Sweater Project

Here are the instructions for the Cecilia Kufi.

I will post some photos later showing the beading technique that I used. And improvements on that technique (or that hat in general) are most welcome!

Instructions for the Cecilia Kufi

Worsted or slightly thinner weight yarn
Size 8 circular needles (your mileage may vary)
Size 7 double pointed needles
Beads (optional) I used some cheap acrylic beads I bought at a craft chain store.
Beginning:
Cast on 72 stitches; join, making sure you don’t twist the row.
Work in garter stitch for about an inch.

NON-BEADED VERSION:
#
Work two rows in stockinette.
Purl one row.
*k1, yo, k2tog, k1* Repeat for entire round.
Purl one row.
#
Repeat between # two more times for a total of three bands.
END NON-BEADED VERSION

BEADED VERSION:
Instead of the *k1, yo, k2tog, k1* row, work as follows.
Find appropriate beads that will fit over two strands of the yarn you’re using. I’ve never learned how to bead, so I’m going to present a possibly unorthodox method here.

Find a crochet hook that will fit through your bead; or if you’re like me, make yourself a thin hook out of a paper clip.

*k1, yo, k2tog. Slip a bead onto the hook and pass the next stitch onto the hook. Slide the bead over the stitch and knit through the top.* Repeat for entire round.
END BEADED VERSION

Crown decrease:
Knit one round, placing a marker every 18 stitches.

(The following is taken verbatim from http://www.redlipstick.net/knit/martext.html)
After every marker SSK, (slip, slip, knit. Put the needle in the 2 stitches as if to slip them off the left needle on to the right one, but knit them together instead, This gives you a left leaning decrease, and preserves the twisting of the stitch on top. Knit the rest of the stitches in pattern, till you get to the next marker.

Keep decreasing like this every row, until your knitting is too tight to go around the circular needle. Change to the Double Pointeds then, and continue until there are 6 stitches left in each section. (That is, six stitches between each marker, not six stitches on each needle. –David) Stop decreasing, and go around once more.

You should have 24 stitches left.

Finishing:

Cut the yarn, leaving about 18 inches left, and thread the end on the needle. Run the yarn through all the stitches, and pull tight. Run the yarn through again. Tuck in that end carefully. Tuck in the end of yarn at the beginning of the hat.

Here are some photos showing how I did the beading. My photographic skills leave something to be desired, but I think these will give you the general idea.

First, get ready to slip the stitch off with your custom-made bead hook (a paper clip):

Now, slide the bead onto the hook and slip the next stitch onto the hook under the bead. Slide the bead down onto the stitch.

Finally, pass the stitch with the bead on it back onto your left kneedle and knit through the top of it.

Here’s the finished product. I’m going to rip this one out and add a few more inches into the crown so that it comes down further on my head.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2003 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Hats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.