SUNFLOWER DESIGNS
Turn Your Face to the Sun!
HUGS AND KISSES
By Susan Pandorf When my children were little and said goodbye to the lake house at the end of summer, their grandmother always ran outside and stood in the driveway, waving her arms about YMCA style, making "X"s and "O"s until they were out of sight. The kids picked up on it, and pretty soon we were "X"ing and "O"ing up and down the Lake Michigan coastline. They knew it meant they were loved.
This cunning little pattern plays with its cable pattern producing "X"s and "O"s. It would be great for your valentine in any red or pink combo. It would also make a great project for a breast cancer survivor. Pattern can be adapted for any yarn from laceweight to worsted. Just adjust the needle size and number of repeats accordingly. You could easily make it into a shawl, or even an afghan. The narrowness of the lace dividers, and the simple sturdiness of the SK2tog PSSO, ensure against sagging. Materials: One skein (approx. 400 yds.)sock yarn (sample knit in Dream in Color Smooshy. color: petal shower) Size 5 (US) needles Gauge: $8\,^{1}\!/\!_{2}$ stitches to an inch, before blocking Cast on 54 stitches. Row 1: P1, \*C4F, C4B, YO, SK2P, YO, C4B, C4F ,YO, SK2P, YO; repeat once from \* to last 9 stitches, C4F, C4B, P1. Row 2 (and all wrong side rows): K1, P52, K1. Rows 3, 7, 11, & 15: P1, $^{*}\mathrm{K}8$ , YO, SK2P, YO; repeat three more times from \* to last 9 stitches, K8, P1. Row 5: As row 1 Row 9: P1, \*C4B, C4F, YO, SK2P, YO, C4F, C4B ,YO, SK2P, YO; repeat once from \* to last 9 stitches, C4B, C4F, P1. Row 13: As row 9. P - purl Repeat these 16 rows until desired length or end of yarn. Bind off. Soak overnight and block to open up the lace panels between the cables.
Abbreviations:
K - knit C4F - Cable 4 front: Slip two stitches to cable needle. Drop to front of scarf. Knit next two stitches. Knit two stitches from cable needle. C4B -Cable 4 back:Slip two stitches to cable needle. Drop to back of scarf. Knit next two stitches. Knit two stitches from cable needle. SK2P - Slip, Knit 2 together, Pass: Slip one stitch to right hand needle, KNit next 2 stitches together. Pass slipped stitch back over. YO - yarn over: Pass yarn over needle from front to back. Now you're ready to wrap yourself or someone you know, in love (even if you don't go about waving your arms in the air like one ofthe Village People!) Happy Valentine's Day! And remember: BLESSINGS! Check out our blog and be the first to know of new pattern releases: http://afewstitchesshort.blogspot.com. Questions, comments, and corrections may be submitted by email to: susanpandorf@insightbb.com
