In my first post yesterday, I talked about wanting to knit the Bubble Trouble Throw Blanket for cooler nights ahead, but it is written for using Lion Brand Yarns Wow. Since I want to use Lion Brand Thick & Quick I knit a swatch to help me adapt the knitting pattern.
Bubble Stitch Swatch
The bubble stitch is a repeat of 12 rows. This is how the pattern describes the stitch pattern:
STITCH EXPLANATION
k4b (knit in stitch 4 rows below): Insert tip of right needle through center of st 4 rows below next st on the left needle. Remove the next stitch from left needle and unravel all sts above the 4th st creating 4 yarn “ladders”. With 4th st and 4 “ladders” on right needle, wrap yarn over right needle and draw through all 5 loops to knit them together.
PATTERN STITCH
Bubble Stitch Pattern (worked over a multiple of 4 sts + 3 additional sts)
Rows 1-5: Beg with a WS (purl) row, work in St st (k on RS, p on WS) for 5 rows.
Row 6 (Bubble Row – RS): K5, * k4b, k3; rep from * to last 6 sts, k4b, k5.
Rows 7-11: Beg with a WS row, work in St st for 5 rows.
Row 12 (Bubble Row – RS): K3, * k4b, k3; rep from * to end of row.
Rep Rows 1-12 for Bubble Stitch pattern.
And here is how k4b looks on row 6 and 12:
Creating the k4b (knit 4 rows below) for the bubble stitch
While practicing the stitch I noticed I needed to change the yarn on rows 1 and 7 on the wrong side of the work.
For a smooth edge, I chose to knit the first and last stitch on each right-side row and to slip the first and last stitch, unworked, purlwise on the wrong side. That means, when I switch the color, the first stitch will be in the old color and the rest of the row in the new color. It makes a smooth edge, and the color change will be covered by the knit-on edge that will finish the blanket.
Because I use a thinner yarn and smaller needles than the ones in the pattern, I will have to increase the number of stitches.
To keep the symmetry of the edges and because the stitch pattern requires a multiple of 4 stitches, I will add an even number of multiple of 4 stitches to my blanket (which is a multiple of 8 stitches). I need to have approximately the double number of stitches to get a good size blanket. This means I need to add to the original number of stitches (43) either 48 (8*6=48) or 56 (8*7=56) stitches.
After some considerations regarding size and how much yarn I have decided I will cast on 43 +56 =99 stitches.
The pattern calls for a certain color sequence that allows two bubble stripes of the same color one after the other in the blanket. I will make a second swatch to see how the stripe sequence looks in the colors I chose.
Color Sequence Swatch
Because the Barley and Raisin colorways are both dark, I like the color change on each bubble section better. The Oatmeal colorway brings some light into the pattern and showcases the “puffiness” of the stitch.
I will change colors every 6 rows!
Join me tomorrow, I’m mulling over the technicalities of how to carry unused yarns along the sides of the blanket. Another important exercise to include in my swatch before starting the Bubble Trouble pattern using Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn.
