My Teddy Bear baby blanket is now half done. I have completed two rows of the Teddy Bear pattern and I really love how it is knitting up. The Peaches & Cream yarn is soft as you knit and will become even softer when washed. Perfect for a baby – soft and washable.
Teddy Bear Baby Blanet
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I have finished the cardigan sweater I was knitting for my GS. Now, I started this project in October 2009, well ahead of this little boy’s anticipated arrival. I had always intended to knit it as a size 12 months — I just hadn’t intended for him to be 9 months old by the time I finished! Ah…best intentions, too much ambition …and too many other WIPs to distract me.
Actually, I knit the cardigan in about 3 months. I had started this project planning to knit both a romper and a cardigan to match. I had the romper about three-fourths complete when I decided that it wasn’t what I wanted for my GS. So I set it aside for a bit and then realized I better get busy knitting or the sweater would be too small before it was ever finished.
Here’s the little guy in the sweater:
He’s a real cutie, isn’t he? Not that I’m a proud Grandma or anything like that…. 🙂
Brief run-down on the project details: Pattern was from a Dale of Norway pattern booklet, Nr. 203 “Baby Designs”. Yarn was Dale of Norway Baby Ull — colorways 4221 (red), 5735 (navy), 6435 (teal). The body is done in a three color, slipped stitch pattern, which I identified from Barbara G. Walker’s “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” as the waffle weave. I will post about this pattern later.
Here’s a link to all the project details in my Ravelry projects: GS’s Cardigan.
The cardigan for my GS was done using three-colors in a very easy slip stitch pattern, which I discovered is the “Waffle Check” pattern in Barbara G. Walker”s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.
The pattern is done over an odd number of stitches – it is a 2 stitch, plus 1 pattern. Instructions are for knitting flat. This is the basic 4 row pattern:
With color A—
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Knit
With color B –
Row 3: K1, *sl 1 wyib, K1; rep from * .
Row 4: K1, * sl 1 wyif, K1; rep from *
To make the three-color pattern used in my GS’s cardigan – you alternate knitting rows 3 & 4 in two different colors. And the color changes could go on to many different colors if you wished – a good way to use up some leftover yarn, perhaps?
Now, I am currently working on knitting a hat to go with GS’s sweater using the Waffle Check pattern and the same colors. Because I am knitting this in the round, instead of flat, I have modified the above pattern as follows:
With color A—
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl
With color B –
Row 3: *K1, sl 1 wyib; rep from * .
Row 4: *P1, sl1 wyif; rep from *.
And because I don’t want two knit stitches together at the join, this is done over an even number of stitches. I’ll post the end result when I’m finished.
All ribbing is a combination of knit and purl stitches across a row. When you knit back on the next row, you knit the stitches as the face you, that is, knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. The knit stitches form a ridge (or rib) and the purl stitches form a valley. Ribbing is essentially a reversible fabric. Ribbing is elastic crosswise and will stretch lengthwise and is most often used for sweater neckbands and bottoms and the cuff of socks. Ribbing also “pulls in” naturally, so it will effect the shape of your garment.
One-By-One (1×1) Ribbing:
This is knitted exactly as it says. Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch across the row. (Remember to move your yarn from back to front as you knit and purl.) If you are knitting this ribbing flat for a garment, you should be knitting an odd number of stitches, so that when the garment is seamed together the ribbing will appear to be continuous. If you are knitting in the round, you should always have an even number of stitches. This ribbing is the most elastic of ribbings. It tends to look more loosely knit than stockinette stitch, and because it is so elastic, most patterns have you knit your ribbing on needles that are a size or two smaller than the body of the pattern.
Two-By-Two (2×2) Ribbing:
This ribbing is made by K2, P2 across the row. It is a multiple of 4 stitches, so when knitting a flat piece to be joined with another, you should be knitting a multiple of 4 plus 1 stitch so that the pieces will weave together correctly. For knitting in the round, you would knit over a multiple of 4 stitches. This is a popular ribbing and it works well for sock cuffs, but it is not as elastic as the 1×1 ribbing.
Three-By-One (3×1) Ribbing:
This ribbing is also a multiple of 4 stitches: K3, P1 across. The rules for 2×2 ribbing also apply to this ribbing. As you can see in the picture, this produces a wide rib with an almost invisible valley. I have seen this ribbing used in sock patterns and it does give the socks and attractive looking cuff.
Other Ribbing Patterns: There are many other variations of ribbing, including Cabled Ribbing, Four-By-Two Ribbing, and Six-by-Three Ribbing. I will include an example of Cabled Ribbing in a latter post on Cable Stitch Patterns.
Note: For information about tension issues with ribbing, see my post: Master Knitter Level I – Swatches # 1, 2, & 3.
I just love this teddy bear blanket. This picture doesn’t do it justice after seeing it in person. How’s it going? You are nearly done I bet.