JANUARYBLANKET by Leslie Weber
Yarn:
Approximately 1200 yards / 1100 meters aran weight or heavy worsted The original blanket used Plymouth Yarn Homestead, 6 skeins, colourway 101 Medium Brown.
Needles:
US8/5.0 mm (preferably a 40-inch / 100 cm circular or longer, to accommodate the width), or recommended needle diameter for chosenyarn US 7 / 4.5 mm (preferably a 40-inch / 100 cm circular), or one size smaller than above Although gauge is not critical on this project, please note that any changes in gauge may affect the finished measurements and the amount of yarn needed. Finished dimensions after blocking: 38" x 43" / 96.5 x 109 cm
Techniques and abbreviations:
RS -- Right ("public") side of work. WS -- Wrong (reverse) side of work. Sl1 wyif (Slip 1 stitch with yarn in front) -- Slip the first stitch of each row as if to purl, then reposition yarn to back in order to knit next stitch. Tip: Take care not to forget this operation on each row, and also not to stretch these stitches unnecessarily, as they form the exposed edge on the 2 long sides of the piece. K2tog -- Knit next 2 stitches together. Ssk (Slip slip knit) -- Slip next two stitches to right-hand needle knit-wise, then insert tip of left-hand needle through the front of these loops from the left, and knit. Cable cast on: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/FEATsum05TT.html Attaching a new skein -- It is preferable to do this at the beginning of a RS row. Slip 1 wyif as usual, using the yarn from the old skein. Reposition the old yarn as usual, drop it, and knit the next stitch with the new yarn, pulling both ends taut on this and the followingrow.
METHOD
Swatching tip: To work a small swatch in the stitch pattern, cast on 27 sts on smaller needles. Work 3 or more rows in seed stitch, for a total which is an odd number. Change to larger needles, work 1 row as below. Work Row 1 of stitch pattern to first square bracket, then skip the instructions within the brackets [], then complete the row as written. Continue in this way through Row 8; repeat if desired. This will give you the side borders plus one pattern unit.
Cast on:
Using US 7 / 4.5 mm circular and cable cast-on, cast on 177 sts.
Begin lower border:
Set-up row (RS) -- K1, (k1, p1) to last 2 sts, k2. Pattern row (WS + RS) -- Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) to last 2 sts, k2. Repeat pattern row 7 more times, for a total of 9 rows of seed stitch. Changing to Us 8/5 mm needles, work 1 row as follows (WS): Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k1, purl to last 6 sts, (k1, p1) twice, k2.
Begin stitch pattern:
Chart on page 4. The first 6 and last 6 sts of every row make the seed-stitch side borders. Please note that pattern repeats are within brackets [] Row 1 (Rs) -- Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k5, [k2tog, (k1, yo) twice, k1, ssk, k8] 10 times; k2tog, (k1, yo) twice, k1, ssk, k5, (p1, k1) twice, k1. ，P Row 3 -- Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k4, [k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, k6] 10 times; k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, k4, (p1, k1) twice, k1. Row 5 -- Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k3,[k2tog, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, ssk, k4] 10 times; k2tog, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, ssk, k3, (p1, k1) twice, k1. Row 7 -- Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k2, [k2tog, k1, yo, k7, yo, k1, ssk, k2] 10 times; k2tog, k1, yo, k7, yo, k1, ssk, k2, (p1, k1) twice, k1. Row8-Asrow2. Repeat these 8 rows, 34 more times, or to achieve desired length. On RS, work 1 row as follows: Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) twice, k1, knit to last 6 sts, (k1, p1) twice, k2. Worktopborder: Change to Us 7 / 4.5 mm needles. Beginning with wS row, work 9 rows of seed stitch as follows: Sl1 wyif, (k1, p1) to last 2 sts, k2. Cast off loosely on RS, using a larger needle or a stretchy bind-off Work in yarn ends. Block piece as desired. (I recommend washing and pinning out flat, while stretching to desired dimensions, for all knitting!)
To change the blanket size:
. Use a lighter or a heavier yarn on appropriate needle size, OR · Add or subtract pattern repeats. To increase/decrease the width, add/subtract cast-on stitches in multiples of 15. Adjust the number of times the instructions inside the square brackets are worked for each added/subtracted multiple of 15. For example, if you have added 30 sts, change "10 times" to "12 times". To lengthen or shorten, add or subtract vertical repeats in multiples of 8 rows.
Chart
15-stitch repeat shown within darker outline to be worked 10 times per row, plus remaining sts at beginning and end of each row, onceperrowasgiven. Please see written instructions for upper and lower borders. S -- slip 1 wyif p on RS, k on WS / -- k2tog o -- yo \ -- ssk
