Sunday 23 October 2011

Autumn sky

I knit another item in the out-of-production (but oh so lovely) yarn Silk Embrace from Artesano. You can still (as this is written) get a few of the colours at a discounted price at Torgstenen, go go get it! This is the colour "Fandango", about 1 + 1/3 of a ball.

Pattern (this is a quickie, ask in the comments if you are unsure what I mean): 
I cast on 60 stitches on 6mm needles, and then knit every second stitch placing the other half on another needle. Continue knitting the odd stitches so that you knit back and forth in a U-shape. If wanted (I did) knit a cable down the sides (my pattern: k6, p3, k6 (= cable, cable over every 6 rounds), p3, k24, p3, k6, p3, k6, turn work. On WS: work stitches p/k as they appear.

When work is long enough to be stretched to join beneath your chin, pick up 3 more stitches on each side in *front* of the cable. Work the WS as it appears. On next RS round, pick up 3 more stitches in *front* of the cable (totalling 12+12 stitches, so back and front is equal = 24 stitches between purled columns, or totalling 72 stitches). Join work and proceed in the round for five to eight rounds or according to fit.

Shoulders: Shape shoulders by picking up stitches on every second round 1 stitch from the cable (1st round = k 11, m1, k1, p3, k6, p3, k1, m1, k22, m1, k1, p3, k6, p3, k1, m1, k11). Proceed until 1-2 cm from edge of shoulder. Knit another 6 rounds without making any more stitches. Cast off the lower edge of the 12 cable stitches on each side. Knit the back as 2+2 rib for about 5 cm (back and forth, selvedge). Knit front as 2+2 rib for about 15 cm or as long as you want it (tip: try it on with a jacket - check that you get the wished for coverage). Cast off.

Pick up stitches all around the hood (check the count, should be an even number when divided by two). Knit 2+2 rib for about 5 cm in the round. If the rib is looser than the hood (if it looks very "wavy" when tried on) either reduce number of stitches or weave in a thin elastic around the edge, alternately a cord with pom-poms to tighten it. I used the cord/elastic trick to get a comfy and adjustable fit, fearing that the castoff edge could be tight otherwise.

Good luck!