Princess of Glass - Jessica Day George [81]
Weave in ends. Center and sew button to beginning half inch of bracelet, use buttonhole created at the end to fasten.
The Poppy Flower Stole
Materials:
200 yds. sport weight yarn
Size 10 (US) knitting needles (circular will give you more room)
Blunt yarn needle for finishing
Instructions:
In order to form a border of poppy flowers on each end of the stole, you will knit two 2% foot pieces and graft them together using the Kitchener stitch, explained below.
Cast on 100 stitches.
Row 1: Knit 3, purl 4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K3. Repeat three more times, to end of row.
Row 2, and all even numbered rows: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purls.
Row 3: K2, yarn over (YO), K1 P2, P2 together, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P2tog, P2, K1, YO, K2. Repeat.
Row 5: K3, YO, K1, P3, K1, P2, P2tog, K1, P2tog, P2, K1, P3, K1, YO, K3. Repeat.
Row 7: K4, YO, K1, P1, P2tog, K1, P3, K1, P3, K1, P2tog, P1, K1, YO, K4. Repeat.
Row 9: K5, YO, K1, P2, K1, P1, P2tog, K1, P2tog, P1, K1, P2, K1, YO, K5. Repeat.
Row 11: K6, YO, K1, P2tog, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2tog, K1, YO, K6. Repeat.
Row 13: K7, YO, K1, P1, K1, P2tog, K1, P2tog, K1, P1, K1, YO, K7. Repeat.
Row 15: K1, YO, K7, YO, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K1, YO, K7, YO, K1. Repeat.
Row 16: as previous even numbered rows.
These 16 rows form the poppy border of the stole. The “stems” form the body of the stole, and consist of a two row pattern.
Row 1: slip the first stitch, K11, P1, K12, repeat to end.
Row 2: slip the first stitch, P11, K1, P12, repeat to end.
Work these two rows until piece measures 2½ feet, or half the desired length of the stole. Slip piece, without casting off and being careful not to drop any stitches, onto a piece of scrap yarn and set aside. Make a second piece, beginning again with the poppy border and stems.
Grafting: slide first piece back onto a needle, and hold both pieces together with the purl sides facing each other. Thread the yarn through a yarn needle, and insert the needle through the first stitch of the front knitting needle as if to knit. Drawing the yarn through the stitch, slip the stitch off the needle. Insert the yarn needle through the second stitch of the front needle as if to purl, draw yarn through, but don’t drop the stitch yet. Now insert the yarn needle through the first stitch of the back needle as if to purl, draw yarn through, and slip stitch off. Insert the yarn needle through the second stitch of the back needle as if to knit, draw the yarn through, and leave the stitch on the needle.
Repeat until all stitches have been grafted and dropped off, weave in yarn ends.
Acknowledgments
I always imagined writing a book to be a solitary exercise, envisioning myself toiling away in a garret, alone, like Louisa May Alcott.
And then I actually wrote a book, and discovered that it takes a village to raise a novel. Which is why many thanks must go out to all my nearest and dearest for this book as well.
First off, my husband. You must have a special kind of madness to write a book, and a special kind of patience to marry a writer. My husband cooks, cleans, watches the children, and listens to my rants with amazing patience and love, and I thank him.
Secondly, my family, both biological and in-law, who are supportive to the extreme. Their continued cheerleading, not to mention free babysitting, makes it not only worthwhile but possible.
Then there’s my amazing agent, Amy Jameson. Despite having her own little ones underfoot, she somehow still manages to keep track of me and my projects, give me great feedback, and yes, listen to me rant.
Melanie Cecka and all the great people at Bloomsbury are an author’s dream. I couldn’t ask for a better editor to help me fine-tune my books, or a more stellar team for putting the “pretty” on my books and getting them into the hands of the reader!
Special thanks to my children, also. My son, at the tender age of five, is not only proud of his mommy but also understands what “Mommy needs to write!” means. My daughter is frankly no help at all, but she