Sunflower coasters

Popping in to share a fun quick project in honor of Earth Day (April 22, 2013) and International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day (May 1). Sunflowers have much symbolism worldwide and in Native American culture as the "fourth sister" to the better known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash when gardening. It has also played an important part in American history and became the state flower of Kansas.

So, what better way to say "green" than to knit up a stack of sunflower coasters? These are such a fun and quick project to do, once you've mastered the cast on/bind off technique for the petals. Not only are they great for coasters, but these large six inch diameter sunflowers can be incorporated into hats, handbags, scarves, afghans, kitchen accessories and home decor. 

Lovely loopy flowers

Red Loopy Flower with leaves added as a hair accessory.

Yahoo's LoomClass Group is just finishing up a class that features my Patriot Pin from last year and I thought I would share with you a pattern that sort of evolved from that pattern called the Loopy Flower pattern. I made a couple of these for my husband's mother and aunt for Mother's Day brooches in white Homespun and lavender worsted weight.

Loopy Flowers as Mother's Day brooches

Then I got carried away experimenting with different techniques, yarns and alternate color combinations. Originally, I called this particular style of flowers "Hawaiian Star Flowers" because of the pretty color combinations and shape.

Hawaiian Starflowers

I was going to include the instructions in this blog post, but I decided to write it up as Loopy Flower PDF. That way I can actually find it when I get ready to make more.

Now, go out and loom a yarny garden! 

Pink & White Loopy Flower

Adjustable cast on

One of the problems loom knitters inevitably encounter is mismatched cast on and bind off edges. On some projects (hats, toys, novelty items, etc.)  having mismatched beginning and ending edges is not that important; however, on items where both edges show (scarves, wristers, squares, etc.) having matching edges is desired for a more polished look.  

In the past I've tried various cast on and bind off methods in which I could either make the cast on edge a bit tighter and loosen up the bind off edge. With the exception of mitered squares, this resulted in edges that sort of matched on most projects. However, mitered squares are unique since they are created by knitting diagonally. Therefore, the cast on edge forms two sides of the square and the other two sides of the square are formed by the end of rows that continually decrease at the diagonal center of the square.  To those who are not familiar with making mitered squares on the the loom, you might want to read Denise Layman's blog post, Mitered Square Magic.  I've never written up directions for the method I use to create mitered squares, but except for the cast on and center decrease method my squares are similar to those described in Denise's post.

After pondering various possibilities, I decided to adapt my drawstring cast on that is used primarily for round knitting into a flat panel adjustable cast on. This is the results when used on a mitered square with the adjustable cast on featured along the dark brown edges (please pardon the Chihuahua hair) :

If you have ever made a mitered square on the loom, your square was probably more diamond shaped than square. The adjustable cast on allows you to "square up" the diamond and change it into a true square. Are you interested yet?  Trust me, you're going to love it!

Adjustable cast on for flat panel loom knitting

(Working from left to right using one strand of Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn)

Step 1: Reach through the center of the loom and tie a slip knot on the anchor peg. DO NOT slip knot a peg that will be included in the knitted item, because this will not allow you to adjust the cast on edge later on.

Step 2: Use either the original method or the alternate method of the drawstring cast on to cast on the desired number of pegs (see Loom Knitting Techniques in the right sidebar). For simplicity, I'm using the alternate method. The first picture below shows where the working yarn has been cast onto an even number of pegs (10 pegs).

Step 1 and 2: Slip knot anchor peg and weave yarn onto pegs.

Step 3: After weaving the yarn in a zigzag fashion across the desired number of pegs, turn on the last peg and lay the working yarn across the pegs, knit off the odd pegs and do yarn over on the even pegs. The first set of pictures below illustrate what this looks like if you have cast on an even number of pegs and the second set of pictures feature a cast on using an odd number of pegs.

Step 3 illustrating even number of pegs

Step 3 illustrating odd number of pegs

Step 4: Continue knitting off the odd pegs and YO on even pegs until all pegs have been cast on.

Step 4 showing completed cast on

Step 5: Knit the required number of rows and work a basic flat panel bind off. The picture below shows the completed swatch with the adjustable cast on at the bottom and the bind off at the top.

Step 5 showing cast on at the bottom and bind off at the top

Step 6: Adjust the cast on edge by pulling on the beginning yarn tail until the cast on edge matches the bind off edge.

Step 6a, adjusting the cast on edge

Step 6b, adjust the cast on edge until it matches the bind off edge

Step 7: When the beginning and ending edges match, secure the beginning yarn tail by slip knotting it into place, trim the excess yarn tail and weave the remaining yarn tail into the fabric.

Step 7, securing the beginning yarn tail

Step 8 (number of perfection): Admire your perfectly matched edges.

Step 8, showing matched cast on and bind off edges

I've also added the Adjustable Cast On instructions to the Loom Knitting Techniques as a PDF file.

U-wrap knit stitch revisited

The U-wrap knit stitch is a technique used when doing the flat knit stitch to keep the stitch from becoming too tight. When I first posted information about the U-turn, or U-wrap, knit stitch, I planned on updating my blog with more detailed information on this stitch. I haven’t done this before now, because when the stitch was discussed on a Yahoo loom knitting list a statement was made that the U-wrap stitch was the “version of how to do the flat knit stitch to keep it loose that Lynn Carpenter (a long-time loomer & list member) had explained in groups many, many times.” Although the stitch was new to me as a relatively new loom knitter, I didn’t want to post information that was common knowledge among the loom knitting community as if was my own discovery. However, others must have missed past discussions of this technique, too, because I’ve had numerous requests for more detailed steps and pictures. In response to the requests, I’ve decided to go ahead post that information here. Although similar information is most likely buried somewhere in a Yahoo loom knitting group messages’ archive, the only reference I could find to the “u-wrap knit stitch” in Google, was on The Purling Sprite’s blog where Isela incorporates a version of this technique in her Crochet Mock Stitch Movie. (Update: Sometime during 2009, the original link to the Crochet Mock Stitch Movie became invalid. However, Isela has since created a video titled: The U-stitch, A Version of Creating a the Flat Stitch.)

Here’s my version the U-Wrap stitch:

1. Working counterclockwise with loops already on the pegs, place the working yarn in front of the working peg and over the existing loop as if you were making a flat knit stitch.
   
2. With the working yarn still above the loop, make a U-turn around and behind the working peg.

3. Lift the bottom loop from the working peg and knit over the u-wrapped working yarn.
   
4. After knitting over, lift the working yarn from behind the peg and bring it to the front between the just knitted peg and the next working peg.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 for additional u-wrapped knit stitches.

This is one of several ways to produce a regular knit stitch, or stockinette stitch. As you experiment you will notice that the way you hold the yarn controls the tension of the stitch. If the yarn is held flat across the pegs, the stitch will be very tight. If held in an "L" shape (i.e., the yarn is turned on the peg away from you at a right angle) the stitch will still be tight, but a bit looser than the regular flat knit stitch. In the illustrations above, the yarn is held in the "U" position while completing the knit stitch. This will yield an even looser version of the knit stitch and is good for small fast-paced projects when the tightness of the flat knit stitch is not desired. However, the most consistant way to produce a knit stitch is illustrated by Isela in her knit stitch video, which is the opposite of the method used to produce a purl stitch.

Update (added 11-03-08): Isela has recently made a video illustrating the the U-stitch. You can access it by clicking here.