Good Monday Morning:-)! Are you ready to knit? Did you look at your pattern and utter some version of, "Huh? This is like no pattern I've ever before seen. I'm out of my element knitting when I can't see where the knitting is going?"
How do I even start?!
The good folks at Schoolhouse Press have graciously given us permission to post Elizabeth deHority's answers to just those questions when I posed them to her. I read her "translation" and then read the pattern and tah-dah!
{The First Ten Rows}
Remember, if I can knit this jacket, you can knit this jacket. Without further ado, here are Elizabeth's line by line words of wisdom for the first ten rows:
This is garter stitch, so knit every row. Don't purl back, BUT remember that you do your decreases on row one (after cast on, that's row zero) and on odd rows. Once I get a couple of rows done, I mark the side that FACES ME ON ODD ROWS. You'll see this below at Row Five. That way when you put your work down, even without the pattern, you can tell where you are and where to go.
Use just the regular stitch markers that you know and love. You will need four, but five makes things easier.
Cast on per the pattern, putting simple plastic stitch markers after stitch 29, 42, 118, and 131. (row zero)
Row 1: Knit to marker, move marker. Knit five stitches. Slip one stitch from left to right, without knitting. Knit the next two stitches together, then PSSO:
Knit 5. Move marker. knit 76. Slip marker. Knit 5. Then do the double decrease again. Knit 5. Slip marker. Knit 29.
Row 2: Knit back. Big breath. That row one is always tricky :-)
Row 3: Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit FOUR. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit four. Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit FOUR. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit four. Move marker. Knit to end.
Row 4: Knit back.
Row 5: Stick a safety pin or a yarn loop on the side facing you, maybe on row three or something, so that you know when the pin is facing you you're on an odd row. Then: Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit THREE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit THREE. Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit THREE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit THREE move marker. Knit to end.
{Elizabeth Foss (How many Elizabeths can we get in on this project anyway?) note: you don't see a marker for the right side in my pictured project because I'm switching yarn every other row. Once I finish a ridge, I switch. I know when I'm on the right side because it happens every time I switch. Of course, this only works if you are striping every ridge. Honestly, I can't even remember why I decided to stripe this much. I'm sure there was a perfectly good reason somewhere along the way.}
Row 6: Knit back.
Row 7: Knit to marker. Move marker. Knit TWO. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit TWO. Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit TWO. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit TWO move marker. Knit to end.
You should see a diagonal line forming where you are decreasing.
Row 8: Knit back. Breathe.
Row 9: Knit to marker. Move marker, knit ONE, slip one, knit two together, PSSO. Knit ONE. Move marker. Knit 76. Move marker. Knit ONE. Slip one. Knit two together. PSSO. Knit ONE. Move marker. Knit to end.
Row 10: Knit back. End of day one.
{My BSJ with bulky yarn, handspun by
Elizabeth deHority. White and Pinkish purple stripes, for my tiny two-year-old to wear right around her third birthday. Actually, after Elizabeth DeHority saw these pictures, she declared the yarn too loose and sent me all new yarn. Now, I've knit using these instructions twice.
New pics on Ravelry.}
Let us know how you're doing! Please leave a comment, and then leave a link as well, so we can find you. (If you don't have a blog, join anyway. You can post pictures to the Flickr group. Just take pictures as you knit along and upload them to the group so we can Ooh and Ahh.) I'm looking really forward to seeing what yarn you've chosen and what ideas you have about stripes and such.
