Date: Mon, 17 Nov 97 13:54:17 GMT From: XSNRG@ix.netcom.com To: knit Subject: knit: A Vogue Ornament I made an ornament this weekend and it came out well, so I wanted to share. But be warned, I used a holly leaves chart from the Winter 97/98 Vogue; it would be easy to do the same thing, substituting a mosaic or other colorful stitch pattern, or entrelac, for the middle portion. Also be warned, it is knit in the round, although you could adapt it to flat knitting if you can be careful about the purled braid. I often stuff these with regular polyester stuffing, to which I add some cedar chips (sold as animal bedding)--this way the ornament can be hung in a closet or put in a drawer to protect clothes from moths, and can be used longer than just the season. It requires small amounts of dark blue, red, green and white/cream. They should be about the same gauge--I often double some to make it so. But don't worry too much. Also, don't worry about gauge--a small gauge makes a smaller ornament. I used #5 needles, had about 5 stitches to the inch, and the final ornament (unstuffed) is 6 1/2 inches long. Cast on eight stitches in blue. Knit one row, joining round. 2: Increase in every stitch (16 stitches) 3: Knit 4: Knit, Increase in every other stitch (24) 5: Knit 6: Increase in every third stitch (32) 7: Knit 8: Increase in every fourth stitch (40) 9: Knit 10: Increase in every fifth stitch (48) 11: Knit 12: Increase in every sixth stitch (56) 13: Knit, joining in the red and green yarns in the last few stitches (weave them in on the back as you go). Break off blue, weave end behind the stitches on the next row. Purl braid: 14: Knit one row alternating the green and red (1 stitch green, 1 stitch red, etc.). 15: Purl around, alternating green and red in the same order (so you are purling the red into the red stitch of the previous row, and purling the green into the green), but being careful to pick up the yarn *under* the previous yarn (so you purl a green stitch, pick up the red so it comes under the green yarn, purl it, pick up the green again so it comes under the red yarn, purl it, etc.). If you are doing it right, the red and green twist around each other, and you may have to stop to untwist them. 16: Purl around, purling green into green and red into red as before, but this time be careful to pick up each yarn *over* the other yarn. This should make a decorative braid around the ornament. 17 - 31: (Cut red, add in cream in the first few stitches.) Knit the first 15 rows of the chart on page 106, making one stitch on the first row, since the chart requires 57 stitches. I found this easier to handle by marking on the chart where each needle ended, and highlighting every five rows. (Make braid again) 32 - 34: same as rows 14-16--decrease one stitch in row 14; this is in red and green again. At this point, I stopped and made holly berries. If I did it again, I would just make a crochet version, but you may want to try this: I pulled a loop of the red yarn through where I thought a berry would look good, and then pulled out a much longer loop in the stitch next to it--this second loop becomes the working yarn. I put the first loop on a needle, used yarn from the second loop to cast on three stitches, and worked two rows of i-cord (knit four, slide to other side of needle so you are knitting into the first stitch again, knit four.) I then pulled the other three stitches over the first one. Using a crochet hook, I then pulled this last stitch back into the ornament, pulled the yarn tight so that the berry is snug against the outside of the ornament, and then pulled another loop through the live loop. Then I went on to the next berry. I made two groups of three berries, and two groups of two berries, around the middle where leaf shapes came together. (decreases--reverse of first 13 rows) 35: Cut red and green, weave in as you go. With blue, Knit. (56 stitches) 36: *Knit 5, knit two together* repeat around (48) 37: Knit 38: *Knit 4, knit two together* repeat around (40) 39: Knit 40: *Knit 3, knit two together* repeat around (32) 41: Knit 42: *Knit 2, knit two together* repeat around (24) 43: Knit 44: *Knit 1, knit two together* repeat around (16) 45: Knit 46: Knit two together all around (8) 47: Knit. Cut yarn about about as long as your forearm, pull through stitches. Stuff. If you cast on with a provision cast-on, using only the blue and using the short end as the base, you can just pull it like a drawstring. Otherwise, use needle to make a drawstring to close, pull end of yarn inside ornament with crochet hook. Pull top of ornament tight, use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through the other side of the drawstring (to secure it), make a loop or a doubled loop out of the tail (as a hanger), tie a knot and pull end into the ornament. As usual, it is simpler than it sounds written out! Merry knitting, -- Mary Lee Herrick xsnrg@ix.netcom.com --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/