Grandma Knitty Home
Knitty: little purls of wisdom
letter from the editorfeatured articlesKnitty's fabulous pattern selectionarchive of back issuestell us what you think of KnittyKnitty's favorite linkshelp knitty keep on keepin' onknitty's virtual sNbjoin the Knitty notifylistknitty's tiny little shopping malltake home something Knitty


Elann

the Knitty FAQ

submission guidelines for designers and writers

the obligatory legal statement

the rabbit

© Knitty 2002-2006. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. This means you.

 



arisaigsamuscinxiajosephineblackberryrevolutionlacey
leaves in reliefbloomellaflorahipsterfalling leavesbubby
edgarastrodomepumpkinstit bitsyorick

In the fall, I often don't want a big scarf...just a little something at the neck to keep the chill away. This neck warmer provides just the right amount of warmth plus a big moss stitch flower to add a dash of style. The neck warmer has a coordinating moss stitch border that is set off from the stockinette with little eyelets, and the flower is removable for those days when you want something a bit more subdued.

I used three thinner yarns stranded together for this version, but you could use any yarn or combination of yarns that create a gauge of about 4 sts per inch. The project can be a great stash buster, since the neck warmer itself takes only about 100 yards of yarn, and the flower could be worked in any other little coordinating bits that you have lying around.

model: Andrea Dillon photos: Kate Kuckro

SIZE
One
 
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Length: 23 inches
Width: 5 inches
Flower Diameter: 5.5 inches

 

MATERIALS

[A] Rowan Wool Cotton [50% merino wool, 50% cotton; 123 yd/113m per 50g skein]; color: #943 Flower; 1 ball
[B] Rowan Wool Cotton [50% merino wool, 50% cotton; 123 yd/113m per 50g skein]; color: #911 Rich; 1 ball
[C] Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino [28% kid mohair, 28% merino wool, 44% micro nylon; 240 yd/216m per 25g skein]; color: #4672 Berry ; 1 ball

1 set US #9/5.5mm needles
Stitch holder
Blunt tapestry needle
One 1-inch button
Three 5/8-inch buttons
Sharp sewing needle
Sewing thread

GAUGE
16 sts/18 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch with 1 strand each of A, B and C held together

 

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations can be found here]

Seed Stitch (Worked over an odd number of sts):
Row 1: K1, [p1, k1] to end.
Repeat this row for Seed Stitch.

Note: When instructed to work with 2 strands of one yarn, pull one end from inside of ball and one end from outside of same ball.

Twisted Loop
Bring yarn to front of work, catch all strands with one finger of right hand, bring yarn to back of work again, creating a loop approx. 3 inches long. Using left hand, hold base of loop in place against right needle. Use finger holding loop to twist loop in one direction until loop is so twisted that it starts to kink and twist back on itself. Slip top of loop from finger onto tip of right needle. Tug slightly on doubled loop to straighten it; it will twist around itself to form a short cord.
1 st increased.

 
DIRECTIONS

Using 1 strand each of A, B and C held together, CO 7 sts.

Work 4 rows in Seed Stitch.

Next Row [RS]: K1, p1, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1. 9 sts.

Next Row [WS]: K1, p1, k1, p to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1.

Buttonhole Row [RS]: K1, p1, k1, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1. 11 sts.

Next Row [WS]: K1, p1, k1, p to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1.

Next Row [RS]: K1, p1, k1, yo, k to last 3 sts, yo, k1, p1, k1.
Next Row
[WS]: K1, p1, k1, p to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1.
Repeat these 2 rows 4 times more. 21 sts.

Next Row [RS]: K1, p1, k2tog, yo, k to last 4 sts, yo, ssk, p1, k1.
Next Row [WS]: K1, p1, k1, p to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1.
Repeat these 2 rows until work measures 22 inches, or 1 inch less than desired length.

Next Row [RS]: K1, p1, k2tog, yo, k1, [k1, yo, k2tog] 4 times, yo, ssk, p1, k1.
Work 4 rows in Seed Stitch. BO all sts.

Flower
Petal (Make 5):
Using 2 strands of A and 1 strand of C held together, CO 2 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: Kfb, k1. 3 sts.
Row 2 [WS]: K1, p1, k1.
Row 3 [RS]: Kfb, m1, p1, k1. 5 sts.
Rows 4, 6 [WS]: [K1, p1] to last st, k1.
Row 5 [RS]: K1, p1, kfb, m1, p1, k1. 7 sts.
Row 7 [RS]: K1, p1, kfb, m1, [p1, k1] twice. 9 sts.
Rows 8-11: Work in Seed Stitch as set.
Row 12 [WS]: P2tog, work 5 sts in patt, sl1, k1, psso. 7 sts.
Row 13 [RS]: Work in Seed Stitch as set.
Slip rem sts to st holder; break yarn, leaving 10-inch tails.

Center
Replace all petals on needle with WS facing (35 sts on needle).
Using 2 strands of B and 1 strand of C held together, proceed as follows:
Row 1
[WS]: K2tog, [p1, k1] twice, p2tog, [work 5 sts in Seed Stitch, p2tog] 3 times, work 4 sts in Seed Stitch, k2tog. 29 sts.
Row 2 [RS]: [K1, work Twisted Loop] to last st, k1. 57 sts.
Row 3 [WS]: [P3tog] to end. 19 sts rem.
Row 4 [RS]: [K1, work Twisted Loop] to last st, k1. 37 sts.
Row 5 [WS]: [P3tog] to last st, p1. 13 sts rem. BO all sts.

FINISHING

Steam block scarf so it lays flat.

Assemble Flower:
Sew lower edge of first petal to lower edge of last petal, leaving a hole in center of flower (the 1-inch button will go through this hole to secure flower to neck warmer).
Sew flower petals to each other at lower edges, overlapping petals slightly (see photo). Place flower with RS down on a flat surface.

Add Large Button to Neck Warmer:
Wrap neck warmer around neck so it fits comfortably, with pointed end (with buttonhole) overlapping straight end. Mark position of buttonhole; this is where large button will be sewn.

Because large button both closes neck warmer and secures flower, you will need to create a quarter inch shank between button and neck warmer as follows:

With sewing thread, make several anchor stitches at position of button on neck warmer. Draw thread up through one hole in button, then down through another hole. Now slip a knitting needle, pencil, or something else that is about one quarter inch in diameter, between button and neck warmer; this will act as a spacer, helping you set the length of the button shank. Make several more sts to secure button, using spacer to maintain distance between button and knit fabric.

Once button is securely fastened, attach one smaller button to back of fabric. Keep sewing through top button, fabric, and smaller bottom button until both buttons are secure.

Remove spacer, draw thread between top button and fabric, and wrap thread around button shank several times. Draw thread to back of neck warmer and secure.

Add stabilizing buttons to back of flower:
Place scarf over flower so that button hole is centered over hole in flower. Find two eyelets at border of neck warmer that overlap flower petals. Mark corresponding points on back of the flower, and sew smaller buttons at these points. Button flower onto neck warmer, keeping center of flower centered over buttonhole on neck warmer.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Kate Kuckro lives in San Francisco, where she spends as much time as possible knitting, crafting, and baking.

After a number of dismal attempts at scarves and doll blankets when she was little, Kate abandoned knitting until college. She has been happily experimenting, designing and knitting ever since.

To read more about her knitting inspirations and experiments, please visit her blog; to see more of her knits and patterns, please see her website.