KAL Stage 2

7 April 2011 — if you are ready for Stage 3 instructions, click here.

Hello people, how is your slow knitting going on the Summer in the Country Blanket?  I am taking my sweet time — not really because I want to, but because there are so many things going on right now that I don’t have a choice.

Right now, I am imagining that it is a slow, lazy day and that I am setting up over at our cottage for a few of you to drop in to knit.  I’ve got some fresh peanut butter maple cookies coming out of the oven and a loaf of cranberry orange bread waiting to be cut.  Coffee going and the tea kettle is on. Fresh cut flowers from the field across the road are in a pretty little vase on my desk by the window and I am ready to receive my guests.

And  now I hear you all outside through open windows as you to arrive.  Your friendly voices float in on the breeze and I smile, happy the fun is about to begin.  I open the door, and in you all come laughing, hugging, chatting … it is so good to spend an afternoon in the country, in a cottage on the river, with such a lovely group of friends.

Can you picture this scene, imagine the lighting, the smell of baked goods and coffee mingling with fresh cut flowers.  Do you feel the weight of your knitting bag in your hands, the project inside ready to be brought out and continued in this sweet circle of friends?

Good.  Now that we are all together, I am ready to present you with the beginning rows of the body of the blanket.  By now you should have your 2.5 inches of seed stitch bottom border completed. And remember, this is a blind knit along, so that is why I have not posted a photo at this point … I don’t want to spoil the surprises coming your way.

Before I give you the directions for the rows, I’d like to give a few definitions:

Definitions

SD ST 11: Stands for “Seed Stitch Across 11 Stitches”. Work as follows: *K1, P1, K1*, repeat across 11 stitches.

C9F Stands for “Cable 9 in Front”. Work as follows: Slip next 5 stitches onto cable needle, hold at front of work, knit next 4 stitches, then knit stitches from cable needle. If you need further help with cables, please try visiting knittinghelp.com. They have great video tutorials and diagrams there.

PSSO: Stands for “Pass Slipped Stitch Over”. This is a technique used to make a decrease. Usually you will see it presented this way, “Sl1 (means “slip one stitch without knitting it), K1, PSSO” — and what you do is you use your needle tip to get a hold of that slipped stitch and pass it over the K1 you just made, and the off the needle. So, where there were two stitches, now there is only one and you have made a decrease.

MB: Stands for “Make Bobble”

1. [K1, YF, K1, YF, K1] into next stitch, turn
2. K5, turn
3. P5, turn
4. SL1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2TOG, turn
5. P3TOG

Okay, now here are directions for the first part of the body of the blanket.

First off, place stitch markers as follows:

• Count 11 stitches, place marker
• 18 stitches, place marker
• (33 stitches, place marker, 17 stitches, place marker )3 times
• 33 stitches, place maker
• 18 stitches, place marker

Next, work the following 12 rows two times (24 rows total):

Body of Blanket:

Note:  Any mistakes that have been discovered in the original write-up of these instructions will be corrected in red italics.

Row 1: SD ST 11, P5, K9,  P4, [P1, (K7, P1)4 times, P4, K9, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 2: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4, [K2, p5, *K3, P5*, repeat from * to * to within last 2 stitches before stitch marker, K2, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Row 3: SD ST 11, P5, K9, P4, [K1, (P2, K3, P2, K1)4 times, P4, K9, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 4: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4, [P2, K2, P1, K2, *P3, K2, P1, K2*, repeat from * to * to within last 2 before marker, P2, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Row 5: SD ST 11, P5, C9F, P4, [K3, P3, *K5, P3*, repeat from * to * to within last 3 stitches before marker, K3, P4, C9F, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 6: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4 [P4, K1, *P7, K1*, repeat from * to * to within last 4 stitches before marker, P4, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Row 7: SD ST 11, P5, K4, MB, K4, [P4,K3, P3, *K5, P3*, repeat from * to * to within last 3 stitches before marker, K3, P4, K4, MB, K4, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 8: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4 [P2, K2, P1, K2, *P3, K2, P1, K2*, repeat from * to * to within last 2 stitches before marker, P2, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Row 9: SD ST 11, P5, K9, P4, [K1, *P2, K3, P2, K1*, repeat from * to * until you reach the stitch marker, P4, K9, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 10: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4, [K2, P5, *K3, P5*, repeat from * to * to within last 2 stitches before stitch marker, K2, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Row 11: SD ST 11, P5, K9, P4, [K33, P4, K9, P4]4 times, P1, SD ST 11.

Row 12: SD ST 11, K5, P9, K4, [P33, K4, P9, K4]4 times, K1, SD ST 11.

Okay, let me know via a comment on this page if you have any questions or issues. If anyone in the KAL notices a question by someone else that you feel you can answer … please have a go at it. We are all in this together!

More directions will follow after several people have completed the instructions above.

Good luck!

~firefly