Feather and fanny by Eveline Schaekens
Every girl needs a bit of lace, and there's no reason to wait until they grow up. This diaper cover has a lacy twirly skirt with a modified feather-and-fan pattern. The part underneath the skirt is knit in a contrasting colour to bring out the details of the lace. Because this is knit in DK wool, it's a relatively quick knit. The details of the lace and the shaping of the cover itself are just varied enough to keep a knitter interested, with pleasantly relaxing stockinette parts in between to allow your mind to dwell on the perfect accessory to go with this adorable little skirt.
Size: S (M, L) Finished measurements (unstretched): 32 ( 38, 45) cm width at the hip Gauge: 25 st to 10 cm Yarn: DK wool, \~150 m/50g ball 1 (2, 2) balls of main skirt colour 1 (1, 1) ball of bottom colour 1 (1, 1) ball of contrast skirt colour You'll need a circular needle to give you the right gauge (suggested size: 3.5 mm). You may need to magic loop or use two circulars, especially for the smaller size soaker. You'll also need (a) circular needle(s) or DPNs one size smaller (suggested size: 3.25 mm) for the legs (depending on your preferred method of knitting smaller tubes), a yarn needle, some stitch markers and some smooth waste yarn in a contrasting colour.
From the top:
Cast on 80 (96, 112) stitches in the main skirt colour. Join in the round, taking care not to twist. Mark the beginning of your round. Work in [2p, 2k] ribbing for 5 rounds. Work in a row of eyelets: [p, yo, k2tog, k] for one round. Resume working in [2p, 2k] ribbing until piece measures 4 cm from the CO edge. Start working in stockinette, continue until the piece measures 10 (12, 14) cm. Now, thread a yarn needle with a length of smooth waste yarn in a contrasting colour. Thread this through all the live stitches on your needles, like a lifeline, without taking the stitches off your needles. You're marking the stitches to make it easier to pick them up again later (make sure to save enough yarn of the main skirt colour to knit at least one round here when picking up stitches again). Just leave the waste yarn hanging and go on to knit
the skirt:
Knit one round, placing a marker after every 16 stitches. You'll do 5 (6, 7) repeats of the pattern described and charted below. Written instructions are for one repeat. Row I and all other rows unless specified below are knit rows. Row 3 and 5 k1, [yo, sk2p, yo, k2], repeat sequence in brackets two more times (three total), slip marker Row 7 k2, yo, skpo, yo, k2, yo, sk2p, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k3, slip marker (18 st/repeat) Row 11 [yo, k] 3 times, k2, skpo, sk2p, k2tog, k3, [yo, k] 3 times (20 st/repeat) Row 15 [yo, k] 4 times, skpo 2 times, sk2p, k2tog 2 times, k, [yo, k] 4 times (22 st/repeat) Row 19 [yo, k] 5 times, skpo 2 times, sk2p, k2tog 2 times, k, [yo, k] 5 times (26 st/repeat) Row 23 [yo, k] 5 times, yo, skpo 3 times, sk2p, k2tog 3 times, [yo, k] 6 times (30 st/repeat) Row 27 [yo, k] 6 times, k, skpo 3 times, sk2p, k2tog 3 times, k2, [yo, k] 6 times (34 st/repeat) Row 31 [yo, k] 7 times, skpo 4 times, sk2p, k2tog 4 times, k, [yo, k] 7 times (38st/repeat) Row 35 [yo, k] 7 times, k2, skpo 4 times, sk2p, k2tog 4 times, k3, [yo, k] 7 times (42 st/repeat) Row 37 Change to contrast skirt colour, Knit this round. Row 39 [m1 purl, p10, m1 purl, p11] twice (46 st/repeat)
Row 41 Purl Bind off loosely, purlwise. I like to use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff Now, back to knitting
the bottom:
Remember the waste yarn you threaded through a bunch of stitches earlier? Go back to it. Flip the skirt inside out and locate the waste yarn (aren't you glad you picked a contrasting colour for it?) and reload all the stitches from the lifeline onto your needle. It helps to use a smaller size needle for this, just make your needle follow the lifeline. Do a quick count to see if you have 80 (96, 112) stitches on your needle. Don't worry if you 're a little off here, just fix it with an increase or decrease in the next round to arrive at the right number. You should have the wrong side of the skirt facing you, as you're about to knit the bum and legs that go underneath it. Mark the beginning and the center of your round. Now, in the main skirt colour (this is important, it will show if you use a different colour) knit one or two rounds in stockinette. Switch to the bottom colour and knit two more rounds in stockinette stitch. Time to create some room for the bum and all the padding that comes with it by adding some short rows in the back. Row 1 Knit to the center of the round, then knit 18 (21, 24) stitches, wrap the next stitch and turn. Row 2 Slip the first stitch, purl 18 (21, 24) stitches past the center of the round marker, wrap and turn Row 1a (M and L sizes only) Sl 1, k (18, 21) st past COR marker, w&t Row 2a (M and L sizes only) Sl 1, p (18, 21) st past COR marker, w&t Row 1b (L size only) Sl 1, k 18 st past COR marker, w&t Row 2b (L size only) S1 1, p 18 st past COR marker, w&t Row 3 S1 1, k 15 st past COR marker, w&t Row 4 S1 1, p 15 st past COR marker, w&t Row 5 S1 1, k 12 st past COR marker, w&t Row 6 S1 1, p 12 st past COR marker, w&t Row 7 S1 1, k 9 st past COR marker, w&t Row 8 S1 1, p 9 st past COR marker, w&t Row 9 S1 1, k 4 st past COR marker, w&t Row 10 S1 1, p 4 st past COR marker, w&t Row 1l Continue knitting in stockinette in the round again, picking up and knitting all wraps with their stitches as you encounter them. Knit about 5 (6, 7) rounds evenly.
Then, repeat the following two rows 4 (5, 6) times: Row I k1, m1, k until 1 before COR marker, m1, k2, m1, k until 1 before EOR marker, m1, k1. Row2k 8 (10, 12) stitches increased. Place the first 4 (5, 6) stitches on a stitch holder, transfer the next 40 (48, 56) stitches to the smaller circular needle or DPNs and leave the remaining stitches on the needle for now. Knit the stitches of the leg in the round in stockinette for 4 rounds, then work 12 rounds of [p2, k2] ribbing. Bind off in Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff. Go back to the original needle. Place the next 8 (10, 12) stitches on a stitch holder. Transfer the 40 (48, 56) stitches after that to the DPNs and put the remaining 4 (5, 6) stitches on a stitch holder as well. Work the second leg like the first one. Take the crotch stitches from their stitch holders and weave them together with the kitchener stitch. Weave in all ends, knit an i-cord in the contrast skirt colour and thread it through the eyelets at the waist.Block lightly. Abbreviations: k: knit p: purl k2tog: knit two together skpo: slip knitwise, knit, pass slipped stitch over sk2p: slip knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over m1: make 1 by picking up and knitting (or purling) into the back of the connecting thread below yo: yarn over COR, EOR, SM: center of round, end of round, slip marker w&t: wrap and turn Sl: slip stitch
