Faerie Knitting
Page 6
Fill these bags with lavender to make beautiful sachets, use them to store precious jewelry for safekeeping, or use one as a small wallet for your loose change.
Use ribbon or twine as an alternative to the I-cord if you are not familiar with the technique.
STITCH GUIDE
Garter stitch
Knit every row.
Stockinette stitch
Row 1 (RS): Knit.
Row 2 (WS): Purl.
For more abbreviations, stitches, and techniques, see Glossary.
INSTRUCTIONS
Using yarn in your choice of bag color, cast on 32 sts. Work in Garter stitch for 8 rows. Change to Stockinette stitch and work for 46 rows or until piece measures approximately 7"/18cm, end after a RS row. Change back to Garter stitch and work for 19 rows or until piece measures approximately 83/4"/22cm from cast on. Bind off on next WS row.
Using yarn in your choice of cord color, make a 19"/48cm I-cord.
FINISHING
Fold piece in half along fold line (see schematic). Seam sides, leaving top open at cast-on/bound-off edges. Darn ends. Block or steam lightly to measurements. Use a darning needle or crochet hook to weave the I-cord in and out along the top edge (between the top 2 garter ridges, approximately every 3–4 sts). Sew the I-cord ends together to form a circle.
Chapter 9
Rose
here was a girl named Rose who fell in love with the only son of a Queen so cruel that birds refused to fly over her land, cows refused to give milk, and no flowers grew in anyone’s garden. But the Queen’s son was as kind as his mother was wretched, and so handsome everyone fell in love with him as soon as they saw him. Yet he loved only Rose, who worked in the Queen’s house. She was an orphan, and the single inheritance her poor mother had left her was a set of double-point knitting needles. One point was lead, one was tin, one was silver, and one was gold. They were light as a feather, heavy as a heart that is unfilled. These needles knitted yarn so quickly that Rose could create a piece of finery for the Queen in a single day.
Everything she made for the Queen brought a thousand compliments, and the Queen was satisfied with her, for Rose never once made an error. Then one day the son of the Queen came to sit with Rose while she worked. When he told Rose of his love for her she dropped a stitch as she knitted glovelettes for the Queen. She dropped another when he kissed her and a third when he said they should run away together. Without thinking, Rose allowed the guard to collect the glovelettes to bring to the Queen. She forgot her mistakes until she was called to the throne room.
As soon as the Queen heard of her son’s love for her servant, she went to a magician, who took note of the dropped stitches and placed an unraveling spell on the glovelettes. Now the Queen had only unstitched yarn around her wrists. She said Rose had plotted to tie her up and steal her son by the means of magic. Rose was led to a tower where four locks were set upon the door. No matter what the Queen’s son did, no matter how many keys he had the locksmiths make, he could not open these latches. At last he went to his mother and begged for another chance for his beloved Rose: If she could make perfect glovelettes, would the Queen set her free? He begged and pleaded until at last the Queen agreed. But she used the situation to her advantage.
But if the girl manages to do so, and if she’s released, she must leave this land at once. She can never return.
Her son had little choice but to agree, but he, too, used their pact to suit himself.
If she leaves, I go with her. That is our bargain.
The Queen was unhappy with their bargain, but she told those closest to her that no agreement is set in stone, especially one that is made of yarn.
Rose was given white yarn, the color of snow. Before the door was closed, a boy brought her a bouquet of white roses. They were the only roses that grew in this country, hidden in the Queen’s courtyard. The Queen’s son had sent them to remind Rose of his love for her. Rose set to work knitting by moonlight, by sunlight, and by shadow. Because flowers could not bloom long in this country, rose petals soon littered the stone floor. To honor her love for the Queen’s son, Rose knitted the petals into her work until each glovelette was marked with a flower.
When she was done, she was brought back to the royal chambers. The Queen carefully examined the glovelettes. There was not a single mistake. Or so it seemed, for those who look for an error can always invent one.
I didn’t want white! the Queen declared. I wanted red. She threw the glovelettes on the ground. These are worthless.
But the roses the Queen’s son had sent to his beloved had been enchanted by his love, and when the Queen’s maid went to retrieve the glovelettes and held them up, all there were amazed. The roses had the ability to change color, and when the glovelettes were turned inside out, they were red.
Rose was rushed back to the tower and the four locks were bolted, even though the Queen’s wish had been fulfilled. It was now said that she was an enchantress, and perhaps she was. She still had the knitting needles her mother had given her, her most precious possession. All at once she knew what she must do in order to free herself. She unlocked the latches with the needles: lead for lead, tin for tin, silver for silver, gold for gold. She ran down the stairs and into the Queen’s garden, where the Queen’s son was waiting for her. When they left they took the rose tree that turned from white to red with them, and in their new country all of the roses were enchanted and you never knew from day to day what color they would be, but you knew they would be beautiful, and that was more than enough.
Rose Glovelettes
DIFFICULTY: Advanced
MATERIALS
Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Julie (125yd/115m, 1.75oz/50g) 75% Extrafine Merino Wool, 25% Silk, 2 skeins: 1 each in colors #09 Pearl [A] and #11 Ruby [B].
Or approximately 72yd/66m of any sport-weight yarn that meets gauge in each of 2 contrast colors.
Size 4 (3.5mm) double-point needles.
Size 3 (3.25mm) double-point needles or size to obtain gauge.
Darning needle.
SIZES
One size fits most.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
8"/20.5cm circumference, 71/2"/19cm length.
GAUGE
45 sts x 32 rows = 4"/10cm in Double Knitting with smaller needles, after blocking.
Take time to check your gauge.
Knitting Wisdom
Julie by Stacy Charles Fine Yarns used in these glovelettes is marked as a DK weight, though when knit tightly for this technique, the silk and wool blend fiber gets the correct gauge. An alternate fiber should be a sport-weight yarn, and it is important to check gauge in rounds.
These glovelettes are worked in rounds using four double-point needles in the double-knitting technique, except for the thumbhole, where rows are worked flat. You may vary the method to use 2 circulars or Magic Loop. If desired, these glovelettes can be worked flat and seamed, leaving a thumbhole opening.
In double knitting, both sides of a fabric are worked simultaneously. By working knit stitches with color A and purl stitches with color B, a fabric is created that has Stockinette facing on both the front and back sides, with the colors reversed. The color not in use is carried in front or in back of slipped stitches to lie stranded between the stitches. Pull tightly between stitches in any one color, staying on right side or wrong side of work. In contrast to Fair Isle knitting, there is no need to have loose stranding behind the alternate color, as the stitches, though alternated on needles while working, will eventually separate to create 2 front-facing sides.
In Solid Double Knitting, one color of work is facing and the contrast color is on the reverse side without any pattern. Right side of work is color A facing; wrong side of work is color B facing. The sides of the fabric will not meet, and a space is left between them. When working a pattern such as the Rose Chart and Dot Pattern, the stitches cross, and the sides are joined.
This pattern is written in my preferred method of working each color separately. The alter
nate method is to hold 2 strands and work both colors at the same time.
For ease of reading the Rose Chart, instead of working whole rounds, I suggest working one color to the end of a needle, returning to the beginning of that needle, and working the second color before continuing to the next needle. The green line dividers on the chart show how the stitches are divided between 3 double-point needles. This method helps eliminate the need to undo many stitches if you notice a mistake.
STITCH GUIDE
Solid Double Knitting (working in rounds)
*Wyib, k1 with A, bring both yarns forward, slip next st (B) purlwise, bring both yarns to back; rep from * to end. Drop A, pick up B, being careful not to twist sts. **Wyib, slip next st (A) purlwise, bring both yarns to front, p1 with B, bring both yarns to back; rep from ** to end. Working each color once around equals 1 round worked.
Solid Double Knitting (working flat) for thumbhole
Using same method as Solid Double Knitting, with RS facing, work color A to end, then work color B to end. Turn glovelette inside out so WS is facing. Twist yarns to avoid a gap, work color B to end, then work color A to end. Turn glovelette inside out again, so RS is facing. Two rows worked.
For more abbreviations, stitches, and techniques, see Glossary.
INSTRUCTIONS (MAKE 2)
With A and larger dpn, using long-tail method, cast on 45 sts. Divide evenly onto 3 dpns and join to work in rounds with knit side facing, being careful not to twist sts.
Increase on first round as follows: Holding A and B together, *k1 with A, do not drop st from left needle, p1 with B into front of same st, then drop cast-on st from left needle. Two sts (one of each color) made from one; rep to end. 90 sts.
Change to smaller dpns. The first st, with RS facing, will be color A.
Work Solid Double Knitting (working in rounds) for 10 rounds.
Begin Rose Chart
Following directions given in Rose Chart notes, work rounds 1–24 of Rose Chart.
Work 2 rounds in Solid Double Knitting (working in rounds).
Thumbhole
Work Solid Double Knitting (working flat) for 10 rows.
With RS facing, work 1 more row (A and B), then join to work in rounds again.
Work 2 rounds in Solid Double Knitting (working in rounds), then work 1 round in Dot Pattern as follows: *With A, k1, s1 wyif, s1 wyib, p1, k1, s1 wyif; rep from * to end. **With B, s1 wyib, p1, k1, s1 wyif, s1 wyib, p1; rep from ** to end. Work Solid Double Knitting (working in rounds) for 10 more rounds.
With larger needle, bind off with color A by k2tog (1 A st and 1 B st) as you continue binding off to end.
FINISHING
Darn ends. Steam lightly to block.
Rose Chart
Each square of the chart represents the color facing and equals 2 stitches, a knit in the color facing, and a slipped stitch. Using my method, completing 1 round of A and 1 round of B equals 1 “row” of chart worked.
Rose Chart Key
Chapter 10
River Girl
he watched other girls from town walking through the meadow to the dance hall and she cried green tears. She was not like them. She was half fish, the half that made it impossible for her to walk through a meadow or dance all night long. Her tail was silver, and her eyes were, too, and there wasn’t a more beautiful creature, or a sadder one, in all the world.
One night she spied a man, one so tall and handsome she couldn’t look away from him. She watched him all summer as he cut across the fields. He caught sight of her once, and once was all it took. He saw her face as she peered at him from the riverside. Who are you? he cried, lovestruck. He tramped through the mud and made his way through the reeds. Without even thinking, he threw himself into the water, searching for her.
She sank down into the depths, terrified that he would see her for what she was: A freak, a monster, more of a fish than a girl. She could hold her breath for an hour, which was a good thing, because he searched until he was forced to give up. Waterlogged, thwarted, he perched on the riverbank. Where are you? he cried out, confused.
His friends came to look for him and dragged him home. Had they not, he would have still been searching when morning came.
* * *
Now more than ever she longed to be human. She began to waste away, her skin fading to a pale blue, her hair turning green at the edges. The scales of her tail scattered like discs of moonlight as she herself grew dim. He came back every day, but what would he want with a monster? She held her breath and waited for him to leave and then, when he was gone, she cried once more.
* * *
The fish took pity on her. They collected silver scales and wove them into stockings, knitting them together with water lilies and moonlight. When she slipped them on, she had legs. She climbed onto the shore and walked through the meadow. She was tipsy at first but soon grew stronger, joyous at all she could do. She ran down the road, and when she passed a farmhouse she borrowed a dress from a clothesline, pulled it on, then raced to the dance hall, amazed at how far her new legs could take her.
She stopped at the door. There in front of her was everything she had ever wanted. As soon as the man spied her, he knew her. They danced as if no one else existed, and for them no one did. But then her stockings began to unravel. Silver scales littered the floor. She ran away, as fast as her legs could take her, faster than she’d thought possible. Her tears left a green trail that led to the river, and the man who loved her dashed after her. He saw her slip off her stockings and dive back into the river.
So now he knew. But it didn’t matter.
If anything, he wanted her more.
* * *
He went to his grandmother, who knew more about the world than anyone else. He showed her the silver stockings he’d gathered from the shore and told her of his love. His grandmother promised she could knit the stockings together and this time the change would last. The old woman went into the woods to collect lily of the valley, earthbound blooms to mix with the water lilies, along with sunshine to bind the moonlight. She set to knitting and she didn’t stop until she had finished the stockings. Then she folded them carefully into her pocket and went down to the shoreline.
She had been here before, a long time ago. That was why she understood wanting something that belonged to the river. She’d longed for a grandson and had plucked a boy out of the river with her fishing net. He, too, was part fish until she made him socks that were knitted of the earthly elements, brambles and leaves and vines. She had raised him and loved him and now he was her own. If he wanted the River Girl, it made perfect sense. Who was she to say no?
The grandmother put her hand in the water and the girl came to gaze at her, curious.
If you wear these stockings, you can have what you want, the grandmother said. But it has to be your heart’s desire.
The River Girl took her hand. He is.
* * *
When the River Girl followed the old woman back to town, there wasn’t a happier person to be found. The old woman might know everything, but perhaps the girl knew a little more. You never lose who you really are. When she saw her beloved, she ran to him, and not long after, they married. They soon had a child, a little girl who was half fish. They called her Ella, for that was the grandmother’s name. The grandmother was now so very old she could no longer knit. She told her grandson’s wife what she needed, and the River Girl went to the forest to gather lily of the valley. But she also went to the river for a basket of water lilies. She knitted all night long.
Their little girl could run and dance and live a life like any other girl in town. But in the summertime when the grass was tall, they went back to the river in the evenings. They were a family after all, and they knew where they came from. They removed their stockings before they waded in. They knew that all things are possible when you’re true to yourself. They swam along with the fish, but they never lost sight of the shore. They belonged to two worlds, and because of this their love was, and always wou
ld be, twice as strong.
River Girl Stockings
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate
MATERIALS
Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Stella (76.5yd/70m, 25g/0.88oz) 74% Silk, 26% Lurex Metallic, 4 balls in color #01 Silver Mist.
Or any worsted-weight yarn that meets gauge (see Knitting Wisdom).
Size 8 (5.0mm) needles or size to obtain gauge.
Size 6 (4.0mm) needles or 2 sizes smaller than larger needle.
Removable stitch marker or piece of contrast yarn.
Darning needle.
Approximately 3yd/2.75m of 5/8"/16mm ribbon, cut into 2 pieces.
Four decorative beads, approximately 1/4"/6mm to 1/2"/12mm each.
SIZES
One size.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Approximately 9"/23cm top circumference, 151/4"/38.5cm length. Will stretch to fit.
GAUGE
22 sts x 30 rows = 4"/10cm in Fishnet Lace stitch with larger needle, after blocking.
Take time to check your gauge.
Knitting Wisdom
The Lurex in Stella makes it a very stretchy fiber. If you choose a substitute yarn, make sure to use a comparable fiber.
Stocking is written to be worked flat but can easily be worked in rounds to eliminate the seam by casting on 48 stitches, joining for rounds, and removing the purl stitch at end of row.