Friday, September 9, 2016

Free pattern: Sweetheart Legwarmers

An attempt to use up some scrap yarn and make something girly resulted in these cute legwarmers. They coordinate with my Sweetheart Skirt that can be bought from my Ravelry store

One size fits most girls from 4-12 years old, length is easily adjustable. If following the pattern exactly you will end up with 25 cm (10 in) long legwarmers. The legwarmers flare out at the bottom and have details to make them super sweet and girly, perfect for any little sweetheart <3

The pattern is written without considering any colour changes, however I encourage you to look through your scrap yarns and go nuts with colours. Use my photos as inspiration, I changed colour at the start of each different pattern section.




General information:

Size: One size fits most young girls, approximately 4-12 years old. Knit rib section longer for older girls. 
Yarn: DK or light worsted yarn, amount depending on length of legwarmer. Assuming 20 cm (8 in) rib section gives yarn requirement of 155 m (170 yds).
Needles: 3.5 mm (US6) and 4 mm (US7) DPN's or long circular needles if using magic loop.
Gauge: 18 sts per 10 cm (4 in) in stockinette on larger needles.
Notions: stitch marker and darning needle.

Abbreviations:

BO - bind off
CO - cast on
DPN - double pointed needles
k - knit
k2tog - knit 2 together
M1 - make 1, recomend backward loop method or by picking up the yarn running between the stitch just knit and the one about to be knit, bringing the lefthand needle from front to back. Knit the picked up st through the back loop so that it twists.
p - purl
PM - place marker
st(s) - stitch(es)
YO - yarn over

Pattern:

With the smaller needles, CO 44 sts. PM and join to work in the round being careful not to twist the sts. 

Work k1, p1 rib until piece measures 20 cm (8 in). 

Note: If you would like longer leg warmers, add length now. Measure your child's leg from just above the ankle and upwards to where you want the leg warmer to stop, this will be the length of the ribbed section. 

Change to larger needles. Next step is the first eyelet section. 

Eyelet section:
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Round 3: knit to end, then M1 (45 sts on the needles)
Round 4: * k1, k2tog, YO, repeat from * to end of round
Round 5: knit
Round 6: purl

Next is the stockinette section with increases to make it flare out.

Round 1: * k11, M1, repeat from * 2 more times, k11 (48 sts on the needles)
Round 2: knit
Round 3: * k12, M1, repeat from * to end of round (52 sts on the needles)
Round 4: knit
Round 5: * k13, M1, repeat from * to end of round (56 sts on the needles)

Next is another eyelet section. Repeat rows 1 to 6 of eyelet section above, only difference is stitch count after row 3 should be 57 sts. BO after the last purl row.

Picot bind off:
Using cable cast on method, CO 2 sts. BO 4 st, move last st back onto left needle. CO 2 more sts, BO 4 sts etc. Continue in this manner until all stitches have been bound off and you'll have a nice picot edge. 

Weave in loose ends, block lightly, wear and enjoy!



HAPPY KNITTING!

~Cecilie

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Free Pattern: Two Textured Cloths

I love how these two textured cloths turned out so I would like to share the pattern if anybody else wants to make some nice knitted cloths. I made mine for kitchen use, but they would work well for personal use also. It's a great idea for a last minute gift, they knit up in a couple of hours. I don't think I will buy cloths ever again, these home made ones are so much better and prettier too!

The correct names for the stitch patterns vary depending on source and possibly by UK and US terms. I choose to call one moss stitch and the other double seed stitch. Moss stitch is basically seed stitch elongated over two rows rather than one, it is sometimes referred to as double seed stitch. What I refer to as double seed stitch is seed stitch on a larger scale, instead of  k1, p1 repeats over one row, it uses k2, p2 repeats over two rows, this stitch pattern is sometimes referred to as box stitch. Confused? No worries, just look at the photos and descriptions below and pick your favourite!

Patterns for the 2 cloths can be found below, but first some general info:

Size: approximately 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches)
Yarn: less than 1 ball of machine washable aran weight cotton or bamboo yarn, ~50-60 m (60-70 yards)
Needles: 4.5 mm (US7)
Gauge: about 17 stitches per 10 cm (4 in) after blocking. The gauge will determine the width of the cloth. Slight variation is no big deal, it only means the cloth will be slightly wider or narrower. 

Abbreviations:
BO - Bind off
CO - Cast on
k - knit
p - purl
slwyif - slip stitch purlwise with yarn held to the front
st(s) - stitch(es)


Moss Stitch Cloth


Moss stitch

CO 37 sts (if you want to make a larger or smaller cloth, the number of CO sts must be a multiple of 2 + 1).

Note: the first st of each row should be slipped with yarn held to the front (slwyif), the last st of each row should be knit (k). This will make a nice even edge.

Row 1 and 4: slwyif, * k1, p1, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, k2.
Row 2 and 3: slwyif, * p1, k1, repeat from * to end of row.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 until cloth measures 20 cm (8 in) or until it is as long as it is wide. Finish with Row 1 just knit. On the next row, BO in pattern. Weave in ends, block or simply throw it in the washing machine. 

Double Seed Stitch Cloth


Double seed stitch

CO 36 sts (if you want to make a larger or smaller cloth, the number of CO sts must be a multiple of 4).

Note: the first st of each row should be slipped with yarn held to the front (slwyif), the last st of each row should be knit (k). This will make a nice even edge.

Row 1 and 4: slwyif, * k2, p2, repeat from * until 3 sts remain, k3.
Row 2 and 3: slwyif, * p2, k2, repeat from * until 3 sts remain, p2, k1.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 until cloth measures 20 cm (8 in) or until it is as long as it is wide. Finish with Row 1 just knit. On the next row, BO in pattern. Weave in ends, block or simply throw it in the washing machine. 

HAPPY KNITTING

~Cecilie