FiBERSPACE Beaded Aquarium Series: Clown Fish P-11
The Clown Fish is knit flat using bead knitting techniques (described below). The fins are picked up and knit onto the fish body. Finished size: 414" x 21/4". Collect all of the FiberSpace fish and underwater life patterns for a completebeaded aquarium!
Materials
Size 8 DMC perle cotton, 1 ball #922 It. copper, small amounts (5yds each) white & black US Size 0000 (1.25mm) double pointed needles Size 11 seed beads, 5-6 strands topaz or orange, 1 strand each: black and pearl eggshell or white 2 flat 8mm topaz glass disks, 2 black seed beads Small sewing needle, beading needle or Big Eye Small amount of matching carded wool or soft yarn Beading thread, monofilament line to hang fish Gauge: 10 sts/1" in beaded knitting
Techniques
Transferring Seed Beads To Cotton - In order to do bead knitting, seed beads must first be transferred from the hank to the cotton. For best results, place the hank of beads on a cookie sheet or something similar to catch "runaways". Carefully separate one end of one strand from the hank. Tie a knot around the last bead in the strand and remove the other end from the hank. This will keep the beads from slipping off the end. Unwind 3-4 yards of cotton. Tie (one tie only, do not knot) the unknotted end of the bead string to the cotton, about 12"-1" from the end. Gently slide the beads from the strand, over the tie and onto the cotton. Transfer short sections of beads and move them down the full length of the cotton. If a bead will not go over the tie, undo it and remove the bead. As the work progresses, continue to gently slide the beads down the length of the cotton. Beaded Knitting (Kslip) - Insert the needle into the st to be knit, slide bead up against needle and knit the st. This technique is used when knitting on the wrong side (WS) and results in bead placement on the right side (RS). inc - increase. Knit in the front and the back of the next st. To increase with beads, place bead on first st of increase only. skp - slip, knit, pass. Slip the next st as if to purl, knit the following st, pass the slipped st over the knit st. To skp with beads, Kslip on the knit st. 3 Needle Join. Divide sts evenly on 2 needles. Fold wrong sides of work together. Holding the needles parallel, \*k2tog\* (1 from front needle, 1 from back needle). Repeat \*\* once. Continue to k2tog, 1 front st, 1 back st, and work across. w&t - Wrap & Turn, short rows. Slip the next st, bring the yarn forward and slip slipped st back onto left needle. Turn work. Kslip on all wS short rows, including the yarn forwardstep.
Head & Body
Transfer all beads to matching cotton. (See “Techniques") Mouth & Head: Cast on 9 sts. Row 1: Purl. Row 2: K1, \*inc, k1\* across. (13 sts) NOTE: When kniting the head, body and fins, always. slip the first st knitwise without a bead (unless otherwise noted). ll subsequent rows are now knit for body, tail and fins. All RS rows in body are knit without beads, i.e., Slip 1, \*knit\* across. All WS rows are Kslip, ie., Slip 1,\*Kslip\* across, unless otherwise noted. Row 3: (WS) Slip 1, Kslip 8 sts, w&t, k5, w&t, Kslip 6 sts, w&t,\*k1, inc\* 3 times, k1, w&t, Kslip 11 sts, w&t, k3, inc, k4, inc, k3, w&t, Kslip across. (18 sts) At this point, the work fits tightly on one needle and can be difficult to handle. Place half of the sts on one needle and the rest of the sts on another needle. With a third needle, knit across one needle and then the other. Rows 4-7: Slip 1, knit across on RS rows, Slip 1, Kslip across on ws rows. Row 8: Slip 1, k1, inc, \*k2, inc\* twice, \*inc, k2\* 3 times. Row 9: Slip 1, Kslip across. (24 sts) Row 10: Slip 1, \*k2, inc\* to last 2 sts, k2. (31 sts) Rows 11-15: Knit, as in Rows 4-7. Row 16: Slip 1, k27, cut It.copper and attach black, w&t, Kslip 25 sts, w&t, attach white and k1 st with black and 23 sts with white, w&t, Kslip 23 sts, w&t, k20, w&t, Kslip 17 sts, w&t, k15, w&t, Kslip 13 sts, w&t, k18, w&t, Kslip 23 sts, w&t, cut white and tie in tail, with black, k24, w&t, Kslip 26 sts, w&t, cut black and tie in tail, attach It. copper,\*inc, k5\* twice, inc, k1, inc, \*k5, inc\* twice, kto end. Rows 17-19: Knit, as in Rows 4-7. (37 sts) Row 20: Slip 1, k2, inc, k5, inc, k17, inc, k5, inc, k to end. Rows 21-27: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 28: Slip 1, k15, w&t, Kslip to end, turn, slip 1, k10, w&t, Kslip to end, turn, slip 1, k across, turn, slip 1, Kslip 15 sts, w&t, kto end, turn, slip 1, Kslip 10 sts, w&t, kto end. Rows 29-33: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 34: Slip 1, k9, skp, k17, skp, k to end. Rows 35-37: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 38: Slip 1, k1, skp, k to last 4 sts, skp, k2. Rows 39-41: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 42: Slip 1, k2, skp, k11, skp, k1, skp, k11, skp, k3. Rows 43-45: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 46: Slip 1, skp, k6, skp, k11, skp, k6, skp, k1. Row 47: Slip 1, Kslip across. Row 48: Slip 1, k1, skp, k8, skp, k1, skp, k8, skp, k2. Rows 49-51: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Row 52: Slip 1, k9, skp, k1, skp, kto end. Row 53: Slip 1, Kslip across. Row 54: Slip 1, k1, skp, k5, skp, k1, skp, k5, skp, k2. Row 55: Slip 1, Kslip across. Row 56: Slip 1, k3, skp, k7, skp, k to end. Row 57: Slip 1, Kslip across. Row 58: Slip 1, k5, skp, k1, skp, k to end. (15 sts) Rows 59-63: Knit as in Rows 4-7. Tail Do not slip the first st of rows that begin with inc or skp. Row 1: (RS) Slip 1, k1, inc, k3, inc, k1, inc, k3, inc, k2. Rows 2-6: Knit as in Rows 4-7 of body. Row 7: Inc, k7, inc, k1, inc, k7, inc. Rows 8-10: Knit as in Rows 4-7 above. Row 11: Skp, k9, inc, k1, inc, k to end. (24 sts) Row 12: Slip 1, \*Kslip\* across. Row 13: Following directions for 3 Needle Join, place 12 sts on front needle and 12 on back needle. Hold the needles parallel, wrong sides facing and knit as follows using Kslip across: 3 Needle Join for 5 sts, \*k the front st ONLY, K the back st ONLY\*, repeat \*\* once, 3 Needle Join for last 5 sts. There are now 14 sts on one needle and the fish is joined together at the tail. All tail rows are now Kslip. Rows 14-15: Slip 1, \*Kslip\* across. Row 16: Skp, k to last 2 sts, skp. Row 17: Skp, Kslip 7, w&t, Kslip 5, w&t, Kslip to last 2 sts, skp. Row 18: Slip 1, \*Kslip\* across. Row 19: Repeat Row 16. (8sts) Row 20: Slip 1, Kslip to last 2 sts, skp. Rows 21-22: Repeat Row 16 twice. Row 23: Skp, bind off last st (Kslip). Cut cotton, leaving about 8" tail and pull through last st. Work tail down underside edge of fish tail to raw edges of body. Use tail to sew body sections together later.
Dorsal Fin-Left Side
Hold fish, wrong sides together and match edges to ensure fish is divided evenly. There should be a row of beads on either side of the top center line. With head facing left, pick up 18 sts along the edge by inserting needle under the cotton where it goes through the top of the bead. Attach cotton at tail end of needle. Do not slip the first st of Row 1 or rows that begin with skp. Row 1: Knit in the back of each st. Row 2: (WS) Slip 1, \*Kslip\* across. Row 3: Slip 1, k10, w&t, Kslip to end, turn, slip 1, \*k\* across. Row 4: \*Skp\* twice, Kslip to end. Row 5: Skp, k7, w&t, Kslip to end, turn, slip 1, k to last 2 sts, skp. Row 6: Skp, bind off 4 sts (Kslip), Kslip to last 2 sts, skp. Rows 7-8: Skp, k to last 2 sts, skp. Row 9: Skp and bind off across. Cut cotton leaving a 6' tail and pull through last st.
Dorsal Fin - Right Side
Turn fish around, head facing right, and repeat pick-up process as for Left Side, matching sts to fin just completed. Attach cotton at head end of needle. Rows 1-2: Knit as for Left Side. Row 3: (RS) Slip 1, k across, turn, slip 1, Kslip 10 sts, w&t, k to end. Row 4: Slip 1, Kslip to last 4 sts, \*skp\* twice. Row 5: Skp, k to end, turn, slip 1, Kslip 7 sts, w&t, k to last 2 sts, skp. Row 6: Skp, Kslip to last 2 sts, skp. Row 7: Skp, bind off 4 sts, k to last 2 sts, skp. Row 8: Repeat Row 6. Row 9: Skp, bind off across. Cut cotton as above and use tails to sew raw edges together.
Side Fins - Left Side
Lay fish on table, head facing left. Pick up 4 sts between the bead rows, about 4 rows behind the black row and 6 beads up from raw edge. Attach cotton at belly end of needle. Row 1: Knit in the back of each st. Rows 2-8, all even numbered rows: (WS) Slip 1, \*Kslip\* across. Row 3: Inc, k2, inc. (6 sts) Row 5: \*Inc\* twice, k2, \*inc\* twice. Row 7: Inc, k to last st, inc. (12 sts) Row 9: Slip 1, k to last 2 sts, w&t, Kslip to last 2 sts, w&t, k to last 3 sts, w&t, Kslip to last 3 sts, w&t, k to end. Rows 10-11: Slip 1, skp, k to last 3 sts, skp, k1. Row 12: Slip 1, Kslip to last 2 sts, w&t, k to last 2 sts, w&t, Kslip to end. Rows 13-14: Repeat Rows 10-11. Row 15: Slip 1, knit across. Row 16: Skp, bind off (Kslip) across. Cut cotton and work tail down underside of fin and into body.
Side Fins - Right Side
Pick up 4 sts on right side as for left side. Attach cotton at dorsal fin end of needle and knit same as for left side. Lower Fin: Sew body together up to side fins. Pick up 10 sts along seam just finished and attach cotton at head end of needle. All rows of lower fin are Kslip. Row 1: Kslip in the back of each st. Rows 2 & 4: Slip 1, Kslip across. Row 3: Skp, Kslip to last st, inc. Row 5: Skp, Kslip across. Rows 6-8: Skp, Kslip to last 2 sts, skp. Row 9: Skp, bind off (Kslip). Cut cotton and work tail down edge of fin and into body.
Finishing
Stitch remainder of body together to mouth, stuffing lightly with carded wool or soft yarn. Cover stuffing with finger to avoid catching in stitches. Sew up to cast on edge at mouth. Determine eye location. Knot thread onto fish body.\*Bring thread through disk and 1 seed bead. Take needle back through disk only and into fish body, coming out at the opposite side of the head.\* Make small knot into body and repeat \*\*. Bring thread back through to second side and knot under eye. Feed tail into fish body. To hang fish, use a length of monofilament line. Thread one end through the top of the dorsal fin. Match ends of line. Tie overhand knot against fin and another at the end of the line.
