Materials:
Mistress D
By Sue Grandfeld [RioctousAssemblyT Finished size Women's Large? 39 Foot cireumference: 8.5-9" 1 × 150g welmeiseSock “Baba Yaga - Wild Thing" (MC) 1 x 150g wellmeis Sock "Frseh Harmenie (Cc) Or any sock weight or fingering yarn that willknit up at 9 sts: 7" One pair of socks uses approximately halfa skein of each colour $0k a y$ , that's quite enough of that “Chiller” font! Normal transmisson resumes! Needles & notions: 2.50mm circular needle 2.00mm DPNS Stitch Markers (optional) Waste yarn 3.00mm crochet hook
Gauge: 9 sts per inch over plain stocking stitch 10 rows per inch over pattern Resizing Mistress D: Mistress D is written as a one size pattern. The leg is not easy to resize because of the skull pattern placement on the leg. The illusion heel flap is easy to make bigger (just add extra garter stitch stripes), but not so easy to make smaller. The simplest way to get a different size is to knit at a different gauge with diferent needles. The foot is easy to lengthen or shorten by adding or subtracting rows. To keep the pattern centered on the instep, add or subtract rows before and after the long crosses in the instep pattern (e.g. rows 4-9, 52-57). Just keep repeating the sole chart pattern as needed. If you just need a few extra rows, you could also make the striped toe a bit longer. Check your row gauge before you start knitting the instep pattern so you know how much you need to adjust the length.
Abbreviations:
CO: Cast On BO: Bind off K: Knit P: Purl St (s): stitch (es) St st: Stocking stitch RS: Right side WS: Wrong side MC: Main colour - Baba Yaga CC: Colour - Frosch DPNS: Double pointed needles
The patterns:
PM: Place marker PU: Pick up DPNS: Double pointed needles Dec: Decrease M1: Make 1 Rem: remain Rep: Repeat K2tog: Knit 2 sts together SSK: slip 2 stitches as if to knit, knit those 2 stitches together Patterns for Mistress D were inspired by veve; symbols used to invoke the spirits in voodoo. Baron Samedi (the character in the top hat), is husband of Mamma Brigitte. Mamma Brigitte is the spirit of death; she drinks hot pepper and likes to curse. Ogoun is patron of politics, war and hunting.
Baron Samedi & Mamma Brigitte
Cuff:
[Uses Skull cuff chart #1] Using waste yarn and 3.00mm crochet hook, make a 90st chain. With 2.5mm needles and Frosch (CC) provisionally cast on 78 sts. Join in MC (Baba Yaga) and work 6 repeats of Skull cuff chart #1
Applied I cord snake: Tail
Using CC (frosch), work a 4 st applied i cord around the bottom of the cuff. Cast on four stitches (any method will do). Knit the first 3 stitches of the four you have just cast on, and then join the last cast on stitch to the first cuff stitch with an ssk.
You can use K2tog if you prefer, but ssk hides any colour change blips. Now push the 4 stitches to the right end of the DPN and repeat the process. After a few rows, this will roll over to form a cord. Repeat. When you have worked all the way around the cuff, knit the snake tail as unattached I cord; R1-R4: Knit all sts CC R5: Knit all sts MC R6: Knit all sts CC R7: Knit all sts MC R8: K2tog, k2tog CC R9: K2tog, fasten off.
Snake Head
Unzip provisional cast on and place 78 sts on 2.5mm needles. Using CC (frosch), work attached I cord around top edge of cuff. When you have worked all the way around, work the snake head as unattached I cord;
R1-R8: Knit all sts R9: M1, knit to last st, M1 (6 sts) R10: Knit all sts R11: M1, knit to last st, M1 (8sts) R12 - R15: Knit all sts R16: ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog (6sts) R17: ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog (4sts) R18: ssk, k2tog R19: k2tog, fasten off Work duplicate stitch eyes in MC. Thread end of yarn through "nose” for tongue. Wind MC round outside of nose once or twice before fastening.
[Uses Leg chart #2] Using 2.5mm needles and CC, pick up and knit 78sts through last row of MC purl bumps at the bottom of the cuff (on the wrong side of the work).
Work rows 1-46 of Leg chart #2 in pattern. Bobbles: [worked in R42 & R45] R1: p1,k1,p1 into next st, turn R2: p3, turn R3: k3tog R47: Knit to st 65 (13 sts before end of round). This marks the start of the heel and aligns the heel with the leg pattern.
Heel Flap:
[Uses Skull illusion chart #3] Change to 2.0mm needles. Decrease 2sts evenly across $1^{\mathrm{st}}$ row (37sts) Work flap in patt as set for 54 rows\*, increasing 1 st in last st st row (38 sts) \*This is more rows than usual for a square heel flap, but illusion knitting contracts lengthwise and needs extra rows.
If you need to make the heel deeper, add some garter stitch rows in MC
Turn Heel:
In 2.0mm needles and MC (Baba Yaga) R1 (RS): sl1MC, knit 20 sts, ssk, k1, turn R2 (WS):sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn R3: (RS) sl1, knit to within 1 stitch of gap, ssk, k1, turn R4 (WS) sl1, p to within 1 stitch of gap, p2tog, turn Continue decreasing in this way until 22 sts rem on heel flap.
Gusset:
Using MC and 2.5mm needles, knit 11 stitches across heel to centre of heel. PM. This is now the start of the round.
Needle1: In MC knit rem 11 heel sts, pick up and knit 24 sts along the left side of the heel flap. Needle 2: In MC, work across next 39 instep stitches, M1 (40st instep) Strand CC along back of plain rows of instep, trapping yarn behind every $3^{\mathsf{r d}}$ or $4^{\mathrm{th}}$ stitch. Needle 3: Pick up and knit 24 along the right side of the heel flap, in MC. Work to end of round.
Gusset Decreases:
[Note: all gusset decreases are worked in CC] Begin at row1 of Sole chart #4 (at centre stitch as marked) & Instep chart #5) R1: Needle 1: Start at centre of sole chart #4, work to 2 sts before end of needle 1, ssk Needle 2: Knit across instep sts in patt as set on instep chart #5 Needle 3: K2tog, work to end in patt as set in sole chart 34 R2: On all needles: Knit all sts even (no decreases) [Note: The decreases in R1 in are worked in the opposite way to normal. This helps to hide any small gaps that can occur at the gusset corners.] R3: Working in patterns as set: Needle 1: Work to 2 sts before end of needle 1, k2togCC Needle 2: Knit across instep sts Needle 3: sskCC, work to end [Note: All decreases are worked with CC] R4: Work all sts even (no decs) Repeat rows 3 & 4 until 78 sts remain. Foot: Continue patterns from charts 4 & 5 until foot measures 2.5 inches less than desired length, dec 3 sts evenly on last row worked; 76sts
Toe:
Change to 2.0mm needles. Work in three row stripes beginning with CC; R1) Needle #1 knit to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1 Needle #2,k1, ssk, knit to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1 Needle #3 k1, ssk, knit to end R2) Knit all sts even without decreasing R3) Knit all sts even Rep rows 1-3 until 56 sts remain. (15 rows) R1) Needle #1 knit to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1 Needle #2,k1, ssk, knit to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1 Needle #3 k1, ssk, knit to end R2) Knit all sts even without decreasing Rep rows 1-2 until 40 sts remain (8 rows)
Repeat R1 (decreasing every row) until 24 sts remain (4 rows). Graft toe.
Charts
Skull Cuff Chart #1 Work 6 repeats of chart #1 $=$ knit MC [Baba Yaga] 一 $=$ knit CC [Frosch]口 $=$ pur st C [Frosch] Leg Chart #2 R 47: Knit to st 65 Marks beg. of the heel knit MC knit CC bobble
Skull illusion Chart #3
Note: Decrease 2 sts evenly across R1: heel worked on 37sts Increase 1 st in last row (38st)
$=$ CC [Frosch] $=$ MC [Baba Yaga] knits heel background sts
$=$ knit on right side, purl on wrong side $=$ purl on right side, knit on wrong side
Sole Chart #4 (or should it be Soul chart4?@)
Centre heel st, begin patt here
