Knitting O' the Green:
It's fun to add a bit of holiday decor to your home, and this knit shamrock basket liner is an easy way to do so. You can knit one and use it to keep your (Irish soda?) bread warm, or knit up a bunch to use as small placemats.
You could even use it as a kitchen towel, and the shamrock pattern is so subtle you could probably use it throughout the year without it feeling like you're on the wrong holiday.
Materials:
- one skein Lily Sugar'n Cream or about 100 yards of your favorite medium weight 100 percent cotton yarn (I used color 84, sage green)
- one pair size 7 US knitting needles
- Knit shamrock chart
- scissors and yarn needle
Gauge:
17 stitches and 25 rows per 4 inches (4.25 stitches and 6.25 rows per inch) in Stockinette Stitch. Gauge is not critical.
Size:
Finished size is 14 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall.
Instructions:
- Cast on 62 stitches.
- Work in Seed Stitch for 4 rows.
- Keep the first 4 and last 4 stitches of each row in Seed Stitch while working the remainder in Stockinette Stitch for 14 rows, or until about 3 inches from cast on edge.
- Work from Shamrock chart, working stitches in purl on the knit side and knit on the purl side. The chart should be centered, with 16 stitches on each side of the chart at the widest point in the chart. Keep remaining stitches in Stockinette.
- When chart is complete, work another 14 rows or 3 inches in Stockinette, then 4 rows in Seed Stitch.
- Bind off, cut yarn and weave in ends.
Keeping Track of Seed Stitch:
Seed Stitch, also sometimes referred to as Irish Moss Stitch, is an easy repeat of knit 1, purl 1 across on row 1 and purl 1, knit 1 across on row 2. You'll notice that you're working each stitch as the opposite of what you see on the needle: if it looks like a purl, you knit it and vice versa.
Understanding this makes it easy to keep track of the Seed Stitch borders on this project; just work the opposite stitch from what you see and it will always turn out right.
