LACE & DIAMONDS SKIRT By Christie Pruitt Materials: 13 balls of elann.com Luna 5.5 mm (US 9) circular knitting needle, 22" and a 40" 72 stitch markers (71 in color A, 1 in color B) Gauge: 16 sts + 20 rows = 4" in St st Finished Measurements: 36" - 42" waist (waist will stretch with wear) and 29" in length, after blocking. This skirt has a feminine picot cast on edge, and a matching picot bind off. Ribbon was used to tie the waist, and beads in a complimentary color complete the look. The skirt is knitted in a circle, based on the Pi formula by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Instructions: Picot Cast On: * Cast on 5 sts using knit-on method, BO 2 sts, sl rem st from RH needle to LH needle. Rep from * until you have cast on 144 sts. Join. Place color B marker for end of round. Work k2, p2 ribbing for 2 rounds. *k2, yo, k2tog, rep from * to end (eyelet round). Work k2, p2 ribbing for 2 more rounds. Begin Lace & Diamonds Patt, beginning with Round 1 of chart. (All even numbered rounds will be knit), placing markers every 8 sts. This works great for catching mistakes early! Work to Round 23. Increase round: *yf, k1 repeat from * around, placing markers every 8 sts as you increase (288 sts, 36 markers total). K next round. Work rounds 1-47, starting with Round 3 on chart. Round 48: *yf, k1, repeat from * around placing markers every 8 sts as you increase (576 sts, 72 markers total). K next round. Work 47 rounds, beginning with Round 1 of chart, ending with Round 11 of chart. Round 48: Work Round 1 of chart. Round 49: BO in Picot as follows: *k8, sl stitch from RH needle to LH needle, k-cast on 2 sts, BO 2 sts repeat from * to end. Finishing: Wet block skirt to measurements, following the Lace & Diamonds Skirt Blocking Diagram. Some Notes: It can be difficult to locate a slip to match a particular color of yarn, so I am including instructions for dyeing your own slip to match! Materials: White, 100% Nylon purchased half-slip, 28" in length, or length to match your skirt when worn Large Spaghetti Pot Tongs 1 box McCormick Food Coloring 1 box McCormich NEON Food Coloring White Distilled Vinegar Rubber Gloves Instructions: Fill spaghetti pot with enough water so that the slip has room to move around (about 2” or so from the rim). Add 1 cup of vinegar. Allow to reach boiling on high heat. Add food coloring 1 drop at a time, according to the color mix and intensity of your yarn. Model slip was knit in Luna color 9706 Moonstone, and I achieved this shade by adding 3 to 4 drops of the blue food coloring (not the NEON blue), plus 1 drop of NEON purple. Wet slip under cool tap water until saturated. (Now’s the time for the rubber gloves!) Squeeze out excess water from slip and drop it in, quickly!, into the now boiling dyebath. (Turn the heat down at this point to Medium-High.) Using tongs, dip the slip in and out of the dyebath, like you would a tea bag, until water in dyebath appears clear. (The color of the slip at this point will appear much darker than it will when dry.) Rinse in cool water in your sink, then squeeze out excess. Pop it you’re your dryer on high heat for about 10 minutes. You may need to repeat the dye process a few more times in order to achieve a satisfactory color (Mine took 4 times!). Enjoy! Abbreviations: alt - alternate/ly, altog - altogether, ch - chain, cm - centimeters, cont - continue, dec - decrease, foll - follow/ing, g - grams, Inc - increase, K - knit, k2tog - k next 2 sts together as one stitch, LH - left-hand, mm - millimeters, P - purl, patt - pattern, rem - remalning/remainder, rev st-st - reversed stockinette stitch, RH - right-hand, RS - right side, sc - single crochet, sep - separately, sl 1, k2tog, psso - sl next st as if to purl, k next 2 sts tog, pass slipped stitch over k2tog, sl-st - slip stitch, ssk - slip next 2 sts as if to purl to RH needle, place LH needle through front loops of these 2 sts and k them tog, st(s). - stitch(es), st-st - stockinette stitch, tbl - through back of loop, tog - together, WS - wrong side, yo - yarn over (bring yarn to front of needles as if to purl.) Please note this pattern is copyrighted material and the entire contents of this pattern are copyrighted as a collective work under the copyright laws of Canada and the United States. You may print a copy of this pattern for your own personal use and enjoyment, but editing, publishing, transmitting, e-mailing, posting it to a list service or database, or otherwise commercially exploiting this pattern is strictly forbidden. Copyright Elann.comInc.