By Phoebe LeighSuelflow
DOUBLE SUMMER GARDEN
Sometimes you want a larger potholder. . . or a nice afghan square. This design is part of the Epic Lap Blanket Series. This is 12" square and double-knit using fingeringweight yarn. A peacock sits on an ornate garden wall. Are there really so many dragonflies? Or does it just seem like it? Some of these motifs began as very old cross stitch patterns from France and Germany. This pattern assumes that you are familiar with double-knitting. You don't need to increase or decrease, but you must be familiar with reading a chart and with double-knitting with back and forth rows. If you need to learn or brush up on the basics, there are some great resources that I've listed at the end of the pattern.
Materials:
-Knitting needles: US Size 1.5 (2.5 mm) -Fingering-weight (4-ply) yarn in two contrasting colors. You will need approximately 220 yards of each. I used Knitpicks Palette yarn in Indigo Heather and Pennyroyal. Palette is 100% wool and comes in skeins of 231 yards/50 grams. -Stitch markers Gauge: 26 stitches and 36 rows = 4" Measurements: approximate 12"x 12" square Reading the Chart: The chart shows the color pattern of the front layer of the pattern. The back layer is a negative image of the front. Each chart row is one row of knitting, but you are creating two layers of fabric. The odd-number rows (1, 3, etc.) are read from right to left. The even-number rows (2,4, etc.) are read from left to right. On row number one and all odd-numbered rows, a white box represents one knit stitch with light and one purl stitch with dark. A black box represents one knit stitch with dark and one purl stitch with light. On row number two and all even-numbered rows, a white box represents one knit stitch with dark and one purl stitch with light. One black box represents one knit stitch with light and one purl stitch with dark. It sounds confusing, but it's easy after a few rows --- you just need to remember that you're working on the negative side. Printing the Chart: Print the chart in color. It will make it easier to see the grid lines.
Closed Double-Knit Selvedge:
This is what I do, but there are other methods of closing a double-knit fabric. When I come to the final pair at the end of the row, I bring both strands of yarn to the back and slip one stitch knit-wise. Then I bring both strands to the front and slip one stitch purlwise. When I begin the next row, I twist the back yarn around the front and knit the first stitch with the opposite color yarn, and purl the next with the other color. It gives a nice alternate-color selvedge.
Pattern:
Cast on 80 pairs of stitches (one dark, one light). The first and last pairs of stitches are the selvedge stitches at the end and the beginning of the row. The selvedge stitches are not shown on the chart. There are 78 pairs of live stitches on each chart, with a pair of selvedge stitches at each end. Work the chart through row 108. Work a closed double-knit selvedge at the end of each row. When you complete row 108, turn the work and cast off all of the stitches. To cast off, I knit one stitch, purl the second stitch, and then pass the first stitch over the second stitch. I pullit a little to get an even tension. Then I knit the next one, pass it over, purl one, pass it over, until all the stitches are cast off. Use a needle to tuck the loose ends into the fabric.
Some Double-knitting Resources:
·Yuma Cowl pattern by Karigan Huskycity is a great pattern to learn on. The pattern explains how to double-knit, cast on, bind off, and decrease. ·Extreme Double-Knitting New Adventures in Reversible Colorwork by Alasdair PostQuinn is a great book for everything double-knitting. ·Alasdair Post-Quinn has a great scarf pattern, Corvus, that explains double-knitting, and the Closed Double-Knit Selvedge. You can download it at: www.fallingblox.com/antiblog/images/Corvus.pdf
