increase one stitch before the end of the first row so you can keep two stitches at the beginning and end of each row in seed. (Next time, I would have a larger seed border, probably 4 stitches each side since only 2 stitches curled in. To do that I would have to increase on each end on the first flat row.)

5. Work flat in your pattern, changing to larger circs (16" circs tire my hands) as the shrug opens up.

6. Continue to where you want the second armband. (More rows for near the elbow; fewer rows for near the shoulder.)

6. For your last 8 rows of pattern, join and work in the round, making sure the edge stitches by the join at the same number as what you worked with the beginning arm hole.

7. After your 8th pattern row, switch to US 8 needles and decrease to 45 stitches.

8. Work the second arm band as the first. Bind off. Weave in your two yarn ends and the shrug is ready to wear.

 

I like this pattern because there is no sewing up the arm band area. This is great for two reasons: their no seam line (a common complaint) and there in no trying to get the arm bands even. Simplicity all around.

 

Picture #2 shows the shrug's armband area. It's hard to see in black but it's sewn up about 2". Of course, you could work more pattern rows in the round at each arm band for a longer seam.

#2 Shrug's arm band

On the right, is the same shrug in a different pattern:

#3 Shrug in different pattern

It's been a long time since I made this one but you can see there are visibly many fewer stitches on the arm band (it puckers inward) than in the body. I think I like that look better.

Also this week, I tried to make another top-down generic top using a foundation single crochet neckband (that part worked great) with a chevron lace body (that part didn't.) There are a lot of chevron lace patterns available but here's the one I used:

 

 http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0073.html

#4 Isn't the foundation sc great?

 

It makes for a very nice pattern but it stretches out unbelievably. If I planned to use this in a top, I would have to work out the gauge! So, I decided on my trusty: one row: *K*; one row: *YO, K2tog* and started on picture #4. I love the foundation single crochet (FSC) as a neckband. So simple and, if you have to pull out as I did, when you get the FSC it doesn't unravel. Love, love, love it!

That's it for this week. The girl wants to start knitting and/or crocheting again and we've planned today for a craft session. I'm looking through simple (but not too simple) scarf patterns. More on this next week. See you then. Happy knitting.