Almost-autumn is here. The twinnage returned to school last week, with all the swagger that a matching pair of eight-year-olds in a small village school can muster. (Trust me, that’s quite a lot of swagger.)
The days are cooler, and no evening is complete until somebody has said “I can’t believe it’s dark already. Look! Look how dark it is! Just look, will you?!”
It’s been a low-achieving couple of months. Last summer, I dug a pond and ran my first (but not last) marathon. This summer, I emptied the crumb tray under the toaster and composed some really ambitious ‘to-do’ lists. (I’m still running, though.)
More importantly, my Dad has suffered a couple of health events that have left me non-impressed with the universe for not allowing my entire family to remain in tip-top health forever. I idolize my father but we’re not an emotional/demonstrative family, which is why I’m writing it here rather than saying it to his face.
Also, there has been knitting.
I have a quick and simple pattern for those amongst you who use circular needles. Want an easy way to hold your needles safely when your knitting is bouncing around in the bottom of your bag as you rush out of the door? I’ve been pondering this problem for a while, because I’m fed up with getting out my knitting and finding that half the stitches are off the needles. Here’s my attempt at a solution. So far, it’s working fairly well:-
Would you like the pattern?
OK, here goes the briefest, simplest, plainest pattern I shall ever write. The yarn is Stylecraft Head Over Heels, in the colourway Saltaire. I chose this colourway because… well because I designed it for Stylecraft (post here), and I still like it. But if you don’t happen to have any of this luscious yarn to hand, then other sock yarns will work just as well.
- Yarn: Small quantity of Stylecraft Head Over Heels in colourway ‘Saltaire’, or indeed any other sock yarn. (This project is good for using up remnants from when you’ve finished a pair of socks.)
- 3mm needles, can be circular or straight.
- A 4mm needle (to help with judging where to sew).
- Darning needle.
- One small button.
I’m not even going to try and persuade you to knit a gauge swatch, given that the swatch would be considerably bigger than the finished object, but I will just say that if you’re a loose knitter, then consider using needles smaller than 3mm.
Abbreviations. You’ll be gobsmacked to learn that in the pattern below, k= knit and p = purl. Meanwhile, skpsso is a slip-knit-pass-slipped-stitch-over decrease, k2tog is knit two together, kfb = knit into the front and back of the stitch, and pfb = purl into the front and the back of the stitch. Ground-breaking new info, I know. So lets do this.
- Cast on 15.
- k1, (p1, k1) to end. (15)
- p1, (k1, p1) to end.
- Repeat previous 2 rows 2 more times each.
- k1, (p1, k1) to end.
- p all stitches.
- k all stitches.
- Make yourself a drink. It’s important to stay hydrated.
- p6, pfb, p1, pfb, p6. (17)
- k all stitches.
- p all stitches.
- Repeat previous 2 rows 2 more times each.
- k6, skpsso, k1, k2tog, k6. (15)
- p all stitches.
- k all stitches.
- Have you eaten yet today? You really should remember to eat.
- p1, (k1, p1) to end.
- k1, (p1, k1) to end.
- Repeat previous 2 rows 2 more times each.
- p1, (k1, p1) to end.
- Cast off 3 stitches in pattern. You now have 1 stitch on the right needle. kfb next stitch, k5, kfb, k2, p1, k1. (14)
- Cast off 3 stitches in pattern, p to end of row. (11)
- k all stitches.
- p all stitches.
- k1, skpsso, k5, k2tog, k1. (9)
- p all stitches.
- k1, skpsso, k and cast off next 2 stitches, k2tog and cast off a 3rd stitch, k1. (4)
- p2, cast on 2, p2. (6)
- Cast off all stitches.
- Cut yarn.
- With wrong side facing you, fold in one side quite tightly over a 4mm needle. Sew the edge in place along the needle. Repeat on other side.
- Weave in ends.
- Fold the flap over to work out location of button. Sew button into place.
- You’re done!
Here, as a bonus image, is another shot of the cormorant:-
Happy yarnery, people.
Phil x
I love your cormorant pix – in New Zealand we call them shags – and all good thoughts for your dad’s health.
Thank you. (And we have shags here too, as a slight variation on your bog-standard cormorant.)
I love the cormorant on the statue’s head, reminds me of an old joke about statues coming to life and pigeons, too rude for the comments alas.
Thank you for the useful pattern, I have a couple of tubes which I use for the purpose, but as always, more WIPs than tubes, so I see these handy knitted versions in my future. No shortage of sock yarn scraps here to manufacture.
Best wishes to your dad and you.
You’ve shamed me… with this comment “This summer, I emptied the crumb tray under the toaster and composed some really ambitious ‘to-do’ lists.” My crumb tray smokes and on occasion bursts into flames, I really should add cleaning it to a ‘to do’ list as soon as I can find a pen. I did learn to crochet this Summer, and so I’ve made a couple of blankets, and fingerless gloves and gobs of granny squares, and expanded my yarn stash 10 fold.
as always, thanks for the beautiful pics and story.
for circular needles, i just position the 2 ends of the needle together and wrap them with a rubber band!
they never come undone!
That’s e actor what I do too.
What a ripper (Aussie-ism) idea, thanks. I’m knitting a shawl in J & S “cobweb” yarn and live in fear of the stitches (many hundreds of them) making a bid for freedom.
I’m sorry to hear about your dad and trust he is rapidly approaching becoming tip top once again.
I love the way you write – and I really do LOL at leas 3 times per post! ????
As a happy hooker (and newbie dressmaker), I didn’t understand the secret code at the end of your post but do share your love of nature, colour ant texture.
Keep on keeping on!
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Perhaps you do need to learn to say it to him dear. Just an I love you is so important. Life is fleeting. Don’t waste time on not being demonstrative. Be the first in the family. What a sweet little pattern, my circular needles come with stoppers. Interchangeable needles luxury I suppose. I will put a picture in the comment section of the FB post. Then you understand why I don’t bring knitting out of my house. The furry boys you know. Every basket has to be demolished. That bird! Gorgeous feathers. Love them. Live close to the river. They sit on the pools drying their feathers with spread wings in the sun. A kazilion colours show. Breath taking sight. You know, I got the impression you’re one hard working women there. To hell with the bread crumbs! Let’s dig an other pool! XD
What beautiful photos, as always! I’m with Tineke in the comments – say what you need to say to your Dad before the day comes when you wish you had but can’t. He might squirm a bit if he’s in front of you, but – and this is from one whose family was also undemonstrative until they were retrained 🙂 – a quick “love you” just before you put the phone down is always a good start, and a hug never goes amiss. My experience was that just because someone has never seemed demonstrative doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate it when someone else is. I hope your Dad’s health improves soon xx
Please make sure to say it to your dad now, or regret it later? We never get as much time as we think we’ll have.
Love the needle keepers…must make at least one!
Just discovered your steek tutorial–YEEK!! I would have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane before I would have steeked a perfectly knitted sweater, however, your instructions are not only clear, but hysterically funny. Love your humor as much as your knitting–keep it coming!
I really appreciate your patterns. I thought I had the cardigan all tucked away, but to my chagrin, I find I have nothing. It’s the one you made for yourself for walking the twinage to school. Did I dream it? Did I miss the pattern when it came out? The information is gone (or more likely hiding under the wrong heading). Any chance of a repeat? Also, I love your photos, they are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.
B-R