Holly West

Another Shout Out

Thanks again to Rachel at Knitting Pattern Central for linking to my serpent pattern.  She is one of the most responsive webmistresses I know, certainly far more responsive than I am.

It's really nice to get a link like this because it gives a big boost to my page views, even if it's only temporary.

In other knitting news, I "applied" to be a Knitster on Knitty Gritty this week.  I don't even know if they're casting right now, but why not give it a try?  I also submitted my blog to be a featured site on TypePad today.  I need all the PR I can get!

Free Knit Pattern: Serpent

As part of a project I'm working on for a SwapBot swap, I designed a knitted serpent:

For my purpose, I needed a very small serpent, so I used a fingering weight yarn and size 0 needles.

Knit this serpent with fine gauge yarn and use it for a bookmark or an embellishment for a hat or a sweater.  A bulky weight yarn and larger needles would make it thick enough for a skinny scarf.  Use your imagination and modify the pattern to meet your needs.

Skill Level
Beginner

Materials
One skein yarn of your choice (you will use much less)
2 Double pointed needles in the smallest size recommended for your yarn
1 Tapestry needle
1 Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread in colors of your choice (I used red and black)
Crochet hook in size appropriate to yarn

Stitch Patterns
Stockinette stitch: Knit one row, turn work, purl one row
K: Knit
M1L (Make 1 Left):  From the front, lift yarn between stitches onto left needle.  Knit into the back of the resulting loop.  Results in a right slanting increase.
M1R (Make 1 Right):  From the back, lift yarn between stitches onto left needle.  Knit into the front of the resulting loop.  Results in a left slanting increase.
I-cord: Using double pointed needles, knit one row.  Without turning your work, slide loops to the front of the needle.  Knit another row.  Continue in this pattern until your cord is of the desired length.
SSK:  Slip one stitch knitwise.  Slip the next stitch knitwise.  Insert your left needle into the front of the slipped loops and knit together (through the back of the loops).  Results in left slanting decrease.
K2Tog:  Knit two stitches together as if they were one stitch.  Results in right slanting decrease.

To Knit:

Head
With your double pointed needles, c/o 5 using double cast-on
Row 1 - Purl
Row 2 - k1, M1R, k3, M1L, k1 (7 stitches remain)
Row 3 - Purl
Row 4 - k1, M1R, k5, M1L, k1 (9 stitches remain)
Row 5 - Purl
Row 6 - k1, SSK, k3, k2tog, k1 (7 stitches remain)
Row 7 - Purl
Row 8 - k1, SSK, k1, k2tog, k1 (5 stitches remain)
Row 9 - Purl

Body
Switch to i-cord.  Knit to desired length

Tail
Row 1 - k1, SSK, k2tog (3 stitches remain)
Row 2 - Purl
Row 3 - Knit
Row 4 - Purl
Row 5 - k2tog, k1 (2 stitches remain)
Row 6 - Purl
Row 7 - Knit
Row 8 - b/o 2

Finishing
Weave in ends.  Block head into "diamond" shape.  Block body and tail so that the tail tapers evenly.

Eyes - Using the satin stitch, embroider the serpent's eyes in the color of your choice.
Tongue - Fold your embroidery thread in half.  Using your crochet hook, draw the loop of thread through the front edge of the serpent's head.  Draw the loose ends of the thread through the loop and pull tightly to form a knot.  To fork the end of the tongue, make a second knot a bit further down and trim the ends of the thread to desired length.  Note:  Depending upon the weight of the yarn you use in this project, you might want to substitute the embroidery thread for a yarn in the appropriate thickness.

Knitting Patterns Central

A big thank you to Knitting Patterns Central for including a link to my Head Cozy pattern on the website.  If you've never been there, check it out.  It's a fantastic resource for all kinds of free knitting patterns on the 'net.

Free Pattern: Head Cozy

This hat can be knit in a weekend, and it's still cold outside in some parts, so get going!

Sorry to re-use these images, but I need to post them again as part of the completed pattern.

Click here for a print version of this pattern.



Skill level
Intermediate

Materials
5 size 8 double pointed needles
1 skein Manos del Uruguay (MDU) variegated yarn (100% wool [merino & corriedale blend], 100g, 138 yds)
1 skein Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere (DBPC) (100% cashmere, 25g, 49 yds)
Stitch marker
2 stitch holders
Tapestry needle
Size F crochet hook

Gauge:  4 stitches = 1 inch

Techniques
Knitting in the round with double pointed needles
Double knit (scroll down for instructions/video of this technique) or visit Stitch Diva Studios' tutorial on double knitting.

Body
c/o 76 using a strand of MDU and DBPC held together, dividing stitches evenly on each needle (19 stitches per needle)
Round 1:  Attach stitch marker to show beginning of round.  K1 with yarns held together, then double knit remaining stitches in Round
Rounds 2-8:  Double knit using MDU and DBPC
Round 9:  With MDU & DBPC held together, p19, inc 1, p19, inc 1, p19, inc 1, p19, inc 1.  (80 stitches). Cut DBPC at end of round, leaving a tail to weave in ends.
Round 10 (Pigtail holes):  K15, slip 5 stitches onto stitch holder, c/o 5, k40, slip 5 stitches onto stitch holder, c/o 5, k15*
Rounds 11-14:  Knit all stitches
Round 15:  Purl all stitches
Rounds 16-20:  Knit all stitches
Round 21:  Purl all stitches

* These instructions place the pigtail holes approx. 9" apart, which could be a bit wide depending on how you wear your pigtails.  To customize the placement, one inch is 4 stitches, so figure out how far apart you want them and knit accordingly.  For example, if you want your holes to be 7" apart, k11 instead of 15 at the beginning of the round, make your hole, k48, make your second hole, and k11.

Top Shaping
Round 22:  K2tog, k8, k2tog, k8
Round 23:  Knit all stitches
Round 24:  K2tog, k7, k2tog, k7
Round 25:  Knit all stitches
Round 26:  K2tog, k6, k2tog, k6
Round 27:  Purl all stitches
Round 28:  K2tog, k5, k2tog, k5
Round 29:  Knit all stitches
Round 30:  K2tog, k4, k2tog, k4
Round 31:  Knit all stitches
Round 32:  K2tog, k3, k2tog, k3
Round 33:  Purl all stitches
Round 34:  K2tog, k2, k2tog, k2
Round 35:  Knit all stitches
Round 36:  K2tog, k1, k2tog, k1
Round 37:  Knit all stitches
Round 38:  K2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog
Round 39:  Purl all stitches
Keep remaining stitches on needle

Finishing
Leave a 10" tail.  Using your tapestry needle, run the tail through the remaining stitches and pull tight.  Weave in tail and other ends.

Loop:  Crochet a chain of 10-12.  Tie off and attach to top of hat, weave in ends.

Pigtail holes:  Slip 5 stitches from stitch holder onto needle.  Pick up and knit 10 stitches around the hole, distributing the stitches evenly on 3 needles (15 stitches).  Knit 1 row, b/o purl-wise.  Weave in ends.

Alternatives
Pony tail hole:  In Round 9, knit to last 4 stitches, slip these onto stitch holder, and slip the first four stitches of Round 10 onto same holder (8 stitches on holder).  Cast on 8 (16 stitches, divided evently between 3 needles) and continue as for pigtail version.  Finish the ponytail hole as for the pigtail holes.

No holes:  Knit the hat as written and don't allow for any holes.