Tag Archives: free pattern

Vintage Baby Checkerboard Cardigan

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Some of you have seen the Vintage Baby Bed Jacket I knit from a 1965 issue of Popular Needlework magazine. There was another pattern on the same page called “Pink Cardigan” and I have completed that one now, too!

Vintage Baby Checkerboard Cardigan

Now, as my version of the sweater is not pink, I am renaming it the Vintage Baby Checkerboard Cardigan. I knit it in a skein of Tactile Fiber Arts’ Sierra Sock, a superwash wool that comes 385 yards to the skein. I LOVE this yarn. It has great spring, great hand feel and stitch definition. And the colors are to die for – all done with natural dyes, too – a big plus. Now, I had about 4 yards of this yarn left over when I was done – YIKES – and I made the smaller of the two sizes. So if you are making the larger size, PLEASE get more yarn than 385 yards.

Now, unlike the Vintage Baby Bed Jacket, I did not alter this pattern as I knit it. I was intrigued with the described construction, which begins at the right front bottom ribbing, continues up to the neck and the top of the sleeve simultaneously, then goes on to repeat that process with the left front. Then you join the two pieces by casting on stitches for the neck and knitting across the top of the sleeve on the right side and continuing DOWN the back. Weird, huh? Which means the only seams you have to sew up are under the arms. At the end, you go back and pick up ribbing for the neck and cuffs and sew on 6 buttons. I used vintage mother-of-pearl ones I had in my stash, a garage sale find.

Blocking, before sewing up seams

So here’s the pattern, verbatim, from the old magazine. Some of you who are not super experienced may find these directions a bit sparse. I don’t blame you! If I have time, I am going to rewrite the pattern and fill it out – the original took up less than a single column in the magazine! Ill have that pattern as a PDF. So, here goes:

VINTAGE BABY CHECKERBOARD CARDIGAN

I used vintage buttons

The pattern makes two sizes – .6 to 9 months and 15 to 18 months, which appears in (  ).

Materials – about 400 (450) yards of fingering weight yarn. I used 1 skein of Tactile Fiber Arts super wash fingering.

Needles – size 3 circulars, 24 inches in length Gauge – 8 sts = 1 inch in pattern stitch

RIGHT FRONT: Cast on 43 (46) sts. Work k1, p1 ribbing for 4 rows. Next row (RS): K1, p1, k2tog, yo (buttonhole), rib to end. Continue ribbing for 2 inches from beginning, ending at front edge.

Work Pattern:

Row 1: k1, p1, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, *p3, k3. Repeat from * to end.

Rows 2 and 3: P all purl sts and k all knit sts.

Row 4: K3 (0) sts, *p3, k3. Repeat from * to last 7 sts, rib 7 sts.

Rows 5 and 6: Repeat rows 2 and 3. Row 7. Rib 7 sts, *p3, k3. Repeat from * to end. Repeat rows 2 through 7 for pattern, repeating buttonholes every 1-1/2 inches to 4-1/2 (5-1/2) inches from beginning, ending at side edge.

Shape Sleeve: Repeating buttonholes, inc 1 st at side edge every row 9 times. Cast on 3 sts at sleeve edge every 2nd row 5 times; then cast on 6 sts twice. There are 79 (82) sts. Work even, if necessary, until front edge is 8 (9-1/2) inches from beginning, ending at front edge, 1 row above 6th (7th) buttonhole.

Shape Neck: Rib 7 sts, place these sts on a safety pin, work to end. Bind off 2 sts from neck edge every 2nd row 3 times. Dec 1 st at neck edge every row 6 times. Work even on 60 (63) sts until sleeve edge is 2-1/2 (2-3/4) inches from last cast-on sts, ending at neck edge. Mark last row for half of sleeve. Place sts on stitch holder.

Checkerboard Pattern

LEFT FRONT: Cast on 43 (46) sts. Work in ribbing for 2 inches, ending at side edge. Work Pattern: Row 1: p3 (0) sts, *k3, p3. Repeat from * to last 7 sts, rib 7. Rows 2 and 3: P all p sts, k all k sts. Working pattern, complete to correspond to Right Front, omitting buttonholes and reversing shaping, ending at sleeve edge. Do not break yarn.

BACK: Work across sts of Left Front, cast on 30 sts for back of neck, work across sts of Right Front. There are 152 (158) sts. Work even until sleeve edge is 2-1/2 (2-3/4) inches from marked row.

Shape Sleeves: Bind off 6 sts at beginning of each of next 4 rows; 3 sts at beg of each of next 10 rows. Dec 1 st at each end of every row 9 times to 80 (86) sts. Work even until back is same length as fronts to ribbing. Work 2 inches ribbing. Bind off in ribbing.

FINISHING:

Neckband: Beginning at right front edge, pick up 73 (77) sts around neck edge, including sts on safety pins. Work 5 rows of ribbing. Bind off loosely in ribbing.

Cuffs: From right side pick up 42 (46) sts along lower edge of sleeves. Work 7 rows ribbing. Bind off in ribbing. Sew underarm and sleeve seams. Sew on buttons.

Here’s a picture of the two patterns from the magazine:

Vintage Bed Jacket, bottom, Vintage Baby Checkerboard Cardigan, top

 

Vintage Baby Bed Jacket – Sleeves

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Vintage Baby Bed Jacket

Is anyone trying this great pattern? I hope so. If you’ve knit along so far, you are now ready to make the sleeves.

Now, this is the part of this old vintage pattern that got a little sparse on the info for me, so I have filled in below. Also, be careful on shaping the caps – as you work the established lace pattern you must also work the decreases. The first time I did this, I kept working the decreases, but I kept ending up with the same number of sts I had at the beginning of the row. I solved this by eliminating the first and last yo’s in that row’s lace pattern. Get it? Just do the best you can. The important thing is to end up with 29 or 31 sts at the end – depending on the size you are making – and stay as true to the lace pattern as you can.

Abbreviations can be found in the first and second installments of this pattern

Here goes:

MAKE SLEEVES (2)

With size 3 needles, cast on 41 (51) sts. K 6 rows (garter stitch). Change to size 5 needles and work pattern:

Row 1: *k1, yo, k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso, K3, yo. Repeat from * to last st, k1

Row 2 and all even rows: K 1, p to last st, k1

Row 3: *k2, yo, k2, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, k1. Repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 5: *k3, yo, k1, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2. Repeat from * to last st, k1

Row 7: *k4, yo, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3. Repeat from * to last st, k1

Row 8: Repeat Row 2.

Repeat rows 1-8 four more times.

Shape cap:

Continuing in lace pattern established above, BO 3 (4) sts at beginning of next 2 rows. Dec 1 st at each end of next RS row (this means k1, ssk, work across in lace pattern, then 3 sts from end, work k2tog and k1), then every RS row 2 more times. For smaller size: k1, p to last st, k1 (29 sts). For larger size: k1, p1, *p2 tog, p4. Repeat from * to last 5 sts, p2tog, p2, k1 (31 sts). Place sts on holder.

Okay, next time we put all the pieces together and join them in making the yoke. This was my favorite part.

Haruni Knitalong

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Haruni Yarn

The first session of the Haruni Shawl knitalong started last night at K2Tog and it was really fun – an enthusiastic set of 7 knitters, game for anything, and a very pretty collection of their yarns, shown here.

In this first class, we covered an overview of the whole shawl with an emphasis on the things I learned/discovered while knitting it. We spent a good bit of time on how to read charts and on the garter stitch tab cast on, which I always say confounds you because it is so weird – until you do it! Then you say, oh, that’s it? YES, THAT’S IT.

So here’s the reason to take a knitalong – you get the benefit of knitting with someone (me) who has done the pattern before, learned its ins and outs, and maybe a way or two of improving it or finding an easier way. And that’s what we did last night with the tab cast on.

In the original pattern, designer Emily Ross begins with a provisional cast on of 3 stitches, then slips the first stitch of every row as she makes a 6-row garter stitch tab. I found that super fiddly. I just did a standard tab cast on, a la Evelyn Clark in Knitting Lace Triangles. In my opinion, this cast on works just as well in terms of design, is less fiddly on the fingers and is lots easier for the knitter who is tackling it for the first time.

Another thing we covered – as I knit the class model, I found I repeatedly made a simple mistake: on the right side rows, I would sometimes forget to make a yarn over. Then on the next wrong side row, I would purl back, not knowing I was a stitch short. Then on the next right side row, I would find myself a stitch short because I had forgotten the yarn over 2 rows back.

How to fix this without taking out 2 rows of knitting? Simple: when you get to the place where your yarn over should have been, spread the needles apart to spread out the knitting. Where the missing stitch should be, you will see two horizontal strands of yarn, one on top of the other. The top strand will be longer, and we’ll call this “ladder one.” The lover strand will be shorter, and we’ll call this “ladder two.” With a crochet hook, go into the knitting from the front to the back UNDER ladder two. Reach up and grab ladder one with the hook. Pull it UNDER ladder two to the FRONT of the knitting. Now pull it up and place it on the left handed needle. That will both create the hole the missing yarn over was meant to create and give you back your missing stitch. Work that stitch on the left handed needle as the pattern requires.

One more tidbit – Emily tells us to slip the first stitch of every row, but does not specify whether this should be as if to knit or as if to purl. It is best to do it as if to purl, so you get a nice edge to your shawl. SO – slip the first stitch of EVERY ROW as if to PURL.

More to come as we work through this great pattern . . . .

Haruni Shawl – Over the Finish Line

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I finished Emily Ross’ Haruni Shawl last night at about 11:25 p.m. Watched a marathon session of Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” on PBS – they finally stopped asking me for more money – and I added the last bead and cast off the last stitch. Here’s a picture right off the needles:

Haruni - Off the Needles

I thoroughly enjoyed this very fine pattern. BUT. I bought one skein of Cascade Yarn’s Heritage Silk in color Lilac and really thought I could make it to the end. Okay, really HOPED I could make this a one-skein wonder. Alas. I got ONE-THIRD of the way through the BIND OFF and then I RAN OUT OF YARN. UGH!!!!!!!!!! Fortunately, I had another skein. I was prepared for this. Emily says you need 460 yards and I had 437. But as every knitter’s tension is different, I hoped I might make it. I could have done one less chart repeat of chart A, but for my first one, I wanted to do it as designed.

I immediately went to block the shawl:

Blocking the Shawl

Compare the two pictures above to see how much the shawl relaxes and grows in the wetblocking process. Here is a picture of the center of the shawl, a pattern I have seen in both the Kernel Scarf on Knitty.com and in Nancy Bush’s Knitted Lace of Estonia. I love it . . . .

Center Leaf Motif

I think Nancy calls it the lilac leaf motif. How appropriate for my yarn and the fact that my two lilac bushes are in bloom.

I added beads to this pattern on the border. I used almost a whole tube of size 8 transparent cubes with an aurora borealis finish, attaching them with a size 12 tiny crochet hook on the right side of the work.

Beaded Border

I will lead a knitalong of this pattern beginning April 6 and continuing on April 20 at K2Tog, 1325 Solano Ave. in Albany, CA. If you’re around and you wanna joina fun buncha women, come on by. We start at 6:30 !

The Summerflies Shawl

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We are in for another week or more of rainstorms and grey skies here in Northern California. It’s been a bit of a long winter of that kind of weather – or so it seems to me right now. I have been livening up the winter by knitting a lot of Summerflies shawls designed by Holly and Ella Knits in some gorgeous colors – deep purple, dusty rose, a creamy ivory and now, a slow-moving rainbow stripe in shades of pink and purple.

I absolutely love this FREE pattern which you can get from Ravelry. I love it so much, I taught it as a knitalong at K2Tog this past month and a half. I had eight wonderful students, each one adventurous in her yarn choice and dedicated to her craft, and they came up with some beautiful versions of this versatile pattern. I am going to share some with you.

First off, I added beads to this lovely pattern, and so did the majority of the women in the class. If you are going to add

In madelinetosh "Pashmina," color "Mulled Wine"

beads, you need about 2 tubes of size 6 seed beads and tiny crochet hook – about a size 10 or 12. You place the beads on the stitch you want to adorn with the hook and then work it as described in the pattern. (If you want to make the same beaded pattern I did, I am afraid you will have to take the class, which we’ll offer again this summer).

One of the things I love most about this pattern is the shape – a gentle crescent moon that drapes well across my shoulders. I also like that the shawl has definite sections – the ridged eyelet section, the butterflies section, the knotted openwork section, etc. I wondered if I could provide my students with some alternative stitch patterns they could substitute for these sections without having to change the stitch count, thereby giving them more options for future shawls. They could mix and match! Use the original pattern’s butterflies section here and my suggested alternative there. Here are a few things I came up with . . . . with a huge thank you to Barbara Walker’s “Treasury.”

QUATREFOIL EYELET (substitute for First Butterfly section)

Swatch of Quatrefoil Eyelet

Continue as pattern describes through Row 22; complete all even rows as described in original pattern

Row 23: K3, yo, K6, *yo, ssk, K6;* repeat between * and * 3 more times, end last repeat K7, yo, K3 (47 sts)

Row 25: K3, yo, K5, *K2tog, yo, K1, yo, ssk, K3;* repeat between * and * 3 more times, end last repeat K7, yo, K3 (49 sts)

Row 27: K3, yo, K8, *yo, ssk, K6;* repeat between * and * 3 more times, end last repeat K9, yo, K3 (51 sts)

Continue rest of section as described in original pattern

QUATREFOIL EYELET for Second Butterfly Section

Continue as pattern describes through Row 46; complete all even rows as described in original pattern

Row 47: K3, yo, K9, *yo, ssk, K6;* repeat between * and * 11 more times, end last repeat K10, yo, K3 (117 sts)

Row 49: K3, yo, K8, *K2tog, yo, K1, yo, ssk, K3;* repeat between * and * 11 more times, end last repeat K10 instead of K3, yo, K3 (119 sts)

Row 51:  K3, yo, K11, *yo, ssk, K6;* repeat between * and * 11 more times, end last repeat K12, yo, K3 (121 sts)

Continue rest of section as described

in Snicklefritz sock yarn, color "Diesel Gnome"

ROSEBUD PATTERN (substitute for First Butterfly Section)

Work as pattern describes through Row 20; complete all even rows as described in original pattern

Row 21: K3, yo, K6, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k5* repeat between * and* twice more, end last repeat K6, yo, k3 (45 sts)

Row 23: K3, yo, K6, *k2tog, yo, K3, yo, ssk, K3;* repeat between * and * end last repeat K6, yo, K3 (47 sts)

Row 25: K3, yo, K8 *yo, ssk, yo, K3tog, yo, K5;* repeat between * and *, end last repeat K8, yo, K3 (49 sts)

Row 27: K3, yo, K10, *yo, slip 1, K2tog, psso, yo, K7;* repeat between * and * twice more, end last repeat K10, yo, K3 (51 sts)

Continue rest of section as described in original pattern

Detail, Snicklefritz

ROSEBUD PATTERN (substitute for Second Butterfly Section)

Work as original pattern describes through Row 44; complete all even rows as described in original pattern

Row 45: K3, yo, K6, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k5* repeat between * and* 9 more times, end last repeat K6, yo, k3 (115 sts)

Row 47: K3, yo, K6, *k2tog, yo, K3, yo, ssk, K3;* repeat between * and * 9 more times, end last repeat K6, yo, K3 (117 sts)

Row 49: K3, yo, K8 *yo, ssk, yo, K3tog, yo, K5;* repeat between * and * 9 more times, end last repeat K8, yo, K3 (119 sts)

Row 51: K3, yo, K10, *yo, slip 1, K2tog, psso, yo, K7;* repeat between * and * 9 more times, end last repeat K10, yo, K3 (121 sts)

In silk, with green raku finished beads

ROMAN STRIPE (substitute for Knotted Openwork Section)

In Tosh "Pashmina," purple

Row 67: K3, yo, K1, *yo, K1;* repeat between * and *, end K1, yo, K3

Row 68: K3, purl across to last 3 stitches, K3

Row 69: K3, yo, K1, *K2tog;* repeat between * and *, end K1, yo, K3

Row 70: K3, P1, *yo, K2tog;* K1, p1, K3

Row 71: K3, yo, K1, *yo, K2tog;* repeat between * and *, end K1, yo, K3

Row 72: K3, purl across to last 3 stitches, K3.

Repeat these 6 rows one more time, then . . . .

Row 79: K3, yo, knit across to last 3 stitches, yo, K3

Continue rest of pattern as described.

Rocky would like you all to know that Summerflies makes a great pug bed . . . .

Rocky the K2Pug

I look forward to making more of these wonderful shoulder shawls, mixing and matching to make each one unique. If you make any, please share them with me here.

Maid Marian Socks

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My friend Jan and I went to see the movie Robin Hood the other day and being the compulsive personality that I am, I could not stand the thought of sitting in a theater for 2.5 hours with no knitting. What kind of knitting could I do in the dark while my eyes were glued to Russell Crowe‘s biceps (which I am sorry to report you see for only 10 seconds) and Cate Blanchett’s beautifully expressive face?

Answer – simple socks. So I got out a ball of Socks that Rock lightweight yarn in colorway Grimm’s Willow Wren and my Barbara Walker and found a lace rib pattern on page 27 or 28 and cast on during the previews. Here’s what I came up with:

Maid Marian Socks

Now, lest you think I am just the most incredibly gifted knitter ever, or that I have eyes in my fingertips, I can report that I got no further than the ribbing during the actual movie. I did the lace pattern when I got home. Here’s the pattern SO FAR:

Begin cuff:

On size 2 dpns, cast on 65 sts and divide thus – dpn 1 – 20 sts; dpn 2 – 25 sts; dpn 3 – 20 sts. Join for knitting in the round and place marker. Work in k3, p2 rib for approximately one inch.

Begin leg:

Round 1 – *ssk, yo, k1, p2,* repeat around

Round 2 – K3, p2 around

Round 3 – k1, yo, k2tog, p2* repeat around

Round 4 – k3, p2, repeat around

Continue these 4 rounds until leg measures 5 to 6 inches, or desired length.

Stay tuned for the heel flap . . . .

By the way, Jan and I thought Robin Hood was excellent, a real time machine experience. Not as good or as cohesive a story as Gladiator, but a great deal of fun and plenty of interesting stuff to look at – costumes, war machines, horses, interiors etc. And Russell Crowe. Do not forget RC. But I was really taken with Cate Blanchett’s performance. Her Marian had a real interior life and I loved watching her. I always love watching her. So, Maid Marian Socks.

If Your Name is Karen King . . .

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. . . .stop reading this post right now, unless you and I have already seen each other. I am going to display a picture about what I made you for your birthday and if I haven’t already seen you, it’ll RUIN YOUR SURPRISE!!! Okay?? OKAY?????

Okay! So, I have much to blog about. First, let me say that I had not meant to let almost 3 weeks go without a post. My husband and I went to Texas for a family wedding (fantastic fun) and I didn’t touch the computer for  whole five days (GLORIOUS!). Then I came home and launched into 4 straight days of work at K2Tog, days suring which we moved the whole inventory around, so I came home at night pretty much zonked out. There were a couple of nights I did not even knit (THE HORROR!!!!).  And then the terrible thing happened . . .

You know how Shakespeare told us to “beware the Ides of March“? Well, I can tell you that from now on, that is a day I will spend in bed. On that day – Monday – I was enjoying the first day off I’d had in a while, doing piles of laundry and house cleaning (it doesn’t sound like I had much to enjoy, but believe me, I was) and otherwise recovering from my trip to Texas when I decided to take the dogs to Pt. Isabel. Those of you not from the Bay Area should know it is a big dog park n the bay where dogs can frolic off leash to the content of their very big hearts.

So we’re there about 30 minutes when we are joined by my friend Sheri and her son Tyler. And we’re walking and walking and I reach down and pick up little Rocky because he looks tired. And it’s pretty warm – about 70 and full sun, I’d say. And we’re yakking away – and the next thing I know, I have turned my heel in a pothole and fallen ON MY PUG. And I broke his right front leg.

Oh. My. God.

Thank God I was there with Sheri and Tyler. Sheri took care of rounding up and cleaning up Taffy and Tyler kept Rocky company after I put him in his crate in the car. He was in shock, I am sure. Never made a single peep. Just panted very heavily and had a 1,000-yd stare. I called Terry to call the vet and I rushed him thru rushhour traffic to the vet (illegal use of the carpool lane, sue me) and sure enough, I broke my pug.

An hour later, I got little Rocky back with a big purple cast on his right front leg with a yellow sticker that says “under repair.” If you don’t think I felt like a giant pile ‘o poo you are wrong. I cried all night. Rocky never made a peep. Not a peep. He made a couple of air-coming-out-of-a-balloon-slowly noises, but other than that, nothing.

Pegleg Puglet

Which is all a long way of explaining why I haven’t blogged. But I am happy to report that Rocky is now running around the backyard, the hillside, and up the stairs – all on three legs. I fell less poo-like.  I wish it was Halloween so I could put him in a pirate costume – all he’d need is an eye patch. We have taken to calling Rocky “Pegleg Puglet” and going around saying “Arrrrrgggg.”

So! Here is what I have been making. Karen King surprised me with some lovely gifts – and it wasn’t even my birthday – when we were at Stitches. She said she just saw some things she knew I had to have and I’ll be damned, but she was right! She gave me a pair of wooden sock blockers with little pug silhouettes cut out of them!

Rocky and Sock Blockers

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING SO CUTE? The sock blockers, not just the pug.  And she got me some stitchmarkers with little martini glasses dangling from them (Craftini – get it?) and some martini glass earrings! I LOVE THEM. She got all of them at AffectionKint, and they had all kinds of dogs in their sock blockers. Her birthday was March 1, so I made her these: They are brass findings and Swarovski crystal and look for them to appear in different colors in my Etsy store before the end of the month.

Karen's Earrings

And now for the knitting. I took a new project with me to Texas, a pattern from Knitty.com called Kernel, designed by Bonnie Sennott.  It is a lace scarf and I am making it with Crystal Palace’s Panda Silk on size 4 needles. I am just loving this FREE PATTERN (!!!!). As lace goes, I’d call it intermediate. Here is a picture of the whole thing – I am just under halfway done . . . .

Kernel

It has a center panel that the designer says looks like kernels of corn (okay) . . .

I think it looks like diamonds

. . .  and a border that includes beads in the garter panel. Can you see them?

What else have I been working on? I started the Swirl Shawl I bought at Stitches, designed by Jojoland. For whatever reason (old age, idiocy) I could NOT figure out how to pick up and knit and cast on at the same time to attach the second medallion, but some very nice people on Ravelry helped me out. Here are the first four medallions . . . . .

Swirl Shawl

and a detail . . .

Swirl detail

There’s more, but I gotta get ready for work. I’ll post some more asap.

Diagonal Scarf

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Diagonal scarf

Diagonal scarf

I love to knit on long car rides. When my husband and I recently traveled up the Mendocino Coast for his 50th birthday, I took along a bunch of knitting. But when we actually got going, I found the thing I most wanted to knit was a ball of yarn I had given to my mother for Christmas and which she sent back to me (don’t ask). It was a single ball of “Broadway” from Artful Yarns, a blend of mohair and some kind of sparkly cording. It’s kind of a poor man’s “Dune” from Trendsetter Yarns. Anyway, I only had one ball, and inside the label was a pattern for a diagonal scarf. It is a generic pattern, so I don’t mind sharing with you. At K2Tog, we have some great Universal yarn that would look great knit up this way.

To make this scarf, you will need:

1 ball Artful Yarns “Broadway” or other comparable mohair/cording blend.

size 10.5 needles

locking stitch marker

Using longtail cast-on, cast on 3 stitches. Row 1 (RS) : Knit (k) into front and back of first stitch, K1, k into front and back of next stitch (5 stitches total). Row 2 (WS): K all stitches. Repeat these two rows until there are 21 or 23 stitches on the needle, depending on how wide you want the scarf. Place marker on RS of knitting.

Continue in this pattern: On all RS rows, K into front and back of first stitch, k across until 3 stitches remain on the needle, k 2 stitches together (K2tog), k1. On all WS rows: k all stitches.

Continue until there is only a small amount of yarn left – about 1 yard. Bind of all stitches loosely.

Detail

Detail