As you may recall, last week I posted about an on line knitting book I found.
I also commented that I liked one of the patterns suggested for a Canadian cloud.
It is the one in the middle of the left hand page. Finding a couple of balls of fine wool during my clean and purge work, led me to abandon my current projects (again) and start a new one.
As is normal, the instructions are a bit vague and some trial and error is typical. The instructions read.
Use #6 needles. I have no idea what that is. I used 5.5 metric 9 US needles with fine lace weight wool. The idea behind clouds is loose and airy. Cast on even stitches. That didn’t work out so well. I used multiples of 3 plus 4.
First row: knit. That is straight forward.
Second row: Slip one, knit one. * Wool in front of needle, insert needle under three stitches and knit as one. Repeat from * to the end of the row.
Second row translation: Slip one, knit one (this creates the edge of the cloud) *Yarn over the right needle (I did front to back). Knit 3 stitches together. (I found it too tight to do that so I slipped the next stitch, knit one, pull the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and off the needle. Move the knit stitch back onto the left needle, pull the second stitch on the left needle over the first stitch and off the needle, move the first stitch on the left needle back onto the right needle.) Repeat from * to the last 2 stitches. Knit last two stitches.
Third row reads: knit 2 * k1 out of the put over thread, purl 1, knit 1 repeat from *
Third row translation: this is where I guessed. You could knit the first 2 stitches or you could slip one, knit one. (which is what I did). *Knit 1 into the yarn over stitch but don’t pull it off the needle! Purl one onto the same yarn over thread and pull it off the needle. Knit one. Repeat from * to the last two stitches. Knit 2.
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth row reads: knit all three rows.
What I did: I slipped the first stitch on each of these rows to keep the pattern of the edge.
The drawing in the book looks more like a stocking stitch. If I do this again, I will be more careful about changing the instructions so that I am alternating each row with knits and purls to make it smooth on one side (stocking stitch). But a cloud wrapped around the head will look fine with both sides of the work looking the same.
Pretty! Looks a lot like mine. We’ll be twins!
I had to guess on the width and hopefully, there is enough wool for a good length.