The Easy-Peasy Pinafore

Transcription

1 Knitting Loom Made The Easy-Peasy Pinafore This pinafore is simplicity to make and wear! Made on any loom, and in any size, with 2 panels, and 2 straps (which can be button fastened or simply sewn in place) and, apart from a tiny amount of ribbing at the bottom, worked entirely in e-wrap with a few decreases at the top. It works up so quickly and is an ideal first clothing project for a new-ish loom knitter. Have fun! If you need visuals to help you, the video tutorial for the dress can be found here: VIDEO PATTERN

2 You will need: Loom appropriate to the size of dress you want to make (see notes below) Knitting hook Yarn (1 strand of chunky or 2 of DK yarn for a knifty knitter or similar gauge loom OR 1 strand of DK yarn for a Knit UK, or similar gauge, loom) Tape measure Crochet hook suitable for the weight of yarn you are using Yarn/tapestry needle Scissors 2 Pieces of yarn in different colours. 2 buttons (if using)

3 Easy-Peasy Pinafore Designed by: Sarah Sellers Website: Knitting Loom Made You Tube Pattern: This pattern is Sarah Sellers 2017 No part may be re-produced or re-printed in any format without the my permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

4 Dress is made up of: 2 flat panels (front and back) and 2 straps. STEP 1 - MEASURE UP! This dress is worked in 2 flat pieces (front and back) that are uniform in size all the way up to under the arm. To make this dress you will need to measure across the widest point of the person who the dress will be for. In most cases this will be the hips. Take this measurement and divide it in half since we are making 2 panels. Round up if it doesn t divide equally. You will also need to take a measurement of how long you want the dress to be. This will start (roughly) with just over the chest or breasts, and end wherever you want it to end (mid thigh, knee length or whatever). Finally, take a measurement of the distance from where you want the dress to end up to just under the arm. So if you imagine a sweater, where the body of the sweater breaks into the sleeve. Jot your measurements down here: Widest point divided by 2 Full length... Length from hem to underarm Now, take your widest point measurement (half of the full measurement remember!) and work out your gauge and if it will fit on the loom you chose. If not go up a loom. If you don t know how to work out gauge, I have a post on my blog here. Don t worry! It s easier and quicker than you think and absolutely essential to well fitting clothes. When you ve completed this you will know how many pegs you need to cast on for your dress. Jot down your number of pegs here. Finally, take your first scrap yarn, tie it securely to one peg of your loom, somewhere halfway along. Place your tape measure aligned with the bottom of one peg (work from the inside of the loom) and, without stretching the yarn, measure down until you reach your hem

5 to underarm length. Cut the yarn at this point. Now take the second yarn scrap and repeat the procedure, on another peg, this time for the full length of your dress. You now have guides to show you when you reach the length you want without having to count rows or measure every 5 minutes. Once you ve established your size, loom, how many pegs you need to cast on and attached your yarn markers, you re ready to move on to knitting. STEP 2 - FLAT KNIT CAST ON Make a slipknot and attach to the first peg of your loom (the peg left or right of the anchor peg). Continue to e-wrap the rest of the pegs you need. So, if you need 60 pegs, your slipknot peg counts as 1 and you will e-wrap 59 more. At the last peg, bring the working yarn around to the front and lay flat across the peg, holding fairly firmly. Knit over the bottom loop across the working yarn. Move to the next peg and repeat, knitting over the loop already on the peg over the working yarn. Repeat this all round back to and including, peg 1. STEP 3 - RIBBING You are now ready to begin the first row of ribbing. Rib stitch is made of e-wrap 1, purl 1 continuously for the whole row. E-wrap first peg as normal. Next peg is purl. Take your working yarn round the front of the peg and underneath the loop already on the peg. Place your hook down and through the top loop. Scoop up the working yarn and pull through the top loop. This will create a new loop. Now with your fingers, remove the original loop from your peg and replace it with the new loop. Pull gently to tighten. Next peg is e-wrap. Next peg is purl. Continue until end of row. Go back the other way, knitting and purling and remembering that

6 the stitches must match those on the first row. So, if you ended on a purl the your first stitch on row 2 will be a purl, followed by an e- wrap, and so on. This completes the ribbing. STEP 4 - E-WRAP This stage is easy! Simply e-wrap back and forth until you reach the underarm measurement you took! Some patterns will tell you to slip the first peg. I don t in this case, simply turn the peg with the yarn (ie after knitting the last peg, bring the yarn round to the front of the peg and then e-wrap and knit the next and subsequent pegs.) Knit up until you reach the end of your first yarn marker. STEP 5 - DECREASING Remove the loop that has the working yarn on from it s peg and move it across to the next peg with a loop on. You now have two loops on your peg. Go to the other end of the row and repeat, moving the last loop over to the next peg with a loop. You will now have a peg each end with 2 loops on. E-wrap and knit the row as usual, treating the 2 loops as one, lifting them both off together. E-wrap and knit back *Now repeat the decrease, removing a loop from each end peg and moving it across to the next peg with a loop. **E-wrap and knit back. Repeat row * and row ** until you reach the 2 nd yarn marker. STEP 6 - CAST OFF Take a crochet hook suitable for the weight of your yarn (I used a 6mm for my example) and, starting at the end with the working yarn, lift the loop off the first peg and onto the hook. Move along and remove the loop from the second peg and put that on the hook. Pull the second loop you put on through the first loop on your hook. Now one loop remains.

7 Yarn over the hook and pull this through the loop on your hook. One loop remains. * Move to the next peg, pick up the loop on your hook. ** Pull second loop through first on the hook. *** Yarn over and pull through loop on hook. Repeat *, ** and *** until you reach last peg. Pick up the last loop onto your hook and pull through the loop already there. Cut your working yarn, leaving a tail to weave in later and pull this tail through the loop on your hook. Your work will now be free of the loom and finished. Repeat whole pattern for the 2 nd side of the dress. STEP 7 - SEAMING THE SIDES Place the 2 sides of your dress together, right sides together and match up all the sides. Going up the 2 side seams, place a stitch marker at the point each side where the decreases begin. We will seam from the hem up to this point. Using a tapestry needle and matching yarn, whipstitch up both sides until you reach the marker. Fasten off and weave in all your ends.

8 STEP 8 - STRAPS To make the straps, cast on (as before) any number of pegs you want. The more pegs, the wider the strap will be. For my straps I cast on 4 pegs. Slip the first peg. E-wrap and knit remaining pegs. To come back the other way simply repeat, slipping the first peg and e-wrapping the other pegs. Keep working until the strap is the length you require. WARNING: Make the strap slightly shorter than you think you need to allow for stretching. Take each strap in turn, place one end evenly on the inside of the back top edge of your dress and sew in place. Sew a button to the other end of the strap. No need to make button holes, just use the natural gaps between the stitches to fasten.