Chapter XI · KNITTING. (continued 2)

Papier machée tops are now made for bags, which look very handsome.

KNIT PETTICOAT.

For delicate children, a knit petticoat is far warmer and lighter than a flannel one, and is knit in double knitting, or in imitation double knitting:—for a child of four or six years of age, set on 400 stitches and knit the proper length, when finish with a few plain rows and fasten off. Sew up the seam to the proper distance behind.

CHILD’S KNIT STAYS.

As stays vary so very much in size, according to the make of the child, it would be difficult to form a receipt, as they should fit well, and the styles of knitters vary so much. It is better to cut, in paper, the exact shape of the stay, and then knit your stay to match it, by constantly measuring. Set on sufficient stitches on your pin to form the depth of the end of the stay, and knit several plain rows until the rise of the shoulder.

Add a stitch at the beginning of every rib until it is sufficiently raised or hollowed, to form the beginning of the shoulder-strap, then begin to hollow for the arm-hole, decreasing one stitch at the beginning of one row, and the end of the next, and so on, until the hole is deep enough, when commence increasing in the same proportion, to form the rise inside the arm-hole.

The body in front should be slightly hollowed towards the middle, and the remainder half of the body finished in the same manner, therefore, it is advisable to set down every widening and narrowing as you do it, in order that the one half may exactly correspond with the other.

These bodies generally have tape shoulder straps, but knit ones can easily be attached, by picking up six stitches on the shoulder, knitting a narrow strip.

They are generally straight at the bottom, and are usually knit of cotton, and are very elastic.

SILK WATCH GUARD.

Set on your pin seven or nine stitches, or even more if the silk is very fine.

Knit in common knitting a yard and a half in length.

Some thread their silk with beads, either black or gold, and introduce them in the knitting to form the initials or name of the wearer, or to make fanciful devices; others knit it entirely with beads of one or more colours, introducing one bead at every stitch, but the plain knitting is the neatest and handsomest of the three kinds, the other two being too gay for daily wear.

CHECKED NAPKIN RINGS.

Choose two colours, say green and gold, set on your pin with the green wool twenty-four stitches and knit one plain row, and then knit as follows:—

1st Row. Knit plain four stitches, alternately of each colour,

to the end of the row.

2nd Row. Turn-stitch (four stitches alternately of each colour)

to the end of the row, observing to keep the gold colour

over the gold, and green over the green.

3rd Row. Plain knit, as in the first row.

4th Row. Turn-stitch, as in the second row.

Repeat these four rows.

The next eight rows are knit exactly the same way, excepting that the colours are arranged so that the green is placed over the gold, and the gold over the green.

Continue alternately changing the situation of the colours every eight rows, until about one and a half nail in length is knit, when fasten off, line with buckram or wire, and silk, putting a bow at the seam where the ends are sewn together, and it is completed. Some knit these in the two coloured rib and two coloured chain-stitch.

SOFA SHAWL.

These are very expensive, but useful for invalids, on account of their warmth and lightness.

Set on five or six hundred stitches and knit a square of double knitting, or imitation double knitting, either with or without a border, if the latter is preferred, the one which is explained with corners is the handsomest, unless fringe is also required, when one of the fringe borders may be added at once.

A BOSOM FRIEND.

Set on your pin seventy stitches, and knit in imitation knitting for about 100 rows, when knit twenty-five stitches of the next row, after which take another pin and fasten off the next twenty stitches, then knit the last twenty-five stitches on another pin.

Continue knitting the twenty-five stitches on one pin in the same stitch, fastening off one stitch at every end and beginning of each row, next to the middle, which forms the hollowing round the neck.

When the stitches are reduced to four, fasten off.

Do the same with the other pin containing twenty-five stitches, and fasten off.

Sew pieces of white ribbon to the corners, to hang it by round the neck.

Some persons do not hollow out bosom friends, but knit them square or oblong.

BRACES FOR GENTLEMEN.

These may be knit in wool, cotton, or even silk. The following receipt is for cotton braces (the wool would require fewer stitches, and the silk more than the cotton).

The shape of a brace is wide in the middle, with two narrow ends.

For the first narrow end, set on twenty-four stitches, and knit two nails in length, in imitation of double knitting, or in huckaback stitch. Widen to forty-eight stitches, and knit a length of nine nails.

Narrow at each end, till reduced to thirty stitches, when put half the loops on one pin and half on another; continue knitting each end separately until three nails long, when fasten off and the one brace is completed. These two last ends should be knit with a button-hole in each, which is easily done by again halving the stitches on two pins, and knitting them separately a few rows (say eight or twelve), and afterwards joining them together on one pin again.

THE SPIRAL BOA, OR RUFF.

Set on any quantity of stitches to form an even number of threes, say thirty-six or forty-eight, and knit a plain row in one coloured wool.

Fasten on the other colour, and knit three stitches alternately with each colour.

Next row, turn-stitch back again, knitting each colour over

its own shade.

Continue knitting one row plain, and turn-stitch back again,

observing each plain row to alter the arrangement of the

colours one stitch, which gives the shades a spiral direction.

For a clearer explanation, observe as follows:—

1st Row. Knit plain three grey and three scarlet stitches,

alternately to the end of the row.

2nd Row. Turn-stitch back, keeping the colours over their

own shades.

3rd Row. Knit two grey stitches, then three scarlet and

three grey, alternately, to the end of the row, leaving

one grey at the end.

4th Row. Knit the colours over their shade in the last row

in turn-stitch.

5th Row. Knit one grey stitch, then three scarlet and three

grey, alternately, ending with two grey at the end.

6th Row. Turn-stitch back again.

7th Row. Knit three scarlet and three grey, alternately to the end.

8th Row. Turn-stitch back again.

9th Row. Knit two scarlet, and three grey, and three scarlet

alternately, leaving one scarlet at the end.

10th Row. Turn-stitch back again.

11th Row. Knit one scarlet, and three grey, and three

scarlet alternately, leaving two scarlet at the end.

12th Row. Knit three grey and three scarlet, alternately

and so on. Observe that you keep your wool (which is

constantly passed across) always at the wrong side of

the knitting, or that side which does not resemble the

stitch of a knit stocking. Take care not to pull the

wool tight when passing it across.

When a sufficient length is knit, fasten off and sew up, and fill with wadding or wool, which is pushed down with a stick or long knitting pin, and then sewn up.

Three or more colours may be used, but it is rather troublesome to prevent the wools from entangling, on account of their crossing each other so frequently.

SWISS CAP.

This is a kind of woollen tie or frill, to keep the head and ears warm when in an open carriage, and is put on over the border of the bonnet cap, and ties under the chin.

Its length is about six nails and a half, and the depth when double, one nail and a half.

The colours generally chosen are white, blue, and scarlet.

Choose two very thick wooden pins, also some very fine lamb’s wool, and some thick sewing silk of the same colour.

Set on about sixty stitches or more (according to the length desired) on one pin with silk, and knit a plain row, then knit another plain row with wool, putting it three times round the needle every stitch instead of once.

Next row, knit exactly the same.

Next row, knit plain, passing the wool but once round the pin as usual.

Repeat the three rows twice more, and then finish off by knitting a plain row of silk.

Double the piece of knitting in half its depth, so as to form a kind of frill, and run in a ribbon along the third row of long stitches in and out through both the folds or frills, to keep them in place, which also serves as strings to keep the cap on the head by tying under the chin.

A LIGHT SCARF.

Set on 100 stitches, and knit either in one or two colours, seven nails of raised French stitch, or honeycomb-stitch, after which, knit a row plain, putting the wool six times round the pin at every stitch.

Next row, knit plain, taking care to keep the long stitches even.

Knit one row of honeycomb pattern.

Knit another plain row.

Repeat the row of long stitches, by again putting the wool six

times round the pin.

Again the plain row, as also the row of honeycomb pattern,

and the other plain row.

Continue this till the scarf is long enough to allow of your ending as you began, with seven nails of fancy stitch. A fringe should be added.

These scarfs are often made with the long stitches white, and all the rest coloured, and look very handsome.

AN IMPROVED SOCK.

Use coarse lamb’s wool and middle sized pins; cast on seventeen stitches of coloured wool, this makes the first row in reckoning.

At the end of the second row, make a stitch, which gives a better form to the heel than setting on eighteen at first.

At the end of the third row, add a stitch.

Add a stitch at the end of the fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, &c., until you have twenty-five loops on the pin.

Then with a third pin knit ten stitches only.

Continue knitting backwards and forwards the ten stitches only, until you have knit twenty rows.[3]

At the end of the twenty-first row, make fifteen stitches, so as to have twenty-five stitches again on the pin, and to make it correspond with the other side.

Finish this side of the shoe with as many rows as you knit on the opposite side, decreasing every other row by knitting the two first stitches together at the toe, until there are but seventeen left on the pin, and fasten off.

All this has been knit of red wool.

Then continue with the white wool for twenty-four rows, which will complete the sock, adding at the end of the two first sixth and seventh rows, one to enlarge the boot.

Sew up the shoe to the sock at the instep, and draw up the toe and sew it round the heel and up the leg. A bow may be added, if required, also leather soles.

FLOWER STAND COVERS.

Take a tin can or jar, of the proper size for the flowers to be placed in, and make the knit cover as follows:—

Choose two middle sized steel pins, and rather fine wool of two colours, and begin as follows:—

Set on as many stitches as will measure to the depth of the flower stand, and knit six rows of one colour, letting the alternate rows be plain, and turn-stitch so as to make one side appear like knit stockings on the right side. The next six rows knit of the other colour, and altering the alternate rows of plain and turn-stitch, so as to throw the stocking-stitch inside. Continue thus ribbing the piece of work until you have knit sufficient to go round the base, when fasten off and sew up. Add a fringe at the top, and a circular piece of wire inside, both at top and bottom, is sometimes put to keep it in shape; though the jar generally is sufficient in itself when put inside. A leather or cloth bottom may be added.

KNIT PEN WIPER.

Set on your pin thirty stitches of black wool, and knit eight rows backwards and forwards for the border. The middle part is next begun in the embossed hexagon-stitch of red, or any other colour, still observing to continue the border, by knitting four plain stitches at the beginning and ending of each pin of the black wool.

End by knitting the eight plain rows of black wool as before, to complete the first enclosed square of the pen wiper, do not fasten off, but begin knitting another piece exactly to match the first, which when finished completes the pen wiper. Double it like a book and sew a bit of ribbon down the inside, under which may be passed bits of silk or rag to wipe the pens upon.