Ms. Blockhead in the Conservatory with the Knitting Needles? No, well then I don’t even have a Clue. Pictured above is Anne’s latest knitting creation. She calls it, Three Strikes and You’re Out! She started knitting it a week ago Monday at the Cardinals baseball game, which they won, thank you very much. It is destined to be donated to The Red Thread Project, this coming weekend. Ms. Blockhead is my name for Dan’s sculpture that was used to model Anne’s cap. She started off life all fit and trim, but after a few years in the weather, she has developed a rather severe case of curvature of the spine. This is especially hard to treat, considering that she does not have any spine. Now it is time for Anne’s guest post:
OK, for you knitters out there, here’s the scoop. Pattern is a 5-stitch repeat, ribbing is K1, P1, and the crown decreases need a multiple of eight. I used US 8 circular needles with Aran Worsted weight yarn, ( I think). My gauge was 4.5 stitches per inch. Cast on 90 stitches, join and do K1, P1 ribbing for ~1″, or six rows. Place marker to mark beginning of round if desired.
Three Strikes and Your’re Out Pattern.
Row 1: *K3, YO, K2Tog*, repeat * to * around. 3 stitches = 3 strikes, get it?
Row 2 and all even rows: K all the way around.
Row 3: K2, *YO, K2Tog, K3*, ending with K1 on last repeat.
Row 5: K1, *YO, K2Tog, K3*, ending with K2 on last repeat. 3 pattern rows = 3 outs, time to switch sides.
Row 7: K1, *SSK, YO, K3*, ending with K2 on last repeat.
Row 9: K2, *SSK, YO, K3*, ending with K2 on last repeat.
Row 11: *K3, *SSK, YO*, repeat * to * around. 3 pattern rows = 3 outs, time to switch sides back to first side.
Row 12: K all the way around
Repeat Rows 1-12 until hat is desired height. On this hat, I knit 1-12 twice, then 1-6 again.
Decreasing on the Crown
Decrease twice on first row of knitting to get stitch count from 90 to 88. Place markers every 22 stitches.
Row 1 (decrease row): *After marker, SSK, K2Tog, K to next marker.* Repeat around hat. (8 stitches decreased)
Row 2: K all the way around.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 16 stitches remain. Repeat Row 1, so 8 stitches remain.
Cut yarn ~ 8 inches long. Thread on yarn needle and run through all eight stitches twice. Remove knitting needle(s), and draw stitches together. Weave in ends.
I was trying to get a nice square decrease, like a baseball diamond, but the decrease lines have a little bit of curve. Oh well, I’m certainly not in the mood to rip it out and try again.
I would have expected something a bit redder, more like a Cardinal Red.
Errata: Row 9 should end K1 on last repeat, rather than K2. The danger of cutting and pasting, and then not editing.
Regarding the color, Cardinal Red with Blue would have been more “baseball-y”, but the skein of yarn I had was pink. At one point, I thought about calling it Staghorn Sumac, as the pinks and oranges reminded me of the sumac foliage and the brown of the berries. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t ALWAYS go to the yarn store, sometimes I actually pull something from my stash. The pink yarn was included in a “book plus” from Borders. The book was “One Skein Wonders”, and the plus was the skein of yarn, and a pair of knitting needles. The brown was left-over from another hat.