FiBERSPACE
Chili Pepper Christmas Stocking P-54
Who says a Christmas stocking has to be shaped like a stocking? Add some spice to the mantle with a felted red hot chili pepper. Now that's a stuffed pepper we can all enjoy! Finished size: 812" wide at top x 19" long.
Materials
2 (100g/160y) skeins Brown Sheep Co Lanaloft Worsted (100% wool) in LL15 Roasted Pepper (MC) 1 (100g/160y) skein Brown Sheep Co Lanaloft Worsted in LL91 Herbal Garden (CC) Size 11 US circular, 16" & 24", sz 11 double pointed needles, smaller spare circular Ring markers, split ring or locking stitch marker Tapestry needle Gauge: approx 3 sts/inch in st st before felting
Techniques
m1 - Make one. Make a st by picking up the loop lying between the st just worked and the next st. Knit into the back of this st. w&t - Wrap & turn. On right side (RS) - slip next st as if to purl, bring yarn forward between needles, slip slipped st back onto left needle, return yarn to back of work, turn work, and begin to purl. On wrong side (Ws) - slip next st as if to purl, bring yarn to back of work, slip slipped st back onto left needle, bring yarn forward, turn work and begin to knit. W&T can produce small holes at the turn. Avoid this problem by picking up the wraps, and working them along with the corresponding st when they are encountered. Pick Up And Knit - Insert needle under st and wrap yarn knitwise around the needle. Draw the yarn (the stitch) through and leave it on the needle. I-Cord - Worked on dpns. Do not turn the work. \*Pull working yarn across back of sts, knit. Slide sts to opposite end of dpn\*, repeat \*\* for required length. Applied I-Cord - (3 st version) \*Slide I-Cord sts from dpn to circular. K2, k2tog tbl (through the back loop)\*. Repeat\*\* until all stitches on circular needle have been worked.
Top
With 16" circular and CC, CO 55 sts. Join in round, being careful not to twist sts. Place marker (m) for beginning of round. Transfer to longer length circular after Rnd 5 or Rnd 11, if desired. Rnds 1-4: Knit.
Rnd 5: \*K11, m1\*, around. (60 sts) Rnds 6 & 7: Knit. Rnds 8-10: Change to MC and knit around. Rnd 11: \*K12, m1\*, around. (65 sts) Rnds 12-17: Knit. Rnd 18: (short rows) K8, w&t, p16, w&t, k to m, k11, w&t, p22, w&t, k to m, k15, w&t, p30, w&t, k to m. Rnds 19-23: Knit. Rnd 24: K30, k2tog, k1, ssk, k to end of rnd. (63 sts) Rnd 25: Repeat Rnd 18. Rnds 26-29: Knit. Rnd 30: K29, k2tog, k1, ssk, k to end of rnd. (61 sts) Knit 16 rounds.
Decreases
Rnd 1: K3, k2tog, k12, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k10, ssk, k12, ssk, k3. (56 sts) Rnds 2-9: Knit (8 rnds). Rnd 10: Repeat Rnd 18 of Top. Rnds 11-19: Knit (8 rnds). Rnd 20: \*K12, k2tog, k12, ssk, rep \* once. (52 sts) Rnds 21-26: Knit (6 rnds). Rnd 27: \*K11, k2tog, k11, ssk, rep \* once. (48 sts) Rnds 28 & 29, 31 & 32, 34 & 35, 37 & 38, 40 & 41: Knit. Rnd 30: (short rows) K6, w&t, p12, w&t, k to marker, k9, w&t, p18, w&t, k to marker. Rnd 33: \*K6, k2tog, k6, ssk\*, rep \* around. (42 sts) Rnd 36: K8, k2tog, k6, k2tog, \*k6, ssk, rep \* once, k8. Rnd 39: K17, k2tog, ssk, k17. (36 sts) Rnd 42: (short rows) K4, w&t, p8, w&t, k to m, k6, w&t, p12, w&t, k to m. Rnd 43: K3, k2tog, \*K4, k2tog, rep \* once, k2, \*ssk, k4, rep \* once, ssk, k3. (30 sts) Rnds 44 & 45, 47& 48:Knit. Rnd 46: \*K4, k2tog, rep \* around. (25 sts) Rnd 49: K7, \*k2tog, rep \* once, k3, \*ssk, rep \* once, k7. Rnd 50: (short rows) K4, w&t, p8, w&t k to m, k6, w&t, p12, w&t, k to m. Rnd 51: Knit. Rnd 52: K4, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1, ssk, k2, ssk, k4. (17 sts) Rnd 53: \*K2tog, k1, rep \* once, k2tog, ssk, \*k1, ssk, rep once, k1. (11 sts) Rnd 54: \*K2tog, rep \* to last st, k1. (6 sts) Break yarn. Sew through remaining sts and fasten off. Work in all tails. NOTE: Stitches for leaves are picked up and knit. Trim & Hanger stitches are only picked up. Begin pick up for leaves and trim from beginning of cast on. Instead of inserting needle under entire stitch for pick up, use the following variations. Leaves: insert needle through top center of CO stitch, working into the “outside"/RS loop of the CO edge stitch. Trim & Hanger: insert needle through top center of CO stitch, working into the "inside"/WS loop of the CO edge stitch.
Leaves
With WS of CO edge facing, circular needle and CC, pick up and knit 55 sts around CO edge as described above. Place m for beg of rnd. Rnds 1 & 2, 4, 6, 8, 10: Knit. Rnd 3: \*K2tog, k3, YO, k1, YO, k3, ssk, rep \* around. Rnd 5: \*K2tog, k2, (YO, k1, 4 times), k1, ssk\*, rep \*\* around. Rnd 7: \*K2tog, k3, (YO, k1, 4 times), k2, ssk\*, rep around. (75 sts) Rnd 9:\*K2tog, k5, YO, k1, YO, k5, ssk, rep \* around. Bind off loosely. Work in tails.
Trim & Hanger
With RS facing and spare circular, pick up 55 sts around CO edge, as described above. With dpn and CC, cast on 3sts. Work Applied I-Cord around top of pepper. When trim is complete, continue in I-Cord alone for 8". Bind off. Attach end of cord to beginning of trim to form hanger loop. Work in tails.
Felting
Set washer for heavy-duty cycle, low water level and hot water. Add a few drops of liquid laundry soap to the water. To avoid having to rinse, use one of the No-Rinse wool wash products on the market. Place chili pepper in a zippered bag and drop in the washer. Agitate. Check after 5-7minutes of agitation, then every 2-3 minutes until it is the desired size. Reset agitation cycle, if needed, until felted to desired size. Continue with either method listed below to finish the felting process. "Faint of Heart Method": Remove chili pepper from washer and squeeze out excess water - do not wring. Place in tub or bowl of cool water and rinse by hand. Squeeze out excess water, shape and let dry. "Living Dangerously in the Spin Cycle Method": (Disclaimer: Do not attempt this method while talking on the phone, polishing your nails or disciplining children. Your undivided attention is an absolute necessity!) Let washer proceed to rinse cycle. Agitate chili pepper for 10-20 seconds. Stop washer. Reset washer to pump out water and spin. Once spinning begins, spin for about 20 seconds. Stop washer. Reposition pepper in tub to avoid creases. Spin for another 20 seconds. Most of the water will be spun out. Shape and let dry.
Finishing
When completely dry, brush chili pepper lightly with wire brush to remove any excess fibers. Fill with exotic stocking stuffers - like jalapeno jelly - and enjoy!
