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Hit the beach this summer in this gnarly little grass skirt! With a recycled waistband from a pair of Hawaiian print board shorts and some GGH Vamos in the appropriately named "Grass" colorway, you'll be on your way.

While the knitting is easy - just a stockinette tube - the yarn is very fuzzy and a bit slippery to work with. If you drop a stitch, you may never find it, but chances are, it won't show.

Vamos is incredibly soft and holds up well to rigorous hand washing. It dries in a snap, still fluffy and soft.

Be aware that the surfer dudes and dance hall dandies will find it hard to keep their hands off your grass!

model: Kristi Porter photo: Leo Bleicher

SIZE
to order!
 
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

As you wish!
Mine measures 34 inches at the hip; the knitted portion is about 10 inches long.

 

MATERIALS

1 pair of surfboard shorts from your closet or thrift store
[]
GGH Vamos [100% polyamid; 80m per 50 g skein]; Color: #11 -- Grass; 3-6 skeins.
Note: To figure out your yarn requirements, multiply the hip measurement of your shorts by the length of skirt you desire (measured from the hip). Divide this result by 120. This will give you the number of skeins of Vamos you will need.

1 set US #5/3.75mm 24" circular needles
A short length of unfurry yarn
Needle and thread
Sewing machine (optional)

 
GAUGE

15 sts/18 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Note: Vamos has a recommended gauge of 11 stitches and 15 rows per inch. Because a skirt needs to hold its shape and stand up to more wear and tear, I've knit it at a tighter gauge.

 
DIRECTIONS

Score Some Shorts

Find a pair of board shorts. I bought my yarn first, then went to the thrift store and found an appropriate pair of shorts on the first go, but this is San Diego. You may have an appropriate pair of pants or shorts nestled in the back of the closet already, or you may want to hit the thriftstore before you buy your yarn. Choose a pair of shorts that fit well at the waist. You should avoid any zippers, but an elastic waist, drawstring, buttons or a velcro closure will be fine. Remember that you will need to be able to don the shorts with the fly only half open since you will be cutting off the rest!

Put the shorts on and make a mark about an inch below your hip on each side. Note this measurement and cut the shorts off to this length. My waistband measured about 4 inches after cutting.

Turn under the bottom 0.5 inch and sew in place. I used white thread and sewed two seams 0.25 inch apart to match the rest of the detailing on my skirt. If there is any sort of a fly, just sew it together at the bottom. Leave any velcro or buttons above the seam in place. Remove any bits that get in the way of sewing your skirt shut.

Knit Some Grass

Measure the circumference of your skirt at the bottom edge. Multiply this measurement by 3.75 -- your gauge per inch.

CO the resulting number [in my case 128] stitches on US#5 circular needles [or size needed to obtain gauge]. Join, being careful not to twist, and knit in St st in the round until piece measures desired length. In my case, 10 inches. You can try on the waistband and the grass tube to see if you like the length. You'll only lose a row or two in length when attaching the two pieces.

Switch to a short length of unfurry yarn [it need not match; it won't show] and BO all stitches. I found the contrasting cotton yarn helped me see the stitches when sewing the skirt together, but you can cast off in Vamos if you wish.

 
FINISHING

Turn the waistband and the skirt inside out and place the bound off edge of the skirt just over the hemmed bottom of the waistband. You want the fabric portion to be the OUTSIDE of the skirt. They should overlap roughly 0.25 inch.

Pin the two together in several places, being careful that the skirt is stretched evenly around the circumference.

Using an overcast stitch [as you would to hem something], sew through each cast off stitch and the underturned hem of the skirt about a quarter inch from the edge. After you have sewn the two pieces together in this fashion, break off thread and secure it.

Turn the skirt right side out. Sew through the waistband and the skirt very close to the edge of the waistband using a running stitch. While it is possible to use a machine for this step, I found sewing by hand to be more effective as the thickness of the shorts and the furriness of the Vamos was difficult to manage with the machine.

Weave in the remaining end of the yarn and you're ready to hit the beach!

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

True to her word, Kristi did not design anything that is knit side to side in garter stitch for this issue of Knitty.

She lives with her husband and two daughters in San Diego, California.