There have been so many posts about pillowghans that I thought
I should try to make one for Barbie. Since I often have trouble finishing large
projects, I am happy to say that I did finish this one!!
The above picture shows the afghan folded up inside the pillow,
the ones below show what the afghan looks like on the right side and on the
wrong side where the pillow is attached.
Front of Afghan
Back of Afghan
Pillow is attached on wrong side, flap is folded to the inside.
Instructions
If you would also like to see the row by row charts, click
here.
Bernat Baby Softee Yarn, less than one skein, Knitsmart keyplate
15 or Bond/ISM keyplate 1. Gauge 5.3sts/7.3rows per inch. Since there is no
sizing problem, it wouldn't matter much if it were a bit different. For the
letter "B", I used three strands of metallic gold crochet cotton.
The afghan starts with a strip of bottom edging that is later
used to hang the main knitting on. This edging is normally knitted in one
piece with the sides only, but I wanted it to go all the way around. It is
hard to stretch it far enough to go sideways across the needles in a 1 scallop
per 4 stitches ratio (which is what I figure it should be) so that I ended up
having to knit 18 scallops instead of 14. Of course, if you prefer a crochet
or another type of edging around the afghan, such as the pie crust edging, you
could do that instead and start with an e-wrap cast-on, eliminating the two
outside stitches on each side.
With waste yarn, e-wrap two needles from left to right, leave
the next needle out of work, e-wrap one more needle: 2 needles in WP, 1 in NWP,
1 in WP. Manually knit a few rows across these, then hang just a claw weight
or a weighted clip. Knit one row with either a piece of ravel cord or another
short piece of contrast colored yarn. These live stitches will later be rehung
for the main knitting. Start with the main yarn, COL.
Row 1-6: Knit
Row 7: COL. 6 floats have now formed below the needle in NWP.
With a latch hook tool, from behind the knitting, go through to the front under
the first float formed six rows below. Hold open hook towards you and go up
in front of the floats, turn hook slightly and catch the very last float formed,
the one right at the top. Pull it straight down past the other five floats
and out through the same spot where you came in. Continue to pull this float
sideways around the two stitches on the left side, encircling them, bring it
back up and hang it on the second needle from the left side. (You'll have to
hang onto the bottom of the knitting for the first one.) Push all 3 needles
to FWP with latches open and knit across. Do not pull up slack in yarn on the
side of the single stitch too much or you will get very small stitches. One
scallop has been formed.
Repeat Rows 2-7 17 more times, 18 scallops (count the "V's" formed
by the latched up floats). COL, but do not yet knit across row 7 of the last
repeat, just latch up float and hang on needle, then:
Bring 50 additional needles, to the right of the ones you have
knitted so far forward near edge of bed. Leave the first three stitches on
the needles. With transfer tool, pick up the first two outside main stitches
from the beginning of the edging and hang these on the two very last needles
that were brought forward. Push the next needle to the left of those two to
NWP. Pick up the third stitch on waste yarn and hang it on the next needle.
You may have to stretch the edging a bit for it to fit. It is the single edge
stitches that are hung on the needles, the scallops are below them. Evenly
distribute these edge stitches among the needles and make sure the edging is
not twisted and that the wrong side is facing you. Bring all needles to FWP
with latches open and either use claw weights or manually knit this row to the
right. I use a cast-on comb. After this row has been knitted you would probably
want to hang the weighted hem if you do not use a cast on comb. Put a short
length of yarn through stitches 17, 22, 33, and 38. These are later reformed
to purl stitches and they are much easier to find this way (at least for me!)
Row 2 and 3: Knit across.
Row 4: COR. Before knitting this row and every tenth row thereafter
for the 2x2 cables, cross stitches 18 and 19 over stitches 20 and 21. Cross
stitches 37 and 36 over stitches 34 and 33. (see chart) Knit across. Ever
so many rows, relatch the stitch column on each side of the cables to knit stitches.
Continue to knit to Row 96, latching up floats for side edgings on both sides
every sixth row and crossing cables every tenth row. It is easier to rehang
the floats if the two outside stitches and the two stitches next to the needle
out of work are brought to holding position first, otherwise they like to get
"unknitted" due to the yarn stretching.
Row 96: COR. Knit across the row, COL. Latch up and hang
floats for side edgings, then remove stitches 5-57 from machine by running a
strand of yarn through them.
Row 97: COL. Continue to knit across the 3 stitches, working
scallops as before until 18 have been completed from top edge of main knitting.
Do not knit last row 7 but do latch up and hang float. Remove on a short piece
of waste yarn. Join these three stitches to the three edge stitches on the
right side of the afghan, then pin edging to top and graft live stitches to
edging. Or you could backstitch through the stitches and the edging.
Pillow
If you would also like to see the row by row charts, click
here.
E-wrap cast on 28 stitches, right to left, pushing the 3d needle
from each edge to nonworking position
Row 1-36: Work edging on both sides as before except that after
three floats have formed on the carriage side, manually knit just the two outermost
stitches two rows. (Knit stitch one, stitch two, then stitch two, stitch one.)
After four floats have formed on the opposite side, manually knit just those
two stitches two extra rows. This makes a more defined scallop. Knit to Row
36. 6 scallops completed.
Row 37-42: Begin letter "B" as per chart (I put the needles
for the letter in holding position and then manually knitted them every row
as there are so few stitches). Row 43: While continuing with letter chart,
begin decreasing for flap. Hang the stitches right next to the needles in nonworking
position on the neighboring needles, then move the two outside stitches on each
edge in by one needle. One stitch decreased at each edge. Also because of
the angle of the decrease, knit two extra rows across the outside two stitches
each time the carriage and yarn are on that side. Instead of latching up and
hanging the floats every sixth row, hang them every third row. Continue to
Row 52, latching up floats every third row and knitting the extra rows across
the two stitches.
Row 53: Knit the two extra rows across the two stitches on the
side of the carriage, then move the two outside stitches on each edge in by
one needle, closing the gap. Six stitches left.
Row 54: Hang second stitch from each edge on neighboring needle.
Latch up floats as before, hanging them on the same needles. There are now
3 stitches on each of the two center needles, 4 needles left in working position.
Knit across.
Row 55: Hang two outside stitches on center needles. 2 stitches
left. Knit.
Row 56: Hang right stitch on left needle. Knit and pull yarn
through this last stitch. Fold flap over at purple fold line (see chart), right
sides together and turn scalloped edging along both edges of pillow inward so
it will not be caught in seams. Pin bottom of pillow (right side of pillow
to wrong side of afghan) to lower edge of afghan right above scalloped edge
and folded under side edges even with each outside column of latched-up (knit)
stitches. Overcast in place around all three sides. Fold one section of the
afghan along knitted stitch column towards the center, fold the other outer
section over it, then fold afghan lengthwise, first 1/2 way to bottom of pillow,
then to bottom of pillow, then all the way to top of pillow. Reach inside opening
of pillow and turn it inside out, covering blanket, then reach under flap and
turn it inside out also so that the right side of the flap is now on top of
the wrong side of the blanket.
If you find any errors in these instructions, please let me know!
