intricateSIMPLICITY

Blow me down if I didn’t finish two projects in one day!
And this one isn’t even needed for another more-than-a-week.
Of course, I ended up not doing it properly, but that is bound to have happened if I’d left it to the last minute anyway, so all’s even.
Now we just need the birthday-girl to turn two.
This is not actually the quilt I set out making her. The Real Quilt is made of a gazillion pieces, most of which are still not sewn together…..this was just going to be the back. But some of the kids liked it so much they convinced me to make it the front (to be honest it took very little convincing when I considered the amount of stitching still required for the real front…adding some tassles appeased my slightly (but not very and certainly shortlived) guilty conscience at the shortcut taken. I even had to undo a seam to insert them. What a good mother).
ER(nearly2) will get another much more intricate quilt another time.
I hope she loves ROSES.

PS It was only after I had uploaded the photos, made the collage, gone downstairs and taken a closeup of the tassles photo, uploaded that, added it to the collage, saved the collage, uploaded it to Flickr, resized it and pasted it in here that I realised someone had turned back the bottom of the quilt before I took the photo. Ah well….you can see the back….coz I’m not going to take another photo!

I hereby interrupt the loading of old projects to insert a current-only-just-finished-project.
Brown corduroy pants for M5.
Cost: under $5.
Complete with patchwork pocket.
Reason for patchwork: I was too cheap to cut into more of the fabric.
Verdict: they promise to become a favourite.

I found this very very handy little sock calculator designed especially for Opal yarns. Although I have not used it yet, it is a very very very useful wee tool. And now that I’ve linked it here I’ll never lose it. I imagine it will work for any 4ply yarn.

On that same site is a lovely rainbow ripple pattern, which I really must try.
And a great Simple Kid’s Sock.
Plus a cool hole pattern - as if you need to make holes in socks! It’s the “meg one” I particularly like.

All for Opal.

My Adult 4ply Top Down Sock Pattern
Cast on 60 stitches, dividing them evenly on three needles.
Join, being careful not to twist.
Work k1p1 or k2p2 ribbing for 15 rounds.
Continue in stocking stitch or pattern of your choice until piece measures desired length.
(Just working 8-12 rounds in k1p1 rib and then going straight to the heel makes a short ankle sock)

Begin Heel Flap
Work across 30 stitches (needle 1 plus ten stitches from needle 2 - keep them all on needle 1). Turn.
Now, working back and forth only on those stitches and turning the work each row:
*slip1 purlwise purl1* repeat to end of row (wrong side).
Slip1 purlwise knit across the row (right side).
Continue these two rows until you can count 14 slipped stitches.
End with a right side row.

Turn Heel
Purl 17 purl2together  purl1   
Slip1 k5 slip1 slip1, both knitwise, knit through front of slipped stitches.
Slip1 Purl until one stitch before gap, purl2together, purl1
Slip1 Knit until one stitch before gap, slip1 slip1, both knitwise, knit through front of slipped stitches, knit1
Repeat last two rows until all stitches have been worked.

Gussets
Pick up 15 stitches on right side of flap (needle 1)
Knit 30 stitches (from next two needles) onto instep needle (needle 2).
Pick up 15 stitches on left side of flap (needle 3).
Knit half the heel stitches onto this needle, put the other half onto the needle where you picked up the first group of stitches.
Knit one round even, knitting the picked up stitches through the backs of the loops.

Decrease Rounds
Needle 1: knit to within 3 stitches of end, k2tog, knit 1.
Work instep needle.
Needle 3: knit1, slip1 slip1, both knitwise, knit through front of slipped stitches, knit to end of row.
Knit one round even.
Repeat these two rounds until you are back to the number of stitches you cast on (60).

Foot
Knit around until 2 inches short of desired length of foot. You can use stocking stitch or continue in the same pattern established on the leg. 

Toe
Decrease Rounds:
Needle 1: Knit until 3 stitches from end, knit2together, knit 1.
Needle 2 (instep needle): Knit 1, slip1 slip1, both knitwise, knit through front of slipped stitches, knit to 3 stitches from end, knit2together, knit 1.
Needle 3: Knit 1, slip1 slip1, both knitwise, knit through front of slipped stitches, knit to end.
Work one round even.
Repeat these two rounds until you have 20 stitches left altogether.
Knit across needle 1.
Graft toe together using magic kitchener stitch.

Felting slippers has got to be almost as easy as knitting cloths. The margin for error is massive. Actually I don’t think you can go wrong. Not if you follow the incredibly easy instructions. (We tried altering the pattern - making it just garter stitch so that the little little kids could make their own, but it doesn’t felt anywhere near as well - it’s better to teach the kids to purl) 

Felted Feet Pattern:
with 14ply wool or two strands of 8ply cast 28 stitches onto 8mm needles
knit in stocking stitch until slipper is five centimetres longer than your foot (yes, five centimetres, no matter what size you’re doing)
*k2 k2tog* repeat across row
purl a row
*k1 k2tog* repeat across row
purl a row
*k2tog* repeat across row
break the yarn leaving a tail long enough to pull through stitches and sew up the front of the slipper (right sides together) leaving a 13cm opening for the foot
sew up the back seam too
throw in the washing machine and agitate for a few cycles, taking out frequently to check size
mould to your foot while still damp for a perfect fit

(If you want to make them for a bigger foot ~ the above size will fit a child-whose-age-is-still-in-single-digits ~ cast on 32 sttiches for a lady’s foot or 38 stitches for a men’s foot, and leave 17cm and 20cm respectively for the foot openings)

We have visions of embroidering or crocheting a nice edge or sewing on beads or pompoms or even knitting the front to a longer point and making a jester’s toe…..but so far plain functionality has won out and we have moved onto other more pressing projects.

J12-at-the-time’s slippers

Here is a similar, but even easier still and most probably even quicker to knit pattern.
And aren’t these pretty?
When the kids progress past knit and purl stitches, they’ll have to try these or these.

These were leftover socks. Sharon gave me a hank of watermelon and it just didn’t end.
Look at all the goodies I got out of it (can’t post just socks every day):

1-2 year old size socks
8ply wool, little purple needle - what size is it?

cast on 92 stitches
purl one round
*k3tog* repeat to end of round (32)
k1p1 for 8 rounds
*k2tog YO* repeat to end of round
k1p1 12 rounds
split for heel:
turn work
*slip1 p1* across half stitches (16)
slip 1 k to end of those 16 stitches
continue these two rows until there are 6 slipped stitches
p8 p2tog p1
slip1 k1k2tog k1
slip1 p2 p2tog p1
slip1 k3 k2tog k1
slip1 p4 p2tog p1
slip1 k5 k2tog k1
slip1 p6 p2tog
k7 k2tog
pick up 8 stitches on side of gusset
(place marker before instep if working on circular needle, or else arrange work on dpns to suit)
k across instep (and place marker)
k one round even, knitting through back of picked-up stitches, to 3 st before marker before instep
k2tog k1 slip marker k across until 3 stitches before next marker
slip1 k1 PSSO knit to end of round
k one round even
continue these two rows until 32 stitches remain
continue in stocking stitch until 2.5cm short of finished length
starting from 3 stitches before first marker for instep
k2tog k1 slip marker k1 slip1 k1 PSSO knit across to three stitches before next marker
k1 slip1 PSSO slip marker k2 tog k1 knit across to three stitches before next marker
continue until 16 stitches remain
graft together with kitchener stitch
fold top over

For a 3-4 year old size, knit the leg and foot longer and make the heel turning a little wider:
p9 p2tog p1
slip1 k3 k2tog k1
slip1 p4 p2tog p1
slip1 k5 k2tog k1
slip1 p6 p2tog p1
slip1 k7 k2tog k1

NB the larger sock above has a seed stitch border and less of a frill than the pattern is written for - the frillier one looked nicer so I haven’t bothered writing up the pattern for the not-so-nice one

Little Newborn Top Pattern:
(this is a true teeny tiny newborn size)
cast 69 stitches onto 5mm circular needles
seed stitch for 4 rounds
stocking stitch for 11cm, ending with k2tog at end of final round (6
k2 *k6 k2tog* k2 (60)
knit one round even
*k3 YO k2tog* repeat to end of round
knit one round even
k1p1 for 12 rounds
bind off in pattern
pick up 3 stitches on top edge on 4mm needles and knit an i-cord
your first shoulder strap is done
repeat three times, positioning straps carefully
tie together two straps on each shoulder
thread ribbon through eyelet holes

can’t find cable pattern - if only I’d started blogging sooner; I’d have thrown it straight up here, never to be lost again 

So soft. So warm. So merino.
The self-patterning yarn above is not merino (it’s Opal, and the very first supposed-to-be-for-socks-wool I ever used….as opposed to the let’s-use-up-the-leftovers-from-something-else-I’ve-finished-knitting-probably-in-8-ply-wool).

But the pink and the purple, they ARE merino. Did I mention how soft it is? It just slides along the needles. It’s a delight to touch. It was so nice I almost managed to forget about the fact that I kept getting lost in my first ever lace-ish pattern. Actually, by the time I got to the second sock, it was easy-peasy, but for some reason at first something kept going wrong. Now I wish I’d done a few more repeats of the pattern! And I probably will - for me. Daughter Number Two claimed these socks as the most beautiful socks she’s ever seen and are you knitting them for me mum? When I get round to knitting my own pair, I’ll need to remember they were made with the Tiny Tulip Sock Pattern.

And while I’m mentioning patterns, here’s a source that’s probably better than your local library or even yarn shop: Free Sock Patterns

Basic 4 ply Pattern for small feet (perhaps 1-4 years)
cast on 40 stitches on 2.5mm dpns
k1p1 rib for 6 rounds
stocking stitch leg for as long as you like
OR k2p2 rib OR k3p1 rib or k1p1 rib or any other pattern in a multiple of 4
IF you choose a rib pattern, make the final four rounds before splitting for heel stocking stitch across the heel so that it lies smoother
split for heel:
knit across half the stitches (20)
turn work
*slip1 purlwise p1* repeat to end
slip1 purlwise knit across to end
repeat these two rows until there are 8-10 slipped stitches
(if you want horizontal stripes as per the pink and purple pair above, change colour on each knit row, ending with the colour you would like at the base of the heel)
turn heel:
p12 p2tog
k5 slip1 knit 1 PSSO (also knowns as SKP!)
p to 1 stitch before the gap p2tog p1
k to 1 stitch before the gap slip1 (knitwise) k1 PSSO k1
continue these two rows until all stitches are worked
work gusset:
pick up 10-11 stitches along gusset edge (needle 1)
knit next 20 stitches (in established pattern if you like) (needle 2)
pick up same number of stitches up other side of gusset on needle 3 and knit next 6 stitches onto same needle
slip remaining 6 stitches onto needle 1
knit around, knitting TBL of picked up stitches
(can switch colours when back at the beginning of heel if doing stripes)
knit one round even
work gusset decreases on alternate rounds:
needle 1: knit to 3 stitches from the end k2tog k1
needle 2: knit
needle 3: k1 slip1 knitwise k1 PSSO
continue until 40 stitches remain
work foot:
knit in desired pattern until 2.5cm from end of foot
work toe decreases on alternate rounds:
starting from 3 stitches before needle 1, k2tog k1
needle 1: k1 slip1 knitwise k1 PSSO knit across to three stitches before needle 2, k1 slip1 knitwise PSSO
needle 3: k2 tog k1 knit across to three stitches before needle 1
continue until 12 (for 1 year old) or 16 (for older children) stitches remain
graft together with kitchener stitch

hint: the homemade ones are stripey (heehee)

Peter Rabbit Newborn Feet Pattern:
Cast on 32 stitches (8 ply wool, so I presume I used 4mm needles)
k2 p2 rib for 12 rows
Keeping to pattern, next 3 alternate rows bind off 2 stitches at each end (20)
Continue in pattern until almost foot length (maybe 9cm)
*k2 k2tog* repeat to end of row
knit one row even
*k1 k2tog* repeat to end of row
knit one row even
*k2tog* repeat to end of row
Draw yarn through the remaining stitches and sew up the front to the bound off stitches
Sew back seam and fold over the top bit (you’ll see when you get there )

 And then I found an even easier pattern on the good ol’ internet - not even any sewing required.