February Patterns

FEBRUARY

BEGINNER:  ALTERNATE SMOOTH STITCH AND TIER

Cast on 45 stitches

Border Rows 1-5: K1, P1 repeat across row

Pattern:

Rows 1, 3, 4: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Knit across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 2: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) purl across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Repeat these four rows until the square measures approx. 9 inches from cast on edge ending after Row 3 (this will make the top and bottom of your patterned section even).

Repeat Border Rows 1-5

Bind off (loosely so top edge isn’t too tight).

EASY:  CHECKERS

Cast on 46 stitches

Border Rows: Repeat rows 1 and 2 for five rows (row 1, row 2, row 1, row 2, row 1)

Row 1: K1, P1 across row

Row 2: P1, K1 across row

Pattern:

Row 1 and 3: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K4 *P4, K4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 2 and 4: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P4 *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 5 and 7: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P4 *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 6 and 8: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K4 *P4, K4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Repeat these 8 rows until square measures 9 inches from cast on edge ending with a row 4 or 8.

Repeat Border Rows as above

Bind off (loosely so top edge isn’t too tight)

INTERMEDIATE: UNUSUAL CHECKS

Cast on 42 stitches

Border Rows: Repeat rows 1 and 2 for five rows (row 1, row 2, row 1, row 2, row 1)

Row 1: K1, P1 across row

Row 2: P1, K1 across row

Pattern:

Row 1: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Knit across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 2: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 3: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P1 *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 12 stitches K4, P3 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 4: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K2 *P4, K4 repeat from * across to last 11 stitches P4, K2 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 5: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P3 *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 10 stitches K4, P1 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 6: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *P4, K4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 7: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Knit to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 8, 9, 10, 11: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *K4, P4 repeat from * across to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 12: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Purl to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 13: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Repeat Pattern Row 6 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 14: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K1 *P4, K4 repeat from * to last 12 stitches P4, K3 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 15: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P2 *K4, P4 repeat from * to last 11 stitches K4, P2 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 16: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K3 *P4, K4 repeat from * to last 10 stitches P4, K1 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 17: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Repeat row 2 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 18: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) Repeat row 12 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 19, 20, 21, 22: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *P4, K4 repeat from * to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Repeat rows 1-22 until square measures approx 9 inches from cast on edge, ending with either row 7 or 18.

Repeat border rows as above

Bind off (loosely so edge is not too tight)

Some January pattern updates

Thanks to all the knitters that showed up to our meeting on January 18th at the Richland Public Library (a reminder to those in Eastern Washington: we meet at the RPL on the third Tuesday of every month at 6pm)!  We had an excellent turn-out, over 35 knitters!  We were so happy to have had you all there!  As can be expected, there were a few hic-ups with the patterns so this post is mostly to clear those up as well as share with you some of the great things we talked about at the group!

PATTERN MISTAKES AND A NOTE ABOUT SEED STITCH:

~Thankfully there weren't many mistakes in the first set of patterns, and it is my goal to limit them as much as possible.  However, if you find something that seems off please email me (yearofswatches@gmail.com)!  If it truly is a mistake, I can fix it as soon as possible; if it isn't, I can get you pointed in the right direction!

~In the Garter Steps pattern: cast on is 42 stitches.  In order to take this even number of stitches and produce a seed stitch border you must alternate your stitch pattern slightly:

Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P1, etc across row
Row 2: P1, K1, P1, K1 etc across row
Repeat these two rows for your border (for pattern it would be Row 1, Row 2, Row 1, Row 2, Row 1) for both top and bottom borders.

(Conversely, if the number of cast on stitches is odd, you simply repeat Row 1 every time)

~The first 5 and last 5 stitches of every pattern row is in seed stitch. ALWAYS.  When a pattern says to knit across the row, this means the pattern stitches in between the first and last 5 stitches.  It is a good idea to use stitch markers to mark these stitches so you'll know when to switch from border, to pattern, back to border.

EXAMPLE:  In Garter Steps, the pattern reads as such:
Row 1 and all right side rows (1, 3, 5, etc): Knit
This really means:
Row 1 and all right side rows (1, 3, 5, etc):  K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, knit across to last 5 stitches, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1

I will try to be more clear about this in future patterns.

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Saturday, January 22 from 11am to 4pm the West Richland Library will be hosting its 3rd Annual Knit-In
The goal is to knit or crochet hats to benefit Safe Harbor Crisis Nursery and the event is free!
You can follow the link for more information

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February's book is Falling Leaves by Adeline Mah

Amazon.com Review:

Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest. 

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February's patterns will be posted on or around the 1st of February.  

Pictures to come next week!  You can still email me a picture of your swatch up until the end of the month, and I'll post it on this blog!

Pattern Update

It has been brought to my attention that the stitch count on the Garter Steps square is off.  You need to cast on 42 stitches in stead of the 45 the pattern calls for.  However, if you've already started, there is no reason to start over.  You'll end up with one less stitch in the pattern, but it won't mess up your pattern at all.  So... if you haven't started knitting that square, cast on 42; if you have already started, just keep going!
Remember to bring your completed squares to the library on January 18 (or submit them via email by January 30th) and I will post your pictures on the blog to share!

Happy New Year!

Hello fellow knitters and welcome to the first installment to this year's Year of Swatches! Each month's patterns will be posted on (or around) the first of each month. There will be three patterns for each month; beginner, easy and intermediate. Take a look at each pattern, they will be similar in technique and pick the one that suits you best. Even if you like a more advanced pattern, give it a shot! This is designed to inspire you to try new and maybe even challenging things!

This month's patterns are knit purl patterns, meaning that the design comes from a series of knits and purls rather than from a technique. With each pattern I am assuming you can cast-on (I prefer long tail), knit, purl, and bind-off. If you are still learning, or need a refresher, here are some links to help you get started. If you can't find something here you can always ''google'' the topic or search it on "youtube."

Casting-On
Knit Stitch
Purl Stitch
Binding-Off

If you have any questions, please leave a comment on the blog post. That way, if there are others with the same or similar questions, we can all help each other by looking there first. If your questions are more personal you may email me at yearofswatches@gmail.com and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible! Also remember if you are a member of By the Book Knitters (meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Richland Public Library at 6pm) the first 30 minutes of each meeting will be devoted to helping those who have had challenges with the patterns, or knitting in general. If you have finished your swatch by the meeting time, bring it and I'll take a picture and share it on the world wide web (ie this blog)!

One last piece of ''business'' and then we can get on to the fun part! By the Book Knitters is not only a knitting group, we are a book group as well. I have been asked to share the book titles for 2011 on here too. At the end of this post there will be a full list of the books for the year, but I will also put up a reminder each month of the book we are currently reading (January's book is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen).

Now for the knitting!

BEGINNER: Garter Stitch Square


Cast on 45 stitches

Border Rows 1-5: K1, P1 across row (these first five rows will create what is known as a seed stitch border)

Row 6: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) knit to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Repeat Row 6 until square measures 9 inches from cast on edge (approx 64 rows).

Repeat Border Rows 1-5 to finish border.

Bind off (try to do this loosely so your edge isn't too tight).


EASY: Garter Steps

Cast on 45 stitches

Border Rows 1-5: K1, P1 across row (these first five rows will create what is known as a seed stitch border).

Pattern:
Row 1 and all right side rows (1, 3, 5, etc): Knit

Row 2 and 4: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *K4, P4* repeat from * to last 8 stitches K3 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 6 and 8: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K2 *P4, K4* repeat from * to last 6 stitches, P1 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 10 and 12: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) *P4, K4* repeat from * to last 8 stitches, P3 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 14 and 16: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P2 *K4, P4* repeat from * to last 6 stitches, K1 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Repeat these 16 rows until square measures 9 inches from cast on edge (approx 64 rows).

Repeat Border Rows 1-5

Bind off (try to do this loosely so your edge isn't too tight).


INTERMEDIATE: Diamond Pattern


Cast on 43 stitches

Border Rows 1-5: K1, P1 across row (these first five rows will create what is known as a seed stitch border).

Pattern:
Row 1 (rs): (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P1 *K7, P1* repeat from * to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 2: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K2, P5 *K3, P5* repeat from * to last 7 stitches K2 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 3: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K1 *P2, K3, P2, K1* repeat from * to last 5 stitches (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 4: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P2, K2, P1, K2 *P3, K2, P1, K2* repeat from * to last 7 stitches P2 (K1,P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 5: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) K3, P3 *K5, P3* repeat from * to last 8 stitches K3 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 6: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1) P4, K1 *P7, K1* repeat from * to last 9 stitches P4 (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)

Row 7: Repeat Row 5

Row 8: Repeat Row 4

Row 9: Repeat Row 3

Row 10: Repeat Row 2

Repeat rows 1-10 until square measures approx 9 inches from cast on edge (approx 64 rows)

Repeat border rows 1-5

Bind off (try to do this loosely so your edge isn't too tight).

Book List
January- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
February- Falling Leaves by Adeline Mah
March- Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley
April- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
May- Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
June- Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
July- Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
August- The Day the World Came to Town by Jim deFede
September- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
October- Richland Reads! or Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
November- Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini
December- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith