Using MC and straight needles, CO 12 sts.
Rows 1-2: K all sts.
Row 3 [RS]: Join CC. Kfb, sl 2, k6, sl 2, k1. 13 sts.
Would this be correct to double?:
Using MC and straight needles, CO [B]24[/B] sts.
Rows 1-[B]4[/B]: K all sts.
Row [B]5[/B] [RS]: Join CC. Kfb [B][twice] [/B], sl [B]4[/B], k[B]12[/B], sl [B]4[/B], k[B]2[/B]. [B]26[/B] sts.
If this is not correct can someone please show me what would be? Thanks!
WHAT a cute pattern!
I was determined to design a turtle myself. Just all on my own. But now I need to make Sheldon. I bookmarked the page! So CUTE!
Looking at your enlargements… the kfb twice can not work out. you look at the turtle and you see those lines forming. Those happen because of increace and decrease in the right places.
I would just do kfb and then you have twice as many rows so you just repeat that in the next row up.
It will surely change his shape making him bigger that way. you may or may not like it.
I would say: Thicker yarn, thicker needles, and that is the safe way to make it bigger. Adding and multiplying is almost as tricky as designing, well, not quite… but write it out carefully and think it trough once before you end up with frustrated pulling out!
I was wondering about needle sizes if I chose to go that route, the orginal pattern says needles size 3 and 4. Size 3 is 3.25mm, so doubling that would be 6.5mm or size 10.5 US.
Why do you suggest 6 or 7? And how heavy yarn should I go?
I’m wantong to double this pattern so that I can fit it to a newborn back for, cute naked turtle baby pictures!
the pattern starts with 12 stitches, then increases.
If you start with 24, there is a lot longer of a straight edge as you would have before. So the shape would look odd. occasions like this one will happen in several odd places of the shell.
It is like legos. when you build something out of legos it can look pretty neat. Build the same thing out of the bigger toddler blocks and you will see all the edges.
In knitting some things just work perfectly in one way and will not if doubled.
the idea with the newborn is kind of cute but I don’t think you can easily fit one in the shell. a baby is not as stuffy as this turtle.
you will need a LOT of space for the head and more room for the legs than the turtle gives…
maybe do not join the pieces (maybe use snaps or velcour)? or make the belly piece even wider, but knitt ribbing from side to side to that it stretches?
No no. It really doesn’t work that way. If you just double the instructions you’ll end up with a really short and really fat turtle. You have to increase the number of rows that you do along with the increasing the pattern significantly otherwise it just distorts the proportions. You have to create a swatch and determine the number of rows you get per inch and then calculate the height and increase the number of rows by the proportion you get. Its really a pain.
I would go along with suzeeq. Just increase the yarn and needle size. You won’t get double the size, buy you will at least get bigger.
trvvn is right: stitches are not normally square. they ususally are not aswide as high or the other way around.
Easy: the width is detemined mostly by the yarn that sits next to each other leaving some gap. that is how wide the stitch is.
how high it is depends mostly on the diameter of your needle. bigger needle means more slack, means more hanging of the stitch, therefore higher stitch.
bigger needles DO add a little width, too. but more hight. That is gravity’s fault.
How about you use double string? 2 coils of the same knit simultaneously? bigger stitches, more material, need for a bigger needle.
just careful: you want to stuff the shell. if the needles are too out of proportion for the yarn there is too lose fabric. you will see the stuffing through!
I get what you are saying, as for the baby, Im not planning on making the bottom, I was just going to make the top shell and stuff it, then make to ‘backpack’ straps. Thanks!
Just before I came back to the forum to see if I got any more insight I decided to just cast on my theory for a few rows, and came to the exact same conclusion as I was pulling it all out and came upon your post at the same time! lol I couldn’t visualize it on paper, but once I started I immediatly realized that I wasn’t doubling the length on every row either.
Using MC and straight needles, CO [B]24[/B] sts.
Rows 1-2: K all sts.
Rows 3-4: K all sts.
Row 5 [RS]: Join CC. Kfb [B]twice[/B], sl [B]4[/B], k[B]12[/B], sl [B]4[/B], k[B]2[/B]. [B]26[/B] sts.
[B]Row 6: p4, sl 4, p12, sl 4, p2. 26 sts[/B]
[I]So basically after every [B]row[/B] that I’ve doubled (when adding width) I add a row just after (like row 6 in my example above) of just knitting or purling to add height[/I]
[COLOR=“RoyalBlue”][B]Original pattern from Knitty:
Using MC and straight needles, CO 12 sts.
Rows 1-2: K all sts.
Row 3 [RS]: Join CC. Kfb, sl 2, k6, sl 2, k1. 13 sts.
Row 4 [WS]: Pfb, sl 2, p6, sl 2, p2. 14 sts.
etc…[/B][/COLOR]
Mmmm, if I were to attempt to make the pattern double I would probably do this.
Using MC and straight needles, CO 24 sts.
Rows 1-4: K all sts.
Row 5 [RS]: Join CC. Kfb, sl 2, k18, sl 2, kfb. 26 sts. (I would do a Kfb on each end just because kfb twice seems like it’d slant more on that one side)
Row 6 [WS]: Pfb, p1, sl 2, p 18, sl 2, p2. 27 sts.
Row 7 [RS]: Kfb, k1, sl 2, K18, sl 2, k3. 28 sts.
etc…
All in all, I think it’s way more complicated to try to figure out how to double the pattern then just to adjust your needle size and yarn. Because doubling the pattern to me doesn’t necessarily mean to double the instructions. So it’s easier just to increase your yarn and needles.
Although I’m stubborn and I’d probably attempt to adjust the pattern. It’s more complicated, you have to pay attention to the directions in the original.
You could try doubling the sts and rows and that would probably work, but if you just use larger needles and thicker yarn, you wouldn’t have to worry about changing the pattern and doubling everything you can just work the sts and rows as written. I said to use a size 6 and 7 for the worsted weight, because you probably want a prettey dense knit so the stuffing wouldn’t come out. You could also use a 7 and 8 instead. Using a 10½ would make too loose a knit.
I’m highly tempted to just go with the larger needles like you say, although I’m not entirely convinced I’m going to get it big enough this way, but it would surely be easier.
I appreciate everyone’s discussion on actually adjusting the pattern, my curiosity bug has been fed for now. I think I’ll go with the bigger needles for now, and if it doesn’t work just trial and error adjusting the pattern with some of your suggestions. Baby’s due in September, if it turns out I’ll have to post a pic!
I know! I’m stubborn too! Just for the sake of trying it I want to do it-just to stick it to the ‘knitting man’ (although probably a woman…teehee). I feel like I’m a pretty capable knitter, but I’m in awe of people actually creating patterns-it totally illudes me. Alas, I’l try the easier route first and see where that takes me.
In the original pattern the gauge is 25 sts and 34 rows per 4". With worsted and size 8 or 9 needles you’d get about 16 or 17 sts and 20-22 rows per 4". That makes it about 1½ times as large, so while not doubled it would be quite a lot larger. You could also go for bulky weight and size 11 needles, that would probably double the size, you’d get about 12 sts in 4" and about 16 rows.
Oh, and just knitting it in worsted would give you some experience and you’d see how the shaping worked, so you might be able to make another that would double all the proportions and get the shaping right.
I’ve never been great with yarn weights. Just a quick look at knitpicks shows limited color selection for weights heavier than worsted. If I did two strands of worsted held together would that be equivilant to bulky weight?
