Sara + h

wearable poppy pincushion: an accessory for the well dressed crafter

When it comes to knitting, I'm sewing phobic.  I'd rather contemplate ways to adapt a pattern (and thereby avoid sewing) for weeks rather than sit down and mattress stitch a seam together.  Obviously, I have issues.  Regardless, as I was knitting my last pincushion I couldn't help but think there was a better way to do it, a way that didn't involve any sewing.  After a few days of mulling it over and a few test runs, I found my better way.  This is it.

The instructions here are for a small pincushion that can be worn on the wrist for this month's Whiplash competition.  The same type of construction can be used to knit a larger, less wearable pincushion if you like.  The pictures included here were taken during one of the test runs.  If you knit the pattern as written, things will look slightly different than they do here.  I'd intended to go back and rephotograph the tutorial but sick children and overcast skies have prevented me doing that.  The changes I made to the pattern since taking these pictures aren't so drastic as to make them unrecognizable but you will likely notice a difference.

As I mentioned in the Flapper Hat pattern, I'm not a professional pattern writer.  I've done my best to write this pattern clearly and accurately (it's not as easy as you might think).  If you encounter any problems or find any errors, please contact me.

Skills Required:

-long tail cast on
-knitting in the round
-k2tog
-picking up stitches
-kfb
-binding off

Materials:

-Cascade 220 color no. 8895 (red) (main color)
-Cascade 220 color no. 7830 (orange) (contrasting color #1)
-Malabrigo Merino, black (contrasting color #2)
-1 set US #9/5.5mm dpns
-tapestry needle
-poly fill -or- wool roving
-sewing/embroidery needle with large eye
-embroidery floss and/or thread in coordinating color
-4-5" of 3/4" black non-roll elastic
-small piece of wool felt in coordinating color

Gauge:
not crucial

Pattern Notes:

This pattern is great for using up left over bits of [non superwash] wool.  The amounts needed of each color are small.  I've made four pincushions of varying sizes while working on this pattern and I have enough yarn left to make more still.  The colors I've used here are meant to resemble a poppy.  You could use different colors to imply another flower (yellow and black for a black-eyed Susan, for instance) or you could mine your stash and make a flower of your own imagining.  It's your choice.  If you do use yarn from your stash that's not Cascade 220, you'll want to felt a test swatch to see how much shrinkage you get and you may need to alter the pattern accordingly.

You'll notice that I instruct you to weave in the ends of your yarn despite the fact that this project will be felted.  You can choose to secure your ends however you want but just make sure they are secure.  There's nothing like the experience of pulling a knitted piece from the washer only to find a perfectly felted hole.  Save yourself from yelling a string of expletives and make sure you've tied down or woven in your ends well.

Abbreviations:

cc=contrasting color
k2tog=knit 2 stitches together
kfb=knit into the front and back of a stitch
mc=main color
sts=stitches

Felted Poppy Pincushion:

Begin by knitting the top of the pincushion.  Using the mc and a long tail cast on, cast on 30 stitches and divide evenly (10 sts on each needle) on three dpns.  Join in the round being careful not to twist stitches.  (Use the cast on tail to mark the start of the round.)

Round 1: knit
Round 2: [k2tog, k3] to end (24 sts remain)
Round 3: knit
Round 4: [k2tog, k2] to end (18 sts remain)
Round 5: knit
Round 6: [k2tog, k1] to end (12 sts remain)
Round 7: [k2tog] to end (6 sts remain)

Break yarn leaving a 5" tail.  Draw tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, knot, weave in end, and trim.

top of pincushion

Next, knit the outermost petal.  Using a tapestry needle, pick up one side of the "v" of each knit stitch on the 3rd round from the cast on edge.  Transfer the stitches evenly onto three dpns, 8 sts on each needle



ready to begin knitting the outer petal

Orient the work so that the stockinette side will be the underside of the petal.  This will cause the edge, once bound off, the curl under.  With mc, leaving a 5" tail to mark the beginning of the round, begin knitting the first round.

Round 1 (set-up round): knit into the back of each stitch
Round 2: kfb of every stitch (16 sts on each needle, 48 sts total)
Round 4-5: knit
Round 6: kfb of every stitch (32 sts on each needle, 96 sts total)
Round 7-8: knit
Round 9: bind off

Break yarn and weave in ends.

top of pincushion with outer petal attached (Note: In the version pictured here, the petal was knit so that the stockinette side was facing up.  Make sure that you knit the petal according to my written instructions so that the stockinette side is facing down.)

Knit the innermost petal next.  Using a tapestry needle, pick up one side of the "v" of each knit stitch two rows up from where the outer petal was attached.  Transfer the stitches evenly onto three dpns, 6 sts on each needle. 

For this petal you will orient the work so that the stockinette side is facing up (as in the picture above).  This will cause the edge, once bound off, to curl in toward the center of the flower.  With cc #1, leaving a 5" tail to mark the beginning of the round, begin knitting the first round.

Round 1 (set-up round): knit into the back of each stitch
Round 2: kfb of every stitch (12 sts on each needle, 36 sts total)
Round 4-5: knit
Round 6: kfb of every stitch (24 sts on each needle, 72 sts total)
Round 7-8: knit
Round 9: bind off all sts

Break yarn and weave in ends.

Make the center of the flower by threading a tapestry needle with a yard to a yard and a half of cc #2.  Draw the needle up through the center of the top piece and then back stitch (you shouldn't need to knot the end).  Do this all the way around (360 degrees) to create a circle, going back and filling in any areas as necessary.  Pull thread through to the underside and secure. 

top of pincushion with petals and center complete

Flip over the top of the pincushion to begin knitting the sides .  Using one of your dpns and the mc yarn, and leaving a 5" long tail, begin picking up stitches along the cast on edge of the piece.

picking up stitches to knit the sides of the pincushion

Pick up 30 stitches total, 10 sts on each needle.  To begin knitting, turn the work so that the stockinette side will be facing out.  As you knit the sides, you'll be creating the opening where you'll stuff the pincushion.  The sides are knit flat, not in the round.

Row 1: knit
Row2: purl

Repeat these two rows once more, then bind off all stitches.  Break yarn, leaving a 5" tail.  Draw tail through the last stitch and pull tight. 

top of pincushion with sides completed

Thread the tail through a tapestry needle and weave in the end, sewing the two sides together at the bound off edge as you do, thus creating the opening through which you'll stuff the pincushion.  Weave in the tail at the beginning of the sides now as well.

Turn the work so that the wrong side is facing.  As you did with the sides, begin picking up stitches, this time along the bound off edge, using the mc yarn and a dpn.  Again, pick up 30 stitches total, 10 sts on each needle.

picking up stitches to knit the bottom of the pincushion (Notice that in this picture I've not joined the sides of the opening together at the bound off edge.  Make sure that you do so before you begin knitting the bottom.  You'll wind up with a gap in this edge if you don't.)

Again, turn the work so that the stockinette side will be facing up/out.  Begin knitting the bottom.

Round 1: knit
Round 2: [k2tog, k3] to end (24 sts remain)
Round 3: knit
Round 4: [k2tog, k2] to end (18 sts remain)
Round 5: [k2tog, k1] to end (12 sts remain)
Round 6: [k2tog] to end (6 sts remain)

Break yarn leaving a 5" tail.  Draw tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, knot, and trim end.


finished flower (If knit according the to pattern as written here, your flower should have larger and more ruffled petals.)

To felt, place the knit flower in a zippered pillow case or mesh lingerie bag.  I always throw my felting projects into the washer with a load of towels.  The added friction facilitates the felting process.  Set the washer to a hot wash/cold rinse cycle and add a small amount of detergent.  I have a front loading washer and it always takes two full wash cycles to fully felt an item.  If you have a top loading washer or have never felted anything before, you may want to search for more thorough felting instructions.  There are scads online resources for this.

Once felted, remove the flower from the washer and manipulate it into the shape you'd like it to be.  My flower didn't require a lot of shaping or fiddling with.  Allow to dry.

Next, stuff the pincushion.  If you find that the opening has felted shut, use a pair of scissors to snip it open enough that you'll be able to insert a finger.  Using poly fill or wool roving, stuff the pincushion until it's as soft or firm as you'd like.  (This all sounds slightly pornographic.  Needless to say, it's not.)  Sew the opening shut using either embroidery floss or thread.

To create the wrist band, measure out enough non roll elastic to go around your wrist.  Cut the elastic about 1/4" to a 1/2" smaller than this measurement to ensure a snug fit.  Overlap the the two ends by about a quarter of an inch and sew together either by hand or using a machine set to a zigzag stitch.

Now you'll be creating a casing with wool felt for your elastic bracelet to run through.  Cut a piece of wool felt to approximately 1 1/4" x 1 3/4".  Place the felt over the seam in the elastic bracelet you've just sewn.  The longer side should be oriented horizontally, the shorter side vertically.  Pin the felt with the elastic positioned as you want it to the botom of the pincushion and create a casing by hand sewing the top edge and bottom edge of the felt to the pincushion.  Be careful not to catch the elastic in your stitching.  It should be able to move freely back and forth inside the casing.

 
finished wearable pincushion

You're done.  Don your wearable pincushion and begin stowing your pins and needles in style.

flapper hat pattern

I've recieved a number of requests for  a pattern for these hats since entering them in September's Whiplash competition.  Here's my best effort.  Let me emphasize that I am not a professional pattern writer.  If you  notice any typos or errors, or if you are confused by any of my instructions, please let me know.

This pattern is written with the beginning knitter in mind.  The more advanced among you will be able to skip over some (perhaps many) of the details but I encourage you to read through the pattern once and have a look at some the the links I've included before you start knitting.  If any of you, beginning and more experienced knitters alike, begin to feel a jaw-clenching-neck-stiffening tension arise within you as you go over this pattern, stop reading, take a deep breath, and relax.  It's just a hat.  This is just knitting.  You can do this.

Skill Level:
advanced beginner/intermediate

Skills Needed:
-provisional cast on
-knitting in the round
-k2tog
-ssk
-yarn over

Materials:

-1 skein DK or worsted weight (chunkier weights wont work well in my opinion and finer weights will take for-bloody-ever to knit) wool/wool blend -or- cotton/cotton blend yarn
waste yarn
-2 circular needles -or- 1 16" circular needle and 1 set dpns in the size needed to obtain the gauge of the yarn you're using
-stitch markers
-tapestry needle
-sewing/embroidery needle w/large eye
-3 colors of wool felt
-embroidery floss
-button (vintage is nice)

Gauge:
Dependent on the yarn you choose.  Refer to the label.

Pattern Notes:
Guess what?  You have to do the math.  Don't get excited.  It's just math.  You can do it.  Really.  If I can, you can too.

Begin by deciding what type of yarn you want to use.  Let's say you've chosen a worsted weight yarn that gets 5 sts to an inch on U.S. #7 needles (Let me just remind you that it's always a good idea to do a gauge swatch.  Doing so will prevent math/fit issues.  There, I said it.  [I had too.]  I promise not to nag you anymore... maybe...).  Measure the head that you'll be knitting the hat for.  Subtract 1-2" (more if you're knitting with cotton) to assure a snug fit so that the hat won't slide down over the eyes.  Take that measurement and multiply it by the number of sts per inch that your yarn gets.  Your formula will look something like this:

19 inch head - 2" for a snug fit = 17" and 17" x 5 sts per inch = 85 cast on sts

See?  Easy.  Now comes the nuance.

You will be knitting a folded picot edge.  To do so, you will need to cast on an even number of stitches.  In addition, you will have to choose between raglan method of decreasing or the more traditional method that results in a star shape.  For the traditional method you will need to cast on a number of stitches divisible by 8 (You could choose another number if you wish.  My instructions will simply be for a number divisible by 8.  If you want to choose another number you should be able to extrapolate.)  For the raglan method you will need to cast on a number of stitches divisible by 4 (again, you could choose another number...).  Furthermore, it would be good if the sum of the number of stitches divided by 4 (in other words, 1/4 of the stitches) was an even number.  It's not absolutely essential but it makes the last bit of decreasing tidier.  In the math example given above, rounding down to 80 stitches or up to 88 stitches will accomplish all of these things.

Techniques:
There are two aspects of this pattern that qualify as advanced, or more advanced, techniques.  The first is the provisional (also called "invisible") cast on.  Fear not, beginning knitters.  You too can do a provisional cast on.  I'm not going to tell you how though.  I'm going to let far more gifted knitters do that.  For the ultimate pictorial tutorial on provisional cast ons by Eunny, go here.  For video tutorials by Knitting at Knoon and KnittingHelp.com, go here and here (scroll down).  I prefer the crochet method referred to by Eunny as "Invisible Crochet Cast On I" and demonstrated in the Knitting at Knoon video.  I encourage you to look through all of these resources and choose for yourself what you think will work best for you though.

The second more advanced technique is the folded picot edge.  The best tutorial that I've found of this technique is by Melinda of Purlwise and can be found here (she includes instructions for a provisional cast on ["Invisible Crochet Cast On II" as referred to by Eunny]).  I would augment Melinda's tutorial by saying that I find it easier to place the freed provisional stitches onto another needle as I unravel the waste yarn rather than placing one freed stitch at a time onto the left hand needle.  This is just my preference.  I use a dpn and I free up about 10 or so stitches at a time.  When done in this fashion knitting the provisional stitches and live stitches (the stitches on your left hand needle) together is similar to doing a three needle bind-off (scroll down).  Watching the KnittingHelp.com video may be helpful but let me emphasize that you will not be binding off stitches.  You are simply knitting stitches together.  Got it?

Abbreviations:

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
pm = place marker
ssk = slip 2 stitches as if to knit and then knit those stitches together
yo = yarn over

Flapper Hat I: (Traditional Decrease Method)

Flapper Hat I

Using a length of waste yarn, provisionally cast on a multiple of 8 sts.  Place marker to mark the beginning of the row and join in the round making sure not to twist stitches.

Rows 1-5: knit
Row 6: [yo, k2tog] to end.
Rows 7-11: knit
Row 12: Fold the cast on edge up so that it's even with the sts on the needle. Carefully free the provisional sts from the wast yarn (you can do this one at a time as demonstrated in the Purlwise  tutorial or you can place the freed sts on another needle as I've described above) and knit together with the live sts on the left hand needle, one live st + one provisional sts at a time.  Repeat to end.

Continue in stockinette st, knitting every round, until work measures 5" to 6" (less for child sized hat, more for an adult sized hat).

Shape Crown
Note: Switch to dpns or two circular needles when necessary.  Also, if you'd like, you can substitute ssk or any other type of single decrease for k2tog.  In the hat pictured above, I used ssk.

Row 1: [k2tog, knit 6] to end.
Row 2: knit
Row 3: [k2tog, knit 5] to end.
Row 4: knit
Row 5: [k2tog, knit 4] to end.
Row 6: knit
Row 7: [k2tog, knit 3] to end.
Row 8: [k2tog, knit 2] to end.
Row 9: [k2tog, knit 1] to end.
Row 10: [k2tog] to end.

Break yarn leaving an 8" tail.  Draw tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, knot, weave in end with tapestry needle and trim.

Flapper Hat II: (Raglan Decrease Method)

Flapper Hat II

Using a length of waste yarn, provisionally cast on a multiple of 4 sts.  Place marker to mark the beginning of the row and join in the round making sure not to twist stitches.  Knit the same as for the Flapper Hat I until it's time to shape the crown.  At this point, set-up to begin shaping the crown.

Set-up Row: Slip marker denoting beginning of the round, [knit 1/4 of the stitches, pm] 3 times, knit to end, slip marker.

Shape Crown
Note: Make sure the stitch marker used to denote the beginning of the round is a different color than the others used and switch to dpns or two circular needles when necessary.

Row 1: [k2tog, knit to 2 stitches before marker, ssk, slip marker].  Repeat 3 more times until end of row is reached.  8 sts decreased.
Row 2: knit

Repeat these two rows until 32 sts remain, then knit [Row 1] 4 more times (removing markers on last row) until 8 sts remain.

Break yarn leaving an 8" tail.  Draw tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, knot, weave in end with tapestry needle and trim.

Button Flower Applique: (I & II)

Flower Appliques (Notice the screwed-up blanket stitching on the first flower.  It's all good.)

Cut out two circles of wool felt.  Each should be a different color and one should be smaller than the other.  I used the top and bottom of a demitasse cup as my template.  Cut out two leaf shapes from your third color of wool felt.  I did this freehand.  If you like you can search for an image or stencil to use as a template.  Stack the smaller circle of felt on top of the larger and sandwich the leaf shapes between them or underneath the larger circle so that all of the layers will be sewn together either when you attach the button or when you stitch the flower to the hat.  Attach your button, sewing through all the layers with embroidery floss.  Blanket stitch around the edge of larger circle, attaching the flower to the hat.  Once all the way around the circle, pull the thread through to the back, secure the end, and trim excess.  Repeat around the smaller circle if desired.