Spells & Stitches

by Barbara Bretton

  LISA SOUZA: BIRTHDAY

  Many years ago, I read a few lines about a boy asking his infant brother to tell him what God looked like. Somehow, this just resonated with me and I didn’t know why until the birth of my first grandson.

  I had written about him, calling him the Grandsonfetus from the moment that his parents found out the sex of this ever-growing force of nature. His due date passed, as is more than likely with a first pregnancy, and my psychic friend told me that she got the message that he would be born on the fifteenth of December. The fifteenth passed and my friend was left shaking her head, muttering that she had never been given the wrong information. Somehow, there was something at work greater than what we could know. The birthday of my late stepfather was approaching and he had been a force of nature and a noisy ghost.

  We all waited impatiently and on the evening of December sixteenth, we got the call that our daughter had begun getting some labor pains and, this being her first baby, I figured that we had a couple of hours to think about making that ninety-minute drive to her home. I was so very wrong. My daughter’s body kicked into high gear within minutes and the pains were coming faster, which prompted us to throw on our woolly pullovers and head out into the cold December evening, like the cavalry.

  That boy was born on the morning of the seventeenth of December, my stepfather’s birthday. I was at my daughter’s side, holding one of her legs as she pushed the baby out, and as I saw his little face emerge, a flood of emotion washed over me. It was pure and unadulterated Love.

  The part of this story that echoes what I read so long ago is that when this little pink being was clean and lying naked on his warming bed, he began to coo and babble while moving his head to several points above him. I will always believe that he was talking to the invisible crowd that had come to see him as his soul slipped into its vessel. I had never witnessed a newborn baby making sounds like these and I mentioned it to my husband, who stood next to me. It lasted only a couple of minutes and then it was as if he began to forget that language and no longer see those faces.

  Now my grandson is a five-year-old natural athlete, as was Grandpa Lenny, and he says things that remind me of that older force of nature. Did that baby delay his entry into the world so that Lenny’s soul could slip in for one more go-round? I guess I will not know the answer until I slip to the Other Side, where all of my questions will be answered.

  LISA SOUZA studied fine art at the California College of the Arts, became a singer/songwriter for a decade, and then settled into a career in the fiber arts, which had never really left her hands since she could first hold a needle and thread. Once primarily a spinner who created original garments for clients, she has since narrowed her focus to life as a colorist, creating rich palettes of color in yarn and fiber. Her first book, in collaboration with Vicki Stiefel, is 10 Secrets of the Laidback Knitters, published by St. Martin’s Press in May 2011. Find her website at www.lisaknit.com and her blog at http://lisaknit.typepad.com/tiltawhirl/.

  FRAN BAKER: FEATHER & FAN BABY AFGHAN

  When it comes to baby blankets or afghans, I’m a “simpler and softer is better” kind of knitter. One of my favorites is the Feather & Fan pattern in Baby Marble by James C. Brett. I love the softness and the subtle shading of Baby Marble. Plus, it washes and dries like a dream. Interestingly, I’ve found that knitters don’t often think of the Feather & Fan pattern for babies, but every mother I’ve ever given one to has been delighted. And I just love seeing a baby sleeping peacefully under a blanket or afghan I’ve made.

  I don’t worry about the gauge with this pattern because I control how many repeats I want. Usually I do 11 repeats, and because I’m a fairly tight knitter, I use a size 7 needle. Below is the pattern as I like to make it. (Note that I use markers to keep track of my pattern repeats on row 3.) The finished afghan comes out to about 40 × 40 inches, give or take.

  Materials Size 6 or 7 knitting needles (depending on how tight a knitter you are)

  2 balls of Baby Marble (in the color of your choice)

  11 stitch markers

  Cast on 208 stitches, which includes 11 pattern repeats and 5 stitches on each end for the border.

  Knit 5 rows in garter stitch if you want, marking with a contrasting yarn the first row as the right side.

  Pattern Row 1: Knit (if you’ve skipped the garter stitch rows, mark this side with a contrasting yarn for the right side).

  Row 2: Purl.

  Row 3: K5, place marker, *K2tog 3 times, (K1, YO) 6 times, K2tog 3 times, place marker; repeat from * to last 5 stitches, place marker, K5.

  Row 4: Knit.

  Knit 5 rows in garter stitch if you want. Or skip this step and . . .

  Bind off.

  Wash and block by hand.

  FRAN BAKER is busy writing her fourteenth novel. Her books have appeared on several bestseller lists and have been translated into more than twenty languages. Fran has conducted a number of writing workshops in the United States and Canada, and she has spoken about writing for publication to local, national, and international audiences. She is a member of Novelists, Inc.; the Authors Guild; and the Society of Midland Authors. She blogs at www.daughterofthegreatdepression.blogspot.com. Readers are invited to visit her website at www.franbaker.com.

  DUSTY MILLS: TANGIBLE HEREDITY

  I’m one of those people with a deep-seated love of all things heirloom. The idea of passing something on to future generations is profoundly weighty for me. Among my favored possessions is an old acrylic afghan that was crocheted by my grandmother years before I was born. You know the kind—with old-school ripple stripes in three shades of blue and doesn’t match a thing in the house....

  It’s now become so holey that I wouldn’t offer it to a guest unless it was to save their life, but I still use it every day, and now my young daughter does, too. If I could ever bring myself to use it just a little bit less, my grandchildren might even be warmed by it in years to come!

  When we craft something, we don’t always imagine that many decades ahead, it will still be used—still be loved—still be cherished, as if it were last Christmas’s gift. But the beauty of knitting is that it truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Something of us remains in our crafts long after our needles have stopped clicking and our love pours out of every stitch and right into the hearts of descendants we may never meet.

  What I’m saying is this: That blanket you considered knitting for your niece’s baby that’s due next month ... cast it on. Knit that lace christening gown or the coming-home sweater that’s been in your WIP bag for a month. With each stitch you progress, think not only of the baby before you, but of the babies to come.

  Each piece you finish is interwoven with love, hope, dreams, familial ties and anchors, friendship, and history. It’s tangible heredity.

  DUSTY MILLS is your average, everyday knitter who dabbles with designing knitwear and blogging (www.theknitlife.wordpress.com ). She lives in Missouri with her beloved family, not enough yarn or spinning fiber, and a couple of fur-beasts that think they run the show.

  Dusty would like to invite you to download her mother/daughter hat pattern, Chippewa, for free. Enter the code STICKS&STRINGS when you check out on Ravelry. You can find the pattern here: www.ravelry.com/designers/dusty-mills.

  DAWN BROCCO: BABY’S FIRST CARDIGAN

  This little, easy-to-knit cardigan pattern has two yarn and gauge options—sport and worsted weight—for quick and quicker-yet knitting.

  Pattern is written with slash marks separating the directions for sport and worsted (sport / worsted).

  Materials Sport weight: Lobster Pot Cashmere (100% lace-weight cashmere), 400 yd (50 gr) hank: 2 hanks Natural (MC) (used double)

  Worsted weight: Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk (85% merino superwash wool, 15% mulberry silk), 437 yd (100 gr) hank: 1 hank color #5659 Primavera (MC) (used double); and either 1 hank Heritage Silk color #5617 Raspberry or 1 hank Cascade 220 Superwash (100% superwash wool), 220 yd (100 gr) hank, color #78
05 Flamingo Pink (CC) (used single)

  Size 6 / 8 (4/5 mm) circular needles, 16–20 inches long

  Size 6 / 8 (4/5 mm) double-pointed needles

  Tapestry needle

  Stitch marker

  4 buttons, size ⅝ inch / ¾ inch

  Dimensions Body circumference: 18”. Length: 9”. Sleeve length: 6½“. Sleeve depth: 4”.

  Gauge 6 sts and 8.5 rows / 5 sts and 6.5 rows equals 1 inch (2.5 cm) in St st with size 6 / 8 needles or size to give gauge. Take time to check gauge.

  Substitute yarn weight: sport / worsted

  Abbreviations approx = approximately

  beg = beginning

  BO = bind off

  CC = contrasting color

  ckn(s) = circular knitting ndl(s)

  CO = cast on

  dpns = double-pointed ndls

  k = knit

  k2tog = knit 2 sts together

  m2 = place 2 twisted loops onto the right-hand ndl

  MC = main color

  rnd(s) = round(s)

  ndl = needle

  p = purl

  p2tog = purl 2 sts together

  patt = pattern

  rem = remaining

  rep = repeat

  RS = right side

  ssk = slip 2 sts, separately, knitwise, then knit them together from this position

  st(s) = stitch(es)

  St st = Stockinette stitch

  WS = wrong side

  Seed Stitch Lower Edge With MC and ckn, CO 110 / 92 sts (long-tail method recommended).

  Set up seed stitch pattern (WS): P2, (k1, p1) across, turn.

  (RS): K2, (p1, k1) across, turn.

  Rep last 2 rows 2 times / 1 time more.

  Work 41/31 rows in St st (to approx 5 inches from CO edge), end after finishing a WS row.

  Right Front Knit 26 / 22 sts, turn. Purl across.

  Work 18 / 12 more rows in St st, end after finishing a WS row.

  Neck shaping (RS): On next RS row, BO 5 / 4 sts, ssk, knit across, turn.

  Purl across.

  K1, ssk, knit across.

  Rep last 2 rows 3 / 2 times more—16 / 14 shoulder sts rem.

  Work 5 / 5 rows even in St st. BO.

  Left Front With RS facing, knit across 26 / 22 left front sts, turn.

  Purl across.

  Work 19 / 13 more rows in St st, end after finishing a RS row.

  Neck shaping (WS): BO 5 / 4 sts, p2tog, purl across, turn.

  Knit across.

  P1, p2tog, purl across.

  Rep last 2 rows 3 / 2 times more—16 / 14 shoulder sts rem.

  Work 4 / 4 rows even in St st. BO.

  Back With RS facing, knit the 58 / 48 back sts, turn. Purl WS row.

  Work 32 / 24 more rows in St st (to approx 4 inches from underarm).

  Seam fronts to back at shoulders.

  Sleeves With MC and dpns, beg at center underarm, pick up 1 center underarm st, then 48 / 40 sts around armhole, place marker—49 / 41 sts. Knit 2 / 0 rnds.

  Decrease round: K1, ssk, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog.

  Knit 5 / 4 rnds even.

  Rep last 6 / 5 rnds 7 / 6 times more. Rep decrease round—31/25 sts rem.

  Set up seed stitch pattern—Sport weight only: K2tog, (p1, k1) around, end p1—30 sts rem.

  Set up seed stitch pattern—Worsted weight only: With CC, k2tog, knit around—24 sts rem. (k1, p1) around.

  Both weights: patt 5 / 3 more rnds. BO in pattern.

  Seed Stitch Right Front Button Band With MC and dpns or ckn, beg at lower right front edge, pick up and knit 47 / 37 sts along right front edge (approx 7 sts for every 10 rows / 3 sts for every 4 rows), turn.

  Set up seed stitch pattern (WS): (K1, p1) across, end k1, turn.

  Rep last row 1 time / 0 times more.

  Buttonhole row (WS)—Sport weight only: K1, p1, k2tog, m2, p2tog, (k1, p1) 4 times, k1, p2tog, m2, k2tog, (p1, k1) 4 times, p1, k2tog, m2, p2tog, (k1, p1) 4 times, k1, p2tog, m2, k2tog, p1, k1.

  Buttonhole row (RS)—Worsted weight only: K1, p1, *k2tog, m2, p2tog, (k1, p1) 3 times; rep from * 2 times more, k2tog, m2, p2tog, k1.

  On next WS row, patt across, working through the bottom strand of each m1. (Insert needle up into the m1 from underneath the horizontal yarn strand. This brings that strand up into the stitch, instead of leaving it to hang down, causing a sloppy buttonhole.)

  Patt 2 / 1 more rows. BO in pattern.

  Seed Stitch Left Front Button Band With MC and dpns or ckn, beg at lower right front edge, pick up and knit 47 / 37 sts along right front edge (approx 7 sts for every 10 rows / 3 sts for every 4 rows), turn.

  Set up seed stitch pattern (WS): (K1, p1) across, end k1, turn.

  Rep last row 5 / 3 times more. BO in pattern.

  Seed Stitch Collar With MC / CC and ckn, beg at center of right front band, pick up and knit 67 / 55 sts around neckline to center of left front band, turn.

  Set up seed stitch pattern (WS): (P1, k1) across, end p1, turn.

  Rep last row 15 / 11 times more (to approx 1¾ inches). BO in pattern.

  Finishing Sew on buttons, opposite buttonholes. Weave in all yarn tails. Wet-block.

  MONICA JINES: TIPS WHEN KNITTING FOR BABIES

  Babies have large heads, almost as large as their chests, so a stretchy bind-off is needed for neck bands. One stretchy bind-off is worked with a yarn over prior to each stitch. A reverse yarn over is worked prior to a knit stitch and a regular yarn over prior to a purl.

  For a k1, p1 rib bind-off you would work in this manner:Reverse yarn over, k1, pass the yarn over over the knit stitch, yarn over, p1, pass the yarn over over the purl stitch, and then pass the knit stitch over the purl stitch. Repeat the process.

  Another bind-off:

  Knit the first 2 stitches together through the back loop. Pass the stitch on the right-hand needle back to the left needle, then knit that stitch plus the next stitch together through the back loop. Continue this process across your work. For a little different-looking bind-off you can knit through the front loop; you will still have a stretchy bind-off, but it will have spaces between the bound-off stitches.

  MONICA JINES: I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not knit. My mother taught me when I was so young I do not remember actually being taught. Although I have gone for short stretches with little knitting being done, I always come back to it. I love knitting all types of projects and also enjoy designing.

  I have been published in Vogue Knitting on the Go and have also designed for the Loopy Ewe and Cherry Tree Hill Yarn. My designs can be seen and purchased on Ravelry at www.ravelry.com/designers/monica-jines and also at the Loopy Ewe and Simply Socks Yarn Company.

  RACHAEL HERRON: FIVE THINGS ABOUT KNITTING FOR BABIES

  Knitting for babies isn’t like knitting for regular grown-up people, and there are several things I have to chant to myself as I go along, or I end up with gifts that are impossible to give, so they end up sitting on my yarn shelves, glaring at me resentfully.

  1. Babies have weird proportions. Wasn’t it Elizabeth Zimmermann who said they were cubes? You can’t consider waist-shaping with a baby, or if you do, give the sweater a Buddha shape, because babies are round, not elongated. And what’s more, they stay that way for a long time. The sweater should be wider than it is tall, which will allow the baby to grow sideways into it. (I have begun designing my own sweaters the same way. I’m not getting any taller, after all.)

  2. Knitted baby items take longer than you think they will. It’s all about the planning, friends. See, I’m a pretty fast knitter. I tend to knock out sweaters for myself in a month or so. So when I think of something tiny and darling, I also think, “Oh! I’ll watch a movie and knit up this sweater tonight!” It’s always wrong, and it ends up taking weeks to finish something that feels like it shouldn’t take more than three hours. It makes knitting for baby showers a dangerous game.

  3. Babies are bigger than you think they are, too. I’m not a mother, so I’ve never really nailed this one. In my head, babies
are wee. They’re tiny little creatures of delight, and a tiny little knitted sweater will be the most cunning thing ever. Right? I once gave a baby sweater to a woman who held it up to her belly and said, “Oh, my God! I’m not having a kitten!” It was all I could do to convince her I wasn’t trying to wish her into have a preemie.

  4. Babies are dirty. If Mom can’t throw the sweater, cap, and matching booties into the washer along with the thirty-two other loads she needs to do, our new little prince will wear them once, and that will be the first and final time he will be seen in your finery. If, though, Mom doesn’t have to think about it when she’s doing laundry? He will wear that sweater all winter, every other day, and there will be a million photos of him wearing it. Unless, of course, he’s a third child, in which case there will be no photos (but that wash-’n’-wear sweater will be even more appreciated).

  5. Babies are darling. Oh, that’s the part you already knew, right? Me, too. That’s the only part I get consistently right.

  RACHAEL HERRON received her MFA in writing from Mills College and has been knitting since she was five years old. It’s more than a hobby; it’s a way of life. Rachael lives with her better half in Oakland, California, where they have four cats, three dogs, three spinning wheels, and more musical instruments than they can count. Visit http://yarnagogo.com.