Portable Knitting

Recharting the Chart

After struggling endlessly with the intarsia chart for the back of the Web Slinger cardigan I finally gave up and decided it was time for drastic measures. I printed knitters graph paper from my computer and I am creating a new chart to work from.

The old chart was wobbly, faint, tiny and impossible to count or track against. I'm sure the new chart will be perfect for getting this intarsia section under control and behind me. I will be able to do my trick if paperclipping a card on top of the chart and then slowly slide it row by row until I'm done -- this really does help so much.

In the meantime I brought out the Basketweave cardigan and was working on that the other night as the baby had a fitful night with a stomach bug and I just had to ride out the worst of it until he was able to rest for a decent stretch. Poor little guy has now had RSV (and was hospitalized), a flu-like illness and a stomach bug all since mid-January. The luck of being the second child? Heck if I know but I swear I try to get my older son to wash his hands and not touch his face.

Enough with the illnesses!

Cotton Eyelet Patchwork Baby Blanket

Makes one small stroller or car seat blanket good for Summer.

CO 24
k 2 rows
eyelet row - k2 *yo k2tog* repeat to last 2sts, k2
[body of square]
row 1 - k2, purl to last 2 sts, k2
row 2 - knit one row
row 3 - k2, purl to last 2 sts, k2
row 4 - k2 yo k2tog knit across to last 2sts, k2tog yo k2
repeat these four rows until it is close to square
eyelet row - k2 *yo k2tog* repeat to last 2sts, k2
k3 rows, casting off on the last row.
cast off

Join all squares by sewing together, alternating between the two colors.

Batman Knit Hat

Here are the instructions for the Batman hat I designed for my superhero loving son. He has a big head so this I would consider a youth small. It is easy to adjust up or down in size in increments of four, to accomodate the double rib. I need to add in a diagram to help explain the ear join better

Cascade 220 (Dark Blue, Gold, Black)
#7 circular needles
#7 double pointed needles

Cast on 96 stitches with dark blue and join in a round on double pointed needles (24 stitches per needle)
K2P2 rib for eight rows

Increase one stitch at the start of the neck row (will be used for seam later on); knit 3 rows in stockinette

Switch to circular needles, begin pattern rows in intarsia following chart (28 stitches wide). Center pattern by starting the gold on the 43 stitch, or center pattern on midwat point. Knit this section back and forth as a flat knit.

 

Once intarsia section is complete, transition back to working in the round on the DP needles, decreasing one stitch at the start of the next row by K2tog.

Continue knitting with dark blue until hat measures 7.5 inches (19 cm) from cast-on edge.

Crown

To finish the crown and form the ears you will use a combination of kitchener stitch across the crown and knitted cast off (three needle cast-off) at each end.

Transfer the last 24 stitches (from the fourth needle, stitches 77-98, starting from stitch 77) onto a straight needle and then transfer the stitches from the first needle (in order 1-24). Transfer the stitches from needles 2 and 3 with the needle point ending in the same directions the other needle for joining. You will end up with parallel needles ready for joining.

Do a knitted cast-off of the first 11 stitches (Using a third needle put the point through the first stitch on the parallel needles and knit one stitch, repeat by knitting through two stitches then pass the first stitch over the second to cast-off. Repeat for 10 more stitches)
Kitchener the center 26 stitches together.
Transfer the final 11 stitches onto double-pointed needles and working from the outside in, do a knitted cast-off.
Bind off.

To finish ears, fold the cast off section so it is perpendicular to the seam. Using a tapestry needle, sew through the cast off seam to join it to the outside edge of the hat body. (diagram to be added later)

Next sew the inside 4 knitted cast-off stitches to the adjacent top seam of the hat to secure ears upright. Repeat for other ear.

Sew up seam from intarsia section.

Weave ends in to finish.

Malabrigo booties - draft

Malabrigo booties - draft

1 skein Malabrigo worsted weight
#7 double pointed needles

Cast on 26 stitches
K 1 row
Row 1- K1* yo k11 yo k1* yo k1* k11 yo k1*
Row 2 (and every alt row)- k (knit through back loop all yo from prev row)
Row 3 - repeat row 1 but add one stitch to where indicated by asterisk
Row 9-12 k only (41sts)
Next row, begin instep
K24 sl1 k1 psso, turn 1- Sl1 p5 p2tog, turn 2 - Sl1 k5 sl1 k1 psso, turn
Repeat 5 times then repeat the first row (34sts)
Sl1 k to end K13 k2tog p5 sl1 k1 psso k to end (32sts)
K 1 row P 1 row
Lacing holes : k2 yo (k4 yo) repeat then k2 at end of row (8 eyelets)
Next row - purl, p 2tog on prev row yos
K2 p2 rib 6 rows
Cast off

Yardage requirements

The Knitting Fiend has a great post about how to calculate yardage requirements when you double up your yarn, as in two worsted strands equal one bulky strand. I never knew geometry could be so useful (well at least when I was studying in high school, I had to use it lots in art school). [edited to add: I'm trying to blog using my iPhone and if I email the link to Typepad there appears to be a character limit. I will post the link later from a real computer] http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/189

Basketweave Pullover

I pulled out my knitting magazines to try to figure out what my next big project should be. I came back across this sweater from Interweave Knits that my partner had said he liked.

Little knitting

I've been continuing to work on my mistake rib scarf. I think I forgot to even post about that here. I started it in May and have added it to my Ravelry projects list. I'm about 80% done which is nice. It has been good to have a fairly brainless project to work on -- no increases/decreases/sleeves/shoulders/neck and only a little bit of counting.

I did put some effort into the Christmas stocking for Jonah last month (June) and turned the heel and everything. It doesn't look right at all though, too much fabric in the ankle. I found the sock pattern that I leveraged when I made the other two stockings but my notes in the margins didn't really help. I think I will have to rip it back and try again so it doesn't look dorky. Or maybe dorky is part of the charm of a handknit stocking. Oh, I don't think I could bear to leave it the way it is.

Jonah's sweaters are languishing at the moment as well. Once needs a final shoulder completed and two sleeves. The other, following the octopus sweater design, I'm not sure I've got my gauge right. That's disconcerting and confusing at the same time -- why does it seem off to me this time? Did I change the needle size without knowing it? Can I really not remember things like that anymore now that I've got a little one? (Seems so....sigh)

Sailboat Christmas Stocking Pattern

Knit in Cascade 220 on #8 needles (straight/circs and dps) Cast on 58 stitches using green, start the top of the stocking as a flat knit, back and forth K2P2 rib for 9 rows Stockinette (SK) for 3 rows SK red for 2 rows SK green for 2 rows and then fairisle in the name of the person in black (11 row height to letters) - or - SK 15 rows in green and then go back later and duplicate stitch in name later in black SK red for 2 rows SK one row in light blue [Pattern as per chart] switch over to knitting in the round at this point SK 8-10 rows in medium blue for water SK red for 2 rows SK green for 4 rows SK red for 2 rows continue knitting until desired length (mine is around another 16 rows of green) Divide for instep and heel; connect red and knit the heel and instep as per standard socks. Knit to two inches short of desired length in green Switch to red and finish the toe (need more info than that?)

Sailboat chart

Each side of the stocking is 29 stitches, so for the back side I would just knit across the 29 stitches and then count out the stitches on the chart until I needed to do the color changes (or vice versa). The color changes I did using the intarsia technique primarily where you wrap the yarns around each other (always pick up the new color strand from underneath the color in use is the rule) and have multiple balls of color, on for each color block.