BRELLA'S RUNIC BABY CHART
By my calculations, fantasy / sci-fi geekdom 十new parenthood十knitterly enterprise handknits that spell out ‘BABY' in dwarven runes! Now geeks can get their unsuspecting offspring to a simultaneous and early start in two obsessions: handknits and fantasy fiction. If you're a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, you need only check Appendix E of your copy of The Return of the King to confirm that the runes depicted in the attached chart correspond to the letters‘B',‘A" and \*Y' in the Angerthas, Tolkien's dwarven alphabet.
Stacking the runes for‘BA' over those for 'BY', choosing a cotton blend yarn, and working at a gauge of about 14.5 sts = 20 rows = 4" in stockinette, you'll get something like the pictured result. However, you may choose to go with a different arrangement, yarn or gauge; it's all up to you. Now you can decorate your own blankets, cushions, pullovers or whatever with your own dwarven BABY labels. The included chart shows only how to recreate the motifs shown above. To centre the chart in a baby blanket you need only work the chart flat as one large square, then pick up and knit stitches around each side of the square, and continue working in the round with increases at each corner until the desired size of blanket is reached. More specifically: k 48 across top of chart, pm, pick up and k 46 sts along left side (3 sts for every 4 rows), pm, pick up and k 46 sts along bottom side, pm, pick up and k 46 sts along right side, pm; 186 sts total. Next row: k48, \*sl m, k to last st before marker, kfb, repeat from \* twice more; 192 sts total (48 sts per side). Plain row: work all sts. Increase row: \*kfb, work to last st before marker, kfb, sl m, repeat from \* thrice more; 8 sts increased. Alternate plain and increase rows until desired size attained. AT THE SAME TIME, work other textures and motifs as desired. Working strategic increases, decreases and cables creates the angular lines and junctions that set off each rune so clearly, but it may take some practice to manage these neatly. Also, it takes a little more experience to work cables on the WS as well as RS of the work, and to work increases and decreases both knitwise and purlwise. Knitters are advised to try a swatch with just one of the runes first, to work out any kinks in technique. Please don't charge anyone money for this chart or for whatever you might make out of it. The genesis of this chart is credited to J.R.R. Tolkien, and as such it should not be used for personal profit.
brella is a Studio Ghibli otaku and fantasy / sci-fi fan who knits and teaches at an alternative school in Toronto, Canada
