Bond Buzz, Issue #57
December 21 , 2009
Free from Bond America

Welcome to another issue of Bond Buzz!

Somehow it always happens every year:  I think I’m going to be ready for the holidays but  it never turns out that way.  They always sneak up and grab me, usually when it’s too late to put into effect everything I wanted to do.  This is especially true this year when Thanksgiving is SO late in the month.

So to try to help you get a jump on holiday projects, there’s no better way of getting everything knit up than by using your USM.  And because so many of you are interested in intarsia (especially for kid clothes), I thought this would be the perfect time – and the perfect project.

Drop shoulders, while they may be way too ‘80’s for an adult, are perfect for kids’ and babies’ sweaters.  With no armhole, shoulder or sleeve cap shaping and no ribbing, this basic pullover pattern is the perfect “blank slate” for experimenting with your own intarsia designs.

But I wanted to give you some tips before we get to the pattern:

First, make sure you have one skein or bobbin wound with yarn for each color change across the row.  For the Christmas tree, I needed two in Autunn Red (Color A) and one in Dark Sage (Color B) Simply Soft.

Second, make sure you have an easy-to-read printout of the chart for the design you’ll be knitting. 

Step 1: Knit the number of rows to where you want to begin your intarsia design.

Step 2:  COR. Push up to HP the first needle of each color change across the row.  Here the needle to the far right will be the first stitch in Color B and the needle to the far left will be the first stitch in the second section of Color A.

Step 3:  With Color A, knit up to the needle in HP, change to Color B and knit up to second needle in HP, change co color A.  Knit to end of row.  COL.

Step 4:  Manually knit the stitches in HP.

Step 5:  Repeat Step 2 for the next row but remember that you are now going from left to right.

Step 6: Knit to the first needle in HP, but before you pick up Color B, make sure you bring it UNDER Color A that you just removed from the carriage.  This is probably the most important step because it will prevent a hole from forming.  If you don’t the second color with the first, it will be as if you are knitting totally separate pieces wherever there’s a color change.

And that’s all intarsia is.

Here’s a close-up of the finished motif.  One of the things I like so much about intarsia is how it’s so ideal for embellishing:  duplicate stitch, embroidery, beading, etc.  Because this is a child’s sweater, I wanted to keep the embellishing at a minimum, so I just did a duplicate stitch in Chocolate Simply Soft for the trunk, a star done in Off White and the balls embroidered in French knots using metallic embroidery floss.  But you could make this tree as simple or as detailed as you like using just embroidery.

So here’s the pattern.  Hope you can make a few of them!  Why not try using White Simply Soft for the tree, Lavender Blue for the background and Sunshine for the star??

CHRISTMAS TREE TODDLER SWEATER

Designed by Cari Clement

Sizes (ages): 1 (2, 4)  Shown in Size 1

Finished Chest Measurement: 24 (26, 28)”

Materials: Caron International’s Simply Soft: color Autumn Red #9730 (A): 1 (2, 2) skeins; color Dark Sage #9707 (B): 1 (1, 1) skein; color Chocolate #9750 (C): 1 (1, 1) skein (1 yard used, for tree trunk only); color Off White #9702 (D): 1 (1, 1) skein (1 yard used, for star); 1 skein gold metallic embroidery floss; stitch markers; tapestry needle.

Techniques used:  Intarsia, duplicate stitch, French knots & long stitch embroidery

Gauge:  Using #2 keyplate: 17 sts & 23 rows = 4”/10 cm;

Back:

1. With color A, work closed-edge CO 51 (55, 59) sts.  RC = 000.
2. K 40 (44, 48) R.  Place marker each end for armhole. 
3. K 28 (30, 34) R.  COR. RC = 68 (74, 82).
4. Push 34 (37, 40) sts to far left of carriage to HP.
5. Put next 17 (18, 19) sts onto WY, then center 17 (19, 21) sts onto WY, then rem 17 (18, 19) sts onto WY.  Remove work from machine.

Front:

1. Work as for back for 18 (22, 26) R.
2. Work intarsia tree motif in B on center 27 sts over next 30 R, making sure to place marker at row 40 (44, 48) for armhole. COR
3. When intarsia motif completed, K 8 (8, 10) R.  COR.
4. Shape neck:  with separate length of MY, BO center 9 (9, 11) sts.  Push ndls holding shldr sts on LHS of bed up to HP.  Work the 21 (23, 24) sts on RHS.
5. Dec 1 st nk edge on each of next 2 (3, 3) rows: 19 (20, 21) sts rem.
6. Dec 1 st nk edge every 2 rows 2 (2, 2) times:  17 (18, 19) sts rem.
7. When RC =  68 (74, 82), put shldr sts on WY.
8. Push sts on LHS back to FWP & repeat neck decreases, reversing shaping.

Neck Roll:

1. Join one shoulder.
2. With WS facing, pick up 12 (14, 16) sts side neck edge, center 9 (9, 11) sts, 12 (14, 16) sts other side neck edge and 17 (19, 21) sts along back neck edge: 50 (56, 64) sts.
3. With color A, K 13 R.  COL.  BO in backstitch. 
4. Join rem shldr/ neckroll seam.

Sleeves:

1. Bring forward 42 (46, 50) ndls to HP.  RC = 000.
2. With WS facing, pick up as many sts between underarm markets.
3. With color A, knit toward cuff, dec’ing 1 st each end every 4 (5, 6) R 9 (9, 10) times: 24 (28 30) sts.  When RC = 53 (65, 75), COL, BO in backstitch.

Finishing:

Work D, work star with long stitch.  With D, make 7 French knots on front, using photo as guide.  With Chocolate, work 3 rows color C in duplicate stitch over center 3 sts tree trunk, using photo as guide.  Sew side and sleeve seams.  Weave in ends.

MORE??  Of course – this is the season for giving!  Click here for a wonderful Kathy Perry design – perfect for holiday party-wearing!

Enjoy!

Cari Clement
Bond America

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