Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (43 page)

Rnd 2: K.

Rep these last 2 rnds 5 times more—28 sts—then work rnd 1 four times—12 sts.

With needle 3, k 3 sts from needle 1, leaving 6 sts each on the 2 needles and break off yarn, leaving approx 12" tail. Stitch the toe sts tog using Kitchener st.

ABOUT THERESA

I’m a thirty-two-year-old North Carolinian living outside Oslo with my husband and two stepdaughters. I was gripped by a sudden desire to learn to knit three years ago after witnessing a sheepdog demonstration. I began to learn when I relocated to Norway, where I’m knitting up warm woolen garments to survive in the Arctic climate. I dream of having my own fiber-animal farm someday and a Border collie named Fly. In the meantime, I’m making my first forays into the exciting world of hand spinning.

CATHERINE STINSON

Everyone says that your very first knitting project should be a scarf. It’s true that your first project should be a rectangle in a single color, but that doesn’t automatically mean a scarf. Use your imagination a little, and you’ll see there are all kinds of things you can make out of rectangles. Wristbands are small rectangles, which makes them a great first project. If they put their minds to it, even the greenest beginners can, in one day, finish a rectangle big enough to go around their wrists, so that cathartic moment of finishing a project comes quickly.

These wristbands are a little fancier and use smaller needles than most beginners can handle, but they’re still pretty easy. I came up with this idea out of pure laziness. I had set out to make arm warmers, but after I got a few inches along, I was bored, so they became really short arm warmers. A star pattern and a geek pattern are given, but they can be personalized, if you don’t want to advertise your geekiness (or lack of star quality, poor thing).

S
IZES

Small (Medium, Large)

Finished measurements: 6 (6½, 6¾)" around

M
ATERIALS

Katia
Mississippi 3
(60% cotton/40% acrylic; 50g/230 yds)

GEEK

MC:
#759 Yellow

CC:
#760 Olive Green

STAR

MC:
#750 Light Blue

CC:
#733 Orange

US 5 (3.75mm) knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge

G
AUGE

20 sts and 32 rows = 4" in St st with 2 strands of yarn held tog

Note:
Wristbands are k with 2 strands of yarn held tog throughout. Instead of using the intarsia method which these charts call for, you can cheat and carry the contrasting yarn behind the work when not needed. It’ll make this project much easier to do.

D
IRECTIONS

With 2 strands of MC held tog, CO 32 (34, 36) sts. For sizes Small and Large, work 3 rows k2, p2 rib. For size Medium, work 3 rows rib as foll:

Row 1: K3, p3, *K2, p2; rep from * to end of row.

Row 2: *K2, p2; rep from * to last 6 sts, k3, p3.

Row 3: Rep row 1.

For the “geek” wristband, knit 2 rows St st. Then k 10 (11, 12) st, k 22 st of chart, k to end of row. Cont with chart until finished, then k 3 more rows St st.

For the “star” wristband, k 2 rows St st. Then k 12 (13, 14) st, k 9 st of chart, k to end of row. Cont with chart until finished, then k 2 more rows St st.

Work 2 rows of rib, using the same instructions as before.

BO in rib.

Sew up the side seams. You’re done.

ABOUT CATHERINE

While writing my master’s thesis on artificial intelligence, I became bored and unmotivated, so I turned to knitting for help. I knit all night and slept all day until my hands couldn’t take it anymore. I organized Stitch ’n Bitch sessions to make my obsessive knitting more social. Soon my pile of hats, bikinis, and wristbands had grown to an alarming size. I started to joke about opening a business to sell wristbands. Then I made a Web site, and the joke became reality.

Now that I’ve finished my master’s degree, I’m avoiding gainful employment in my field. Instead, I’m doing freelance Web design and running
www.deadpan.ca
, my online knitting and sewing store, from Toronto.

LISA SHOBHANA MASON

Every mother-to-be appreciates a lovingly hand-knit baby blanket. However, if you are going to knit one special item, why not choose something that is destined to be a cherished heirloom? Don’t choose easy care over quality when it comes to selecting a yarn, especially when easy means cheesy (think acrylic). This blanket is made using Koigu
Painter’s Palette Premium Merino
, a wonderful hand-painted yarn that comes in hundreds of beautiful variegated colors, suitable for both a wild and wacky mom-to-be or someone whose taste is more traditional. This elegant yet easy-to-knit blanket will garner rave reviews for generations!