Faerie Knitting Read online

  STITCH GUIDE

  K1, P1 Rib (over an odd number of sts)

  Row 1 (RS): P1, *k1, p1; rep from * to end.

  Row 2 (WS): K1, *p1, k1; rep from * to end.

  Stockinette stitch

  Row 1 (RS): Knit.

  Row 2 (WS): Purl.

  Fishnet Lace (multiple of 8 + 1)

  Row 1 (RS): *P1, yo, CDD, yo, k4; rep from * to last st, p1.

  Row 2 (WS): K1, *p7, k1; rep from * to end.

  Row 3: *P1, k4, yo, CDD (see Glossary), yo; rep from * to last st, p1.

  Row 4: K1, *p7, k1; rep from * to end.

  For more abbreviations, stitches, and techniques, see Glossary.

  INSTRUCTIONS (MAKE 2)

  With larger needle, loosely cast on 49 sts. Work K1, P1 Rib for 4 rows. Change to Fishnet Lace and work until piece measures 10"/25.5cm from cast on.

  Change to smaller needle on next row, placing a removable stitch marker or a contrast yarn on this row to mark the change of gauge. Continue in Fishnet Lace for 4"/10cm from marker, end after a WS row.

  Change to Stockinette stitch and decrease on next RS row as follows: K1, *k2tog, k2; rep from * to end. 37 sts. Next row (WS): Purl.

  Continue in Stockinette stitch for 11/4"/3cm. Bind off loosely.

  FINISHING

  Fold piece in half along fold line (see schematic) and seam. Darn ends. Block lightly by steaming. Weave ribbon in and out of the yarn overs in first pattern row of Fishnet Lace (behind the CDDs). Tie loosely and trim if needed to hang at desired length. Slip a bead onto a ribbon end, about 2"/5cm up, and tie a knot to keep it in place. Rep at other ribbon end.

  Fishnet Lace Chart

  Fishnet Lace Chart Key

  Chapter 11

  Feather

  he lived in the woods where there were only brambles and it was almost impossible to see the sky. No one had entered or left these woods since the time she was stolen from her parents. She didn’t remember that day. She’d been brought here to be a maid for the oldest woman who had ever lived. When the girl was little more than a baby she was set to work scrubbing pots and pans. At the age of five she cooked the old lady’s food. At six she learned how to spin yarn, and at seven she learned how to knit. She never received a compliment or a kind word. But now she was grown, nearly a woman. She stood at the window. She watched the birds that flew overhead and knew she could stay no longer.

  It’s time for me to leave, the girl told the old woman one day. I’ve helped you all I can. Now I’ll have my own life.

  The old woman shrugged. She often spoke in riddles. You’ll be able to leave on the day you can fly like a bird.

  It seemed an impossible task, but the girl knew it was a puzzle, and she was determined to solve it.

  Each evening, after the old woman fell asleep, the girl climbed out the window and sat on the roof. From here she could see through the brambles to the stars above, and when she saw a falling star she made her wish. Freedom and flight were what she wanted, and the start of a new life.

  The following day a bluebird came to the window and left a hundred blue feathers. Right away she spun them into thread. The yarn was the deepest blue that had ever been seen, so bright it was as if she held sapphires in her hands. She made certain to hide the ball of yarn beneath her pillow.

  The next evening she wished on another star. The following morning a cardinal came and left two hundred red feathers. She spun these into thread while the old woman was sleeping. It was the color of rubies. Under her pillow it went.

  She made her third wish on a falling star, and in the morning a goldfinch came and left her three hundred gold feathers. Again the girl spun them into thread. Anyone who saw the yarn would have thought it was real gold. This she hid beneath two pillows, for the yarn was aglow, as if she’d captured a slice of the sun.

  From then on the girl spent the nights knitting a hat that was blue as the sky, red as rubies, gold as priceless metal, and soft as feathers to the touch. As she worked she thought of freedom and clear skies. In the morning she slipped on the hat, and to her great surprise she rose up from the floor. She felt light-headed, but sure of herself.

  When she went to show the old woman that she had completed the task, they both knew nothing could keep her grounded anymore.

  The old woman was now a hundred and ten years old. On this morning she cried for the first time in her life. I should have been kinder, she said, but I didn’t know how to be. I myself was brought here when I was five years old, and the old lady who raised me was even crueler than I’ve been. I have wasted a hundred and five years in the land of cruelty, and all I ask is that my last day be spent in freedom.

  The girl considered. She might lose one more day, but if she didn’t practice kindness, she, too, might become an old woman with regrets. That night, when the moon rose, the girl helped the old woman into a cart. She pulled the cart along the rutted road even though she knew she could fly. When they reached a meadow they stopped and watched the sun rise. There were thousands of birds in the sky. The old woman handed the girl a bag filled with sapphires and rubies and gold so that she might make her own way in the world. She whispered her gratitude for the gift of this last, glorious day.

  That night the girl buried the old woman in a field. There were no brambles, for all the brambles had disappeared as if they had never grown in these woods. At last the girl could see the path that led to the city and the rest of her life. She went as the birds fly, and because of this, she was there in no time at all.

  Feather Hat

  DIFFICULTY: Advanced beginner

  MATERIALS

  Dragonfly Fibers Damsel (335yd/306m, 4oz/113g) 100% Superwash Merino Wool, 1 skein in color Sugar Shack.

  Or approximately 200yd/183m of any sport-weight yarn that meets gauge.

  Size 4 (3.5mm) needles.

  Size 6 (4.0mm) 16"/40cm circular needles or size to obtain gauge.

  Size 2 (2.75mm) double-point needles for I-cord.

  Stitch marker.

  Darning needle.

  SIZES

  Small/Medium (Large).

  FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

  16 (191/2)"/40.5 (49.5)cm circumference, 10"/25cm length.

  GAUGE

  23 sts x 30 rounds = 4"/10cm in Feather and Fan stitch on largest needle, after blocking.

  23 sts x 32 rounds = 4"/10cm in Stockinette stitch on largest needle.

  Take time to check your gauge.

  Knitting Wisdom

  The first size has negative ease and will stretch to fit a youth or a woman’s medium-sized head comfortably. If you prefer a slouchier hat, work the larger size.

  The Twisted Rib band is knit flat, and the knit stitch is twisted in every row. If worked in rounds, every other row in ribbing will have purls worked through the back loops.

  Knit a simpler version of this hat by omitting the I-cord. Simply seam the sides of the ribbing together to finish.

  With the larger size, note that 1 less stitch is increased than with the smaller for correct multiples to work the Feather and Fan pattern.

  STITCH GUIDE

  Twisted Rib (worked flat over an odd number of sts)

  Row 1 (RS): *K1tbl, p1; rep from * to last st, k1tbl.

  Row 2 (WS): P1, *k1tbl, p1; rep from * to end.

  Feather and Fan (worked in the round over a multiple of 17 sts)

  Round 1: *[K2tog] 3 times, [yo, k1] 5 times, yo, [ssk] 3 times; rep from * to end.

  Rounds 2, 3, and 4: Knit.

  For more abbreviations, stitches, and techniques, see Glossary.

  INSTRUCTIONS

  With size 4 (3.5mm) needle, cast on 95 (113) sts. Work flat in Twisted Rib pattern for 12 rows.

  Change to size 6 (4.0mm) needle. Increase on next RS row as follows: K5, [M1, k14] 6 times, M1 (0), k6. 102 (119) sts. Place marker and join to work in rounds, being careful not to twist sts. Knit 1 round.

  Work in Feather and Fan pattern until piece measures 10"/25.5cm from cast on, end after round 4. Cut yarn, leavi
ng a generous tail. With darning needle, thread tail through rem sts and gather to close top. Darn ends.

  FINISHING

  With dpns, cast on 3 sts and work I-cord for approximately 12"/30.5cm (see Glossary). Thread or lace the cord through sides of ribbing. Knot ends of I-cord, then tie or knot together.

  Feather and Fan Chart

  Feather and Fan Chart Key

  Twisted Rib Chart

  Twisted Rib Chart Key

  Chapter 12

  The Night of the Witch

  very few years they came searching, and this was the year they found them. Three sisters living at the edge of the forest. The youngest sister was at the river when it happened. She had long black hair and ember eyes and was so quiet it sometimes seemed she could disappear into the night. She knew something was wrong because the fish stopped swimming and birds fell from the sky. She felt whatever her sisters felt, but because she was the youngest, she felt even more. She felt a surge of fear beneath her skin. She had the sense that she had been torn from home, wrapped in chains, thrown into a dungeon. She ran as fast as she could, but it was too late. The witch hunters had come and gone. Her sisters had been taken to the city. There they were trapped in a jail cell whose lock had no key.

  The youngest sister had always taken her sisters’ advice; now she had no choice but to make her own decisions. She packed her bag and set off through the woods. She took what she thought she might need: a black dress, her knitting needles, a loaf of bread, a mirror. Halfway to the city she came to the house of the oldest witch, one who was so wise she had never been caught. In exchange for the wise woman’s help, the youngest sister gave her the mirror. Whoever looked in the glass would see herself as she was when she was young. Pleased by this vision, the wise woman gave the youngest sister instructions. She was to take pieces of the night and knit them into long gloves before she went through the city gates. They’ll be your map, the wise woman said. Walk where the night leads you and you will never be found.

  * * *

  The youngest sister did as she was told. When she climbed the tallest tree she still couldn’t reach the sky, so she tossed bread crumbs to the ravens. They came to her with strands of night attached to their talons. Then and there she began to knit the inky black night yarn. It was so dark no one could see the gloves she had made, for she was knitting pure midnight. When she was done, she pulled on the gloves and set off for the city gates. She heard the guards say the witches were kept underground, in a cage without a key. They didn’t notice when she slipped past. In her black dress, with her long black hair, and her night gloves, she was nothing more than a shadow.

  She knew what she needed. Quickly, she found her way to the locksmith’s house. She knocked on the door even though it was the middle of the night. He was tall and handsome and kindhearted, but his eyes could not tolerate full sun. Because of this he worked at night. This was the reason he opened the door, and the reason he saw her for who she was, a woman as beautiful as the night sky.

  She needed a key that would open any door, just as she had opened his heart. She waited by the fire while he worked on the perfect key, a simple form made of silver, the one metal a witch can tolerate. He told her that if she didn’t come back he would find her. In exchange for the key he had made, she left him the key to the house in the woods, made of a raven’s feather.

  * * *

  To find her sisters she unwound the gloves. The unspooled black yarn cast itself along the street. She followed the path of the yarn as if it were a map. No one could see her, not even the witch hunters celebrating in the center of town, for wherever the night yarn led it was as dark as midnight. She went into the prison and down six flights of steps. The last of the yarn stopped in front of the cell that had no key. Her two sisters were waiting for her, the one with pale hair who looked like moonlight, and the one with bright hair who looked like a star. They had been crying and a pool had formed, so deep they would soon drown in their own tears. The youngest sister hurried. She slipped the locksmith’s key into the lock and the door fell open.

  The three sisters quickly retraced the path of the night yarn, gathering it as they went. The silver key was melting in the youngest sister’s hand, turning into a silver ring. The locksmith had fashioned it that way so she wouldn’t forget him. She felt her heart tugged upon when she thought of the locksmith, but she couldn’t stay. Still, she couldn’t quite let him go.

  As they were escaping the city, the youngest sister let the ball of yarn fall to the ground. It unwound as she fled, creating a path to their door. You had to be acquainted with the night to see the path it made, but the locksmith had no problem seeing in the darkest part of the woods, even at the darkest hour of the night. He saw ravens sleeping in the trees and black roses blooming. When he got to the witches’ house, he used the midnight yarn to surround it so that no witch hunter would ever find it again. Anyone passing by would see only the color of the night. Then he used the key the youngest sister had given him. He never went back to the city after that. From then on he preferred to climb to the top of the tallest tree with his beloved and watch the darkness fall down around them, as they counted the stars in the sky.

  Witch Gloves

  DIFFICULTY: Intermediate

  MATERIALS

  String Angel (136yd/125m, 50g/1.75oz) 100% Silk, 2 balls in color #67 Ebony (A).

  Or approximately 270yd/246m of any sport-weight yarn that meets gauge.

  Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Celine (163yd/149m, 20g/0.7oz) 60% Viscose, 40% Sinflex Polyester Metallic, 1 ball in color #11 Black Gold (B).

  Or approximately 50yd/46m of any lace-weight yarn that meets gauge.

  Size 5 (3.75mm) needles or size to obtain gauge.

  Size 7 (4.5mm) needles.

  Split ring or locking stitch markers or small amount of contrast yarn.

  Darning needle.

  SIZES

  One size fits most.

  FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

  16"/41cm length, 6"/15cm circumference. Stretches to fit most arm widths.

  GAUGE

  22 sts x 32 rows = 4"/10cm in Stockinette stitch with A on smaller needle, after blocking.

  Take time to check your gauge.

  Knitting Wisdom

  Gloves are knit flat and seamed. They are designed this way because it is more manageable for the lace as well as the increase of stitches for the ruffled cuff.

  Working with size 7 (4.5mm) needles on sport-weight yarn makes these gloves comfortable and stretchy.

  When working stripes, carry yarn B up when not in use; do not cut yarn until all stripes are completed.

  To note placement of thumb gusset for finishing, use a split ring or locking stitch marker on the bar between 2 stitches of the knitted fabric, as directed in the pattern (ppm), when working the ruffle.

  STITCH GUIDE

  K1, P1 Rib (over an odd number of sts)

  Row 1 (RS): K1, *p1, k1; rep from * to end.

  Row 2 (WS): P1, *k1, p1; rep from * to end.

  Witchy Lace (multiple of 9 + 2)

  Row 1 (RS): K1, *k3, yo, CDD, yo, k3; rep from * to last st, k1.

  Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl.

  Row 3: K1, *k3, yo, CDD (see Glossary), yo, k3; rep from * to last st, k1.

  Row 5: K1, *k1, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k1; rep from * to last st, k1.

  Row 7: K1, *k2, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2; rep from * to last st, k1.

  For more abbreviations, stitches, and techniques, see Glossary.

  INSTRUCTIONS (MAKE 2)

  With larger needle and A, cast on 45 sts.

  Work in K1, P1 Rib for 18 rows (approximately 3"/7.5cm).

  Join B and work as follows: *With A and B held together, work in K1, P1 Rib for 2 rows. With A only, work in K1, P1 Rib for 2 rows; rep from * 6 more times. Cut B. Continue with A.

  Change to smaller needle and decrease on next RS row as follows: *K4, k2tog; rep from * 6 more times, k3. 38 sts. Purl 1 row.

  Work rows 1–8 of Witchy Lace 5 times.
Purl 2 rows.

  Increase on next RS row as follows: *K1, kf/b; rep from * to end. 57 sts. Purl 1 row.

  Next row: K1, *kf/b, k1; rep from * to end. 85 sts. Purl 1 row.

  Place markers on next RS row (for thumb finishing) as follows (see Knitting Wisdom): K10, ppm, knit to last 10 sts, ppm, k10.

  Continue in Stockinette stitch for 16 rows (approximately 2"/12.5cm), end after a RS row. With larger needle and A and B held together, bind off knitwise on next WS row.

  FINISHING

  Seam glove from cast on to bind off. With darning needle and A, create a thumb space in the Stockinette stitch ruffle section, starting at the marker and sewing from the first increase row to the bind off (parallel to the seamed edge). Remove markers. Darn ends. Steam or block to measurements.

  Witchy Lace Chart

  Witchy Lace Chart Key

  Chapter 13

  Invisible

  he was only a niece, not a daughter, and therefore considered worthless. She was a hardworking girl, and in another family she would have been considered a treasure. Not here. She did what she could, knitting, sewing, making herself useful, but none of that mattered to her uncle, who spent good money on her food and board. He might have tossed her into the streets, but she was beautiful, which the uncle thought might be worth something one day.