Round to flat, flat to round

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(Click on any image in this post to see a larger picture.)

I had a request for making written instructions for my Hug knitting stitch pattern that would be suitable for knitting flat. I am going to do so, but I am also going to write up the process for making that conversion as I do it, just in case anyone is curious.

The key thing here is that no matter which direction you’re converting, you need to look at the instructions for every other row/round in the opposite order and flip them over so that you’re working the stitch that will produce the correct right side results. (I have yet to run into a case where this is impossible, though sometimes the stitch pattern will be mirrored.)

So. Hug.

It turns out that this stitch pattern is not so very difficult to switch around. For a reminder, here is the chart and the instructions in the round.

hug

Round 1: k1, yo, sssk, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2, yo, k1, k3tog, yo, k1.
Round 2: k8, lark’s head, k8.
Round 3: k1, k2tog, (k1, yo) x 2, k3tog, yo, k2, yo, sssk, (yo, k1) x 2, ssk, k1.
Round 4: knit.

The only change I need to make to rounds 1 & 3 is to turn them into rows.

Row 1: k1, yo, sssk, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2, yo, k1, k3tog, yo, k1.

Round two I need to reverse and flip over because I will be working on the wrong side from the other end. So starting from the period, I see k8. What do I need to do to work k8 from the wrong side? Purl 8, because purling is knitting worked from the other side.

The next instruction is lark’s head, which involves twisting the loops of the double yarn in opposite directions as you work them.

This is the order I like to use when knitting:

Drop both loops of the double YO. Bring your non-active needle in from behind to pick it up as if it’s one stitch, like this:

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Twist it as you knit it by coming into the stitch from the left (knit through the front loop). There should still be some slack in the long loop you dropped; pick that up again so that it sits like this on the needle:

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Twist it by knitting through the back loop.

To flip it over on the wrong side, the two stitches are purled in the opposite order. (Though if you prefer the horizontal bar on the wrong side, then you should purl the stitches in the same order I showed them above.)

Okay, then so far we have

Row 2: *p8, reverse lark’s head, ?

Following round 2 from right to left, the next instruction is k8 again, so the last part of row 2 is p8.

Row 1: k1, yo, sssk, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2, yo, k1, k3tog, yo, k1.
Row 2: p8, reverse lark’s head, p8.
Row 3: k1, k2tog, (k, yo) x 2, k3tog, yo, k2, yo, sssk, (yo, k1) x 2, ssk, k1.
Row 4: purl.

Because Row 3 is a right side row, it stays the same as if we were working in the round. And because Round 4 is just plain knitting, reversing it and flipping it over means just plain purling.

That was actually pretty straightforward, I think (barring the fact that the lark’s head is something unusual), but not all stitch patterns are that easy. Unless something distracting comes along, I’ll do one of those next week.

Please feel free to ask me questions!