Boudoir Gift Basket with Pinwheel Flower Facecloth

We’ll be switching away from the teensy yarn and needles of last month to thicker yarn and larger needles to make a practical, small piece of springtime-inspired “art” that you can use as a facecloth (as pictured here in a boudoir gift basket), tabletop coaster/doily, or stylish kitchen dishcloth.

Shopping List

40 – 50 yards sport weight or DK weight cotton yarn

Size US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 6 (4 mm) double point needles, sets of 4

Tapestry needle

(Optional) Crochet hook size F

(Optional) Rustproof blocking pins and styrofoam board

To make a larger circular dish cloth, you can substitute worsted weight cotton yarn (e.g. Peaches & Crème is a popular choice) and a size or two larger needles. Allow that you will also need some more yarn. You will probably be able to get 2 cloths out of 1 – 50g ball of yarn.

Be sure to watch this KnitHeartStrings site to see when the free pattern for May’s Pinwheel Flower Doily becomes available in a few days.

Meantime, search your stash or local yarn places for a pretty color. Let us know what pretty color(s) you plan to use!

To wrap up April’s KAL, I want to mention a few finishing touches about completing the little U.S. flag.

Mini Lace and Beaded Flag

An SSK and K2TOG Decrease in the Last Row

The last pattern row (i.e. row 54) starts with an ssk decrease and ends with a k2tog decrease. This begins the “bind off” of the tubular edging by doubling the stitches to flatten the top of the tubes and avoids the corner stitches flaring out oddly on the actual bind off row.

Reverse Stockinette Bound Off Edge

The last row is RS, but most stitches on the row are purled to start the reverse stockinette ridge that will help control curling of the edge. Then the bind off (which is made from the WS) is intentionally specified to be done in knit stitch. Together these are a technique similar to what was discussed when beginning the flag.

The Natural Bias Knitting Truth

The scalloping of a natural bias stitch pattern is more pronounced along the (bottom) cast on edge than it is along the top edge if you just bind off regularly stitch-for-stitch.

This truth has always seemed anti-intuitive to me. But it is just one of those little facts of fiber life. Therefore, to retain a look-alike waviness along the bound off edge (i.e. similar to cast on edge), the mini flag uses a special bind off stitch pattern technique to enhance the scallops. I’ll expand upon this in the next article segment coming soon.

The knitted miniature representation of the U.S. Flag for this month’s project features an attractive use of beads.

The beading method used for the Mini Flag project positions a tiny bead on the running thread between 2 stitches.

The Beading Truth

Beads want to go to the bumpy side of the fabric (and will do so unless something is holding them back).

To keep the beads facing to the right side of the primarily stockinette fabric, this design places beads on right side rows differently than wrong side rows.

On right side rows, this means you purl a stitch before and after the bead.

On wrong side rows, you knit a stitch before and after the bead.

Wrong side bead placement was essentially what we used in the the Friendship Bracelet project earlier this year. The difference is that the resulting fabric was garter stitch for the bracelet project and all beads were placed from the wrong side. For either project, the result is that beads do not show on the back/wrong side (except to the extent that they might occasionally peek through the threads).

Slipping stitches above the bead placement

Unlike the slip stitches along the tubular side edges for which the stranded thread is pulled up to close the gap, the slipped stitches above the beads in the blue union should have a loosely stranded thread across the area of the slipped stitches so as to not create widthwise distortion.

Are you wondering why all the bother of slipping stitches above some of the rows where  beads were placed?

I used this to pull the beads up midway between 2 rows. It was necessary to visually achieve equal distances between alternate horizontal bead rows in the blue union while maintaining proportional design to the rows of the stripes.

How are you doing with this project? Any questions? Let me know. I’ll be back soon with words  about completing the mini flag.

For this mini flag project, the beads are pre-strung on your working thread because we will be using the beading technique that places a tiny bead between stitches (rather than a larger bead on a stitch as in the Yarn Pouch project we did last month). 

TIP: Before stringing beads, check that the length of thread you need for the project is a continuous piece without knots, lumps or thin/weak areas.

If you have loose beads, use a beading needle to string the beads onto your thread (see separate article: Tips for Stringing Tiny Loose Beads).

If the beads you are using came pre-strung onto a temporary thin holding string, you can simply transfer the number of beads needed to your blue thread as  follows:

1. Tie a small overhand knot loop in the end of the holding string.

2. Pull the end of your blue thread through the holding string loop like you would a needle eye.

3. Gently slide beads off holding string across the loop area and onto your blue thread.

For a more comprehensive photo tutorial: Transferring Pre-strung Beads

Tip: Whether using loose or pre-strung beads, watch for defective or mis-sized beads as you go. Remove/discard these beads rather than stringing them onto your thread.

April Prize Drawing – Mini Lace and Beaded Flag Kit with Gemstone Heart Lace Knitting Needles

1) One full 10g ball each of red, white and blue DMC size 8 perle cotton thread

2) Miyuki size 11/0 Pearl White Ceylon glass seed beads

3) Collapsing eye twisted wire beading needle

4) Coordinating blue lapis gemstone heart lace knitting needles in size 4/0 US (1.25 mm)

5) Autographed pattern

To enter the drawing, purchase anything from the KnitHeartStrings Store during April 2013. (if you have already bought something earlier this month of April, it will count)

If you are a Premium Level member, you automatically get an entry. Purchase anything from the KnitHeartStrings Store during April 2013 and you get an additional entry. 2 chances to win!

The random drawing  will be held on May 1, 2013 and announced shortly afterwards. Winner will be contacted by email for shipping address. Good luck to everyone!

p.s. Due to an emergency, I am not able to ship tangible items like kits and supplies paks until the week of April 22. Of course, you are still able to download any e-Patterns immediately after payment.

Mini Lace and Beaded Flag

You certainly don’t want a disaster later if the red or blue dyes run into the white (which would be very obvious), or even the blue dye running into the red (probably somewhat less obvious, but would look weird).

Checking for colorfastness is easy to do by taking a small sample of the thread, say 18 – 20 inches. Let it soak in warmish water for 15 – 30 minutes (this is so that moisture is completely taken up into the fiber). Then lay out on a white paper towel until dry. If your towel shows any sign of colors, then wash the yarn before using.

If you need to pre-wash, wind a small skein with the thread and secure loosely with temporary ties in 3 or 4 places around the skein. Put each color that is to be washed in a separate container of warm water with a bit of detergent. Let soak for at least 30 minutes, then rinse in clear water. If color still runs, consider using another thread.

I did not have any bleeding with the DMC pearl cotton thread I used, but I’d still check just to make sure. Then you can knit in confidence rather than have a nagging worry about might happen later on. A few minutes could help you avoid a disaster!