Knit Happens

I never actually got around to seeing Julie/Julia but I heard about it, and surely that counts for something. It is in the spirit of the Julie and Julia project that I have begun my own.


Here is how this is going to work:
I am going to design and complete a knitting (and sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly non-conformist, a crocheting) project every week for one year. I will post a picture of the finished piece, and the pattern on this blog. I believe knitting patterns, like any other kind of art, ought to be free and thus they shall be. The only price of admission is you have to read whatever it is that I feel like talking about on any given week. I promise to keep it *relatively* short. I imagine that will be a harder task for me than the actual knitting....

This week I made a baby bunting as a gift for the Magnificent Mr. Jerry Holkins. He and his wife recently co-produced a baby girl, and all of us at Knerdy Knits (by all of us, I of course mean me) wish them the very best. I have a fairly well developed hero-complex revolving around Jerry, and have to admit that I looked upon the news that they had welcomed a daughter as an excuse to make him something without looking like a creepy fan girl. I don't know how successful the try-not-to-be-creepy endeavor was, but the bunting itself turned out fabulously. All in all a perfect way to kick off my year 'o knitting. I haven't yet worked out the whole file-hosting thing (I have many talents. Dealing with technology isn't one of them. I'm lucky I'm managing to type this without inadvertently setting the laptop on fire) so for now I will just be pasting the patterns into the end of each post. I would like to ultimately make them downloadable, but that sounds suspiciously like work on my part so no promises on when that will happen. For now, I would recommend copy and pasting them into your own file. Just for fun, I've decided to actually keep my blog relatively short today, what with how I said I would a paragraph ago.

Megan-Anne
I had a fortune, but the Greek stole it from me.

Penny Arcade baby bunting

© Megan Anne Forsythe, 2009

*The Penny Arcade logo is the sole property of penny Arcade.*

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Yarn (1 skein each):
Caron Simply Soft™ in Dark Country Blue (Color A); Persimon (Color B); Berry Blue (Color C); and White (Color D)

Needles:
1 pair size US8 Circular needles and 4 size US7 double pointed needles.

Notions:
6 Buttons, tapestry needle, stitch markers

Abbreviations:
CO = cast on
BO = bind off
M1 = make one stitch (pick up loop from bottom of stitch on left needle and knit it, knit next stitch. Also known as increasing)
PM = place marker
SM = slip marker
Skn = Stockinet stitch (K on right side and P on wrong side)
PU = pick up
K = Knit
P = Purl
Sts = stitches
Sl = Slip
Dpn = double pointed needle
K2tog = Knit two together

Instructions:
Bunting is knit in one flat piece from the bottom up. Bottom will be seamed at the end.

CO 83 sts onto circular needles with color A.
Row 1: K
R2: P
Increases (this helps give the bottom its shape):
R3: K15, PM, M1 K1 M1, PM, K47, PM, M1 K1 M1, PM, K15
R4: P
R5: K15, SM, M1 K3 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K3 M1, K15
R6: P
R7: K15, SM, M1 K5 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K5 M1, K15
R8: P
R9: K15, SM, M1 K7 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K7 M1, K15
R10: P, remove markers as you come to them, 99 sts on needles.
Next 10 rows: skn
Next 20 rows: skn, sl 1^st stitch of each row, and all rows from now on until otherwise noted.
Next 34 rows: work 25 sts in skn, work 49 sts from intarsia chart, work 25 sts skn.
Next 6 rows: skn

Make armholes:
K 25 sts onto dpn, K to end.
Next row: P25 sts onto dpn, P to end. 49 sts left on cicular needles.
Working just center 49 sts work 2 rows skn.
*k2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P* repeat from * twice (3 decreasing rows, 3 Purl rows) Break yarn. Place remaining center sts on stitch holder.
Front (right side) Place the 25 sts on the front right dpn back onto circular needles. Join yarn.
*K2tog, Kto last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P2tog, P to end* repeat from * 3 times. Break yarn, return sts to dpn.
Front (left side) Place the 25 sts on the front left dpn onto the circular needles. Join yarn.
*K2tog, Kto last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P to last 2 sts, P2tog* repeat from * 3 times. Break yarn, return sts to dpn.

Collar:
Beginning on the far right (with RightSide facing you):
K the 13 sts on the dpn onto the circular needles. CO 3, then K center sts onto the circular needles, CO3, K the 13 sts from last dpn onto circular needles.
Next row: *P2tog, P1* Repeat from * across. Switch to color B and work 5 rows in K2P2 ribbing. BO in pattern.

Button edge:
PU and K 46 sts along left front edge from just below collar to 2” above bottom.
R1: P
R2: K
R3: P
R4: *K4, BO3* repeat from * across
R5: *P4, CO3* repeat from * across (this makes button holes)
R6: K
R7: P
BO

PU and K 46 sts on right front edge from just below collar to 2” above bottom. Work skn for 4 rows. BO

Sleeves:
With dpns PU and K 30 sts from armhole. Knit in the round for about 7 inches. Switch to Color B and work 9 rows of K2P2 ribbing. BO in pattern.

Finishing: Block piece. Seam along bottom, and then seam front from bottom of button edging to bottom seam. Weave in all ends. Using a tapestry needle backstitch with one strand of color A around letters on intarsia (this step is very important. It really gives the letters definition.)