Slice of Pie Square Knit Along

Each month I put a quick square knit along in the Karma Knitting newsletter.  The response has been good, so I thought I'd add it to the blog.  I write it out because many of our knitters dislike knitting from charts. I'll post a picture when I finish a full-sized version of the finished product.  If you make this, please let me know.  Send pictures!  Enjoy!

Cast on 38 stitches on size 7 needles with worsted, or 5's with DK.  Worsted finished size is approximately 8x8 inches.

Rows 1-5: K across

6-12:K3, P32, K3 even rows, K across odd rows

13:K11, P21, K6

14:K3, P8, K2, (p1, K1) 9x, K1, P3, K3

15:K6,(P1, K1) 10x, P2, K10

16: K3, P7, (K1, P1) 11x, K1, P2, K3

17: K5, P1, (P1, K1) 10x, P3, K9

18:K3, P6, K1, (K1, P1) 11x, K1, P2, K3 

19:K6, (P1, K1), P2, K8

20:K3, P5, (K1, P1) 11x, K2, P3, K3

21:K5, P1, (P1, K1) 11x, P2, K9

22:K3, P4, K2, (P1, K1) 12x, P2, K3

23:K5, P2, (K1, P1) 5x, K3, P2, K2, P8, K6

24:K3, P1, K3, P1, K1, P5, K2, P2, K6, P4, K5, P2, K3

25:K6, P2, K2, P4, K14, P1, K4, P1, K5

26:K3, P2, K1, P3, K1, P19, K2, P4, K3

27:K8, P1, K18, P1, K1, P1, K2, P1, K5

28:K3, P3, K2, P2, K1, P11, K2, P4, K1, P6, K3

29:K10, P1, K5, P3, K7, P1, K4, P1, K6

30:K3, P3, K1, P4, K1, P5, K2, P7, K1, P8,  K3

31:K12, P1, K12, P1, K4, P1, K7

32:K3, P4, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P10, K1, P10, K3

33:K14, P1, K9, P1, K3, P2, K8

34:K3, P5, K1, P5, K1, P7, K1, P12, K3

35:K16, P1, K5, P1, K5, P1, K9

36:K3, P7,K1, P2, K1, P2, K5, P14, K3

37:K21, P1, K3, P2, K11

38:K3, P9, K1, P2, K1, P19, K3

39:K22, P1, K1, P1, K13

40:K3, P11, K1, P20, K3

41-46:K3, P32, K3 odd rows, K across even rows

47-50:K across

Bind off. Weave in ends.  If pattern is not clear on square, block item.

Knitting Monogamy

While doing my best to be monogamous to my sock project for the Mr., I have managed to knit a sample of the Knit Along for next month. It works! I love when I don't have to redesign, which happens a little less than half the time. My current school load is a little nuts, so I appreciate the reprieve from further knitting homework.

I used to be a strong believer in having a couple or a few projects on the needles at a time. It was good to have one really portable and mindless project for knitting away from home, one more interesting project for my primary knitting, and maybe one long term project that would make me crazy to tackle for more than an hour at a time. That changed when I spent the last year avoiding knitting requests, and only knit what I wanted at any given time. I've discovered I'm more interested in finishing things than I realized. It's not very Zen of me, but the process is not the only reason I do this. If I need a simple project for a situation, I'll cast it on at that time. (Not that these socks are rocket science, mind you, but my knitting time is short these days.)

So now, I'm a one-project-woman, with the exception of the classes I design and the monthly Knit Along. Which means I'm still a knitting polygamist after all. I just have less on the needles. Rats. I guess I'm a recovering polygamist. Wish me luck.

November Knit Along

I started writing patterns for a monthly dishcloth/blanket square knit along two Karma-Knitting-Shop newsletters back, and have been really surprised and pleased with the results. September was a Dragonfly, and October was a Happy Skull. My goal is to make something cheerful, seasonal, and secular for each month.

I finished the chart for the November Knit Along yesterday. (It's a "slice of pie" square!) I still have to knit a sample to confirm the pattern. Modern technology has made the whole process pretty easy, as I just print out scaled knitting graph paper and transfer my design to the "pixels". (http://www.tata-tatao.to/knit/matrix/e-index.html) But since knit stiches are not really neat rectangles, the knitted result doesn't always live up to the sketch. If the sample is good, step three will be typing it up, as our group seems to prefer written patterns to charts.

In the Karma department, I awoke coughing and sneezing today. When I came downstairs I discovered that my dog has learned a new game. He pulls the Kleenex out of the box one at a time! Once he has made a little pile of them, he chews them until they're pulpy, and then repeats. Interesting that he chose to learn this trick just when I really NEED those Kleenexes...