Saturday, January 19, 2008

Fern Clog Socks!



This is a free pattern for "clog socks". These socks were knit by my friend, the uber-talented Stariel from the knittyboard, using my own handpainted yarn available at Inspinknity. Knit from the cuff down, they have a lace pattern right down the back of the leg, and continuing on the heel flap. You could do a traditional heel flap instead, if you wish. The front of the sock is knit in stockinette, although again, you could knit the lace pattern on the front half too! Pattern is available at Ravelry, or here: download-button

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Patterns Now on Ravelry!

Just letting you know that now you can download pdf's of my free patterns from Ravelry. Here is my designer page. If you're not yet on Ravelry, go here, and sign up! Then, leave me a comment with your email, and I'll send you the pattern.

Monday, October 15, 2007




Sexy Trinket Bag Copyright 2007 Rachel Calado

A PDF is available on Ravelry for this pattern now. If you aren't yet on Ravelry, sign up here, and then leave me a comment and I'll email you the pattern!

I designed this bag to hold the rings for my sister-in-law's wedding. My son Ben was the ring bearer, he did a perfect job of course! I think I had less than 6" of yarn left. Here's how I figured out when to bind off... I "guessed" at where I wanted the eyelet round and knitted that. Then I knit one more round. Then, I wrapped the yarn around the needle 60 times to figure how much yarn I needed for a row, measured it, and then measured the rest of my yarn. A little more math and I knew how many rows I could do, including the increase row and the bind off. Be fearless!

1 ball Muench Touch Me (I used ENTIRE ball. Your results may vary!)
Size 7 dpns (you could go down a needle size, or knit tightly, to ensure you'll have enough yarn!)

Bag Base:
1. Cast on 5 sts, join to work in the round.
2. Knit one round.
3. (K1, M1) to end.
4. K
5. (K2, M1) to end.
6. K
7. (K3, M1) to end.
8. K
Continue increasing in the manner until you have 60 sts (or until bag base is as big as you want it.)

Bag Body:
Knit every round until bag is 5” tall (not including base. I “sat” the bag flat on a table and measured the height as best I could.) (make the bag taller if you wish… or shorter… J

Next round: (k2tog, yo) around.

Knit 6 more rounds.

Next round: KFB every stitch.

Bind off.

I used a satin ribbon as the drawstring, threading it through every other eyelet hole.

Voila! Now you have a sexy little trinket bag!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Simple Toe-up Anklets

Simple Toe Up Anklets © Rachel Calado, 2007. All Rights Reserved.

A PDF is available on Ravelry for this pattern now. If you aren't yet on Ravelry, sign up here, and then leave me a comment and I'll email you the pattern!

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Needles - size 1 or 2 Addi's, 40" is best, but can be done on 32".
Yarn - 100 gms sock yarn. (You'll have a ton left...)
Notions - crochet hook, "waste yarn" for provisional cast on
Gauge: 8 sts/in (row gauge not important)

CAST ON:
With contrasting (waste) yarn, crochet a chain of approx 36 sts. Pick up 32 sts with working yarn through back bumps of chain. Purl 1 row.

BEGIN SHORT ROWS:
Row 1: k31, yarn fwd (yf), sl 1, yarn back (yb), slip stitch back to left needle. Turn. (You will now have 1 wrapped stitch on right needle, and 31 sts on left needle.)
Row 2: Purl to last st, yb, sl 1, yf, slip stitch back to left needle. (You will now have 1 wrapped stitch on right needle, and 31 sts on left needle.)
Row 3: Knit to last stitch before wrapped stitch. (You can generally tell which stitch this is, because those two will be rather close together compared to other stitches.) yf, sl 1, yb, slip stitch back to left needle. Turn.
Row 4: Purl across to the last stitch before the wrapped stitch. Wrap and turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until you have only 16 "live" or unwrapped stitches left. You will have wrapped 8 sts on either side of these stitches, and will be ready to begin with a knit row. **How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock toe to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.

Now you'll work the second half of the toe:
Row 1: Knit across the 16 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
Row 2: Purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch. Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 32 "live" stitches. See how this made a nice pocket for your toes?

You are now ready to pick up your provisional cast on stitches with the other end of your circular needle. Place the 32 stitches you've been working on, on one end of the circular, on the needle portion. Hold the toe of the sock, toe pointing down, with this needle in the back pointing left. Now, take the other needle end of the circ, and start picking up stitches from right to left. Both needles will end up parallel to each other, pointing to the left. Unzip your provisional cast-on just a stitch or two at a time, and place them on the other end of your needle. Although you initially cast on 32 sts, you will see that you only have 31 sts on the needle. This is correct! Pick up one more stitch between the needles. You now have a total of 64 stitches and are ready to work in the round, a la magic loop method!

Now hold the sock so that both needles are pointing to the right, the toe pointing down. Grasp the tip of the back needle (which also has your working yarn hanging from the first stitch) and gently slide it out, leaving the stitches on the cord of the circular. Don't pull it all the way. Leave a loop of cable between the front half and the back half of the sock. Pull far enough that you can now use the tip of the needle to start knitting the stitches off the front needle. Knit across the row, turn your sock, and now pull the loop to position the needles that were on the cord onto the needle again. Repeat.

Continue in this manner, working in stockinette stitch, until the sock is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches shorter than your foot. You can slide all stitches onto the cord of the needle, being careful to leave a loop of cord between the two halves, to try on the sock at any time.

Time to do the heel!

SHORT ROW HEEL - worked on one needle only!

Row 1: k31, yarn fwd (yf), sl 1, yarn back (yb), slip stitch back to left needle. Turn. (You will now have 1 wrapped stitch on right needle, and 31 sts on left needle.)
Row 2: Purl to last st, yb, sl 1, yf, slip stitch back to left needle. (You will now have 1 wrapped stitch on right needle, and 31 sts on left needle.)
Row 3: Knit to last stitch before wrapped stitch. (You can generally tell which stitch this is, because those two will be rather close together compared to other stitches.) yf, sl 1, yb, slip stitch back to left needle. Turn.
Row 4: Purl across to the last stitch before the wrapped stitch. Wrap and turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until 8 of the heel stitches are wrapped and on left side, 16 stitches are "live" in the middle, and 8 are wrapped on the right. At this stage, you should be ready to work a right side row. Your heel is half done. **How many stitches you leave unwrapped in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock heel to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.

Now you'll work the second half of the heel. This is the same way you worked the toe.

Row 1: Knit across the 16 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
Row 2: Purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.

Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 32 "live" stitches. See how this made a nice pocket for your heel?

When you have all stitches live again, you'll be ready to begin working in the round again. It's easier this time - no provisional cast-on to pick up! On your first round, pick up an extra stitch between the front and back needle, at each end, to close any potential hole. 66 sts. Work in stockinette stitch for approx 12 rows.

Now do one inch of 2x2 ribbing.

Binding off:

For this I like to use a “sewn” bind off. It provides a nice stretchy edge for your sock.

Break yarn, leaving it at least 4x as long as the circumference of the sock. Thread the yarn onto a tapestry needle. Insert the needle through the first two stitches, as if to purl (from right to left). Pull yarn through leaving the stitches on the left needle. Now insert the tapestry needle through the first stitch as if to knit, and slip it off the needle. Continue in this manner until all stitches are done.

Weave in ends, and wear!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

"April Showers" Reversible Fingerless Mitts!

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A PDF is available on Ravelry for this pattern now. If you aren't yet on Ravelry, sign up here, and then leave me a comment and I'll email you the pattern!


Yarn - 1 ball of worsted/aran weight yarn
Needles - Size 8 circulars, 40" or set of dpns.
Gauge - 4 sts/in.

* denotes repeats

This pattern was written to be seen in reverse stockinette, however, after knitting these, I flipped one inside out to see what it looked like, and realized it looks great from either side. Wear as you like!

Cast on 28 sts using the long tail method.
Join to work in the round.
Knit in p2 k2 rib, for 2 inches.
Purl 1 round, increasing 2 stitches evenly around, 30 sts.

1) *yo, p2tog, p4*
2, 3, 4, 5) *k1, p5*
6) p3, *yo, p2tog, p4* to last 3 sts, yo, p2tog, p1
7, 8, 9, 10) p3, *k1, p5* to last 3 sts, k1, p2
11 - 15) Repeat rows 1-5
16) BO first 6 sts, p3, *yo, p2tog, p4* to last 3 sts, yo, p2tog, p1.
17) cast on 6 sts, p3, *k1, p5* to last 3 sts, k1, p2.
18, 19, 20) as for rows 8, 9, 10
21 - 25) Repeat rows 1-5 once more
Work 1 inch of p2, k1 rib, decreasing by 2 sts the first round. (I did a k2tog at stitches 13 and 27)
Bind off.

Weave in ends.
Knit another one!

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Monday, April 9, 2007

Symmetrical Braided Gauntlets

gauntlet

Download this pattern in a pdf here!


Materials:
1 skein Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (I used the entire skein, 98 yds or so, so be careful to compare yardage if substituting)
55% Merino wool, 33% Microfibre, 12% Cashmere
98 yards/90m per 50g
Size 7 US dpns (set of 4)

Gauge:
18 sts = 4 inches

Stitch Guide:
C6F Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold in front of work. Knit next 3 sts, then knit 3 sts from cable needle. Makes a left twist.

C6B Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold in back of work. Knit next 3 sts, then knit 3 sts from cable needle. Makes a right twist.

Left Gauntlet.
Cast on 35 stitches, distributing as follows:
N1: 10
N2: 13
N3: 12

Ribbing: work six rows as follows:

N1 – k2, p2, k2, p2, k2
N2 – p2, k3, p3, k3, p2
N3 – k2, p2, k2, p2, k2, p2

*Begin cable pattern.

Needles 1 and 3 are to be knit throughout.
Needle 2 is as follows:

Row 1 – p2, k9, p2
Row 2 – p2, k9, p2
Row 3 – p2, c6f, k3, p2
Row 4 – p2, k9, p2
Row 5 – p2, k9, p2
Row 6 – p2, k3, c6b, p2

Repeat from * 3 more times (or more if you like longer gauntlets). End with row 6 of cable pattern.

Begin gussett:

Needles 2 & 3 will be worked in the same manner as the cable section.

Needle one will be worked as follows:
K5, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k1, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k3, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k5, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k7, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k9, m1, k5
Knit
K5, m1, k11, m1, k5
Knit

Slip the 13 “new” stitches onto a spare piece of yarn. This will later be the thumb.

Knit the rest of the live stitches for 1 round, again working cable pattern for needle 2.

Work 2 more rows following cable pattern. You should end with the last row as a “row 6”.

Repeat section one.
Bind off loosely in pattern.

Thumb:

Place stitches on needles and remove waste yarn. You’ll be picking up 3 new stitches where the thumb meets the hand portion. Knit 1 round, then do 6 rounds of k2 p2 rib.
BO loosely.

Right Gauntlet:

Is basically the same as left gauntlet, except you’ll distribute the stitches as follows:
N1: 12
N2: 13
N3: 10

Follow as for Left Gauntlet, switching directions for N1 and N3. You'll have to reverse the ribbing on needle one as well, working it as p2, k2, p2, k2, p2, k2. You also may want to switch rows 3 and 6 of the cable pattern so the cables will start/finish the opposite way from the left gauntlet.

This pattern is copyright 2006 Rachel Calado. Please do not re-print or knit the item for sale or profit without contacting me for permission.