In this show, I'm going to share some super-simple projects that could serve as training wheels for lace projects and knitting in the round. If you have never knit in the round before, these are great first projects to tackle. Also, I talk about Ravelry and the Math4Knitters group.
First, there's a quick, easy pattern for knitting a holder for plastic shopping bags included as a pdf with this post. The large needles called for are easy to hold and the big, netty stitch pattern is right-off-the-bat satisfying to make. This version holds about 7 bags, or a week's worth in my two-cat household, but it could easily be sized up just by casting on more stitches in the beginning.
Once you know how to knit in the round, there's nothing to stop you from launching into other knitted, round, seamless things. Like what?
Shawls
Tablecloths
Blankets
Rugs
Sweaters
Top-down hats (why not?)
Round Dishcloths
By extension, adorable, seamless knitted toys, as designed by Ysolda Teague.
Zill Covers (to keep them quiet while you have them in your bag).
The missing link between my bag holder and this garden of delights is a way to start seamlessly, from the middle, without the hassle and tears which sometimes accompany this task. Enter the belly-button cast-on method. This is described and photographed beautifully by Rosemarie Buchanan of Vancouver Island, Canada, on her blog.
I'm the sort of person who likes to fuss around with how many different looks I can get from a simple method. So, I decided to see if I could come up with four simple ways to make covers for my zills. For those of you who don't know, zills are the small chimes that bellydancers wear on their fingers, and play along with their dancing. At least, that's the theory. When I put on zills, they seem to be mostly designed to drive me crazy and/or fly off, endangering innocent bystanders. However, that does not dampen my enthusiasm for knitting for them. Covers will keep them quiet as they knock around in my bag. Plus, I think they're pretty.
Zill Covers (worked on five double-pointed needles) - or - Mini Berets
-yo, swirl to right - For this, you yo on the right end of each needle, and in the middle of each needle, every other round.
-yo, swirl to left - For this, you yo on the left end of each needle, and in the middle of each needle, every other round.
-yo, four groups of two. This method produces a more square object, but blocking heals most woes. And, anyway, who wants everything to be perfectly round?
-yo, by four, in this case, at the right end of each needle, increasing every round.
Instructions for following what I did, exactly, are included in the pdf of zill cover patterns with this post.
I actually started to write about the correct way to make a yarn over. "When you are working one, make sure that you are bringing the working yarn all of the way around the needle, and not just by the shortest route. If you are working a yo in between two knit stitches, for example, you should bring the working yarn under the needle, from back to front, as if you were going to purl, then wrap the yarn all of the way to the back of the needle, in order to knit. If you are going to purl the stitch after the yarn over, wrap the yarn as above, then bring it back, from the back to the front, in order to purl. Otherwise, you won't have enough yarn engaged in the yarn over, and your resulting eyelet will be too small. Basically, the rule is, if your working yarn hasn't done a full circle of the needle before our next stitch, you are probably making your yarn over too short."
Potentially, what I wrote is correct. It could also make me a propagator of windbaggery. In fact, it could be complete rubbish! When in doubt, swatch it, and take notes. You can twist yarn overs in the next row to make them smaller, or make sure that they do not twist, to maximize them. You could wrap them entirely around the needle or, sometimes, just half-way. Some patterns even call for you to drop them. You can make double and triple yarn overs. It is all up to you, and what is best for your project.
Pattern reader's note: I have also seen yarn overs written as YO, yo, yarn forward, yf, yfwd, yfon, yfrn, and I'm sure there are other ways. Whew. I guess there are as many ways to write about yarn overs (or yarn-overs, or yarnovers) as there are to make them.
Links:
White Lies Designs' Madeline Jacket
Elann Sweater, using the same idea
Ysolda Teague's knitted toy designs
Belly-button cast-on method, by Rosemarie Buchanan
2010 Gauge Swatch Uses - 7. The new one is for testing out different approaches to yarn overs.
P. S. - My co-crafter Rhea noticed that my zill covers could double as mini berets. What a cute idea. I wish I had thought of it. So, "miniature beret" goes on the pattern description, and in the photos. Although, really, I know you all know that they are really just very small, very round, swatches for technique.
