Goes with Everything Earwarmer

Goes with Everything Earwarmer

     This month has been quite overwhelming in terms of snow and icy temperatures. I’ve spent most of the month staying indoors bundled up in sweaters and other knitwear for warmth and of course keeping busy with knitting, weaving or crocheting. I had some of Malabrigo Rios yarn left over from knitting the “Goes with Everything Cowl” last month. There was just enough yarn leftover (about 27 – 28 grams) to knit the Goes with Everything Earwarmer.

            The earwarmers I’ve knit in the past have been knit in the round. I wear them but I’ve found that they tend to curl up in the back when my hair is tied up in a ponytail or a bun. To avoid the earwarmer from curling up in the back, I knit Goes with Everything Earwarmer flat from one side to the other with a series of increases and decreases.

It is first knit in garter stitch pattern for a couple of inches, then increased by 2 stitches every other row for another inch or so (customizable) in seed stitch pattern. The earwarmer is knit straight in seed stitch pattern with no increases or decreases for a specific (customizable) length, and then decreased every other row to the original number of stitches. It is knit again in garter stitch for a couple of inches and then bound off. The two garter stitch sides are joined using the zig zag crochet method.

Goes with Everything Earwarmer Pattern**

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn – Rios in the RIO877 (Queguay) colorway
Knitting Needles: US #6 and #7 for knitting the earwarmer. US #8 for casting on and binding off.
Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook
Gauge: 16 stitches/ 4 inches (this pattern is generic so gauge not so critical)
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
  • K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
  • pm: place marker
  • rm: remove marker
  • sm: slip marker
  • wyif S1: with yarn in front slip 1 stitch purlwise
  • RS: right side
  • WS: wrong side

The seed stitch pattern:
Row 1 (RS): *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to end of the row
Row 2 (WS): *P1, K1*; repeat  from *…* to end of the row
*Knit in seed stitch pattern: Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches

With a size US #8 knitting needle cast on 9 stitches start knitting with US #6 knitting needle the following garter stitch pattern:

  • Row1 – Setup row (RS): K1, pm, K7, pm, wyif S1
  • Row2 (WS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1

Repeat Row 2 – 18 more times (about 2 inches in length)

Increase section (2 stitches increased every other row):
With US #7 needles knit this section in seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 5 more times for a total of 19 stitches (customize to your size by adding or subtracting these row repeats to the length that will cover your ears)

Straight knitting with no increases or decreases section (customize to your size by measuring the number of stitches from one ear to the other and knit about 2 to 4 inches less for negative ease):
Continue in knitting with US #7 knitting needle and seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *P1, K1*; repeat from *…* till marker, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows till the knitted piece measures about 15 inches from cast on edge (add or subtract row repeats to your specific size)

Decrease section (2 stitches decreased every other row):
With US #7 knitting needle and seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, K2tog, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 5 more times decreasing the number of stitches to 9 (if your stitch count was more or less than 19 stitches, add or subtract these row repeats till 9 stitches)

With US #6 knitting needle knit the following garter stitch pattern:

  • Row1(RS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1
  • Row2 (WS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 9 more times (about 2 inches in length). Bind off with US #8 knitting needle and hold the remaining stitch with a removable stitch marker.

Crochet join (optional):

Insert a size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook in the remaining stitch, chain one, and align the two sides facing RS of the knitted piece together on the RS. Use the zig zag slip stitch crochet join method to join the two sides together (several online video tutorials are available on YouTube for this crochet join method).

Alternately, the two sides can be joined with any other join method of choice.

Weave in the ends, wash and block the earwarmer.


** text and images for personal use only

Stay warm
~coffeeteaknits

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Goes with Everything Cowl

 Goes  with  Everything  Cowl

Hello fellow knitters and crocheters, welcome to my first blog post of 2021. It’s common to write about one’s knitting and crocheting goals for the year, but I will skip all that. Instead, I will write about how I knitted the Goes with Everything Cowl. I chose this name for the cowl because the yarn colorway seems to go with everything I have in my wardrobe. I purchased this yarn (one skein) a couple of years ago on a wonderful summer vacation trip. This cowl was a quick and simple knit and I’m satisfied with how it turned out. I’ll be wearing it quite a bit during this frigidly cold winter.

The cowl is knitted flat in a rectangle from one corner to another. The two shorter sides of the rectangle are then joined to make a warm and comfortable circular cowl. You begin with casting on one stitch and increase two stitches every other row till the desired width is reached. The cowl is then worked on for the desired length with no net increase. Lastly the cowl is decreased two stitches every other row till one stitch is left on the needle. The shorter sides of the knitted rectangle are then joined together using the zigzag crochet join method.

Goes with Everything Cowl Pattern**
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn – Rios in the RIO877 (Queguay) colorway
Knitting Needles: US #7
Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook
Gauge: 16 stitches/ 4 inches (this pattern is generic so gauge not so critical)
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
  • K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
  • pm: place marker
  • rm: remove marker
  • sm: slip marker
  • wyif: with yarn in front
  • RS: right side
  • WS: wrong side

The seed stitch pattern:
Row 1 (RS): *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to end of the row
Row 2 (WS): *P1, K1*; repeat  from *…* to end of the row
*Knit in seed stitch pattern: Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches

With a size US #7 knitting needle cast on 1 stitch with this yarn

Increase Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): Kfb and turn to the WS row
  • Row 2 (WS): K2
  • Row 3 (RS): Kfb, Kfb
  • Row 4 (WS): K1, pm, K2, pm, wyif S1
  • Row 5 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, Kfb, sm, wyif S1. Place a removable stitch marker for the RS row.
  • Row 6 (WS): K1, sm, K1, P1, K2, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 7 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, K1, P1, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 8 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [K1, P1] 2x, K1, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 9 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 10 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, wyif S1

Repeat rows 9 and 10 till the number of stitches for the preferred cowl width is reached. The width for this cowl is about 7.5 inches.

Length increase Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows till desired length is reached. The length for this cowl is about 19.5 inches.

Decrease Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, K2tog, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif  S1

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 till 6 stitches left on the needle ending on the WS row

  • RS row: K1, sm, K2tog, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • WS row: K1, rm, K2, rm, wyif S1 (do not remove the RS removable marker)
  • RS row: K2tog, K2tog
  • WS row: Bind off (hold the remaining stitch with a removable stitch marker)

Crochet join (optional):

Insert a size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook in the remaining stitch, remove the stitch marker, chain one, and align the two shorter sides of the knitted rectangle together on the RS. Use the zigzag crochet join method to join the two sides together (several online video tutorials are available for this crochet join method).

Alternately, the two sides can be joined with any other join method of choice.

Weave in the ends, wash and block cowl.


** text and images for personal use only

Stay warm and stay safe
~coffeeteaknits