Rani - Knitty, Summer 2009

model: Katherine Matthews

photos: Rob Lee of Purl Diving

by Katherine Matthews of Purl Diving

The name "Rani" means "queen", and this pattern was inspired by a mulberry sari with gold embroidery worn by Hindi film actress Rani Mukherjee. This is a Bollywood-inspired take on the traditional Nordic wristwarmer.

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Length: 4.5 inches
Circumference: 6 inches

MATERIALS

ShibuiKnits Sock [100% superwash merino wool; 191yd/175m per 50g skein]; shown in #229 Mulberry and #7495 Wasabi; 1 skein

Recommended needle size:

1 set US #0/2mm straight or double-point needles
If using straight needles, you will need 1 extra needle of same size as working needles or smaller, for working three-needle bind off.

1080 Toho 8/0 Japanese seed beads (approx. 35-40 g) for two cuffs; shown in #421 Gold-Lustered Transparent Pink (with Mulberry yarn) and #203 Gold-Lustered Lilac (with Wasabi yarn)
Big-eye beading needle
Yarn needle

GAUGE

35 sts/40 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch

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

Instructions for a Provisional Cast On can be found here.
Any other provisional cast on method may be used if preferred.
If you do not wish to use a provisional cast on, the cuff may be cast on and bound off using your preferred method, then these edges can be sewn together.

Place Bead: Slide bead up yarn so that it sits directly next to right needle, k next st.
Although beads actually sit between stitches, the 'place bead' symbol in the chart will refer to both sliding the bead into place, and knitting the stitch directly after it.

The column of numbers to the right of the chart indicates the number of beads used in each row. chart

DIRECTIONS

String 540 beads onto yarn. Using provisional method, CO 40 sts.

K 1 row.
Work Rows 1-28 of chart 3 times, then work Rows 1-27 once more.

Carefully remove waste yarn from CO edge and place resulting live sts on a third needle.

Join sts on working needle to sts of CO edge using three-neede bind off. Be sure to fold the work so that the side on which the beads protrude is on the inside. This will ensure that the seam is hidden on the inside of the cuff.

FINISHING

Weave in ends.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Katherine Matthews is fascinated by all things new and shiny, and she occasionally noodles out a design under the Purl Diving banner.

She draws inspiration from many cultures, and is currently obsessed by the colors and motifs seen in Hindi films from Bollywood, as well as other South Asian film genres. She is a social media junkie, blogs in way too many places (including Apparknitchik and Totally Filmi) and can be often be found hanging around the Twitter watercooler.

Katherine is grateful to both Susanna Hanson, who taught her how to knit the wristwarmers in the first place, and to Kotomi Hiyashi's book "Beads Knitting", which opened her eyes to the possibilities of combining beads, Bollywood, and the traditional Nordic wristwarmer.