Sunday, 20 January 2013

Flower Corsage

I've just finished making a pretty little corsage brooch, from Susie Johns' Felicity pattern in Let's Knit, Issue 63. It's super cute and I love the colours (the yarn came free with the magazine) but, gosh, it reminds me why I dislike small needles. Frankly, 80 stitches on 3.75 mm (US 5) needles feels like a real chore... but the results are worth it. Might have flown faster if I'd used a quicker cast on but, as none was specified, I feel it best to stick to a knit cast on. As I regularly lose track of my counting, checking a long line of tiny stitches, several times while casting on, is a pain. Actually, maybe I just don't like knit cast ons! I don't have a problem counting with, say, a long-tail cast on.

Anyway, in other news, it's still snowing over here, in England, and I'm bored with all the snow shovelling already. Any Councillors reading this blog? Please send out the snow ploughs and gritters! ;)
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7 comments:

  1. Lots of snow everywhere! Turning to slush so I hope it doesn't freeze tonight.

    Such a cute corsage! I can knit a little (dishcloth level!) but can only cast on using the thumb method. x

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    1. Thanks for your comment. :) If you can knit, you can totally do a knit cast on! Instead of slipping the old st off your left-hand needle, you keep slipping the new st on (from your right-hand needle to your left-hand needle) until you have cast on enough sts. Give it a go, when you knit your next dishcloth! ;) x

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  2. thanks for share...

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  3. I am struggling with this pattern Fiona. On the 3rd row of the largest flower, i am supposed toend up with 26 stitches, but after following the pattern, i thought correctly, i have 33 stitches. Did you have any problems with the pattern. Thanks. Tina

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    1. Tina, the 2nd row is written: "k2, *k1, sl st back to LH needle, pass next 10 sts over, yo, k3; rep from * to end" [26 sts]. Or, in other words, knit 2 sts, then do 6 repeats of "pass 10 sts over reused st, create 1 st, knit 3 sts" - so you use 2 initial sts and then work with 6 groups of 13 sts. The maths is correct: 80-2-(13x6)=0 or 2+(4x6)=26.

      The 3rd row is written: "(k1, k2tog, inc2) six times, k2" [32 sts]. The pattern notes indicate that inc2 is "k into front, back and front of st". Again, the maths is correct: (5x6)+2 = 32.

      I did not have any problems with the pattern itself... However, it was terribly easy to lose count of the passed over sts! Hope the above maths explanations help. :)

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  4. Fiona, it was very kind of you to reply. This is my first attemp at knitting, i thought small meant easy, but how wrong was I. I think my problem lies with knowing what to do with the stitch that i have just passed 10 stitches over. What hapens to that stitch? In my previous attempts (about 10 now!!). I have pulled the yarn forward then knitted into 'that' stitch, but i end up with 32 stitches. Your help is very much appreciated. :-). Tina

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    1. Small generally means quick, rather than easy! ;)

      The st that you pass your 10 sts over is worked as a normal st. When you do a yfwd (yo) you don't do anything with the yarn - it is a created "extra" st.

      You aren't the first person to enquire about how I knitted this corsage, so I've tried to answer some row 2 queries here: http://cbknit.blogspot.com/2013/02/pass-stitches-over-knitted-slip-stitch.html

      Hope that helps!

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