A Passion for Knitting: Step-by-Step Illustrated Techniques, Easy Contemporary Patterns, and Essential Resources for Becoming Part of the World of Knitting

by Ilana Rabinowitz, Nancy Thomas, Melanie Falick (Foreword by)

Overview

The World of Knitting Right at Your Fingertips
More than a how-to book, A Passion for Knitting goes beyond teaching the craft and introduces readers to the culture of knitting. In Part I, you'll find fully illustrated instructions for learning stitches and mastering technique, presented with unprecedented clarity. They're so simple that you really can learn without a teacher. With this book in hand — and no prior experience — you will be able to knit a gorgeous sweater, scarf, or throw.
Next, Part II welcomes new knitters to the worldwide knitting community, exploring the myriad benefits this popular craft has to offer. This section, unique among all other guides, invites readers to

Tap into the power of knitting as a means of reducing stress and expressing creativity
Meet the design "gurus" and other stars of the knitting world
Discover opportunities for fellowship and networking with other knitters in clubs, conventions, and unique cultural fiber tours to countries ranging from England to Peru
Use their knitting skills to meaningfully support charities
Learn about the fashion trends in knitting from Trisha Malcolm, editor in chief of Vogue Knitting

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780684870694
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	11/06/2002
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nancy J. Thomas is editorial director at Lion Brand Yarn Company, the former editor of Vogue Knitting and Knitter's Magazine, the founding editor of Family Circle Knitting, and author of a nationally syndicated column called "The NeedleWorks." Nancy also coauthored Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. She has appeared on television, including the Today show, to promote knitting and has hosted hand-knitting fashion shows around the country.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 13: Knitting for Charity

As you navigate the world of knitting, from the Internet to the knitting guilds, from retreats to societies of friends and neighbors who frequent yarn shops, you are likely to encounter knitting for charity. Over the years, knitters have embraced the causes of knitting for the troops (in every war from the Revolutionary War to the war in Bosnia), for hospital patients, for those experiencing a crisis (victims of floods and earthquakes), and for the underprivileged and homeless. When you make donations through an established charity, you play a part in providing a consistent flow of items to a chosen cause.

Knitting charities are usually run entirely by volunteers. From the organizers to those who knit and distribute the hand-knits, these groups tend to be composed of knitters who have been moved to address a cause and have created an organization the same way they knit — one step at a time, with the work of their own hands.

A hand-knitted donation has unique qualities. First, there is the warmth provided by knits, both practically, in keeping out the cold, and in the emotional association of comfort, closeness, and love. Unlike donations of used clothing, or even money, something that was hand-knitted for a hospital or homeless shelter expresses the idea of "giving of oneself" in a way that only volunteer work can do. Hand-knits carry with them the character and efforts of the giver. From selecting the type and color of yarn and the pattern, to spending time creating a one-of-a-kind blanket or hat, a personal touch permeates every aspect of a hand-knit gift.

As anyone who has inherited a hand-knitted or crocheted piece from a family member can attest, there is a sense that something of the knitter remains with the garment. The evenness of the stitches as well as the imperfections in the fabric speak to the human hand behind the effort. When we realize that a throw or sweater was made over a period of days, weeks, or months, we can visualize the maker spending time with it as it moved from her home to her tote bag and traveled with her on the train to a doctor's appointment or a business meeting.

The generosity of a hand-made gift is not lost on the recipients. One woman, whose baby might otherwise have gone home from the hospital in only a diaper, received a set of booties, a blanket, a sweater, and a hat. "I look at the beautiful work that someone poured her heart into and it touches me to think someone did this for me," she said.

Joan Hamer, the unofficial archivist of knitting charities, puts it this way: "Many people who are poor, alone, or suffering a loss may not feel good about themselves at the time that they receive a donation." Receiving something that was handmade by another person has a special power, according to Hamer. "They think, someone out there gave their time to make this, and it helps their self-esteem."

Joan created the special role for herself of communicating about knitting charities in April 1993, when she received a notice that the Spring Valley Knitting Club, a newsletter about charity knitting, was going to stop publishing. She wrote to the publisher, Lois Greene, asking if there was anything she could do to help. Lois, unable to continue because of other commitments, gave Joan the 200-name mailing list and the suggestion that she "make it her own." Joan asked her mentor, author Meg Swansen, for advice about taking on the project and Meg counseled her to do it. In 1993 Joan launched the newsletter with only 28 subscriptions. Today, with about 1000 subscriptions and a Web site, Joan puts scores of hours a month into the Pine Meadow Knitting News, a project she describes as continually evolving. Every issue features a story on at least one charity. Her Web site, www.fibergypsy.com/pmkn, has free patterns for charity knitting and highlights of back issues. Joan has also compiled a list of charities collected on the Internet at www.woolworks.org, a site that offers a state-by-state listing of knitting charities including contact information and a description of their missions.

Joan works for her church three days a week, as well as designing knitwear for yarn companies and magazines, when she is not donating her time communicating with knitters across the country about knitting charities. "I have been dealing with charity knitting for almost ten years now and it is a very rewarding experience, not only for the person who receives a gift, but for the knitter," she says. "Like many people, I just want to give something back to others."

Joan has seen the ways in which people who knit for charities can become frustrated. "Many charitable organizations are run by volunteers, or by one person with a limited amount of time to devote to this work." She says that when the amount of donations is substantial, it takes a good chunk of time and money to respond to each giver individually. "Sometimes this is simply not possible. This doesn't mean that the gifts were not appreciated." To ensure that the experience of knitting for charity is satisfying to both the giver and receiver, Joan offers this list of tips for charity knitters.

1. Contact the charity before you begin to work. Make sure that it is still in existence, that the address is current. Find out about the organization's needs. Some charities, like Children in Common and Caps for Nepal, prefer garments made with wool. Others, like Christmas-at-Sea, prefer acrylics or washable blends that can survive industrial washing machines. Be careful to knit for the charity in mind by using appropriate fibers and colors. For example, bright or pastel colors are perfect for babies and children; dark colors may be more suitable for those in the military or homeless people trying not to draw attention to themselves. In addition, by contacting the organization, you will find out if their needs have changed or whether those needs fluctuate with the season. You can also get specific deadlines for items. This is especially important for holiday-driven charities.

2. Look in your own community for ways to help. Because knitted throws and garments are bulky and expensive to ship, many people donate their work at the local level to nearby charities. Contact hospitals, battered women's shelters, and organizations dealing with the homeless to see if you can donate directly to local groups. Donating directly to a local center in need also has its benefits: you can help your own community. Many charities, like Warm Up America!, encourage people to make donations in their own communities because it saves shipping and distribution costs. The charity itself offers project guidelines, patterns, and information about what volunteers are doing.

3. Provide a way for the organization to acknowledge your donation. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard that the charity's organizer can just drop in the mail. Even if you aren't waiting for a pat on the back, you'll know the package reached its destination. You might also put a hang-tag on the item with your name and address so that recipients can write to you if they choose.

4. If you are personally delivering a donation, find out who at the organization should receive it. Get in touch with the director or find the appropriate contact person at the charity and deliver your goods directly to him or her. Joan tells of a time when hand-knitted baby items were delivered to the information desk of the hospital without instructions and the mystified employee handed them over to the gift shop for resale.

There are hundreds of organizations that collect and distribute hand-knitted and crocheted gifts. Most of the charities were started when one individual, moved by the needs of a group of people, organized fellow crafters to work on projects that could be distributed to those who could use them. Here are the stories of a few of those organizations and the individuals who run them.

Care Wear

Every day, in hospitals throughout the country, babies are born whose weight is more likely to be measured in ounces than pounds. Approximately half a million babies are born at 24-36 weeks of gestation or earlier each year. These premature babies, or "preemies," require special medical care and equipment, but one challenge — that of finding clothing small enough for these tiny babies — is met by volunteer knitters. It's nearly impossible to find clothing in stores that fits these babies, whose heads can be as small as a lemon and arms so thin that they fit through their father's wedding band (pattern page 149).

Care Wear, a charity that donates clothing for premature babies, was started by Bonnie Hagerman, a professor of home economics at Hood College in Maryland. She was inspired by a magazine article she read in 1991 about a group of women in Ohio who provided preemie clothing for a local hospital. Contacting hospitals in the Washington-Baltimore area where she lived, she discovered a pressing need for such garments. Before Care Wear, makeshift hats were made from cut-up socks, and the sleeves of ill-fitting garments had to be rolled up several times.

As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Bonnie was able to design clothing and write patterns for hats that could fit babies too tiny for standard newborn sizes. Volunteers added special touches like pompoms to the hats and blankets designed with the colors of the local football team. The caps and booties not only provide the important health benefit of keeping the delicate babies warm, but they give the worried parents a lift by adding a whimsical and warm touch in an otherwise frightening environment of tubes and machines. In response to the need for a garment that could accommodate the tubes that are attached to so many preemies, Bonnie designed a kimono that closes and adjusts with a Velcro tab. Volunteers also make tiny mittens that help keep infants from pulling out stitches.

One particularly poignant need is burial gowns for premature babies. "In the past," Bonnie points out, "parents had to go to a local toy store to buy doll clothes to bury their baby in, passing by bassinettes and baby toys to find something appropriate. It only made the tragedy more difficult." Recognizing this, Care Wear provides handmade burial gowns as part of its donation.

The items that Care Wear provides have expanded beyond garments for preemies over the years. Finger puppets were developed for children who had to take finger-stick blood tests. Although some blood tests no longer require finger-sticks, children in hospitals still find the finger puppets comforting. Hand-knitted sweaters for stuffed animals are also offered to cheer up young children in the hospital.

Christmas-at-Sea

Barbara Clauson is the director of this program at the Seamen's Church Institute, which provides gift boxes to merchant seafarers who are out at sea on Christmas Day. There is a particular loneliness to being at sea at Christmas; the Christmas-at-Sea program aims to alleviate some of that loneliness. It was founded in 1917 as a program of the Seamen's Church Institute, a not-for-profit organization, and collects and distributes about 13,000 gifts each year to mariners from all over the world who pass through the ports of New York and New Jersey.

A ship will get a delivery of gift boxes only if there are enough gifts to hand out to the entire crew. Each of these boxes also contains personal items, such as a mirror, stationery, a sewing kit, or pen, along with the hand-knitted garment. The institute provides patterns, collects contributions, and sets standards for garments, including the requirement that they be washable in the industrial washers and dryers on the ships. Garments include a vest, watch cap and scarf set, or a pair of socks. River mariners receive a checkerboard pattern Mariner's Scarf (patterns pages 153-154). The Seafarer's Scarf is always given with a cap and is distributed to the mariners calling at the International Seafarers' Center in Port Newark.

Thousands of knitters in every state work throughout the year and volunteers at the institute assemble, inspect, count, acknowledge, store, and then pack the garments. Beginning in October, when a ship arrives in port, a ship visitor delivers packages for each member of the crew. They are stowed away until Christmas Day, where they are distributed as an important part of the Christmas festivities on the ship.

In one of the many thank-you notes written by recipients of the scarves, a captain writes:

Crossing oceans, especially stormy ones at Christmas, can be depressing. We received our packages of presents, including your lovely knitting, from Seamen's Church Institute on the 13th of November and here we are more than halfway across the Pacific en route from Yokohama to Long Beach on Christmas. There is a loneliness in 40-knot winds and 35-foot seas that is difficult to express to those who have never experienced it. With this in mind, I would like to tell you how much we appreciated, at our little Christmas dinner, the knitted articles you made for us. The best gift is always the one you make yourself, and the fact that there are people in the world who will sit down and make things like these for merchant seamen they have never met is truly moving.

To knit a garment for the Christmas-at-Sea program, use one of the institute's approved patterns and machine-washable and dryable worsted-weight yarn, preferably in a dark, solid color. This type of yarn will hold up well in the industrial-sized washers and dryers on board a ship and will appeal to the recipients, who are usually men. Colors may be striped so that odds and ends of yarn can be used.

Warm Up America!

Started by Evie Rosen, this program has given over 70,000 afghans to people in crisis, from homeless people to communities devastated by floods or snow storms. To contribute to a Warm Up America! afghan, a knitter or crocheter creates a 7" x 9" square. A group of people from a religious or community organization may work together to make an afghan from the squares; they sew them together and then donate the afghan locally.

Warming Families

Started by a handful of volunteers in April 2000, Warming Families has donated hundreds of knitted garments to homeless and domestic-violence shelters. Volunteers contribute their work to local shelters for people who have been displaced from their homes. Dee Chouinard, the director of Warming Families, also works with a group of domestic-violence shelters that are considered "safe houses." Because their locations are kept confidential, Dee does not visit the shelters; instead she meets a staff person at a designated place to drop off the items. The Warming Families Web site, http://www.thefamily.com/charity/oneheartblankets.html, offers information about the foundation, which is a project under the umbrella of the One Heart Foundation, started by Alan Osmond (of the Osmond family).

Preemie Cap Patterns

The circumference of a premature baby's head varies from approximately 5 1/2" to 10". All sizes within this range will fit most of the babies in a neonatal unit. Washable yarn of acrylic or blended fibers should be used in finer weights from lightweight to sportweight. Double-pointed needles are ideal, but not essential, because they avoid seams that could irritate the delicate skin of premature babies. If the hat is washed before donating, a mild hypoallergenic soap is recommended. Pack donations in plastic to keep them clean.

Basic Hat

MATERIALS

• 1 partial ball of light to medium weight yarn in one or more colors

• Size 6 (4 mm) needles (straight or double-pointed)

• Large-eyed yarn needle

NOTE

1. One skein of yarn will make a number of hats.

2. When working with double-pointed needles, join after casting on, taking care not to twist stitches.

HAT

Cast on the desired number of stitches. Work in knit 1, purl 1 ribbing for 1". Work in stockinette stitch (knit on right side; purl on wrong side) to suggested length.

Finishing

Cut yarn and draw through all stitches on needle with a tapestry needle and pull tightly. Knot to secure. Sew seam if using straight needles.

Optional

Make a small pompom or bow for the top. Secure well.

REGULAR INFANT SIZE

Cast on 74 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 6" to 6 1/2".

Total length of hat: 7" to 7 1/2".

FULL TERM

Cast on 66 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 5" to 5 1/2". Total length of hat: 6" to 6 1/2".

X-LARGE PREEMIE

Cast on 58 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 4 1/2".

Total length of hat: 5 1/2".

LARGE PREEMIE

Cast on 50 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 3 1/2" to 4".

Total length of hat: 4 1/2" to 5".

MEDIUM PREEMIE

Cast on 44 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 3" to 3 1/2".

Total length of hat: 4" to 4 1/2".

SMALL PREEMIE

Cast on 40 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 2 1/2" to 3".

Total length of hat: 3 1/2" to 4".

X-SMALL PREEMIE

Cast on 36 stitches.

Rib for 1" and work in stockinette stitch for 2 1/2".

Total length of hat: 3 1/2".

Preemie Caps

SIZE

Preemie caps should fit over an orange to be the correct size. For full-term newborns, the cap should fit over a grapefruit.

MATERIALS

• 1 skein Lion Brand Jamie® in #200 White (1 3/4 oz, 196 yds; 100% acrylic)

• Size 4 (3.5 mm) needles, or size to get gauge

GAUGE

30 stitches = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch (knit on right side; purl on wrong side) using size 4 needles.

Be sure to check your gauge.

NOTES

1. See abbreviations on page 71.

2. One skein of yarn will make a number of hats.

RIBBED CAP

Cast on 72 sts. Row 1 *K2, p2; repeat from
• to end. Repeat last row until piece measures 2". Work even in stockinette stitch for 2 1/2", ending with a wrong side row.

Work decreases

Row 1 (right side) *K4, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 2 and all wrong-side rows Purl. Row 3 *K3, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 5 *K2, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 7 *K2tog; repeat from
• to end. Cut yarn long enough to sew back seam and run through stitches on needle, pull up tight and sew seam. Add pompom if desired.

BASKETWEAVE HAT

Cast on 65 stitches.

Row 1 (right side) Knit. Row 2 K5, *p5, k5; repeat from
• to end. Rows 3, 4, 7, 9, 11 Knit. Rows 4 and 6 Repeat row 2. Rows 8, 10, 12 P5, *k5, p5; repeat from
• to end. Continue in pattern until piece measures 21/2" from beginning, increasing 1 stitch on last row — 66 stitches.

Work Decreases

Row 1 (right side) *K4, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 2 and all wrong-side rows Purl. Row 3 *K3, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 5 *K2, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 7 *K1, k2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 9 *K2tog; repeat from
• to end. Row 11 K1, *k2tog; repeat from
• to end — 6 stitches. Row 12 P2tog, p2, p2tog. Sew side seam leaving remaining 4 stitches on needle.

Topknot

Note: You'll need one double-pointed needle to work top knot.

Next row Knit 4, slip sts back to left needle and bring yarn back across stitches to beginning of row. Repeat last row until cord measures approximately 1" or desired length. K2tog twice, then k2tog again. Fasten off last stitch.

Baby Soft 'n' Seamless Cardigan

Designed by Lynda Ward

SIZE

6 months

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest at underarm 21"

MATERIALS

• 2 skeins Lion Brand Jiffy in #157 Pale Yellow (3 oz, 135 yds; 100% acrylic)

• Size 9 (5.5 mm) circular knitting needle, or size to get gauge

• One set of size 9 (5.5 mm) doubled-pointed needles (for sleeves)

• Stitch markers and stitch holders

• Five 3/4" (20 mm) buttons

GAUGE

15 stitches and 22 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch (knit on right side; purl on wrong side) using size

9 needles.

Be sure to check your gauge.

NOTES

1. See abbreviations page 71.

2. This sweater is worked from the top down. Body is worked with circular needle worked back and forth as with straight needles.

BODY

Neckband

Loosely cast on 57 sts. Work even in garter stitch (knit every row) until there are 2 garter ridges on the right side, ending with a wrong side row.

First Buttonhole

Buttonhole row (right side) Boy's sweater: K2, yarn over (yo), k2tog, knit to end. Girl's sweater: Knit to last 4 stitches, k2tog, yo, k2. Repeat this buttonhole row approximately every 2" (about 7 ridges apart). Continue in garter stitch until there are 4 garter ridges on right side, ending with a wrong side row.

Shape Raglan Armholes

Set-up row (right side) K4, place marker (front band), k9 (front), mark next stitch and then (k1, yo, k1) into that stitch, k5 (sleeve), mark next stitch and then (k1, yo, k1), k17 (back), mark next stitch and then (k1, yo, k1) into that stitch, k5 (sleeve), mark next stitch and then (k1, yo, k1) into that stitch, k9 (front), place marker, k4 (front band) — 65 stitches. Row 1 (wrong side) K4, slip marker, purl to last 4 stitches, slip marker, k4. Row 2 (right side) Slipping markers for front bands, *knit to marked stitch (k1, yo, k1) into that stitch 4 times, k to end. (Note To keep raglan increases aligned, remember to increase directly above yarn over of the previous increase row.) Repeat last 2 rows 10 times more. Repeat row 1 once more — 153 stitches. Remove markers for marked stitches.

Divide for Sleeves

Next row (right side) Knit 26, slip next 29 stitches onto a holder; cast on 4 stitches by looping yarn around needle, knit 43, slip next 29 stitches onto holder, cast on 4 stitches by looping yarn around needle, knit 26 — 103 stitches remain on needle. On next right side row, knit 49, place marker, k5, place marker, knit 49.

Keeping 4 border stitches in garter stitch and continuing to place buttonholes at regular intervals, work even in stockinette stitch until body measures 1 1/4" from sleeve division, ending with a wrong-side row.

Body Increases

Increase row 1 (right side) Knit to 2nd marker, work M1 increase, slip marker, k5, slip marker, work M1 increase, knit to end. Continue to work even, repeating increase twice more at 1 1/4" intervals. (These increases add a bit of flare to the back of the sweater, making it fit more easily over diapers.) Work even until piece measures 4 1/2" from sleeve division, ending with a wrong-side row.

Lower Band

Work even in garter stitch until there are 4 purl ridges on right side. Ideally the last buttonhole should be placed two ridges above the bottom edge to match the neckband. Loosely bind off all sts.

SLEEVES

With double-pointed needles, divide 29 sleeve stitches onto 3 needles, plus pick up 4 stitches along cast-on of underarm — 33 stitches. Mark center underarm stitch and have that stitch be the beginning round. Attach yarn and knit 1 round, joining stitches. Decrease round K1 (marked stitch), ssk, knit to last 2 stitches, k2tog — 31 stitches. *Knit 4 rounds even, then repeat decrease round. Repeat from
• once more — 27 stitches. Work even until sleeve measures 4" from beg. Work garter-stitch border as follows: (purl 1 round, knit 1 round) 3 times, then purl 1 round (4 garter ridges). Bind off loosely with a larger needle if necessary.

FINISHING

Sew on buttons and work in ends.

Christmas-at-Sea Patterns

MARINER'S SCARF

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

10" x 40"

MATERIALS

• 2 balls Lion Brand Wool-Ease® (3 oz, 197 yds; 80% acrylic, 20% wool) or washable/dryable worsted-weight yarn

• Size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needles, or size to get gauge

GAUGE

12 stitches and 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch (knit on right side; purl on wrong side) using size 9 needles.

Be sure to check your gauge.

SCARF

Beginning at narrow end, cast on 40 sts. Knit 8 rows (4 ridges on right and wrong sides). Rows 1-6 K2, (k6, p6) 3 times, k2. Rows 7-8 Knit. Rows 9-14 K2, (p6, k6) 3 times, k2. Rows 15-16 Knit. Repeat rows 1-16 for pattern until scarf measures approximately 39" (about 32 rows of pattern blocks), ending with either a row 6 or 14. Knit 8 rows (4 ridges on right and wrong sides). Bind off. Do not block.

Watch Cap

Can be made as a set to give with the Seafarer's Scarf.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Circumference 17-18"

MATERIALS

• 1 ball Lion Brand Wool-Ease® (3 oz, 197 yds; 80% acrylic, 20% wool) or washable/dryable worsted-weight yarn

• Size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles, or size to get gauge

• Large-eyed yarn needle

NOTE

Do not make this cap with double-pointed needles.

GAUGE

20 stitches and 28 rows = 4" (10 cm) in garter stitch (knit every row) using size 8 needles.

Be sure to check your gauge.

HAT

Cast on 40 sts. Work in knit 2, purl 2 ribbing for 4".

Work even in garter stitch for 40 rows (20 ridges).

Crown

Row 1 *K10, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 2 and all wrong-side rows Knit. Row 3 *K9, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 5 *K8, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 7 *K7, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 9 *K6, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 11 *K5, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 13 *K4, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 15 *K3, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 17 *K2, k2tog; rep from
• to end. Row 19 *K1, k2tog; rep from
• to end — 14 stitches remain. Next row Knit 7 and then join crown.

Join Crown

With half the stitches on each needle, break the yarn, leaving a 15" length, and thread it into a large-eyed yarn needle. Fold the cap so that both needles are even and parallel (one in back of the other). While working, always keep yarn under the needles. With free yarn extending from right-hand end of back needle (or the farthest from you), graft stitches (making garter-stitch pattern) from the front and back needles together as follows.

Grafting

Beginning on front needle, *pass yarn needle through first stitch on needle (entering from left to right) as if to knit. Slip the stitch off the needle. Pass the yarn needle through the second stitch on the same needle (enter from right to left) as if to purl. Pull yarn through, but leave the stitch on the needle. Repeat from
• on the first two stitches on the back needle. Continue to graft the stitches together, alternating from front to back until all the stitches are off both needles. Pull yarn through last stitch and fasten securely, leaving yarn to sew side seam.

Sewing Seam

Place edges of cap adjacent to each other with the patterns matching. Secure edges with pins. Picking up outside loop of stitch from each side, sew back and forth, drawing two edges securely together from crown to bottom of ribbed cuff. Do not sew through double thickness. Do not block cap.

Seafarer's Scarf

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

6 1/2" x 46"

MATERIALS

• 2 balls Lion Brand Wool-Ease® (3 oz, 197 yds; 80% acrylic, 20% wool) or washable/dryable worsted-weight yarn

• Size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles, or size to get gauge

GAUGE

20 stitches and 28 rows = 4" (10 cm) in garter stitch (knit every row) using size 8 needles.

Be sure to check your gauge.

SCARF

Loosely cast on 32 sts. Knit every row for 14". Work in k4, p4 ribbing for 18". Knit every row for 14". Bind off loosely. Do not block.

WARM UP AMERICA! PATTERNS

Use any of the following patterns or ones of your choice. They can be combined in one blanket. Non-rolling stitches work best. If you are using scraps of yarn, squares can be worked in stripes.

MATERIALS

• Worsted-weight yarn

• Size 7 or 8 (4.5 or 5 mm) knitting needles, or size to get gauge

GAUGE

20 stitches = 4" (10 cm)

Be sure to check your gauge.

GARTER STITCH

Cast on 35 stitches. Knit every row until piece measures 9". Bind off.

SEED STITCH

Cast on 35 stitches.

Row 1 *Knit 1, purl 1; repeat from
• to end. Repeat this row until piece measures 9". Bind off.

DOUBLE SEED STITCH

Cast on 35 stitches. ROW 1 *Knit 1, purl 1; repeat from
• to end. ROW 2 *Purl 1, knit 1; repeat from
• to end. ROW 3 Repeat row 2. ROW 4 Repeat row 1. Repeat rows 1-4 until piece measures 9". Bind off.

LINES

Cast on 35 stitches.

Rows 1 and 3 Knit. Rows 2 and 4 Purl. Rows 5 and 6 Knit. Repeat rows 1-6 until piece measures 9". Bind off.

Copyright © 2002 by The Reference Works, Inc.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by Melanie Falick

Introduction

PART I

The Craft of Knitting

1. Tools

2. Learning the Knit Stitch

3. Learning the Purl Stitch

4. Learning the Rib Stitch

5. Help!!

6. Scarves

7. Increasing Your Knowledge

8. Glossary of Knitting Terms

9. Making Your First Sweater

10. Finishing and Sizing

11. Bells and Whistles

12. Branching Out

PART II

The World of Knitting

13. Knitting for Charity

14. Collecting and Storing Yarn

15. Knitting Traditions

16. Fashion Trends in Knitting BY TRISHA MALCOLM

17. Knitting on the Go — Events and Travel

18. Knitting on the Web

19. The Healing Power of Knitting

20. The Commerce of Knitting

21. The Chain of Knitting Instruction

22. Knitting Fellowship

23. Showing Off

24. The Literature of Knitting

Resources

List of Patterns

Index