Reversible Cable Scarf

I didn’t originally plan this to be my next post, but I wanted something upbeat, and this project is that for me.

The yarn is a yarn that I spun from Fiber Optic’s BFL/silk roving dyed in the Espresso-Crimson-Gold gradient. The pattern is based on something that I saw in a kntting magazine back in the 80’s for a baby blanket. In fact, I did a similar design for some scarves that I knit my nieces about 15 years ago.

Here is the “pattern” if you are interested in making your own. Pattern is in quotes because I am just going to give you general guidelines for how to do this rather than specific stitch counts and such so that you can do this with any yarn you wish, and do as many cables and such as you desire.

The reversible cable is done over a 1×1 rib (knit one, purl one). For this scarf, the cable is over 12 stitches. You will probably want the stitch count for each cable to be a multiple of 4, because of when you actually get to doing the cable, a multiple of 4 stitches will keep the cable looking the same on both sides of the work. (A knit/purl pair on each leg of the cable. (1k + 1p) x 2 = 4 sts.)

To do the cable, slip half of the stitches for the cable onto a cable needle (or whatever spare needle you might have on hand. I frequently use a double point that happens to be lying around). Knit one, purl one for the other half of the stitches for the cable. Now, knit one, purl one the stitches that you slipped onto the cable needle. All of the other rows of the cable are just knit one, purl one across.

Now how often do you do the cabling twist row? Generally, if I have a cable that is X stitches across, I will have the cable repeat every X rows. In this case, since the cable is 12 stitches across, I did the cabling twist every 12th row. The first cabling twist happened on the 9th row, as I like to have cables start 2/3rds in. (You might think I miscalculated there, but while I am doing the twist on row 9, the twist appears between rows 8 and 9, so the row 8 is actually the end of the cable. Row 9 is the start of the next cable repeat.)

As for what to put around the cable, I used Irish moss stitch. On the version that I made for my nieces years ago, I used seed stitch. Garter stitch would be another good option. Here, I used 12 stitches on either side of the cable (so the scarf was a total of 36 stitches). Do whatever is pleasing to your eye. In general, I like tend to like have my stitch numbers relate to each other somehow, partly because it makes it easier to remember things, and because I am an engineer that study pattern recognition for my graduate work. TMI, I know.

One final note for the pattern, I slipped the first stitch and purled the last stitch of each row to give me a nice edges. For things like garter stitch and seed stitch, I don’t always do this, however.

And finally, on a personal note, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers in the past week. They are very much appreciated

Copyright 2012 by G. P. Donohue for textillian.com

Ice Ice Baby Errata

Sorry guys, I found a mistake in the pattern.

For the leg portion, where it says:

Do this for 14 rounds total.

It should be:

Do this for 12 rounds total.

This mistake on my part won’t affect fit. It just means that the cabling on the icicles on the back of the leg are starting differently than those on top of the foot. If you are already past this point in the pattern, I would recommend just doing whatever you need to do to make the socks match.

Sorry for the error.

Hope everyone had a happy holiday!

UPDATE: Roseann found where a knit and a purl got transposed in the first round of the cuff. The first round for the cuff should be:

Round 1: [(K1, p1) 3x, k2tog, (p1, k1) 2x, p2tog] 6x. You are back down to 72 sts.

Copyright 2009 by G. P. Donohue for textillian.com

Tannenbaum Socks Pattern

Yarn:
Wullenstudio’s Superwash Sock Yarn in Green Tamborine colorway

Needles:
2.25 mm (I used a long circular needle to do magic loop, but use what you feel comfortable with.)

Gauge:
8.5 sts of st st = 1 in. (worked in the round.)

Charts:

Tree chart

Tree chart

Ivy and Cable chart

Ivy and Cable chart

Stitch pattern layout

Stitch pattern layout

Toe:

  1. Using provisional cast on, cast on 14 sts onto one needle.
  2. Knitting back and forth on two needles, work 6 rows of st st.
  3. Knit across the 14 sts on needle.
  4. Pick up 4 sts along side of rectangle.
  5. Knit the 14 sts from cast on edge.
  6. Pick up 4 sts along other side of rectangle. You will now be knitting in the round until you get to the heel flap. You now have 36 sts total.
  7. Knit next 16 sts. Place marker.
  8. Knit next 18 sts. Place marker.
  9. K1, M1, K until 1 st before marker, M1, K1.
  10. Repeat toe step #9 for other side of toe.
  11. K entire round.
  12. Repeat toe steps #9 through #11 until  you have 72 sts.

Foot:
Starting with the center stitch of the Ivy and Cable chart, work half of that chart, the first row of the Tree chart, and then the other half of the Ivy and Cable chart, moving the stitch marker over by one stitch. Work the rest of the round in st st. Work the charts for the top of the foot, and st st for the sole of the foot. Please note, the two charts do not sync up, so pay attention.

To determine where to stop working the foot and to start working the foot flap, measure what you have knit against your forearm. If the part of your forearm that is not covered by the sock is the same as the width of the sock, you are ready to move on to the foot flap, turning after finishing the sole stitches.

Foot Flap:

  1. K3, P32.
  2. P3, *K1, sl 1, rep from * to the last 4 sts, K4.
  3. K3, P32.
  4. P3, *sl 1, K1, rep from * to the last 3 sts, K3.
  5. Repeat foot flap steps #1 through 4 8 more times (36 rows in all).

Heel Turn:

  1. Sl 1, P18, P2tog, P1, turn.
  2. Sl 1, K4, ssk, K1, turn.
  3. Sl 1, P to 1 st before gap, P2 tog, P1, turn.
  4. Sl 1, K to 1 st before gap, ssk, K1, turn.
  5. Repeat heel turn steps # 3 and 4 until all sts are worked.

Heel Pickup:
You are going back to working in the round.

  1. Pick up 18 sts down side of foot flap.
  2. Pick up 1 st on each side of gap between foot flap and top of foot. Slip marker.
  3. Continue working pattern for top of foot. Slip marker.
  4. Pick up 1 st on each side of gap between top of foot and foot flap.
  5. Pick up 18 sts up side of foot flap.
  6. Determine the center stitch of those on the foot flap side of the two markers. Knit to 15 sts after that center stitch. Place a marker. (Don’t include the center stitch in the 15 count.)
  7. Knit until 2 sts before marker for top of foot. Ssk. Slip marker.
  8. Continue working pattern to next marker. Slip marker. K2tog.
  9. Knit until 15 sts before the center stitch from heel pickup step #6. Place marker.

Gussets:
You now have divided up the sock into four areas, the top of foot, the two gussets, and the heel. For the heel portion (where you just left off,) work the same slip stitch pattern that you did for the foot flap (just the slip stitch pattern, omitting the garter stitch edge. Also, since you are now working in the round, those purl rows are now knit rows, but you probably already knew that.) For the top of the foot, continue working the charts. For the gussets,

  1. Work heel sts to next marker. Slip marker.
  2. Knit until 3 sts before marker, k2tog, K1, slip marker.
  3. Work charts to next marker. Slip marker.
  4. K1, ssk, knit to next marker. Slip marker.
  5. Work heel sts to next marker. Slip marker.
  6. Knit to next marker. Slip marker.
  7. Work charts to next marker. Slip marker.
  8. Knit to next marker. Slip marker.
  9. Continue gusset steps #1 through 8 until you have 72 sts.
  10. Continue working steps #5 through 8 until you are ready to start the tree chart on the back of the sock (or just want to start working the pattern on the back of the leg,) stopping 7 sts short of the marker for the top of foot patterning.

Leg:
Work the Ivy and Cable chart from whatever row you left off on when working the top of foot, then work the Tree chart, then the Ivy and Cable chart, and then the Tree chart again. Then keep using the charts to work the leg of the sock until it about one-half inch shorter than you want the leg of the sock to be.

The last chart is to give you an idea of how the patterns fall on the sock. The area with the white background is the top of foot, which becomes the front of leg. The green shaded area of the chart is the back of leg. Hopefully, that chart is of some help.

Cuff:
Now, it is just one-half inch of 1×1 ribbing (K1, p1.) Cast off. (I use the tubular cast off, as it is pretty elastic.)

If there are any questions, just put them in the comments or email me, and I will try to answer them with my usual “clear as mud” explanations.

Copyright 2009 by G. P. Donohue for textillian.com

O Tannenbaum

Reference

No, the socks aren’t done yet; but the charts that I am using for them are. I have posted them here on Ravelry. If you have any questions about them, please post them in that forum so that we can keep all of the information about the pattern in one place.

Thanks!

Copyright 2009 by G. P. Donohue for textillian.com