Chanukah Bush by Amy Singer
Difficulty [Mellow] What else does one do, when presented with a wall of sparkly yarn (designed by Martha Stewart herself!)? I instantly had to have an aqua xmas tree. Chanukah bush. Kwanzaa cone. Festivus device. Call it what you will. It has zero religious connotations, but is so full of some sort of holiday spirit, it's practically exploding. Safety glasses recommended. SIZE One FINISHED MEASUREMENTS As shown: 13" tall, 7" diameter across bottom opening Note: The size and shape after knitting is extremely variable.
MATERIALS
Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Eyelash [78% Polyester, 22% Metallic Polyester; 39yd/35m per 0.88 oz skein]; color: Turquoise; 2 skeins 1 set US #9/5.5mm needles (DPNs or 16" circular recommended)
- yarn needle -1 stitch marker 13" tall party hat (or bendable cardboard or styrofoam cone of appropriate size)
GAUGE
Irrelevant. Fabric should be reasonably hole-free.
PATTERN NOTES
The cone is knitted flat until there are enough sts to comfortably switch to knitting in the round. It could be knit entirely flat or entirely in the round, whichever you prefer. This yarn is pretty forgiving. Tie firm knots when changing skeins, and hide ends on inside. No need to weave them in. Text and images @ Amy Singer 2014. Note that if you use a party hat as the tree form, any froofy edging it has then becomes the tree skirt. Awesome.
PATTERN
Cone thingy
Cast on 3 sts, leaving a tail about 15" long. Row 1: K. Row 2: Kfb, k to last st, kfb. Row 3. K. Repeat Rows 2-3 until triangle is desired size, making sure to leave enough yarn to bind off. Note: For a shorter, wider cone, repeatonlyrow2untildesired size is achieved. When you have enough sts to comfortably knit in the round, switch to DPNs or 16" circular and join work, placing marker to denote start of round (being careful not to twist work) and continue working in the round. Note: The switch from garter st (when knitting flat) to stockinette st (when knitting in the round) will be undetectable thanks to the fuzz.
Bind off: P2tog, \*place resulting st back on left needle, p2tog, repeat from \* till all sts are boundoff.
FINISHING
Using 15" tail at start of cone, sew up open area as sloppily as you like. Fuzz will hide all. To make it easier to sew, slip fuzzy cone onto party hat. Roughly weave in/bury any loose ends of yarn, ignoring those in the middle of the cone, since they'll be hidden inside the thing. Place on form for the last time. Fluff and pat into shape. Don't blame me.
ABOUT THEDESIGNER
Amy Singer is the founder and editor of knitty.com, and is very fond of the absurd. And the color turquoise. You'll find her at amysinger.ca or as the cryptically named amyknitty on Ravelry. Text and images @ Amy Singer 2014.
