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Bella Filati

Think back to when blow dryers and curling irons were yet to be invented...when looking your best for a night out on the town required the following ritual: in the morning, you'd wash your hair and put curlers in, carry on about your business around town doing your errands, come home and then transform yourself to look your very best for the party.

The irony...your obsession with looking beautiful made you overlook (or perhaps ignore) that all the townspeople that at the party already saw you during the day with a head full of curlers. Of course, they probably looked pretty much the same as you did at the time.

Reminiscent of that time, this "housewife" wig is a result of my experimentation with the tuck stitch mixed with a little bit of my sense of humor.

 

models/photos: Astor Tsang, Tara Carmichael

SIZE
One
 
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Circumference: 22 inches

 
MATERIALS
Lion Brand Homespun [98% acrylic/2% polyester; 185 yd/169m per 170g skein]; color: Sierra; 1 skein

1 16-inch US #10/6mm circular needle
1 US #6/4mm double-point needle
Note: It is not important to have exactly this size of needle; it is only used for picking up stitches.
1 stitch marker
25 plastic curlers, 1 inch/2.5cm diameter x 2.75 inches/7cm long
30 inches waistband elastic, 0.25 inch/5mm wide
Tapestry needle
 
GAUGE
14 sts/20 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
 
PATTERN NOTES

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

Curler Panel (Worked over 11 sts):
[K11, turn work; p11, turn work] 4 times.

Using double-point needle, pick up back loops of sts 8 rows below sts on needle (back loops of first row of curler panel). 11 sts on double-point needle.
Place inner portion of curler to WS of curler panel, wrap panel around curler so that working needle meets double-point needle.

[K next st on working needle together with next st on double-point needle] until all sts on double-point needle have been worked. Curler panel is complete. Attach outer portion of curler.

Wrap & Turn [W&T]
To wrap and turn on a RS row, knit to point specified in pattern, bring yarn to front of work between needles, slip next stitch to right-hand needle, bring yarn around this stitch to back of work, slip stitch back to left-hand needle, turn work to begin purling back in the other direction.

To wrap and turn on a WS row, purl to point specified in pattern, bring yarn to back of work between needles, slip next stitch to right-hand needle, bring yarn around this stitch to front of work, slip stitch back to left-hand needle, turn work to begin knitting back in the other direction.

DIRECTIONS

Using circular needle, CO 77 sts. Place marker to indicate beginning of round and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Round 1: K all sts.

Round 2: K11, w&t, p22, w&t, work curler panel twice, k to end of round. Two curlers have been placed at back of wig.

Round 3: K33, w&t, p66, w&t, work curler panel 6 times, k to end of round.

Round 4: [K33, w&t, p66, w&t, k33] 7 times.

Round 5: Work curler panel 7 times.

Rounds 6-12: K all sts.

Round 13: Work curler panel 7 times.

Round 14: K all sts.

Shape Crown:
Round 15: K9, k2tog, k20, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k20, k2tog, k9. 73 sts.
Round 16:
[K11, [k2tog] 10 times] twice, k11. 53 sts.
Round 17:
K32; BO 42 sts, removing marker. 11 sts remain at front of wig.

Top Section:
Work 6 rows in stockinette st, ending with a WS row.

*Work curler panel.
Work 7 rows in stockinette st.*

Repeat from * to * twice more. 3 curler panels have been worked in a strip which reaches from front of crown to back of crown. BO all sts.

FINISHING

Sew edges of top section to edges of crown. Weave in ends.

Because of the shallow depth of the wig (designed to imitate the wearer's hairline) and the weight of the curlers, I recommend threading a waistband elastic through the insides of the sts along the lower edge of the wig. When putting on the wig, tie the elastic at the back to secure the wig.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Astor Tsang is a popular knitting teacher in Vancouver, Canada. With a love for all things yarn, Astor takes a lighthearted, enthusiastic approach to knitting.

In April, Astor smashed a bottle of champagne on her computer when she launched her web site-- that was the enthusiastic part.