Pattern: Summer Top by Gerd Auestad

English translation of Gerd Auestad's "Summer Top", published for free at FamilieJournalen here.

All rights belong to the designer - I'm just providing the translation. All errors are mine.

Summer Top
Sizes: (XXS) XS (S) M (L) XL (XXL).
Bust (of work): (78) 84 (89) 95 (100) 106 (112) cm.
Length: (52) 53 (55) 56 (57) 58 (60) cm.
Materials: ”Mandarin Classic” (100% cotton. 50 g = 110 meter): (5) 6 (6) 7 (7) 7 (8) skeins
(7) 7 (8) 8 (8) 9 (9) buttons
Needles: 3mm and 3.5mm or size necessary to obtain gauge.
Gauge: 22sts = 10 cm in sts on needle 3.5mm.

Charts: Found here. (See below for translations)
Abbreviations:
skpsso = slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over
k2tog = knit 2 together
yo = yarn over
pm = place marker
sm = slip marker

Chart translations:
Start = Start
Slut = End
Gtg = Repeat
Midt på ærmet = Middle of sleeve
1. omgang med int. = 1st row with decreases

Symbols, from the top down:
K on RS, P on WS
P on RS, K on WS
k2tog
YO
S1
SKPSSO

Back and front pieces: Cast on (190) 203 (216) 229 (242) 255 (268) sts on needle 3.0mm and knit 6 rows in garter stitch. Change to 3.5mm needle and knit pattern described in chart A until work measures 10cm.

Knit chart B (note that the number of stitches automatically decreases on the first row to (176) 188 (200) 212 (224) 236 (248) sts). Continue in pattern (Chart B) until work measures (38) 39 (40) 40 (41) 41 (42) cm.

Cast off for sleeves on the next row, knitting in pattern: Knit (40) 43 (46) 49 (52) 55 (58) sts, cast off 10 sts, knit (76) 82 (88) 94 (100) 106 (112) sts, cast off 10 sts, knit (40) 43 (46) 49 (52) 55 (58) sts.

Finish knitting each piece separately

Right front: Knit in pattern as before and begin raglan decrease from RS-row.
Row 1 (RS): Knit until there are 3 sts left, skpsso, knit 1.
Row 2 (WS): Knit in pattern.
Repeat these two rows a total of 3 times. Transfer stitches to waste yarn or stitchholder.

Left front:: Knit in pattern as before and begin raglan decrease from RS-row.
Row 1 (RS): K1, k2tog, knit to end of row.
Row 2 (WS): Knit in pattern.
Repeat these two rows a total of 3 times. Transfer stitches to waste yarn or stitchholder.

Back: Do raglan decreases in both sides a total of 3 times as on the front pieces.

Yoke: Next row (RS) cast on sts for sleeves - place marker midway through sleeves: Knit (37) 40 (43) 46 (49) 52 (55) sts (= front), pm, cast on (46) 50 (54) 58 (62) 66 (70) sts (= sleeve), pm, knit (70) 76 (82) 88 (94) 100 (106) sts (= back), pm, cast on (46) 50 (54) 58 (62) 66 (70) sts = (sleeve), pm, knit (37) 40 (43) 46 (49) 52 (55) sts (= front). (236) 256 (276) 296 (316) 336 (356) sts total.

(Use markers of a different colour for the midway point of the sleeves. These do not count when "knitting to marker" in the following).

Knit in pattern as before. Sleeves are knit using Chart C. Count from the middle of the sleeve where the pattern begins.

Continue with raglan decreases on the next RS row:
Row 1 (RS) *Knit until 2 sts before marker, sm, skpsso, k2tog* knit to end of row (8 sts decreased)
Row 2 (WS) Knit in pattern

Repeat these two rows a total of (11) 11 (12) 13 (14) 15 (16) times.

Change to smaller needle and knit 5 rows in garter stitch, continuing the raglan-decreases on every RS row.

Cast off knit-wise on WS-row

Left Button Band: Pick up sts with the smaller needle along the left front. Pick up 3 sts for every 4 rows. Knit 6 rows in garter stitch. Cast off knit-wise on WS-row.

Right Button Band: Pick up sts as for the left side. Knit 4 rows in garter stitch, then make (7) 7 (8) 8 (8) 9 (9) buttonholes evenly distributed along the front.

Buttonhole: Cast off 2 sts which are then cast on again on the next row.

Designer: Gerd Auestad

Knitted Baby-Vest

Pattern and pictures are kindly supplied by Farmorfabrikken.dk. Mette very generously allowed me to translate the pattern to English. The original pattern (in Danish) is here. All errors are due to the translation and are my fault.



Knitted Babyvest




Materials:
Two skeins of yarn, each 50g/150m (total amount used for the 6mo vest ~ 70g).
Recommended yarn is Blend/Tendens from Hjertegarn, but any soft, machine-washable, 5ply will do.
Knitting needles, size 3mm-3½mm/US 2½-4 (I'm partial to circular myself)
Stitch holder
3 buttons in matching colour
Markers (optional - the original pattern didn't call for it, but I like not having to count :) )

Gauge: 40sts/29rows over 10x10cm in Rib 2 (after blocking).

Abbrev:
CO - cast on
BO - bind off
K - knit
P - purl
K2tog - knit 2 together
PM - place marker
Rib 1: K1, P1
Rib 2: K2, P2
RS: Right side
WS: Wrong side
sts: Stitches

The vest is knitted in one piece and sown together at the sides at the end. The pattern starts at the bottom front.
Sizes: 3mo (6mo) 12mo (Dimensions for 6mo is ~15cm x 32cm)


Bottom Front
CO 46 (54) 62 stitches.

Row 1-11: * Rib 1 *

Row 12: K6, PM, * Rib 2 *, K2, PM, K6
Row 13: K6, P2, * Rib 2 *, K6 - slip the markers whenever you get to them. They aren't necessary, but I like having them so I don't have to count :)

Repeat rows 12 and 13 until the piece meassures 16 (18) 20 cm on RS.

Now knit the first 20 (24) 28 sts onto a stitcholder, following the same pattern as above (alternatively, knit a row and afterwards move the stitches on to a stitch-holder - I find it easier to just knit them straight on there).
Knit the rest of the row. You now have 26 (30) 34 'free' sts and 20 (24) 28 'locked' sts

Knit the following row, following the pattern as far as you can.

Top front left

Row 1-10: K6, * Rib 2 *, K6 (make sure to make the knits and the purls of the rib match up). End with a WS row so you're in the 'middle' of the vest, ready to make the first button-hole.
Row 11: K3, wrap the yarn around the needle twice, K2tog, K1, * Rib 2 *, K6
Row 12: K6, * Rib 2 *, K2, Knit the first part of the double loop and pull the second part off the needle, K3. You've now made the first button-hole.

Repeat rows 1-12 twice more, so you end up with 3 button-holes.

Neck and shoulder
Row 1: K14 (K16) K18, * Rib 2 *, K6
Row 2: K6, * Rib 2 *, K14 (K16) K18 (again, making sure the ribbing 'fits').

Repeat rows 1-2 once more, so you have 4 rows in total.

Row 5: BO 12 (14) 16 sts, K2, * Rib 2 *, K6
Row 6: K6, * Rib 2 *, K2
Row 7: K2, * Rib 2 *, K6

Repeat rows 6-7 3 more times, for a total of 8 rows.

Top front right
Transfer the sts from the stitchholder to the needle, and pick up 6 sts from the left side under the button-holes.


Next, transfer the sts from the top front left to the stitchholder.

Take a new skein and knit the right half using the same method as the left half, only mirrored and without the button-holes.



Back
Now we need to get the two halves back on one needle.
CO 18 (22) 26 new sts in the middle on the currently active needle.
Transfer the sts from the stitchholder to the other needle.
Knit across from the new sts to the ones transferred from the stitchholder following the established rib pattern, ending with K6

Cut off the skein you no longer use, and tie off the yarn.

Rows 1-4: K6, * Rib 2 *, K22 (K26) K30, * Rib 2 *, K6
(The ribbing will be 6 (8) 10 sts each).


Now knit the rest of the back like the bottom front. Remember to end off with 11 rows Rib 1.

BO.

Sew together the sides, but leave 10 (11) 11 cm open at the top for arm-holes. Sew in buttons.

iPhone Pouch

Wednesday evening I'd been thinking of how I needed a pouch-thingie for my iPhone, so I could hang it around my neck for when I use the GPS while biking (I do have a GPS with a speaker, but that one only does car routes, and I want to use bike routes as well). I looked around a bit at Ravelry but couldn't find anything like what I wanted, because I needed for the screen to be visible or I'd be no better off than before. What's a clever cat to do? She jumps in with both feet and tries to make up her own pattern! I'm really quite chuffed with the finished result, and even more that it only took a day to knit up :)




I started off by casting on 40 stitches using Judy's Magic Cast On using two circular needles (I'd previously tried the figure 8 cast on and Could. Not. Make. It. Work! Fortunately this method was a lot easier :) ) and just started knitting in the round until I felt the 'hood' was big enough (took me awhile to get the tension right when I changed needles - I ended up holding both needles in the same hand for the first couple of stitches to get it tight enough). I determined which side was the front, knit the first 5 stitches, bound off the next 10 stitches and knit the last 5 stitches.

I then alternated between knitting and purling each row until the sides were long enough. Unfortunately I ended up making it a tad too long, as I didn't stop to think that gravity would make it stretch once I put the iPhone into the pouch. I'm not yet too comfortable with unravelling and picking up stitches again though, so I was afraid that I would have to start all over again if I went back and unravelled part of it, so I just left it as it is. I knit the first 5 stitches on the front, cast on another 10 using a modified version of the long-tail cast on (it probably has a proper name, but I wouldn't have a clue), knit the last 5 stitches, and then went back to knitting in the round until the top was done. I ended up with 2 rounds of 1k-1p rib (should probably have knitted 3-4 rounds, but oh well), and then bound off.

The string is crocheted.