Welcome back! In yesterday’s post, I looked at the benefits of knitting with bulky, super bulky and jumbo yarns, and how we all need now and then, a project knit in bulky yarns to make us feel like we’re making progress in our knitting project.
I hope your Spiral Rug‘s Invisible Circular Cast On is coming along, or maybe you’re still waiting on your order of Be Wool to arrive in the mail. Either way, today’s post will help make your work a little easier. First, I’ll share some advice on stitch marker placement. Then I’ll show you how to do the simple knit Yarn Over (YO). Besides the knit stitch, the Yarn Over is the only skill you need to complete this pattern.
Knitting a Spiral Rug is easy…with a little help!
Set the stitch markers right
Use the right gear – Clover Jumbo Locking Stitch Markers
Setting up your stitch markers for this rug is simple, but I’ll walk you through it just to make sure you’re on the right track. First of all, you need jumbo stitch markers, I use the Clover brand. The markers should say on the package that they are big enough for US 15 [10mm] or larger needles, as they come in a couple of sizes. You’ll need 5 stitches of one color, and one stitch of a different color. I used 5 orange stitch markers, and 1 blue stitch marker as in the photo below. The pattern adds the stitches on the first round after the set-up row.
Rnd 1: *K1, yo, pm; rep from * to end – 6 sts inc’d, 12 sts.
I added the orange stitch markers to the first five “pm” (place marker) spots then added the blue one on the last “pm”. The orange stitch markers now show you where the yarn overs will be. The blue marker now marks the last YO of this round and the beginning of your round. Once you slip the blue stitch marker you’ll be starting your second round.
WARNING WILL ROGERS! (a reference only we old-timers will get) – make sure your yarn over BEFORE you slip your stitch marker. Also, keep an eye to make sure your stitch marker hasn’t slid under a yarn over stitch. It’s not very usual for that to happen with these large stitch markers, but I wouldn’t put it past ‘em to try! They can be slippery little buggers!
Stitch markers set up right
Yarn over – add a stitch and a little magic
These pretty Yarn Over stitches create lacey holes and help grow the Spiral Rug.
This simple stitch is a foundation stitch for lace since it creates a pretty, lacey hole in a knit design. It also is an easy way to create a single increase. It’s the humble Yarn Over that makes this rug grow and shows off its spiral shape. Making a Yarn Over is easy! Here’s how it’s done:
- Bring the working yarn between the tips of your needles from the back of your work to the front.
- Then lift this yarn over your right-hand needle to return it to the back.
- Knit the next stitch as normal.
You should now have an extra stitch on your right-hand needle. That’s your Yarn Over stitch. If you prefer to see how it’s done, here’s a quick video.
So, there you go! Now you’re ready to finish knitting your Spiral Rug, but don’t bind off until you read tomorrow’s post. My next post will have the instructions for creating a simple and elegant garter stitch border that isn’t in the pattern instructions. Come back tomorrow to learn how to add this special detail to your rug so lovingly knit up with Be Wool.
This is part 4 of 5 in this series
Go back to part 3: The joy of knitting with big yarn and big needles
Go to part 5: A perfect ending to a perfect weekend of knitting with Be Wool