Knititude

My friend Emily

For some reason I really enjoy figuring out how to work decreases and increases into stitch patterns:  witness all of my hats (Beaufort, Maple Seed, Rose of Sharon, Cinnabar, and Coin Cable) as well as the Chinese Lace Pullover and Wisteria child's dress (both based on the same stitch pattern), and the Dayflower Lace camisole.  Even so, I was getting sick of my latest hat by the time I had plotted out the crown increases maybe ten times and swatched them, oh, a half dozen times.  I'm going to look at the process I went through, in hopes of seeing how I might do it more efficiently in the future!

I began by looking at the stitch pattern (see first photo), which has two distinct motifs: a mini zigzag with eyelets (pattern #1 in all photos), and what I'll call a fountain lace panel (pattern #2).  Early on I decided I wanted the mini zigzag to begin as close to the crown as possible, and my first swatch reflected this, including beginning the purl stitch borders in the first few rounds.  Issues with the first swatch:  I felt that the patterns overall just didn't "read" very clearly, and I thought including the purl stitches early on was at least part of the problem.

In this swatch, I decided to wait until much later to begin the purl stitch columns which divide the two motifs in the final stitch pattern.  I also tried using more paired yarnovers for the increases, because the fountain lace pattern uses paired yarnovers.  Certainly the two stitch patterns would be harder to distinguish if I hadn't circled them (and these swatches are unblocked); nevertheless I felt the mini zigzag was clearly established early on in this swatch, and the fountain lace panel has a nice symmetrical look to it.

Unfortunately, the increases came on much too fast in the above swatch, yielding a pretty ruffled look completely unsuitable for a hat crown!  In looking back, maybe I should have been able to foresee this; although I've found that lace patterns in particular can be very forgiving of irregular increases and decreases, there is surely a point where blocking will not smooth things out.

I tried a couple of swatches with single yarnover increases (not pictured), but the problem was making the beginnings of the fountain lace panel look symmetrical.  I then went back to including purl stitches early on (next swatch), which helped define the mini zigzag, but didn't do much for the fountain lace.

Aargh!!

At this point I had also decided that one of the nice things about the fountain lace pattern was that the openwork was set off by solid panels, so I was afraid that the crown area would look too open in comparison; in the next swatches I tried using different types of increases to make portions of the fabric look more solid.

I found that increasing by knitting a stitch in the row below (see section "2" in the photo at left) was unattractive in a fabric that would be as stretched as a hat crown; this was made more obvious now that I had the rate of increases more or less figured out, and the fabric was lying flat as a result.

Finally  I was starting to get somewhere.  In the last swatch, I really cut down on yarnovers, increasing instead by lifting the running thread between stitches and twisting it to make a new stitch (M1).  I really liked the contrast between solid areas and the mini zigzag, and the areas that would segue into fountain lace were looking mostly symmetrical; for the final version of crown increases, the only change I made from this swatch was in one of the very early rounds, to make the point of the outlined triangle more symmetrical.

And Emily?  Well, up to now I had used Emily Ocker's Cast On for one project, with some difficulty, and when I decided to use it for this hat, I had to refresh my memory (using this web tutorial) on how it was done.  And it is a little fiddly.  But after doing it 7 or 8 times in a row, I think we're best buddies-- and it does create a lovely beginning for a top-down hat.

My hints for a happy EO's Cast On:  1)  When creating the first loop (the one pulled thru the finger loop for each stitch), make it nice and loose so you can pull the 2nd loop through it-- it will naturally tighten afterward.  2) Use a crochet hook smaller than your knitting needles; having the stitches tight will make it much harder for the needles to slip out of them for the first round or two, when you only have 2 or 3 stitches on each needle.

Hat craze

I've never been a sock knitter; my small projects of preference are hats and baby knits.  And fall, of course, is a fine time to think about hat knitting (and thus for designers, a fine time to think about creating some hat patterns).  I had noted the stitch pattern at left (from the Japanese book Knitting Patterns Book 250) back in the spring, and it struck me as something that could be adapted into an interesting hat.  I went so far as to work on adapting the leaf motif to fit within the limited number of rows possible on a hat (deciding on a sport weight yarn to get a few more rows in) and charting the crown decreases, and then shelved that project over the summer to work on other things.

 Non sono stata mai una maglierista dei calzini; i miei progetti piccoli preferiti sono i cappelli e le maglie dei bambini.   Certo che l'autunno e un bel periodo per pensare di lavorare a maglia dei cappelli!  Ho visto quello disegno (dal libro giapponese Knitting Patterns Book 250) nella primavera, e pensavo di usarlo per un cappello.

I went back to that hat project last week, but after a bit of swatching, I wasn't happy with the result, and returned to my Japanese stitch pattern books for more inspiration.  I found the second stitch pattern in the same book as the first, and the final one in the book Knitting Patterns Book 300.  I imagined using the second one in a top-down design, so I then started figuring out a series of crown increases that would segue nicely into the main stitch pattern. 

Sono ritornata la settimana scorsa a quello progetto del cappello; pero', dopo un po' di swatching, non ero contenta, e sono tornata ai miei libri di modelli giapponesi per l'inspirazione.   Ho trovato il  disegno secondo nello stesso libro come il primo, e l'ultimo nel libro Knitting Patterns Book 300.  Ho immaginato di usare il secondo in un modello top-down, quindi ho cominciato di calcolare gli aumenti,  i quali progredirebbero nel disegno proprio. 

This turned out to be a several-days-long process!  More on that later.
Diventava un processo di parecchi giorni!  Piu a piu tardi.

Coin Cable Hat

Pattern now ready for purchase!  Although I originally intended this hat to coordinate with the Florin Child's Vest, the decreases create a flower effect at the crown, so my masculine models felt that it was a little more suited for, well, girls.  Personally I think of both it and the vest as unisex patterns (and I do think they coordinate), but in the end the wearer must decide, so I decided to at least give this hat its own name.

The unusual Coin Cable plays a starring role on this hat, running not only around the bottom edge, but in vertical columns; simple ribbed sections set off the coin cables. Crown decreases are worked mostly within the plain ribbed sections, allowing the coin columns to extend almost to the very top of the crown. Worked in the round, this hat knits up quickly in a heavy worsted yarn.  I used Adrienne Vittadini “Trina,” a wool/microfiber/cashmere blend, on needles one size smaller than suggested for a tighter fabric; possible yarn substitutions include Malabrigo Worsted (wool); Blue Sky Cotton; Cascade 200 (wool); or if you feel like splurging,  Lobster Pot Yarns hand-dyed cashmere.

Difficulty is intermediate:  skills required include knitting in the round, cable knitting, decreases, and reading chart.

Sizes/Hat Measurements
Note:  Coin Cable stitch pattern looks best when not overstretched; thus “stretched” measurements below represent not maximum diameter possible, but maximum diameter without distorting stitch pattern. 
S:  16”/41 cm unstretched; up to 18.5”/47 cm stretched; approx 6.5”/17 cm deep
M:  19”/48 cm unstretched; up to 22”/56 cm stretched; approx 7.5”/19 cm deep
L:  22”/56 cm unstretched; up to 25.5”/65 cm stretched; approx 8.5”/22 cm deep
(Size S should generally fit small-med child; size M large child to med adult; size L large adult.  Shown in Size M.)

Materials
Heavy worsted weight yarn, 100 (125, 160) yds.  Shown in Adrienne Vittadini Trina (55% merino wool, 35% microfiber, 10% cashmere; 71 yd [65 m]/50 gm), red #112, 2 (2, 3) skeins.
Needles: 1 set U.S. Size 8 (5 mm) double-pointed (dp) needles
Optional:  1 16-inch circular needle, U.S. Size 8 (5 mm)
Notions: Marker; tapestry needle

Gauge
18 sts and 24 rows = 4” in St st.
Approx 23 sts and 24 rows = 4” in Coin Cable (unstretched). 
Check gauge on blocked swatch.

Click here to purchase ($4.00)!  After payment, a link to download the pattern pdf will be emailed to you.  Pattern includes all written instructions, chart and photos. As always, please email me with any questions or comments about the download process or about the pattern itself.

Errata for Sherwood

 1) Under "Upper Front," delete "(Front is 6[6, 8, 8, 10, 10] rows shorter than Back to shoulder)"; second sentence should read only: "Work in patt until chart Row 76[82, 88, 76, 84, 68] is complete."   

2) Change heading "Shape Right Shoulder" to "Shape Right Front Neck and Shoulder."  

3) Change heading "Shape Left Shoulder" to "Shape Left Front Neck and Shoulder."    

4) Under "Join Shoulders" 2nd sentence should read, "With right sides facing each other and wrong sides facing out...."    

5) On Body Chart Left, 29th st from left-hand side of chart in rows 97, 98 & 99 should be p on RS/k on WS; on Body Chart Right, 29th st from right-hand side of chart in rows 97, 98 & 99 should be p on RS/k on WS. (Chart errors have been corrected on pdf version of charts.)    

6) Sleeve charts and written instructions give conflicting directions: the written instructions say that the first row is a WS row (which it is) while the chart shows the first sleeve row as a RS row. In addition, if following the Sleeve charts, you would begin sleeve decreases before all of the underarm stitches are picked up. To remedy this:

1. Use the row just BELOW the colored line for your size as the first sleeve row. This is a WS or even-numbered row. 
2. For sizes 2  and 4, proceed with sleeve shaping decreases as shown on charts. For sizes 6-8 and up, begin sleeve decreases 2 chart rows AFTER first decrease shown on Sleeve charts; this will allow enough rows to finish picking up underarm stitches before starting sleeve shaping. Proceed with decreases as shown on charts. Don't worry, you have plenty of room to complete sleeve shaping decreases: for all sizes you will need to work at least 8 rows even after completing charted sleeve rows, to reach standard sleeve lengths.

Raiding Junior's Closet

 Razziando l'armadio dei figli!

With two sons*, I always thought I would miss out on the joys of having daughters "borrow" items from my closet-- and perhaps returning the favor.

Con due figli maschi*, pensavo sempre di perdere le gioie di avere figlie, coloro che potrebbero prendere a prestito le cose dal mio armadio-- ed anche di perdere la possibilita' di prendere a prestito le loro cose.

 But maybe I was too quick to call Florin a "child's" vest; I was looking at it the other day, and thought, "I wonder if that would fit me."  And the result?  Not bad; not bad at all!

Pero', forse ero troppo affrettata quando chiamavo il Florin un gile' dei bambini; lo stavo guardando l'altro giorno, e pensavo, "Mi chiedo se quello mi starebbe bene."  Niente male; niente male affatto!

*I do have two grown stepdaughters, but somehow I doubt that raiding their closets would do anything to endear me to them (hi Carmen!).

*Ho due figliastre grandi, ma dubito che di razziare i loro armadi mi renderebbe caro a loro.

Florin Child's Sleeveless Vest

Pattern now available for purchase!

The unusual Coin Cable forms the lower hem and the back neck of this cabled sleeveless vest; the “coins” flow into the ribbed panels of elongated Firefly Cable which form the body. The cable twists are not only decorative; they also reinforce the point of the “V” neck and the bottoms of the armholes. Worked in the round to the armholes, this vest knits up quickly in a heavy worsted yarn—especially since finishing is minimal. Although the intended ease is 2 to 4”, the ribbed fabric skims the body contours, so the vest will not look baggy if you opt to knit a garment with 5 to 6” of ease. The refined details, handsome fit and coin trim earned the name “Florin,” from the gold coins minted in Florence, Italy in the Middle Ages.

Difficulty
Adventurous beginner to intermediate: skills required include working in the round, increases and decreases, reading charts, cable knitting, keeping accurate count of rows, short row shoulder shaping, and three-needle bind off. Skills NOT needed include picking up  stitches for edgings and sewing seams! There are no seams to sew (shoulders are seamed using three-needle bind off) and all edgings are worked along with the body of the vest! 

Gauge
18 sts and 24 rows = 4” in St st.
Approx 21 sts and 24 rows = 4” in Firefly cable. 
Check gauge on blocked swatch.

Sizes/Garment Measurements
                    XS     S      M       L        XL
Chest           19    23    26.5    30.5    34.5 inches
                   48    58    67       77       88 cm
Length         12    14    17       19       21.5 inches
                   30    36    43       48       55 cm
Cross back   7.5   8.5   9.5     10.5    11.5 inches
                   19    22    24       27      29 cm
Armhole       4      5     5.5      6       6.5 inches
   depth       10    13    14       15      16 cm

Materials
Heavy worsted weight yarn: 250 (325, 425, 550, 650) yds.  Shown in Adrienne Vittadini Trina (55% merino wool, 35% microfiber, 10%  cashmere; 71 yd (65 m)/50 gm): 4 (5, 6, 8, 9) skeins red #112 (size S) or orange #100 (size L)

Needles: U.S. Size 8 (5mm) circular needle, 24-30” long depending on size worked. Optional: straight needles for working back and forth after dividing for front and back. 
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Markers; cable needle; stitch holders (1 small, 1 med); tapestry needle

Click here to buy pattern ($6.50), including charts, schematic, photos and written instructions.  After purchase you will be provided with a link to download the pattern file, in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format.  As always, please email me with any questions or comments.

(For more photos, see here and here.)

Vest, anyone?

Thanks to my wonderful test knitter (hi Terry!) I now have Florins to fit both of my boys, and plan to have the pattern finished and ready for purchase by the end of the week!  For the first time I've also had the pattern tech edited (she didn't find any math errors, I'm pleased to say), and I'm really happy with the results.  Hopefully pattern purchasers will be too!