Bubbles and Butterfly Kisses: A True Destashification Project. Knit with 100% Stash Yarns. This is designed to be a fun project. Don’t let being off by one or two stitches interfere with that fun. Please scroll down for philosophical discussion on stitch counts….
Yoke Design
Attempts were made to keep notes on how the original Bubbles and Butterfly Kisses sweater was constructed, but alas, they were incomplete. So it was necessary to knit a second sweater to verify the instructions. This bright colorway is also 100% Stash yarn and the contrasting colors make for better pictures for instructions!
Posting knitting instructions is a bit (OK, a LOT) more involved than I envisioned, so I went with a simple band-by-band then row-by-row version. Kudos to anyone who writes knitting instructions! It is not a simple process! Charted version appears at the bottom of this post.
Please scroll down for notes on how to make Popcorn Stitches.
Materials:
- Circular Knitting Needles US Size 4 and 6. (19 inches or longer). Circulars are really needed as there are rows that are knit from “the other end” to maintain gauge consistency (Garter Stitches that are purled are typically looser than Garter Stitches that are knit.)
- Yarns: A variety of small amounts of DK – Light Worsted Weight Novelty yarns and Contrasting Color (CC) yarns, including somewhere near a full skein of yarn for the Main Color (MC). Some additional yarn-related suggestions:
- For the Popcorn “Bubbles”, a lighter weight solid color is recommended. Bubbles in multi-colored yarn will not stand out – and heavier weight yarn might distort the gauge.
- When knitting with Eyelash yarns, pull “eyelashes” to front of sweater – not only so they will be visible, but also because knitting them into the stitches makes the yarn too thick and will distort the gauge.
- If desired to use a heavier worsted weight yarn (some novelty yarns knit at larger gauge), knit the first row of any of two row Garter Stitch Ridges with a lighter weight yarn (I even used a fingering weight!) and knit the second row with the heavier yarn. The different gauges tend to average!
- Some novelty yarns are multi-stranded making them very heavy gauge. They can be “un-spun” or “de-stranded” by removing one or more of the strands. Not only does this allow use of otherwise too heavy yarn – it actually creates two different lighter weight novelty yarns from one! Which doubles the amount of novelty yarn!
- Other Abbreviations Used:
- YO: Yarn Over – bring yarn over needle – results in an increase of 1 stitch and an eyelet (small hole)
- Kbf: Knit back and front of next stitch – results in an increase of 1 stitch.
Collar: Using Size 6 Needle, Cast on 71 Stitches with Main Color (MC).
- Collar Row 1: Change to Size 4 Needles, Knit all stitches.
- Collar Row 2: Knit.
- Collar Row 3: K2, *P1, K1*, repeat from * to *, end with K1.
- Collar Row 4: P2, *K1, P1* repeat from * to *, end with P1.
- Collar Row 5: Repeat Row 3.
- Collar Row 6: Knit
Yoke Detail on Original Bubbles and Butterfly Kisses Sweater
Sweater Yoke: Change to Size 6 needles.
Body of Sweater:
- Rows 48 – 55 start the lower portion of the sweater. Knit them in Stockinette Stitch (Knit right side rows, purl wrong side rows) with MC. End with purl row.
- Instructions Continued here
Popcorn Stitch:
To create a Popcorn “Bubble”, a single stitch is knit into 5 stitches, then those 5 stitches are purled (garment must be turned around) and then those 5 stitches are knit (again turning the garment around is required) and then the 5 stitches are reduced back down to a single stitch by looping 4 of the stitches over the first. So, one stitch to start, five stitches to “pop”, then back to one stitch to end!
In knitting vernacular:
- In next stitch (ALL in the next stitch): K1, YO, K1, YO, K1 (there are now 5 loops on the right needle). See Photo 1 below.
- Turn the sweater (the “work”) around, so now 5 loops are on the left needle. P those 5 loops. See Photo 2 below.
- Turn work around and Knit those 5 stitches. See Photo 3 below.
- Using left needle lift and pass second stitch over first stitch. Then lift and pass next stitch (would have been 3rd stitch) over first stitch. Then lift and pass next stitch (would have been 4th stitch) over first stitch. Then lift and pass last stitch over first stitch. First stitch remains on right needle. (Photos 4 – 6 below) Popcorn complete!
Photo 1: K1,YO, K1,YO,K1 all in one stitch!
Some photos:
Photo 1 shows the five loops formed by the K1, YO, K1, YO, K1. As this is knit during a purl row, the wrong side is facing you.
To continue making the popcorn, the sweater (“work” in the knitting vernacular) must be turned around so that now the right side is facing you – and the five loops are now on the left needle.
Photo 2: Turn so 5 loops are on left needle and purl those five loops (notice right side is now facing you)
See Photo 2. With right side facing, purl those 5 stitches.
Turn the sweater around again so that those 5 stitches are once again on the left needle – and the wrong side is once again facing you.
Photo 3: Turn work again (wrong side facing you) and knit the five stitches.
Now knit those same 5 stitches.
Now the turning is done, but it is time to psso (pass stitch over).
Starting from the left, count stitches as 1-2-3-4-5.
Photo 4: Lift Stitch 2 and pass it over Stitch 1.
Lift Stitch 2 and pass it over Stitch 1.
Then pass Stitch 3 over Stitch 1.
Photo 5: Lift Stitch 3 and pass it over Stitch 1.
Then pass Stitch 4 over Stitch 1.
Photo 6: Lift Stitch 4 and pass it over Stitch 1.
Then pass Stitch 5 over Stitch 1…
One Popcorn Stitch completed! (100+ more to go!)
Closing the holes in Popcorn Stitch:
Knitting 5 stitches in one stitch stretches the stitch and creates a hole – which the bubble can sometimes recede into. Closing it creates a smoother stockinette stitch background that really highlights the bubbles.
Photo 7: This Stitch will be picked up and knit with "popcorn stitch" on next row to close hole.
The loop circled in Photo 7 is the back of a knit stitch from the first row of the Popcorn Bands.
The Popcorn Bubble is knit in Row 2.
In Row 3, pick up the circled loop and knit it with the “popcorn stitch”. This will close the hole.
Photo 8. Stitch from Row 1 being lifted and ready to be knit together with Popcorn Stitch.
Photo 8 shows the stitch being lifted onto the needle ready to be knit together with popcorn stitch. As this is a knit row, the yarn is on the right needle – the photo was taken on the back side of work to show stitches.
Hole closing stitches knit together. Green arrow identifies stitch to pick up for hidden increase.
When completed, the loop from Row 1 and the Popcorn Stitch will be knit together as shown in Photo 9.
The green arrow in Photo 9 identifies a loop on the back of the Popcorn Bubble. If instructions indicate an increase is to be knit into bubble, lift that loop and knit it. This will create a hidden increase of one stitch.
Just a note: Hidden increases occur in all bubbles in Popcorn Band 1, not at all in Popcorn Band 2, and in every other bubble in Popcorn Band 3.
Ramblings about increase rows and stitch counts:
When increases occur in the yoke of this sweater, it is best to consider the stitch counts an “guidance value” sort of like a speed limit. If you are shy a few stitches, just increase the missing stitches somewhere in the next two rows!
Nothing is more frustrating that to have to rip out 17 Popcorn bubbles because the instructions said it was supposed to be 88 stitches and you only count 86! Or ripping out 214 stitches because the stitch count should be 217!!!!
DON’T DO IT!
Somewhere in all that stitch counting, ripping out and reknitting, and then recounting – the fun of knitting this sweater will be lost!
Just increase the missing stitches somewhere in the next few rows!
This sweater should be fun to knit – fun yarn – quick gauge – enjoy it! Don’t let a stitch or two miscount get in the way of your enjoyment.
General Charted Yoke Design - showing increases. Begin here and End here are not shown - mostly because I can't figure out how to do it!
Yoke Chart:
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The Destashification Project 