Mystery 9" Knit Block ‘Beetle Mania’ - reversible to ‘Bright Ideas"
c. 2015 Margaret MacInnis Part of the Garden Mystery Series II
Yarn: Vanna's Choice or aran weight yarn 45 grams or 80 yds Bernat Handicrafter /other worsted weight cotton Needle: I used 4.5 mm or US 7. Remember that garter stitch tends to crowd and shrink more than seed will. (56 rows if edging worked as 8 rows, 52 rows if worked as 6 rows) Hook: I used 4.5 mm or Us G for a gauge of 16 st per 4 in (10 cm) in garterstitch Yarn Needle, Stitch Markers
STITCHES
PRC (3/1): Move next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back, knit next st, purl 3 sts from cn PLC (1/3): Move next st to cable needle and hold in front, purl next 3 sts, knit st from cn M1regular: Using the cross bar between two sts, lift it to left needle and knit into the back of it Ssk: slip kwise, slip kwise, knit the two together after slipping back together to left needle K2tog: knit two stitches together PM: place marker
INSTRUCTIONS
Cast on 34 sts using long-tail. (if you want a 9" block in worsted, work an additional 3 sts each side in garter, for a cast on of 40 sts, and work 10 rows of garter at beg and end) Row 9: knit 4, PM, (M1, k2, M1, k3) 6 times (46 sts) Row 10: RS k8, (p6, k6) 2 times, p6, k4, PM, k4 Row 11: WS k4, p4, (k6, p6) 2 times, k6, p4, ,k4 Row 12: RS k7, [PLC (1/3), PRC (3/1), k4] 2 times, [PLC (1/3), PRC (3/1)], k7 Row 13: WS k4, p3, (k3, p2, k3, p4) 2 times, (k3, p2, k3, p3), k4 Row 14: RS k6, [PLC (1/3), k2, PRC (3/1), k2) rep across to last 4 sts, k4
DO NOT WORK YET:
CROCHET BORDER FOR 9" KNIT BLOCKS: Aran-weight
instructions—-goal 27-28 sl stitches per side, including corner st g crochet hook, pull a loop through between first and second knit rows, on the righ Slip first st onto hook, yo, slip through both stitches LOOSELY (corner st made), slip next st onto hook, yo, slip through. \*Slip next 2 sts onto hook, yo, slip through LOOSELY. (Slip next st onto hook, yo, slip through LOOSELY) 5 times.\* Repeat \* to \* to last 6 sts. Continue slipping until 28 sts are reached (including corner st at beg of row), dec again if necessary. \*\*Slip last st from needle onto hook. Insert hook into between last two rows on the left (just under the edge thread there), pull up a loop and slip through all loops on hook (corner st made). When hooking between the rows on the sides, just hook under the first thread, don't go too deeply. Rotate. Working between garter ridges or between seed st edge rows, slip into each in turn. About every 5 or 6 or even 7 stitches, also slip into the row itself using the first 'bump'. If you think about it, this stitch count and the number of increases will depend on how many rows in your complete project. 1 worked 56 rows—so I will have 28 spaces, necessitating no increase along the sides, and a decrease five times along the top and bottom (with 34 stitches coming down to 28, leaving one stitch for the other side corner). The goal is to make the count the same on all four sides. On the top and bottom, decrease as necessary. My personal goal is 27 or 28 stitches per side (including corner st) for the aran-weight blocks. Count ahead and determine how many you have to decrease on increase to achieve that, and work the decreases or increases as evenly spaced as you can. Working LoosELY is mandatory for working the sc or hdc edge after; you'll thank me. SC or HDC edge: Depending on your size required, work a round of sc or hdc. If the block is already 9", fasten off. The sl st edge will be adequate for the crocheters to join with your work. I work 3 sc in each corner st, with a final count of 30 sts per side, or 120 for the block. Finish your last st with an Invisible Join to the first. Resist the urge to MAsH it together, work the nice join and finish with pride. Weave in ends securely.
