Green Sweater

Before the hat, there was the sweater. This little cardigan, in a lovely green (pictures don't do it justice) knitted up very quickly and easily. I saw the Twisted Openwork Rib pattern in Knitting Over the Edge and I wondered how it would look on a thicker yarn; the open part isn't too open, but it still creates an interesting texture that I really like.

I am still looking for the perfect green ribbon to make a tied closure, but I thought I'd pop the pattern up here anyway. If you make it, please let me know how it turned out - mail me a picture, let me know if the pattern was clear...

Here it is:


Green Sweater

12 month size

Materials:
Two skeins of Knitpicks Sierra in Leaf, or another bulky yarn.
Size 7 straight needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 15 stitches & 21 rows across 4" in stockinette

Pattern - Twisted Openwork Rib (worked in multiple of 4 plus 1)

Row 1: P1, *K3, P1, rep from * to end
Row 2: *K1, P3, rep from *, end K1
Row 3: Like row 1
Row 4: K1, *YO, P3tog, yo, K1, rep from * to end
Row 5: K2, P1, *K3, P1, rep from *, end K2
Row 6: P2, K1, *P3, K1, rep from *, end P2
Row 7: Like row 5
Row 8: P2tog, YO, K1, *YO, P3tog, YO, K1, rep from * to last 2 sts, YO, P2tog

This is what it looks like:




Back

CO 53
Work Rows 1 - 8 of the Twisted Openwork Rib pattern
Row 9: Knit to end, and continue in stockinette until piece measures 5" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row

Shape armholes:
BO 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows
Next row: K3, K2tog, knit to last 5 sts, SSK, K3
Decrease 1 st at each end of the next three RS (knit) rows in the same way; 41 sts remaining
Continue in stockinette with no shaping until piece measures 8 3/4" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row

BO 9 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows; place the remaining 23 sts on a holder and break yarn


Left Front

CO 25
Work Rows 1 - 8 of the Twisted Openwork Rib pattern
Row 9: Knit to end, and continue in stockinette until piece measures 5" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row**

Shape armhole:
BO 2 sts at the beginning of the next row, K to end
Next row: P to last 5 sts, P2tog, P3 sts
Decrease 1 stitch at the end of the next three WS (purl) rows in the same way; 19 sts remaining

Shape neck (RS facing):
Row 1: K to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3
Row 2: P3, P2tog, P to end
Row 3: K to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3
Row 4: Purl to end
Repeat rows 3 & 4 until 11 sts remain
Continue in stockinette until piece measures about 8 3/4" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row
Bind off all stitches and break yarn


Right Front

CO 25 and work as Left Front until you reach **, ending with a knit row

Shape armhole (WS facing):
BO 2 sts at the beginning of the next row, P to end
Next row: K to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3
Decrease 1 stitch at the end of the next three RS (knit) rows in the same way; 19 sts remaining

Shape neck (WS facing):
Row 1: P to last 5 sts, P2tog through back, P3
Row 2: K3, K2tog, K to end
Row 3: P to last 5 sts, P2tog through back, P3
Row 4: Knit to end
Continue in stockinette until piece measures about 8 3/4" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row
Bind off all stitches and break yarn


Sleeves (Make two)



CO 25 and work Rows 1 - 4 of the Twisted Openwork Rib

Body of sleeve:
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K1, inc in 2nd st, knit to last 2 stitches, inc, K1
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K1, inc in 2nd st, knit to last 2 sts, inc, K1
Rows 6, 8 & 10: Purl
Rows 7 & 9: Knit
Row 11: as row 5
Repeat rows 6 - 11 until you have 33 sts
Continue in stockinette (no shaping) until piece measures about 7" from cast-on edge, ending with a purl row

Shape cap:
BO 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows
Row 1: K3, SSK, K to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3
Row 2: Purl
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until 21 sts remain
BO 3 at the beginning of the next 4 rows - 9 sts remain
Bind off all sts and break yarn



Assemble Sweater
Lightly block all pieces and mattress stitch together

Button Band
Starting at lower left hem, pick up 36 sts up the left front, break yarn, pick up the 23 sts from the holder, join yarn, pick up 36 sts down the right front. You have 95 sts.

With RS facing, work rows 1-4 of Twisted Openwork Rib
Bind off all stitches



Weave in ends and voila - you are done. Now pick your closure - you can choose to use buttons, in which case you can apply them to either side of the button band, using the eyelets in the Twisted Openwork Rib as buttonholes. Or, you can use a ribbon closure just at the beginning of where the v-neck starts, in which case it will be a little roomier, like a bolero for a slightly older child. If you plan for both it will give room to grow.

Copyright 2006 Windansea
For personal use only

Green Hat

It's happened - I'm knitting without a pattern. Nicky Epstein's books on decorative edgings have really inspired me to just branch out on my own! Armed with the stitches, Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns, and some size changes from the internet, I'm starting to design my own things.

Above you see a green pillbox hat using the twisted openwork rib described in Knitting Over the Edge. Here is a detail of the stitch pattern:



And here is the pattern if you'd like to try it. If you do end up knitting it, I'd appreciate seeing a picture of the final product and also any feedback on problems with the pattern:

Green Pillbox Hat

6 - 12 month size (16" interior circumference, but it's stretchy)

Materials:
Part of one skein of Knitpicks Sierra in Leaf, or another bulky yarn.
Size 7 dp needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 15 stitches & 21 rows across 4" in stockinette

CO 72 sts evenly across four dp needles and join for working in the round, being carefuly not to twist stitches. Place marker.

Knit the first six rounds (stockinette)

Begin pattern:
Rounds 1, 2, and 3: *K3, P1, rep from * to end
Round 4: *YO, K3tog, YO, P1, rep from * to end
Rounds 5, 6, and 7: K1, P1, *K3, P1, rep from *, end K2
Round 8: K1, *YO, K3tog, YO, P1, rep from *, end the round by knitting the last two stitches together with the first stitch of the next round, and shift the marker over to the new beginning stitch of the round

Purl the next four rounds (reverse stockinette)
Knit two rounds

Begin decreases, switching to 3 dpn when necessary:
Round 1: *K7, K2tog, rep from *, 64 sts remain
Round 2: *K6, K2tog, rep from *, 56 sts rem
Round 3: *K5, K2tog, rep from *, 48 sts rem
Round 4: *K4, K2tog, rep from *, 40 sts rem
Round 5: *K3, K2tog, rep from *, 32 sts rem
Round 6: *K2, K2tog, rep from *, 24 sts rem
Round 7: *K1, K2tog, rep from *, 16 sts rem
Round 8: *K2tog, rep from *, 8 sts rem

Here's what the decreases look like:



Break yarn & thread through remaining stitches. Pull to close gap; weave ends in.
I made a pompom for the top of the hat, but you could leave it unadorned as well, or finish it however you'd like.

Copyright 2006 Windansea
For personal use only

Baby Sweaters

I haven't posted in a while because I've been knitting!! Right now I'm working on several designs of my own, but the thing that kicked it off was this little sweater from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. It's so sweet, and I love the simple design. I ordered a lot of yarn to make other garments from this book, but somewhere on the road to finishing this sweater I got caught up in my own imagination. Tomorrow I will post a picture of one of my own designs.