schmeebot

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mits

monday 11.08.2004

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all teeth but no bite

tuesday 11.09.2004

look what i got in my mail box today:

yay, supa eggplant!

i waved this suspiciously cushy envelope around over my head as i danced all the way up three flights of stairs. look what the modest parcel unfurled into:

a hand made reversible mini tote

it's approximately 2.5"x5.5"x8.5", stylishly perfect for holding a beanie project. after it's done toting my mitten project, of course.

this image shows truer colors of the cotton goodness.

i just love those teeth! i'm taking it with me next time i'm going to the dentist. may be he can help the blue tooth feel better.

thank you very much, mariko!

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more knitting, less politics

wednesday 11.10.2004

i made my first mittens. first pair at least. i made them from my very own little head during a car trip two sundays ago. actually, i completed one on the road and the other at home.

made the left one first, right second

i hate laying my knitting on the floor for pictures but i've got no options here. anyway, note how one thumb looks bigger than the other. i don't know why; they're made of the same number of stitches.

they fit me perfectly despite looking way elongated. i have freakishly long fingers, is all. i learned that, even though i thought up the pattern myself, i still hate having to knit the same thing twice. mainly because i would freestyle the first one and then i'd spend hours on the second trying to figure out what i did the first time around. these darn mittens, i could have sworn i knitted one exactly like the other. why can't i get them to match? argh!

i must admit that i enjoyed making them. i like how i said "holy smokes" aloud when i realized that my cocky little brain had actually produced something resembling a mitten. i'm taking it one step further this week; i'm making gloves! freestyle, of course!

here's a haiku by my webmasta:

you made some mittens
now you need to get kittens
kittens make you smile

comments: 4

add this to the socks file

wednesday 11.17.2004

i found something else i never want to knit. gloves.

freak

i can tell maura is shuffling around looking for her address book this very minute so she can cross my name off.

first, what is with that yarn? you would never guess how lovely it looked in the skein. i always get snookered by multicolored yarn. they nearly never knit up as beautifully as they appear in the hank or skein. down with treacherous yarn!

second, i hate cutting yarn. this glove required three yarn breaks not counting the thumb. even though cutting is a bit less painful when the yarn is hideous, i am still against it.

third, i just don't like the separation of the fingers. it makes more sense to keep them together for better warmth. and, because i chose to make it fingerless, the bulk of the bind off edges makes the hand feel unnatural. i might even add that it makes for poor circulation.

schmeebot says: mittens, ok. gloves, nuh uh.

comments: 4

zeebee

friday 11.19.2004

schmeebot goes on a limb...

first, i apologize for having posted this pattern way later than i promised. i was hoping that the entries about mittens and gloves would wash over and everyone would forget about my promise. seems like everyone did. except lily.

writing this pattern has been an exercise in torture for me. i hate patterns yet there i was, writing one. i flogged myself, holly, and my webmaster for months with it. yes, months of agony because i believe it's a fine beanie to knit. and simple.

i worry though. what if you see it as plain and boring instead of simple and elegant? this was the biggest damper to my pattern writing effort. what if no one finds this beanie as worthwhile as i do?

no matter. here it is, a pattern for a virtually seamless beanie. i hope you'll find the knitting just as clever as i do. should it let you down, i hope you'll let me know how you would improve it.

up with beanies!

holly the patron saint of the zeebee

preface: a few notes:

1. pattern will generate the required numbers of stitches and rows custom to
your spec. record your guage and measurements carefully.

those of you using macs will have problems seeing the numbers. see if you can view it on a pc. if not, please email me.

2. if you don't already know how, i insist that you learn to crochet the single
chain. all knitters should know this fundamental crochet stitch.
3. the entire beanie is about wrapping and knitting short rows. for those of you
who are familiar with this shaping trick, please note that you don't knit the
wraps in this pattern.
4. get familiar with garter stitch grafting. it's easy but i suggest practicing until
you have it mastered. the seamlessness of this beanie will rely solely
on your grafting skills.
5. the needle size is up to you. choose one that knits well with your chosen
yarn.

take time to read through the entire pattern before starting to knit. the writing is chatty but i can't help it. the first quarter of the beanie will require some concentration. the rest is pure repetition so the knitting will be very easy. you'll see.

materials:

1. one pair of circular (recommended) or straight knitting needles
2. one pair of straight knitting needles in a finer size
3. a blunt darning needle
4. 3 to 4 ounces of yarn, worsted or bulky
5. a crochet hook
6. some waste yarn close in weight with the main yarn
7. point protectors (does anyone really use these? rubber bands, may be?)

measurements:

enter numbers with decimals, if any, in the boxes below in order for pattern to be generated.

a. measure your head circumference right above your ears. subtract 2 to 4
inches from it according to how snug you prefer your beanie. for example,
my head circumference is 22.5" but i use 19" because i prefer it snug.
a = inches

b. measure the length of your beanie by pulling a tape measure over the top
of your head. pull both hands down over your ears to where you prefer the
brim of your beanie to be. take the measurement and divide it by two.
b = inches

gauge:

knit a 6 inch square garter stitch swatch and check your gauge. keep in mind that the proportion of garter stitch is approximately 1 stitch to 2 rows.

r = rows = 1 inch
s = stitches = 1 inch

numbers: for your reference only

1. circumference: c = a x r = rows
2. length: l = b x s = cast on stitches

concept sketch:

pattern:

cast on:

1. with waste yarn, crochet (cast on+2 stitches) in single chain.
2. leaving an 8 inch tail, cut yarn, and pull tail through last chain.
3. with main yarn, leave 8 inch to match waste yarn tail. gently tie both tails
together using a loose slip knot. let the tails indicate the crown side of
beanie.
4. turn crochet chain so its bumpy side faces up. use crochet hook or knitting
needle to pick up stitches by pulling main yarn through each bump
beginning with second chain.
5. continue until you have stitches on the needle. there should be one
chain left unused.

begin decreasing:

6. row 1: knit to second to last stitch. this row ends at the crown so let's call
it the crown row, or cr.
7. slip last stitch purl wise onto right hand needle. let's call this last stitch
the crown stitch, or cs. turn.

note: the cs is never knitted. it is only used for wrapping.

8. row 2: slip first stitch off left hand needle purl wise, knit to end of row. as
this row ends at the brim, we'll call it the brim row, or br. turn.
9. row 3: knit to third to last stitch. wrap second to last stitch. in other words,
slip second to last stitch onto right hand needle purl wise, bring yarn
forward, and slip second to last stitch back on to left hand needle.
turn. (cr)
10. row 4: knit to end of row. turn. (br)
11. row 5: knit to fourth to last stitch. wrap. turn. (cr)
12. row 6: knit to end of row. turn. (br)
13. repeat steps 11 and 12 with one less stitch each cr until you have all
rows. you may need to add one extra row because you must...
14. ...end decreasing by knitting a br. you've just completed an eighth of the
beanie. yay!

begin increasing:

15. row 1: knit toward crown. when you come across the wrapped stitch, knit
it as you would a regular stitch; do not knit the wrap. then, wrap the very
next stitch. perform the wrap the same way you did for the decrease
described in step 9. turn. (cr)
16. row 2: knit to end of row. (br)
17. row 3: knit back, knit previously wrapped stitch, wrap the next stitch, turn.
(cr)
18. repeat steps 16 and 17 until you have wrapped the cs. turn.
19. end increasing by knitting a br.

look at your knitting now. you have just created one quarter of the beanie. continue knitting the rest of the hat by repeating steps 9 through 19 three times, creating three more quarters of the beanie.

when you are done knitting all four quarters, the working yarn should be on the brim side of the beanie. yarn should and must be on the opposite end of the 8 inch tail located at the crown. leaving approximately 30 inches for grafting, cut yarn.

if you used straight knitting needles, put a protector on the point to keep the stitches from slipping out. if you used circular needles, push all stitches off the needle toward the center.

finishing:

cast on edge: transfer stitches to finer size straight needle. the following set
of instructions presumes that you are a right hander.

1. undo the knot to release the 8 inch tails. undo the first chain in the waste
yarn slowly. stop.
2. with your right hand, take one of the two finer knitting needles and slip it
through the first knit stitch.
3. with your left hand, slowly pull the waste yarn tail to release the first knit
stitch from the second chain.
4. slip the next knit stitch onto the needle.
5. pull waste yarn to release it.
6. repeat steps 4 and 5 until all of the knit stitches are released from the
chains except the last two. leave them on the waste yarn.

note: the very last stitch does not look like those previously released. take
care to put it on the needle as you see it. do not untwist it or let it fall off the
needle because it is responsible for making this beanie look perfectly
seamless.

7. now, slip both stitches onto the needle before releasing the waste yarn
completely. put a point protector on needle. put this edge down.

note: should you stumble and mess up the last stitch, it's okay. the brim will
have a very slight indent after the beanie is grafted because the stitch won't
match the other brim stitches. no one will notice it but you.

end edge: transfer stitches to straight needle of finer size:

1. beginning on the crown side, slip all the live stitches on to the other fine
knitting needle.

note: if you used straight needles to knit the beanie, you would have to slip the
stitches twice, meaning you'd have to put them all on another needle brim first
before you could slip them back on the finer needle crown first. this is why
circular needles are recommended.

2. both fine needles should be pointing toward the brim (away from crown)
when you're done transferring the stitches. add point protectors.
3. fold the beanie so that the cast on edge lies next to the end edge. turn on all
the lights in the house and make certain that one edge is on the bumpy
row and the other edge is on the flat row. hills and valleys, respectively.
don't proceed until you have this right.
4. grafting will proceed from brim to crown. turn the beanie so grafting will
be worked from right to left.

grafting: also known as weaving. if you have never done garter stitch grafting
before, you might want to practice before performing it on the beanie.

1. thread 30 inch tail through the darning needle. remove point protectors.
begin grafting by imitating the adjacent brim stitches. the very first stitch
will take some effort.
2. continue grafting. be careful to match the grafting stitches to those on the
adjacent rows. pull on grafting yarn with moderate tension. stop and adjust
stitches after every inch of grafting or so.
3. after the last stitch is grafted, remove all needles. pick up 8 inch crown tail.
pull firmly to gather up the wraps.
4. tie both tails together using a firm double knot. with the darning needle,
thread and weave in the tails one at a time. be careful to hide it well. after
about two inches is weaved in, cut yarn to remove ends.

voila, a seamless zeebee!

i can only hope that it knocks your socks off. if it does, please consider adding a picture of you wearing it to this flickr gallery.

afterword:

all my gratitude to:

1. my webmaster, my own personal magician;
2. holly, without whom this pattern would not be here;
3. gayle, for having championed this pattern way back when it was but a
sketch and for having given it the dubious distinction of being
"arthritis friendly," and
4. last but not least...

maura!

pattern was spurred on by knitting for baby by melanie falick, rejected by knitty.com, and powered by elizabeth zimmermann. please feel free to contact me should have questions and comments. i would love to hear from you.

comments: 25

hola amoeba

wednesday 11.24.2004

i can't believe i'm showing you this. it's about time i fess up that i'm not a very skillful knitter.

sickly square

that's my attempt at knitting a charity square for my peeps in sb. shameful, isn't it? i knitted it to be 6.5" square. i figured it would stretch to size once it's blocked. was i wrong! no amount of pulling could get it to be an 8" square. bah!

the good news is: i've got another square going. a better pattern, too. if i have enough yarn, i'll make a third, for which i will need another square pattern. any suggestions? please share with me.

have a happy thanksgiving, everyone!

comments: 2

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