Lamb Washcloth
This gentle lamb of a washcloth was inspired by the ferocious Roar, which was published in the Summer 2007 edition of Knitty. While knitting with cotton can be a bit tough because it doesn't have the stretch typical of other fibers, washcloths are the perfect size to project to work on while learning new techniques such as the big loopy stitch that makes the lamb's coat (or the lion's mane if you knit Roar).
Finished Size:
Approximately 6 inches high by 7.5 inches wide
Yarn:
- worsted cotton in white or cream for the body - worsted cotton in a dark color for the eyes and nose
Pattern
Cast on 32 stitches. Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1, \*k1, ML\* repeat to the last stitch, k1. Row 2 [Ws]: Sl 1, knit to the end of the row. Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1, \* ML, k1\* repeat to the last stitch, k1. Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1, knit to the end of the row. Rows 5-24 : Repeat rows 1-4 6 more times for a total of 24rows. loop stitch. Start making the lamb's face area: Row 25 [RS]: Sl 1, k9, \*M1, k1\* repeat to the end of the row (you'll have made 11 loops) Row 26 [WS]: Sl 1, k22, p7, k2. Row 27 [RS]: Sl 1, k9, \*k1, M1\* repeat to the last stitch, k1 (you'll have made 10 loops) Row 28 [ws]: repeat row 26.
Needles:
1 pair 7US/4.5mm straight needles 2 7US/4.5mm double-pointed needles for the I-cord Stitch notation: See the box on page 2 for the Rows 29-36: Repeat rows 25-27 2 more times. Row 37 [Rs]: repeat row 25. Row 38 [Ws]: Sl 1, knit to the end of the row. Row 39 [RS]: B0 29 stitches. Slip the remaining 3 stitches to a double-pointed needle and work an I-cord for 4 inches. Keep the right side facing you while working the Icord. Add Ears: The ears are little squares knit onto the side of the face. Please look at the picture above to get a better sense of how they are positioned before you start picking up stitches. The [RS] of the ears in the instructions below are towards the sheep's face. Right Ear: With the RS of the sheep facing you, start at the top right corner of the face area and pick up 3 stitches. Row 1 [RS]: knit all stitches Row 2 [Ws]: purl all stitches Row 3 [RS]: bind off all stitches Left Ear: With the RS of the sheep facing you, pick up 3 stitches on the left side of the face, but this time start at the bottom of the ear. Row 1 [RS]: knit all stitches Row 2 [WS]: purl all stitches Row 3 [RS]: bind off all stitches Face: Use complimentary yarn to embroider eyes and a nose on your sheep!
Stitch Notation:
ml: make loop.
K1, but don't drop the stitch from the left needle. Bring your yarn between the needles to the front of your work. Hold your left thumb in front of work and wrap the yarn around your thumb to create a loop that is approximately 1 inch long. Take the yarn between needles to the back of your work and knit into the same stitch, dropping the stitch from the left needle as usual. Create a loop around the right needle by bringing the yarn forward, this time over the right needle then send it to the back between the needles. Pass the two stitches just worked over this loop. One loop has been created. You can adjust the loop size to your liking. I've found that shorter loops are better if your yarn is thinner while thicker yarn looks better with longer loops.
