Bella Knitting

March Madness

Laura

With March Madness about to spring into action it seemed appropriate to feature our Sports Fan Collection at Stitches West. Here's a picture of our Sports Wall highlighting some of the teams in the Pac Ten and my very hard working daughter Jaclyn sporting her newly completed Stanford scarf. (It was supposed to be Laura's new Stanford scarf but once Jaclyn wore it during the 20+ long hours she worked the booth at Stitches I gave in to the inevitable.)

The banners and scarves attracted both guys and gals with a wide variety of favorite teams. We had all the colors for any sports team but no list of which teams sport which colors. "Not necessary," I boasted to Sarah and Robin, "I'll know them all. Well, the NFL anyway." And so I was tested all weekend long ... messing up only when I showed my age and rattled off the Houston Oiler colors for the now Houston Texans. Silly me, I know you never would have made the same error! ;)

Hanging out there on the left side of the photo is the very bright scarf for the Oregon Ducks. It's our Patent Knit Scarf, one of four sports fan scarves we offer. It's a great scarf, super simple with lots of depth and squishiness! But there it hung, a wallflower, just waiting to be noticed instead of the more popular Peasant Lace Scarf next to it. Sadly only a few customers wanted to knit it all weekend (the yellow might have blinded them!).

This scarf is the kissing cousin to the fabulous new 2-color brioche stitch we announced a few days ago - but the polar opposite on the difficulty scale. It's knit flat and you can see how the stripes are horizontal instead of vertical  - those two things make all the difference in the world.  This stitch is super easy, I am sure most of you have seen it before ... cast on a multiple of 3 stitches then:
* yo, sl1, k2tog * keep on going, every row, both sides until you have reached your goal or run out of yarn.

We are including this as a free Bella Knitting pattern and have included the link right here in this post! 
"Gee, Laura, thanks a lot. A pattern download with only 18 characters including spaces. Just what I always wanted ! ??"

Well, not exactly. We thought this was the perfect opportunity to share our philosophy on pattern writing and customer support with you. "Egads!  Now I'm excited ... zzzzzz". No, don't panic it is pretty straight forward:

1. Knitting is fun, knitters are fun, therefore, patterns should be fun too.
2. A bit of English in a pattern goes a long way. We are not ancient Egyptians, so patterns that read like hieroglyphics don't do it for us.
   
3. Knitters are helpful and we love to share our knowledge of the craft. Wouldn't it be nice if the designer added some of his or her own insight to the pattern? A few tips and bit of history about the project or technique would add a lot to the experience.
4. Knitters like to knit 24/7. That means when I am trying a new pattern or new stitch at 3 in the morning, while munching on leftovers and watching 30 minute infomercials it would be helpful if you were sitting there next to me.

OK, so while we can not yet teleport over to your house in the middle of the night, we can try to anticipate your questions and load in some helpful tips, a picture or two, a few encouraging words and even a bit of humor now and then.

So here it is. It's free, it's fun, you'll find out why we call it Patent Knitting instead of brioche and how in the world we turned 18 characters into a five page pattern! Maybe it will give some of you highly talented Independent Designers out there a few ideas on how to add a bit of zip your own patterns. Many, many of the fabulous knitters we met at Stitches commented on the content of our patterns. We thank them for visiting and for noticing our extra effort.

Download BellaPatentSportsScarf.pdf

More below if you'd like to give or get some feedback ...

Recipe for a Scarflet

Sarah

As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, scarflets appeal to my limited attention span and the common knitterly desire to have at least one easily portable project on the needles at all times. I made a few this winter, and gave a couple away as gifts. This one is probably my favorite -- a little Malabrigo scarflet for my friend CC, who lives in Seattle. A little linen stitch broke up any pooling (this is the Azalea colorway in the worsted weight, if you're wondering), and garter-stitch edges provided a nice finish.

A scarflet is nice because it just covers the bit of your neck that needs covering, without a lot of extra fabric flying around or forming an unsightly lump under your coat. Plus, it's a good way to show off a few pretty buttons. Want to make one? Click to continue through to the rest of the post for my linen-stitch scarflet "recipe" and a photo of this one in action.

Early Adaptors

Laura

Are you an early adapter or a laggard? Are you already binding off when others start to blog about the latest hottest pattern or are you still waiting for the picture to load using your dial-up network? Marketing folks categorize people into types of consumers. About a sixth of us are true innovators and opinion leaders. They know what to wear and where to be seen. A third are the early majority and a third, no surprise, are the late majority, leaving that final sixth at true laggards. Those are the people still buying VCR tapes and processing their 110 film cartridges.

Me. I'm very comfortable hanging out with the early majority. I'll wait for the initial reviews, determine if the style looks good on my body type, and do a little prioritization in the budget. To be honest, in spite of my new conversion to the Mac world,  the iPhone was not way up there on my list. That was until I saw my brother's phone. I'm sorry but this thing is so unbelievably innovative. I'm so glad I did give in to temptation. I enjoy it every time I pick it up and consider it a show of great restraint that I waited until my current phone contract ran out on August 1st. As you can see my iPhone now my portable Bella slide show.

Naked iPhones are unacceptable so I just had to knit this fun little cover for it. I used Cascade Fixation in this super bright find-me-at-the-bottom-of-your-purse color. The elastic yarn helps keep it nice and snug so it does not fall off. This is the prototype, I've been waiting to knit my second version to share it with you but since it is a month later I have to get realistic on when that will happen. I'll share the pattern for what I am going to do when I get around to it below. I'm taking out a few stitches to it will be just a bit snugger and adding the i-cord bind off. I did knit to a tighter gauge than the label called for so it is nice and solid.

• Cast on 28 stitches using the Magic Cast on method you would use to start socks from the toe up.
• Knit 2 rounds

There are four narrow rib channels around the phone with 4 stitches for each side and 8 stitches on the front and back panels. You'll start on the side so I've split up the 4 side stitches. Place marker and ...

• *k2, p1, k8, p1, k4, p1, k8, p1, k2* repeat until almost as long as phone.
• knit 1 round
• Bind off using i-cord bind off (see Sarah's tutorial here.)

Super simple. There's so much more to do. I want to add a cable pattern. Try a solid with a bit of embellishment on the front panel. Knit one for your iPhone or adapt for any phone. Send us your pictures.

p.s. My knitting side may like the iPhotos on the phone but my mom side loves my new secret weapon... Hannah Montana TV episodes just a touch screen away.

Synesthesia Socks

Sarah

Ever wish you had a rare irregularity of the brain? I have. Synesthesia is a condition which causes the synesthetic person to "translate" one sense into another (for example, a sound-to-taste synesthetic might "taste" strawberries when they hear the trumpet) and it's also a poetry craft term for using one sense to represent another. I named this sock pattern "Synesthesia" because the simple curved shape of the pattern stitch brought to mind so many things which weren't visual or textural -- instead, I look at it and I see the sound of lapping water, or soft echoes. (For another photo, see yesterday's post.) Synesthesia is just one of those odd quirks nature throws into people now and then, and to me it seems that synesthetics are incredibly lucky -- their experience of the world is just that much richer.

Below: Synesthesia chart. This would also look good in a toe-up sock. And don't you think a picot cuff would be cute? And what about that star toe -- that might be cool. Go to town -- you don't have to stick with the pattern I wrote! Speaking of which, I checked through it and didn't see any glaring errors (I wrote it as I knit the first sock, then test-knit from it for the second) but there may be some lurking (like the lack of a key to the chart symbols -- thanks Ruth!). Please let me know if you find any!

Synesthesia Socks
by Sarah Fama

You will need: about 400 yards fingering-weight sock yarn (I used Cherry Tree Hill in the blues/greens colorway, but these would also look great in a solid yarn such as Louet Gems.)
1 set of 5 size 2 US DPNs, or size needed to get gauge

Gauge: 7st/1"

Size: This sock is designed to fit a women’s US shoe size of approximately 7/8. Slightly larger shoe sizes have the option of adding one more repeat of chart pattern on foot for a longer sock; the pattern is stretchy enough to accommodate a slightly wider or smaller foot.

Notes: If you are worried about gaps where the first and last stitches are picked up along the gusset, pick up one extra at the beginning of the picked-up stitches and knit it together with the previous stitch, then pick up one extra at the end and knit it together with the following stitch – this way you can start the gusset decreases with the correct number of stitches.
When you knit across the gusset stitches you picked up in the previous round, I recommend you knit through the back of the loops to tighten them, as picked up stitches tend to be loose. On all subsequent rounds knit these stitches normally.

Twisted rib: p1, k1tbl, repeat to end of round.

Cuff
CO 68 stitches, distributing evenly among 4 needles so that each needle has 17 stitches. Join to work in the round, taking care not to twist stitches, and work in twisted rib for 12 rounds. Piece should measure approximately 1".
Begin working Synesthesia pattern from chart. Repeat rows 1-8 four times, ending on round 8 of pattern.

Heel
K 17 stitches, turn work, purl across 34 stitches. Begin working heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): sl1, k to end.
Row 2: sl1, p to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 17 times for a total of 34 rows. There should be 17 selvedge stitches on each side.
Turn heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): k 19, ssk, k1, turn work.
Row 2: Sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3: Sl 1, k to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 4: Sl 1, p to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1.
Repeat these last 2 rows until all heel stitches have been worked, ending p2tog. 20 stitches remain.

Gusset
Knit back (RS) across all heel stitches, then pick up 17 stitches evenly along heel selvedge. Work across held instep stitches in charted pattern (you should be beginning with row 1 again), then pick up 17 stitches down other side of heel, and knit across 10 heel stitches.
The round now begins at the center back of the heel.
    Round 1: Knit from center back of heel (with needle 1 [N1]) to last 2 picked-up gusset stitches, k2tog.  Work with needle 2 across first half of instep stitches (worked in patt) and with needle 3 across second half of instep stitches. At beginning of needle 4, ssk, knit to end of round.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 68 stitches remain (17 on each needle) continuing always to work instep stitches in charted pattern. Continue to work as established (instep stitches in pattern, sole stitches in st st) until chart has been worked a total of 13 times.

Toe
Round 1: On needle 1, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 2, k1, ssk, k to end. On needle 3, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 4, k1, ssk, k to end.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 36 stitches remain, then repeat round 1 until 8 stitches are left on needle. Cut yarn leaving a long tail, and Kitchener the remaining stitches together.

Make sock #2.

Finishing
Weave in ends and block lightly to fully bring out lace patt. Or just wear them, because that works too.

Abbreviations
CO: cast on
k: knit
p: purl
tbl: through back loop(s)
k2tog: knit two together
ssk: slip, slip, knit (slip two stitches as if to knit, then knit them together from this new orientation)
yo: yarn over
RS: right side (the "public" side of your knitting)
WS: wrong side

The Legal Stuff
Please feel free to print out a copy of this pattern for your personal use! If you want to share it with a friend, though, please send them a link so they can print it themselves. Work for a yarn shop and you want to share this pattern with your customers? By all means, knit up a sample and write down the URL for anyone who is interested. Printing it out for customers, however, is a no-no, and selling this pattern is a definite no-no. Side effects may include startitis, second sock syndrome, and mild euphoria. If you experience a knitting session lasting longer than four hours, there is no need to see a doctor.

Twin Pants!

Sarah

Dude! Are these cute, or what? Faye knit these for a friend of hers who is expecting twins, using my baby pants pattern and Plymouth Jean Nee yarn.

I used to think having twins would be really cool -- I want to have two kids, tops, and the idea of getting it all done in one go has a certain appeal. Plus there's the fact that they'd be able to go through school together, and the of course adorable twin outfits.

After having Measure, though, I am amazed that anyone can care for two infants at once and still stay sane. Measure's not a "difficult" baby, but even if they were the best-tempered of babies, two of them would be exponentially more difficult. You've got two hungry little mouths to feed and to wipe when spitup explodes out of them like Mount Vesuvius on a bad day, two little butts that need changing a collective 14-20 times a day, two squirmy bodies to buckle into carseats...just thinking about it tires me out!

So Faye, please pass along to your friend a very old, very traditional Irish blessing which I just made up a minute ago: May her famiy be generous and helpful, her pediatrician friendly and skillful, and her babies happy and peaceful.

A New F.O.

Sarah

I finished the blankie for my neighbor! I'm almost done with the cashmere socks, too -- maybe I'll get those done today.

Measure was nice enough to serve as a model for me -- I think the blankie ended up being a nice size, and it will be especially snuggly on a newborn.

Since the blanket is so simple, here are the instructions:

4 balls Muench Touch Me
1 ball cotton in a coordinating color, for edging
US 9 needles
crochet hook appropriate for your cotton

Cast on 65 stitches and work in basketweave pattern as follows:

Row 1: knit 5, *purl 5, knit 5, repeat from * to end.
Row 2: purl 5, *knit 5, purl 5, repeat from * to end.
Rows 3 and 5: repeat row 1
Rows 4 and 6: repeat row 2
Rows 7, 9, and 11: repeat row 2
Rows 8, 10, and 12: repeat row 1

Repeat these 12 rows of pattern to desired length. Bind off loosely. Weave in ends.

Wash the blanket in the machine in warm water on a normal cycle. It should shrink about 10% or so. Stretch it out to disperse any chenielle that is "worming" and throw it in the dryer until it is about 75% dry -- lay it out on a towel, smoosh it into a tidy rectangle, and allow it to finish drying. Trim any protruding ends.

To edge the blanket, take your crochet hook and cotton and work a round of single crochet, not too loose, not too tight, around the entire blanket. (To turn your corners more neatly, work two or three single crochet stitches into the same corner hole.) Then, work as follows to create the scalloped edge: Double crochet three times into the same stitch, work one single crochet in each of the next three stitches, repeat around the entire edge of the blanket. Weave in ends.

Measure Models

Sarah   

You knew it wouldn't be long before I had Measure modeling baby things, didn't you? I just had to have Measure try on the baby cargo pants for a photo shoot with dad. They look pretty darn adorable on him, though they are still a little big. The cargo pocket is, of course, utterly superfluous -- anything small enough to fit in it would be a choking hazard for anyone small enough to wear them -- but cuteness is its own excuse.

Baby Pants Pattern

Sarah

*Update* If you like these baby pants, you will be happy to know that we have created a new version of the pattern with more sizes, directions for an optional picot edging, a schematic, and handy tips. This new version is available here in the Bella store, where you can purchase the pattern alone, or as a complete project. We have two great yarn options for the project: Cascade Pima Tencel, a super-soft cotton with a slight sheen, or Karabella Aurora 8, a plump and squooshy washable wool available in a plethora of beautiful shades.

Pattern

You will need approximately 200 yards of any soft yarn you like which makes a nice squooshy fabric when knit at 5 stitches to the inch. (I used yarns labeled as "aran" weight and knit them a little tighter than the gauge on the label, which was around 4.5 st/1" for each of the yarns I used.) I've put in lots of links to helpful tutorials in case you haven't come across some of these techniques  before, or if you might just need a refresher.

Size: approximately 16" circumference at waist, 10" long
Gauge: 5 st/1" on size 5 needles or size needed to get gauge
Needles: set of 5 DPNs in size needed to get gauge

These pants are worked in the round, with a folded hem at the top for a drawstring closure and shaping across the backside to make room for the diaper. The cuffs of the pants are also worked with a folded hem, to match the top of the pants. The pocket is worked separately, then sewn on later.

Hem
CO 80 st using waste yarn and provisional crochet cast on (our tutorial is here), change to main yarn. Join to work in the round. Round begins at side of waist.
Knit 6 rounds
Purl 1 round (turning round)
Knit 2 rounds
Knit 17, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, knit to end of round. (This forms the eyelets you will later pull the drawstring through.)
Knit 2 rounds
“Unzip” provisional cast on, holding live stitches on a smaller circular needle or flexible holders, then fold over the hem at the purl ridge and join the sides of the hem together in the next round by knitting together one stitch from each needle until all stitches have been worked (because of the nature of the knit stitch, there may be only 79 live stitches from the provisional cast-on side – this is fine, if this is the case simply knit the last stitch plain.) The eyelets will be at the center of the front of the pants.

Waist
Continue in stockinette stitch (knit every round) for 5 rounds, then work increase round as follows:
Knit across 40 stitches (front of pants), k1, M1, k to 1 stitch from end of round, M1, k1.  Repeat this increase round every 6th round 3 more times for a total of four increase rounds (88 stitches.) Continue in st st until work measures 5" from turning round (purl round) of hem, then work decrease round as follows: Knit across 40 stitches (front of pants), ssk, k to 2 st from end of round, k2tog. Repeat this decrease round every round a further 3 times for a total of four decrease rounds (80 st). Knit 20 stitches, place next 40 stitches on a holder. You are now ready to begin working the first pant leg.

Legs
40 of your stitches are on a holder. The other 40 live stitches will be used to work the first (right) leg. Using the working yarn, which should be at the center front of your work (remember, the eyelets are at the center front) CO 4 stitches using the backwards loop method, and join to work the 44 live stitches in the round (the 4 stitches you have just cast on will form the crotch seam). Continue in stockinette stitch in the round (knit every round) for 4 ½” or desired length of leg. Purl one round (this is the turning round for the cuff of the pant leg) then work a further 5 rounds in stockinette stitch. Bind off using the suspended bind off method. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for seaming the hem of the leg.

To work the second (left) leg, rejoin the yarn at the center front of the work. (If you leave a long tail, you can use it to sew the crotch seam later.) Knit 40 stitches, then CO 4 stitches using the backwards loop method and join to work these 44 live stitches in the round. Continue to match first leg.

Drawstring
Using two of your DPNs or a single circular needle, CO 3 stitches and work an i-cord long enough to thread through hem and tie at waist, about 32" or desired length. (To work an i-cord, knit your stitches, then -- never turning your work -- slide them down the needle to knit them on the following row, pulling the yarn tight across the back. Repeat ad infinitum.)

Pocket
CO 12 stitches. Work in st st for 12 rows, then bind off. Sew three sides of pocket to pant leg. To work pocket flap, pick up 12 stitches (Knitty tutorial here) above pocket.
Row 1 (WS) k2, p8, k2
Row 2 (RS) k across       
Repeat these two rows to close to desired length of flap, knit 3 rows (garter stitch), bind off. You may wish to tack down the top of the sides of the flap, so that it will appear to lay flat over the pocket.

Finishing
Fold down seams on pant cuffs at purl ridge. Whip stitch hem to inside of pant cuffs. Thread drawstring through eyelets on waist hem (the easiest way to do this is to thread a tapestry needle or large safety pin onto one of the yarn tails on the i-cord, then push this through an eyelet and around the hem.) Sew crotch seam. Weave in all ends. Block if desired.

More pictures here! Making a pair? We'd love to see a photo! Email completed project photos to laura@bellaknitting.com and we'll put them in our blog gallery.

Vine Stitch Scarf

Sarah

Sometimes a girl just has to break out a ball of yarn and see what it wants to be. I'd had this ball of red Karabella Margrite in my stash for a while, waiting for inspiration to strike me. The Margrite is DK weight, and an 80-20 blend of merino and cashmere. It's yummy stuff. Eventually, I started thinking about Barbara Walker stitches I like involving yarn overs and pssos -- but I couldn't find anything in the stitch pattern books which did exactly wanted. So, I sat down with a pair of size 8 needles and my lovely squooshy ball of yarn, and sat down to create the stitch I saw in my head.

I'm calling it the Vine Stitch, because it reminds me of long rows of grapevines stretching along the hills in wine country. The scarf as shown took every last bit of a single ball of Margrite -- two balls would be better if you want to knit something long enough to wrap around your neck a few times.

Want to make your own? Here's how:
Using US 8 (5mm) needles, loosely cast on 19 stitches.  Knit 2, *yo, sl1, k2, psso, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit. Repeat for every row until scarf is desired length. Bind off loosely. Block if desired -- blocking will open up the scarf and enhance the lacy look.

Here's a closeup of the stitch. And, just in case the abbreviations I used weren't familiar:

k - knit
psso - pass slipped stitch over
sl - slip
yo- yarn over

Happy knitting!