I'm Italian!

Ok, what happens to row counters when they get old? Do they die à la Logan's Run? I swear many of my row counters have disappeared off the face of the planet...

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Stumbled upon this "Who's Your Inner European" quiz and thought I'd give it a try.

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful. You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?


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Here's the funny thing... I already have Bovine Manure in Computer Science. Do I really need it Piled Higher & Deeper?

You Should Get a PhD in Science (like chemistry, math, or engineering)

You're both smart and innovative when it comes to ideas. Maybe you'll find a cure for cancer - or develop the latest underground drug.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Thoughts for 02/24/07

Ever since I upgraded my New Blogger Template, I got this neato mosquito feature called "labels". So I added a few labels to my posts, but did not label all of them. I'm still not sure how I want to label my posts. Do you guys add labels to each and every post on your blog? I haven't done this. I figure if anybody is really interested, they can use the drop down arrows in the Archive section (in the sidebar) to view older posts by year/month/post.

One thing I noticed is that when you click on a label (listed in the sidebar), it will show you some of the recent posts that were tagged with that label, then you have to click on a link at the bottom of the page to view older posts with that label. I'm not sure I like how that works. I mean, it can take a while to load the first page of posts containing that label. Wouldn't it be better if a visitor were able to click on the label link in the sidebar and get an enumeration of the posts that were tagged with that label, and then choose which posts to read? Oh well, this isn't a functionality I can tweak as it is a set feature of how Blogger works.
.

--<>--

Isabelle a écrit: How long have you been studying French?

Here's my embarrassing attempt to respond in French. J'avais appris français il y a bien longtemps, dans collège. J'ai recommencé mes études il y a quelques années, néanmoins je doute que je puisse le faire bien avec mon petit.

Bets, Grace, Sarah, et al:

On se trouve le patron pour la lavette à la dentelle ici.

Lisa a écrit: Qu'est ce que c'est le mot pour "turtle"?

La tortue.

V a écrit: they are much too pretty to be for dishes or counters

I will knit you some ugly wash cloths which you should have no qualms about using...

G-Girl a écrit: A suggestion might be if you did a 3 column template as opposed to just 2 so then you could kind of balance out how your page looks.

I understand what you mean, but have no idea how to implement this. Does this involve choosing a completely new template or tweaking the existing one? I hadn't thought about a humidifier. I have one somewhere; I remember getting it for DH when he lived in NH.

Joan a écrit: Try Colloidal Silver for your lingering head cold, etc.

Where does one find this?

Bette a écrit: Would you mind if I shared this pattern on my blog?

You may link to my blog.

Ok ... have I caught up with responses? I try to respond to email & comments before the next Ice Age, but I don't always manage it...

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Voilà, une version en argot du lièvre et de la tortue qui ressemble à du vieil argot parisien.

le Gibelot et la Tortoche

"C'est pas tout d'cavaler, faut prendre un bon départ"
Qu'elle disait la tortoche au gib'lot l'air peinard.
"Tiens! Je t'joue une thune tout sec que j'te gratte au poteau
Malgré mes p'tits panards et toi tes grands pinceaux."
"Ca va pas" qu'il lui fait, "t'as une poussière dans l'oeil.
les deux doigts dans l'tarin je t'bats dans un fauteuil".
"Que dale", qu'elle lui fait."Tiens, je t'joue l'apéro."
Tout l'trep se taille chez le book. C'est un vache de tiercé.
La tortoche dix contre contre un, c'est une drôle de pincée.
L'kangourou qui s'marrait dit "Moi j'fais le starter."
File sa pince dans sa fouille et sort son révolver.
"Vous êtes prets ?" Pan! les v'là partis,
Mais seul'ment la tortoche pasque le giblot y s'dit,
"Je suis encore loufdingue. Y'a l'bourguignon qui tape
J'partirai à la fraîche en m'tant l'grand braqué:"
Y s'étire, y s'allonge y s'vautre sur la moleskine,
Et puis pendant s'temps-là la tortoche es débine
Sans s'biler vers l'but.
Quand l'giblot y s'débine y cavale sur la piste
Mais adieu son oseille!
La tortoche sans fortune était presque au poteau
Et l'bat d'une encolure.
"Alors p'tit tête d'anchois" qu'elle lui fait,"tu gamberges?
J't'ai vachement possédé malgré mes cinquante berges.
Encore toi t'as d'la veine, t'as couru en maillot
Figure-toi qu'mezigue, j'ai ma piaule sur mon dos !"

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I was hoping for an orchid, since that's what I have most of in my house...

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

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Hahahaha... funny thing is I don't really like Chinese food all that much, usually preferring other ethnic foods instead. And I can't remember the last time I had one of those rolls (in the pic).

You Are Chinese Food

Exotic yet ordinary. People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.

What Kind of Food Are You?

--<>--

I actually drink a whole lot more tea than coffee...

What Kind of Coffee are You?

You're a Cappicinno!
Take this quiz!








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Which famous feline are you?

You're Hobbes. First of all, the makers of this quiz would like to congratulate you. You have our seal of approval. You are kind, intelligent, loving, and good-humoredly practical. You're proud of who you are. At the same time, you're tolerant of those who lack your clearsightedness. You're always playful, but never annoying. For these traits, you are well-loved, and with good cause.
Take this quiz!








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--<>--

What mythical beast are you?

You're a pegasus. You're very calm and loving. Something about you makes others want to get close to you, whether or not you feel the same way about them. You don't bond to others easily, but when you do it's long-lasting. Your alignment is *good*, but not so much that you can't have fun.
Take this quiz!








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--<>--

Well at least this one didn't seem totally off...

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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--<>--

Your Brain is 73% Female, 27% Male

Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What Gender Is Your Brain?

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OK, I guess that was too much input. lol. But I think I'm all caught up with all the quizzes I meant to take during the past few months...

Now that I have bored you guys --- yes, I can hear you snoring in the back! -- it's time to WAKE UP and do some knitting.... :-)

M is napping now. I bet she'll wake minutes after I pull out my knitting...


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Embossed Turtle

Note:
1. More Free Patterns can be seen along the sidebar (on right side),
or you can use the Free Patterns label to view all posts.
2. Free Pseudo-Patterns or Pattern Outlines can be found using the Free Pseudo-Patterns label.

The Chinese love turtles; they are a symbol of longevity (among other things). Here's a little Embossed Turtle cloth which I translated from chart to row-by-row instructions because I don't know how to knit from charts. I really like the embossed look that I get in this cloth (as well as the 4 Embossed Hearts Cloth). It's a nice effect if you don't mind a cloth with a purl background. The pattern below is for the narrower dark green cloth, which turned out to be 7.5 inches x 8 inches (about 19 cm x 20 cm). Hard to see in the photos, the necklace is a little turtle.

Stitches used in this cloth include:
Reverse Stockinette Stitch, MT pg 4
Seed Stitch, BW1 pg 11
The Turtle, BW3 pg 128

Please email me if you would like your photo and a link to your blog (if you have one) to appear in My Readers' Gallery.



Embossed Turtle Cloth
© Designed by S.M. Kahn, Feb 2007
Smariek Knits -=<>=- http://smariek.blogspot.com

Please read "Notes" section at the bottom before starting, particularly the steps for M1, M1F, M1P, M2, FC, FC2, BC2, FC3, SK2TP, S2TK1P.

Using WW kitchen cotton and US7 (4.5mm) needles, cast on 31 stitches.

Knit 4 rows Seed Stitch border.

Row 1 (WS): B3, K25, B3
Row 2 (RS): B3, P25, B3
Row 3: B3, K25, B3
Row 4: B3, P7, M1F, M1, P10, M1F, M1, P6, B3
Row 5: B3, K7, P2, K6, P1-b, K4, P2, K7, B3
Row 6: B3, P7, K2, P4, FC, P5, K2, P7, B3
Row 7: B3, K7, P2, K5, P1-b, K5, P2, K7, B3
Row 8: B3, P7, K2, P5, K1-b, P5, K2, P7, B3
Row 9: B3, K7, P2, K5, P1-b, K5, P2, K7, B3
Row 10: B3, P7, FC2, P3, M1F, M2, M1F, P3, BC2, P7, B3
Row 11: B3, K9, P2, K3, P5, K3, P2, K9, B3
Row 12: B3, P9, FC2, K2Tog, M1F, K1, M2, K1, M1F, SSK, BC2, P9, B3
Row 13: B3, K11, P1, P2tog-b, K1, P5, K1, P2Tog, P1, K11, B3
Row 14: B3, P11, K2Tog, P1, K1, M1F, K1, M2, K1, M1F, K1, P1, SSK, P11, B3
Row 15: B3, K11, (P1, K1)x2, P5, (K1, P1)x2, K11, B3
Row 16: B3, P9, P2Tog, (K1, P1)x2, K1, M1F, K1, M2, K1, M1F, (K1, P1)x2, K1, P2Tog, P9, B3
Row 17: B3, K10, (P1, K1)x3, P5, (K1, P1)x3, K10, B3
Row 18: B3, P8, P2Tog, (K1, P1)x3, K1, (M1F, K1)x4, (P1, K1)x3, P2Tog, P8, B3
Row 19: B3, K9, (P1, K1)x11, K8, B3
Row 20: B3, P9, (K1, P1)x11, P8, B3
Row 21: B3, K9, (P1, K1)x11, K8, B3
Row 22: B3, P9, (K1, P1)x11, P8, B3
Row 23: B3, K9, (P1, K1)x11, K8, B3
Row 24: B3, P9, (K1, P1)x11, P8, B3
Row 25: B3, K9, (P1, K1)x4, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, (K1, P1)x4, K9, B3
Row 26: B3, P9, M1F, (K1, P1)x4, SK2TP, (P1, K1)x4, M1F, P9, B3
Row 27: B3, K9, P1, (P1, K1)x3, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, (K1, P1)x3, P1, K9, B3
Row 28: B3, P9, K1, M1F, (K1, P1)x3, SK2TP, (P1, K1)x3, M1F, K1, P9, B3
Row 29: B3, K9, P3, K1, P1, K1, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, B3
Row 30: B3, P7, BC2, (K1, P1)x2, SK2TP, (P1, K1)x2, FC2, P7, B3
Row 31: B3, K7, P2, M1P, K1, P1, K1, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, K1, P1, K1, M1P, P2, K7, B3
Row 32: B3, P7, K2, P3, K1, P1, SK2TP, P1, K1, P3, K2, P7, B3
Row 33: B3, K7, P2, M1P, K2, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, K2, M1P, P2, K7, B3
Row 34: B3, P7, K2, P4, M1F, SK2TP, M1F, P4, K2, P7, B3
Row 35: B3, K7, P2, K4, P3, K4, P2, K7, B3
Row 36: B3, P7, K2Tog, P4, FC3, P3, SSK, P7, B3
Row 37: B3, K11, P3, K13, B3
Row 38: B3, P13, K1, M1F, K1, M1F, K1, P11, B3
Row 39: B3, K11, P5, K13, B3
Row 40: B3, P13, K5, P11, B3
Row 41: B3, K11, P2Tog, P1, P2Tog-b, K13, B3
Row 42: B3, P13, S2TK1P, P11, B3
Row 43: B3, K25, B3
Row 44: B3, P25, B3
Row 45: B3, K25, B3

Knit 4 rows Seed Stitch border.
Bind off. Weave in ends. Block.



NOTES:

B3 = 3 stitch border of your choice (I used seed stitch for my border in the cloth above, K1, P1, K1)

BC2 (back cross, worked on 4 stitches) = Slip 2 stitches onto CN & hold in back. Knit 2 stitches, then purl 2 stitches from CN.

CN = cable needle

FC (front cross, worked on 2 stitches) = Slip 1 stitch onto CN and hold in front. Purl 1 stitch, then knit 1 stitch from CN.

FC2 (front cross, worked on 4 stitches) = Slip 2 stitches onto CN & hold in front. Purl 2 stitches, then knit 2 stitches from CN.

FC3 (front cross, worked on 4 stitches) = Slip 3 stitchen onto CN & hold in front. Purl 1 stitch, then knit 3 stitches from CN.

K1-b (Knit 1 through back loop) = Insert needle into the back loop of the stitch and knit it.
Also known as "k tbl", video for how this is done is here
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

K2TOG = Knit 2 stitches together.
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/decrease.php

M1 (Increase 1 stitch: taking 1 stitch to create 1 more stitch, resulting in 2 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. Knit into the back of the stitch in the row below the 1st stitch on the left needle.
2. knit into the front of the 1st stitch on the left needle.


M1F (Make One Front) = Left the running thread between the stitch just worked and the next stitch, and knit into the back of this stitch.
Video for M1F is on Knitting Help here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/increase.php

M1P (Make One Purl. Increase 1 stitch: taking 1 stitch to create 1 more stitch, resulting in 2 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. Purl the stitch in the row below the first stitch on the left needle.
2. Purl into the first stitch on the left needle.

M2 (Double increase: taking 1 stitch to create 2 more stitches, resulting in 3 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. K1-b (leaving stitch on the left needle)
2. K1 into front of the same stitch
3. Now insert your left needle point behind the vertical strand that runs downwards from between the 2 stitches just made, and K1-b into this strand to make the 3rd stitch of the group.

P1-b (Purl 1 through back loop) = Insert needle into back loop from left to right and purl it.
Video is on Knitting Help under "p tbl" here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

P2Tog-b (Purl 2 together through back loop) = same as P1-b except you work it on 2 stitches.

P2Tog = Purl 2 stitches together
VIdeo is on Knitting Help under "p2tog" here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

Seed Stitch = K1, P1 across row, end with K1

SSK = slip 1 stitch, slip 1 stitch, knit these two slipped stitches together
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/decrease.php

S2TK1P (Slip 2 Together, Knit 1, Pass over) is done as follows:
1. Slip 2 stitches together as if to K2Tog. (Viz, both stitches together, not one at a time)
2. Knit 1 stitch.
3. Pass the 2 slipped stitches (from step #1) over the knitted stitch (from step #2).

SK2TP (Slip 1, Knit 2 Together, Pass over) is done as follows:
1. Slip 1 stitch.
2. Knit 2 stitches together.
3. Pass the slipped stitch over.
(I think this is more commonly known as SK2P. I need that extra "T" as a visual reminder to myself that I'm knitting 2 stitches together. It's one of my beginner knitter quirks. You can see a video for how to do SK2P on this site here.)
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

Instructions in parentheses followed by x mean you do what is in the parentheses the number of times indicated after "x". For example:

(K1, P1)x2 means you do: K1, P1, K1, P1.
(P1, K1)x2 means you do: P1, K1, P1, K1.
(M1F, K1)x4 means you do: M1F, K1, M1F, K1, M1F, K1, M1F, K1.





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Embossed Turtle and some old finished cloths

I've been fiddling around with this turtle. I feel compelled to make the turtle cloth green for some reason. I have another one in darker green which I still need to take a photo of.

I seem to be stuck on green. I have so much green yarn of various shades, but I'm sure that under the right lighting I can take pictures of them all and make them look like the exact same shade, lol.

--<>--

Ok, enough with the new. How about some old stuff? The following are some odds and ends I completed in 2006 but never got around to posting pics of. Better late than never, huh?




Here's an Oak Leaf cloth. It will go with a Maple Leaf cloth I've been trying to finish forever. These knit/purl cloths sometimes take me longer to work.




Here's a cat cloth, one of the dishcloth knitalongs. Of course I did it long after the KAL happened. Always trying to catch up...




This is the same yarn as the lacy round below, Jewels. This picture shows the colors better. I think it's because I might have taken this photo in the daytime. I started this in Sept, and finished it in Dec. I'm not very good at working these short row type patterns. Lack of concentration to get very far. It is because of this that I know I would never start Lady Eleanor, which I see a lot of people working on these days ... Bets, Joan, Lisa, Trish, just to name a few.

This is P&C Shaded Pastels. I was on a roll and made a lot of these lacy round cloths. I also did one in an orangy variegated yarn, but must have given it away before I could take a pic of it. I've got the pattern memorized now, lol. I still hate seaming though...

This picture doesn't really show the vivid colors of the cloth. It's S&C Jewel Ombre.

This is a Paw Cloth for Vicki, done in S&C Cornflower blue color. I completed this in Sept 2006.

This is a Flower Cloth for my mother-in-law. It's also in the same S&C Hot Purple color as the cat below, but who would have guessed it while looking at these two photos! For some reason the Flower Cloth in this picture looks more blue. Yeah, I still need to learn how to take photos. This cloth was completed in Sept 2006.

I knitted this Cat cloth for Vicki who has 4 little kitties (ok, they're not that little anymore). The color is S&C Hot Purple, which is a lot brighter than in the picture above. Also completed in Sept 2006.

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SK a écrit: What is Yamamotoyama green tea? Japanese tea with some burn rice inside?

Yamamotoyama is the brand of teas which come in many flavors (Green tea, green w/roasted brown rice, roasted green, jasmine, oolong). Clicking on the link will take you to their webpage where you can see a picture of their packaging. You may have seen these boxes at your local supermarket or Asian market. Their teas are available loose and in tea bags. I also know you can get some of their teas from Stash. Your best bet would be to go to an Asian supermarket like Ranch 99. I've also seen their teas at American supermarkets (if not in the tea aisle, then in the Asian/Ethnic aisle) however this might be due to living in the San Francisco Bay Area, so YMMV. Although they make loose tea, I tend to get their tea bags. YMY is my "lazy" tea, when I don't feel like brewing a pot of tea. In fact, I am drinking some right now! :-)

--<>--

Ok, I am sick sick sick sick sick of being sick. On the upside, I do feel like I am getting better. I'm a bit less congested, and the times when I'm all stuffed up or when I have one of those painful coughing fits are becoming less frequent. DH is recovering nicely, I think his immune system is better than mine. He rarely gets sick, and when he does it is usually when he hasn't been "working" enough. His dad is like that too. M showed improvement yesterday and she is definitely recovering. She's still congested. Unfortunately at her age (almost 2 yrs old), she doesn't quite know how to blow her nose, and that is a source of frustration and fussiness at times. I can't tell you how many tissues I have gone through to blow my nose or to wipe her nose, but if you gave me a nickel for each tissue used, I'm pretty sure I'm close to owning that Porsche 911 Turbo. . . . ok, well, maybe not. But we have used A LOT of tissues in this house.

M can sign for medicine, and she tries to say the word too. I hope she doesn't think it is part of the regular nighttime routine.


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Thoughts for 02/20/07

Not much to report on this end. I have done very little knitting lately, partly because I am still sick. I only managed 18 rows on a scarf during my overnight trip to Healdsburg. The last thing I completed was a wash cloth based on the Eyelet Hearts pattern in the Vogue Stitchionary (pg 97). I haven't yet taken a picture of the cloth. Besides dropping the leading & ending knit stitch, I only did one thing differently from the pattern instructions on Row 3:

B3, K1, * K1, YO, K4Tog, YO, K3, YO, SSSSK, YO, K2 *, B3

I like how the right slanting K4Tog complements the left slanting SSSSK at the top of the heart. However I find doing SSSSK quite a biscuit to work -- for me, it has the same curse value as trying to do Purl 3 stitches through the back loop on cotton yarn, lol -- so I did my SSSSK a different way: Slip 1 stitch. Do SSSK. Then pass the slipped stitch over the SSSK stitch. I think you get the same symmetrical results without the curse factor. ;-)

--<>--

I wanted to ask your opinion about how my blog looks. I was looking at my sidebar and thinking there are way too many pictures for my free patterns. I was scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Do find it useful to have the photos there? Or would it be better to remove the photos and just have text links to the pattern pages?

--<>--

Joan wrote: I find that I need natural daylight to accomplish a decent digital pic.

Gosh, I wish I could always manage that. My best time to take photos is usually after M has gone to bed. It's dark outside, and none of the lighting in the house seem to work well for photography.

Lindsey wrote: I was a bit confused as you mentioned a step PYOP and had an explaination for it, but I never came across it in the rows.

Oops, that was just sloppy copy & pasting on my part. I was copying the abbreviations from the Notes section in one of my other patterns and copied too much. I've fixed it so there shouldn't be any further confusion. On the other hand, I suppose having too much info is better than not having enough...

Silvia in Germany wrote: My best mail friend is going on Chemo next week and I want to make her a lovely hat. ... Could you please tell me how to make this nice rose Chemo Hat 1 Version 6 ?

The pattern is Marnie MacLean's Nautilus Hat, which you will find here:
http://www.marniemaclean.com/patterns/Nautilus/index.html

My completed hat can be seen here:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2005/12/chemo-hat-1-completed-nautilus-hat.html

Wishing your friend good luck with her chemo.

--<>--

Ok, I'm off to take my cough medicine. The Boss is calling, so I need to go entertain her too.

Teatime ... today I am drinking Yamamotoyama green tea. I stopped drinking the Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat when my sore throat went away. Now I'm just dealing with a whole lot of congestion so sticking my nose into a hot cup of tea helps. :-)

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Heart Lace - Row 38 Walk Through

The pattern to my Heart Lace Cloth is correct. I know many people have successfully knitted the cloth, while others have had difficulties with stitch count on row 38. Here's something that may help.

Let's walk through row 38 together ... instruction by instruction, while keeping track of how many stitches are worked from the left needle and how many stitches end up on the right needle. I'm going to assume you cast on for the wider 39 stitch cloth. (See below for 37 stitches)

Begin my counting your stitches and confirming that you do indeed have 39 stitches on your needle. :-)

Row 38: B3, K5(4), M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K1, M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K5(4), B3

B3 -- worked on 3 sts from left needle, results in 3 sts on right needle (3 sts worked from left needle so far; 3 sts on right needle so far)
K5 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 5 sts (8 sts worked from left needle; 8 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (9 sts worked from left needle; 10 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (9 sts worked from left needle; 11 sts on right needle)
SSK -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (11 sts worked from left needle; 12 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (11 sts worked from left needle; 13 sts on right needle)
D4 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 1 st (16 sts worked from left needle; 14 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (16 sts worked from left needle; 15 sts on right needle)
K2Tog -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (18 sts worked from left needle; 16 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (18 sts worked from left needle; 17 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (19 sts worked from left needle; 19 sts on right needle)
K1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 1 st (20 sts worked from left needle; 20 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (21 sts worked from left needle; 22 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (21 sts worked from left needle; 23 sts on right needle)
SSK -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (23 sts worked from left needle; 24 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (23 sts worked from left needle; 25 sts on right needle)
D4 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 1 st (28 sts worked from left needle; 26 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (28 sts worked from left needle; 27 sts on right needle)
K2Tog -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (30 sts worked from left needle; 28 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (30 sts worked from left needle; 29 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (31 sts worked from left needle; 31 sts on right needle)
K5 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 5 sts (36 sts worked from left needle; 36 sts on right needle)
B3 -- worked on 3 sts, results in 3 sts (39 sts worked from left needle; 39 sts on right needle)

--<>--

If you have cast on with 37 stitches, the walk through is as follows:

Begin my counting your stitches and confirming that you do indeed have 37 stitches on your needle. :-)

Row 38: B3, K5(4), M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K1, M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K5(4), B3

B3 -- worked on 3 sts from left needle, results in 3 sts on right needle (3 sts worked from left needle so far; 3 sts on right needle so far)
K4 -- worked on 4 sts, results in 4 sts (7 sts worked from left needle; 7 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (8 sts worked from left needle; 9 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (8 sts worked from left needle; 10 sts on right needle)
SSK -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (10 sts worked from left needle; 11 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (10 sts worked from left needle; 12 sts on right needle)
D4 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 1 st (15 sts worked from left needle; 13 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (15 sts worked from left needle; 14 sts on right needle)
K2Tog -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (17 sts worked from left needle; 15 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (17 sts worked from left needle; 16 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (18 sts worked from left needle; 18 sts on right needle)
K1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 1 st (19 sts worked from left needle; 19 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (20 sts worked from left needle; 21 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (20 sts worked from left needle; 22 sts on right needle)
SSK -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (22 sts worked from left needle; 23 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (22 sts worked from left needle; 24 sts on right needle)
D4 -- worked on 5 sts, results in 1 st (27 sts worked from left needle; 25 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (27 sts worked from left needle; 26 sts on right needle)
K2Tog -- worked on 2 sts, results in 1 st (29 sts worked from left needle; 27 sts on right needle)
YO -- worked on 0 sts, results in 1 st (29 sts worked from left needle; 28 sts on right needle)
M1 -- worked on 1 st, results in 2 sts (30 sts worked from left needle; 30 sts on right needle)
K4 -- worked on 4 sts, results in 4 sts (34 sts worked from left needle; 34 sts on right needle)
B3 -- worked on 3 sts, results in 3 sts (37 sts worked from left needle; 37 sts on right needle)

--<>--

Here's a visual walk through of doing D4. You may want to take a lookie to verify that you are doing it correctly... :-)

http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/02/d4-quadruple-decrease.html


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Hobby Horse

Note:
1. More Free Patterns can be seen along the sidebar (on right side),
or you can use the Free Patterns label to view all posts.
2. Free Pseudo-Patterns or Pattern Outlines can be found using the Free Pseudo-Patterns label.

Kelley commented: Love that little hobby horse! Too bad it's too big. (Just how big is it, anyway? Just curious.) I really like cloths with lacework images like this little horsey, the papillon, and the heart lace cloth.

The cloth is about 10 inches square (~25.4 cm). Definitely on the large side. What do you do with something that size? I am not one to seam up squares to make a baby blanket or afghan (ugh, I hate hate hate seaming!!!), but I suppose this could be turned into a small pillow by adding a back side and some stuffing ... and yes, a little bit of seaming too.

I hadn't planned on posting row-by-row instructions for this, however I have changed my mind. Here it is for those who are interested...

Stitches used in this cloth include:
Garter Stitch, BW1 pg 10
Stockinette Stitch, BW1 pg 10
The Little Hobby Horse, BW3 pg 179

Please email me if you would like your photo and a link to your blog (if you have one) to appear in My Readers' Gallery.

Hobby Horse Cloth
© Designed by S.M. Kahn, Feb 2007
Smariek Knits -=<>=- http://smariek.blogspot.com

Please read "Notes" section at the bottom before starting, particularly the steps for M1, M2, S2TK1P, and SK2TP.

Using WW kitchen cotton and US7 (4.5mm) needles, cast on 48 stitches.

Knit 4 rows border.

1. B3, Purl across, B3
2. B3, K7, Cluster 3, K19, Cluster 3, K10, B3
3. B3, Purl across, B3
4. B3, K5, K3Tog, YO, M2, YO, K3Tog-b, K15, K3Tog, YO, M2, YO, K3Tog-b, K8, B3
5. B3, Purl across, B3
6. B3, K4, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1, (YO, SSK)x2, K13, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1, (YO, SSK)x2, K7, B3
7. B3, Purl across, B3
8. B3, K5, YO, K2Tog, YO, SK2TP, YO, SSK, YO, K15, YO, K2Tog, YO, SK2TP, YO, SSK, YO, K8, B3
9: B3, Purl across, B3
10: B3, K4, (SSK, YO)x2, K1, (YO, K2Tog)x2, K13, (SSK, YO)x2, K1, (YO, K2Tog)x2, K7, B3
11: B3, Purl across, B3
12: B3, K6, YO, SSK, YO, SK2TP, YO, K17, YO, K3Tog, YO, K2Tog, YO, K9, B3
13: B3, Purl across, B3
14: B3, K7, (YO, SSK)x2, K17, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K10, B3
15: B3, Purl across, B3
16: B3, K8, (YO, SSK)x2, K15, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K11, B3
17: B3, Purl across, B3
18: B3, K9, (YO, SSK)x2, K13, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K12, B3
19: B3, Purl across, B3
20: B3, K10, (YO, SSK)x2, K11, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K13, B3
21: B3, Purl across, B3
22: B3, K11, (YO, SSK)x2, K9, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K14, B3
23: B3, Purl across, B3
24: B3, K12, YO, SSK, YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1, YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1, YO, S2TK1P, YO, K2Tog, YO, K15, B3
25: B3, Purl across, B3
26: B3, K12, (YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1)x4, K14, B3
27: B3, Purl across, B3
28: B3, K11, SSK, YO, K1, (YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1)x3, YO, K2Tog, K14, B3
29: B3, Purl across, B3
30: B3, K12, (YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1)x4, K14, B3
31: B3, Purl across, B3
32: B3, K11, SSK, YO, K1, (YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1)x3, YO, K2Tog, K14, B3
33: B3, Purl across, B3
34: B3, K12, (YO, S2TK1P, YO, K1)x4, K14, B3
35: B3, Purl across, B3
36: B3, K10, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K7, (YO, SSK)x3, K15, B3
37: B3, Purl across, B3
38: B3, K9, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K9, (YO, SSK)x3, K4, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K6, B3
39: B3, Purl across, B3
40: B3, K8, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1-b, YO, SSK, K8, (YO, SSK)x3, K1, K3Tog, YO, M1, K1, K2Tog, YO, K5, B3
41: B3, Purl across, B3
42: B3, K9, YO, K2Tog, YO, SK2TP, YO, K10, (YO, SSK)x2, YO, K3Tog, YO, K2Tog, YO, K1, K2Tog, YO, K6, B3
43: B3, Purl across, B3
44: B3, K10, YO, SK2TP, YO, K12, YO, SSK, YO, K3Tog, YO, K2Tog, YO, K1, K2Tog, YO, K7, B3
45: B3, Purl across, B3
46: B3, K10, K1-b, K1, K1-b, K13, (YO, SK2TP)x2, (YO)x2, K2Tog, YO, K8, B3
47: B3, P10, K1, P31, B3 *** note: you are doing K1, P1 into the double YO from row 46 ***
48: B3, K27, YO, SK2TP, YO, K1, K2Tog, YO, K9, B3
49: B3, Purl across, B3
50: B3, K28, YO, SSK, K2Tog, YO, K10, B3
51: B3, Purl across, B3
52: B3, K28, M1, YO, SK2TP, K10, B3
53: B3, Purl across, B3
54: B3, K31, YO, SSK, K9, B3
55: B3, Purl across, B3
56: B3, K31, K1-b, K10, B3

Knit 4 rows border.
Bind off. Weave in ends.

Notes:

B3 = 3 stitch border of your choice (I used K3 for my border in the cloth above)

Cluster 3 = Slip 3 stitches to right needle with yarn in back. Pass yarn to the front. Slip the same 3 stitches from right needle to left needle. Pass yarn to the back. Knit 3.

K1-b (Knit 1 through Back loop) = Insert needle into the back loop of the stitch and knit it.
Also known as "k tbl", video for how to do this is here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

K2TOG = Knit 2 stitches together.
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/decrease.php

K3Tog = Knit 3 stitches together

K3Tog-b = Knit 3 stitches together through the back loop. (This is similar to k tbl, except it is worked over 3 stitches instead of 1 stitch. You can look at the video for k tbl for an example of how it is done)
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

M1 (Increase 1 stitch: taking 1 stitch to create 1 more stitch, resulting in 2 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. Knit into the back of the stitch in the row below the 1st stitch on the left needle.
2. knit into the front of the 1st stitch on the left needle.

M2 (Double increase: taking 1 stitch to create 2 more stitches, resulting in 3 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. K1-b (leaving stitch on the left needle)
2. K1 into front of the same stitch
3. Now insert your left needle point behind the vertical strand that runs downwards from between the 2 stitches just made, and K1-b into this strand to make the 3rd stitch of the group.

SSK = slip 1 stitch, slip 1 stitch, knit these two slipped stitches together
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/decrease.php

S2TK1P (Slip 2 Together, Knit 1, Pass over) is done as follows:
1. Slip 2 stitches together as if to K2Tog. (Viz, both stitches together, not one at a time)
2. Knit 1 stitch.
3. Pass the 2 slipped stitches (from step #1) over the knitted stitch (from step #2).


SK2TP (Slip 1, Knit 2 Together, Pass over) is done as follows:
1. Slip 1 stitch.
2. Knit 2 stitches together.
3. Pass the slipped stitch over.
(I think this is more commonly known as SK2P. I need that extra "T" as a visual reminder to myself that I'm knitting 2 stitches together. It's one of my beginner knitter quirks. You can see a video for how to do SK2P on this site here.)
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/

YO = yarn over
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/increase.php

Instructions in parentheses followed by x2 and x3 mean you do what is in the parentheses the number of times indicated after "x". For example:

(K2Tog, YO)x2 means you do: K2Tog, YO, K2Tog, YO.
(YO, SSK)x3 means you do: YO, SSK, YO, SSK, YO, SSK.

Tips:

When doing Cluster 3, give the yarn a good tug before knitting the 3 stitches.






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Mom's Asherton Hat

It's finally finished after about 3 weeks. It's similar to the toddler version, except that I cast on 12 extra stitches and moved down a needle size to US5 so the hat wouldn't be too large for mom. And I think I knit 7 rounds of * P6, K6 * before the pattern and 7 rounds of * K6, P6 * after the pattern. And since I had cast on 108 sts, I started the decrease with K16, K2Tog. Gosh, this hat looks so much like the one I made M last month (same yarn, same color, same pattern), it is going to be amusing to see both of them wearing their hats at the same time. :-)

--<>--

Maj sent me email to let me know she finished knitting my Persephone Scarf. This is the first person that I know of who has knit this scarf. Check out her blog for photos. I was blown away at how beautifully her scarf turned out, and how well she photographed it. Her pics look so much better than mine. I need her to come over to my house to take pics of my knitting!!! Norway isn't so far away, right? I mean, we're on the same planet, lol.

Seriously, I need to learn how to take better pictures of my knitting. And also figure out how to take pics of larger items like scarves ... so that I can stand back far enough to take a picture of the whole thing, yet still get the scarf to show up in most of the space in the picture (rather than having a tiny sliver of a scarf and tons of extra space around it). Any tips?

--<>--

Here's something I was fiddling around with. I think it looks nice, but this cloth is way too large for practical use. It can be made a little narrower, however it would still be big.

--<>--

Still sick, but it's getting better. I have traded sore throat pain for sinus congestion, a refreshing although differently annoying change. At least it's easier to read/sing to M without the sore throat. My nose has a love & hate relationship with tissue. Love and hate what a beautiful combination, sending shivers up and down my spine. I'm hoping to get back to 100% by Friday for our little 1-night getaway to Healdsburg, CA.


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My 5 Secrets

Ack! Claudia tagged me for this 5 Secrets thing. I'm supposed to tell 5 secrets I haven't told in my blog. And once I'm done, I have to tag 5 other people to do the same. Hmmmm ... what to write? what to write?

I don't know if these would be called secrets. It's more like 5 lesser known facts you probably don't already know about me...

1. I'm not very good at remembering things like names and dates. But there are some dates that just stick out in my mind. I will always remember the date DH's white Toyota died for good. You may wonder why I would remember such a thing, but it will make more sense when I tell you the date ... Sept 10, 2001.

2. Despite hating most reality shows on TV, I do indulge in American Idol every year. It's good mindless entertainment when I'm too brain dead to watch anything requiring more brain power.

3. Although I'm not big on computer or video games, but I am addicted to playing The Sims. This is not to say that I actually spend a lot of time playing it. I only get to play it a little bit every few months to a year. I can't wait to get my hands on The Sims 2. It'll have to wait until I decide whether I want to play it on a PC or Mac. Besides, there's no hurry. It's not like I have a whole lot of time to play computer games. I barely have much time to do any knitting as it is....

4. It is a well known fact that most Americans, unlike Europeans, drive automatic. I actually enjoy driving stick. I remember when DH got his Audi, his first manual transmission automobile (which replaced the Toyota mentioned in #1), he had quite a learning curve adjusting to driving stick, and it was a slow and painful drive home from the car dealership, with lots of stalls on "baby" hills. Shortly after getting the car, I told him I wanted to try driving the new car. I impressed him by getting in and driving the car a bit without stalling. He was expecting me to stall immediately after lurching forward a few inches. I guess I should mention that at this point in time that I didn't own a car, I didn't drive regularly, and whenever I did it was with an automatic. I still don't have a car with stick. I currently drive an automatic Subaru.

5. I knew someone who had the same birthday as mine ... same month, same day, same year. Neato, huh?

6. I went to the Def Con Convention in Las Vegas in 1999; it's a gathering of computer security enthusiasts. That year was of particular interest because cDc was releasing BO2K. I even got an invite to attend a private cDc release party.

Well there you have it. I guess I need to tag people now. What, we only get to choose 5?! Ok, I am tagging Barbara, Bets, Grace, Jayne, & Trish.

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Thoughts for 02/09/07

I am sick with that awful sore throat, headache, achiness, and general feeling of unwellness. I have spent most of Friday in bed, while DH stayed home to watch over M. M has also been a bit under the weather lately, but it is just a mild cold for her. I think she's doing better than me. At least we are past the night wakings. However she did have a 2 hr 15 min power nap today, so she must be feeling a little off. It probably did not help that we went to the zoo a couple days ago when it was cold & rainy. This is her sitting on a hippo. She was perfectly content to sit on top until she slid down and decided it was a fun slide.

I am bored. I am bored of kitchen cotton yarn color choices. I look at what I have and it all seems to be the same. Same old colors in varying shades. Many different shades of pink, green, orange, purple, blue, etc... there are plenty of colors to choose from but not enough.

After knitting my 4 Embossed Hearts Cloths, a light bulb went off ... I realized that knitting these solid fabric cloths are a whole lot easier to than the holey ones. They knit up so quickly! And you don't have to worry (as much) about dropped stitches. So that's the appeal! lol. It's too bad I find basic knit/purl tedious ... but that's probably because I do so much seed stitch. Don't get me wrong, I love seed stitch, but it is rather tedious to work. I know I mentioned on Dec 24th that I would try to design some easy knit/purl cloths. I have actually worked one up, but I don't really like it very much. Besides, it has probably already been done, I just haven't seen it yet...

Do people like or use towels with their cloths? I've never made one before. I was toying around with the idea of making a matching towel to go with the 4 Embossed Hearts cloth. I even sat down and wrote up the pattern for the towel. However this towel isn't going to happen until I find some cute heart shaped buttons... where will I find them and when will I be able to go get them with a grabby-hands toddler in tow? I can just see Tornado M running through the craft stores... it won't be pretty...

Manda Mia knitted up my Heart Lace Cloth and posted it on Flickr here. I'm always delighted and honored when other people knit up my designs. But that's not all ... I got a great kick out of her description underneath the photo: Mom bought this dishcloth off me for $5. Cha-ching! :-)

I recently stumbled upon a French blogger who knit up my Claudia Hat. She knit it for her daughter who has a different picture of the hat here. I think the pattern shows up better in the lighter white colored yarn.

Haven't gotten much knitting done lately. I am still working on my Mom's Asherton Hat. I might even finish it this weekend. Isn't it pathetic that it will have taken me 3 weeks to finish a hat that most people can complete in a few hours or days? I am just uninspired to work on this hat. I'm just uninspired. I have some ideas in mind, but don't have the will power to do anything about them right now. Perhaps it's just because I'm feeling sick...

Can't wait to feel like my usual tired self....

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Papillon Cloth

Note:
1. More Free Patterns can be seen along the sidebar (on right side),
or you can use the Free Patterns label to view all posts.
2. Free Pseudo-Patterns or Pattern Outlines can be found using the Free Pseudo-Patterns label.

This is a pattern which came out of a Barbara Walker stitch dictionary -- BW4, pg234 if you're interested -- which is a charted design. Since I can't knit off of charts if my life depended upon it (it's yet another skill I need to learn), I painstakingly translated the chart into row-by-row instructions before adapting it into my washcloth design.

Stitches used in this cloth include:
Butterfly, BW4 pg 234
Garter Stitch, BW1 pg 10
Seed Stitch, BW1 pg 11
Stockinette Stitch, BW1 pg 10


Please email me if you would like your photo and a link to your blog (if you have one) to appear in My Readers' Gallery.



Papillon Cloth pattern can be downloaded from:
Papillon Cloth Pattern from box.com (no registration required, just click on link & save file)


More butterfly cloths can be seen here: http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/07/butterflies.html

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D4 Quadruple Decrease

First I want to mention that I appreciate all the comments and email messages informing me that you had no difficulties with the instructions for my Heart Lace Cloth, including Row 38 which has given some people trouble. I was really concerned about whether I typed up the pattern correctly, but it looked OK everytime I compared it to my notes. I was beginning to think I wasn't cut out for pattern writing. It was reassuring to receive your positive feedback. I have also seen a lot of completed Heart Lace Cloths. I'm delighted and honored when someone chooses to knit one of my patterns, and I was truly surprised that so many people were interested in this particular pattern.

--<>--

I know that some people have had difficulties with the D4 Quadruple Decrease used in my 4 Embossed Hearts Cloth and Heart Lace Cloth. I thought I'd try to do a visual explanation of how D4 is done. Although the method & photos below are quite inelegant, I thought someone might find this helpful...

D4 (Quadruple decrease: taking 5 stitches & reducing it down to 1 stitch) is done as follows:
1. Slip 3 stitches to the right needle.
2. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
3. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
4. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
5. Slip the center stitch back to the right needle.
6. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
7. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
8. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
9. KNIT or PURL the center stitch as specified in the pattern.

--<>--

To begin, we have 5 stitches on the left needle. I decided not to use actual knitting where all the stitches would be the same color. I thought it would be easier to identify each stitch if I made them different colors, so please imagine them to be the next 5 stitches to be worked on.

These are the 5 stitches we will work on. From left to right: Blue, Pink, Red, Green, Burgundy. The Red stitch is also known as the "Center" stitch, because it's in the center in the grouping of 5 stitches. :-)

You can click on the photos to see a larger version. I don't have straight needles, so I used my circular needles. The cord was driving me nuts, so I ended up using 2 different circs. The yellow needle is on the left, the blue needle is on the right.

BTW, I have written the following in the "Tips" section of my patterns. If what confuses you is which stitch is #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, what I meant is this: Blue = #1; Pink = #2; Red = #3; Green = #4; Burgundy = #5.

D4 sounds confusing in words. You're taking the next 5 stitches on your left needle and reducing it down to 1 stitch. Let's number them from left to right as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So this means that #5 is on the far right nearest the tip of your left needle, and #1 is on the far left furthest from the tip of your left needle. What you are going to do is slip #3, #4, & #5 to your right needle. Then pass #4 over #3. Slip #3 back to your left needle. Pass #2 over #3. Slip #3 back to your right needle. Pass #5 over #3. Slip #3 back to your left needle. Pass #1 over #3. You're left with stitch #3 which you just KNIT (or PURL depending on the pattern).

1. Slip 3 stitches to the right needle.

We slip the Red (#3, aka "Center" stitch), Green (#4), & Burgundy (#5) stitches from the left needle to the right needle. The photo below shows what results from this step.




2. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.

In the photo above, you can see that the Green (#4) stitch is referred to as the 2nd stitch on the right needle, and the Red (#3/Center) stitch is referred to as the 1st stitch on the right needle.

So you pass the Green (#4) stitch over the Red (#3) stitch and the result is what you see in the photo below.





3. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.

Just move the Red (#3/Center) stitch from your right needle to your left needle.



4. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.

In the photo above, you can see that the Pink (#2) stitch is referred to as the 2nd stitch on the left needle, and the Red (#3/Center) stitch is referred to as the 1st stitch on the left needle.

So you just pass the Pink (#2) stitch over the Red (#3) stitch. The result is what you see in the photo below.




5. Slip the center stitch back to the right needle.

Just move the Red (#3/Center) stitch from your left needle to your right needle.




6. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.

In the photo above, you can see that the Burgundy (#5) stitch is referred to as the 2nd stitch on the right needle, and the Red (#3/center) stitch is referred to as the 1st stitch on the right needle.

So you just pass the Burgundy (#5) stitch over the Red (#3) stitch, resulting in what you see in the photo below.





7. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.

Just move the Red (#3/Center) stitch from your right needle to your left needle.




8. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.

In the photo above, you can see that the Blue (#1) stitch is referred to as the 2nd stitch on the left needle, and the Red (#3/Center) stitch is referred to as the 1st stitch on the left needle.

Just pass the Blue (#1) stitch over the Red (#3) stitch. The photo below shows what results from this step.



9. KNIT or PURL the center stitch as specified in the pattern.

Now you have one lonely Red (#3/Center) stitch left on your left needle. Just Knit or Purl it as the pattern instruction specifies.

Voilà! The D4 Quadruple Decrease is completed...

I hope these photos help illustrate how the D4 is executed.

I bet much of the problem here is due to my not knowing what the "standard" abbreviation is for these steps. If you know what they are, please let me know! :-)


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