by Gudrun Johnston

     

I recently came across this wonderful

hemp-blend yarn and immediately loved
how it felt and looked. It comes in a great
range of beautiful colors, it's machine
washable, durable, affordable and great
to work with.

I originally designed this skirt with my

eight-year-old daughter in mind, wanting
it to be a little more grown up and hip but
at the same time non-fussy and fun.
However, this skirt looks great on adults
too!

The hemp yarn is a perfect material for

the hotter days and with the yarn-overs
on the bottom half of the skirt some extra
ventilation is provided. With a simple
elasticized waist and free-flowing form,
this skirt is suitable for all sorts of
summery occasions.

This is a relatively easy piece to knit. The

waistband is worked first, encasing the
elastic, and then continuing to work in the
round from the waist down in a scallop-
shaping pattern with increases on some of
the scallop-shaping rounds. To make the
skirt less revealing, I kept the yarn-over
holes for the bottom half of the skirt.
Because the skirt is worked in the round it
allows you to try the skirt on at any point
simply by slipping the stitches onto some
waste yarn.

Pick your own colors and stripe sequence

and you have a one of a kind skirt that
everyone will want! Yardage for the skirt
in a solid color has also been provided
below.

 model: Maya   photos: Gudrun Johnston

SIZE
Child 8[10, 12, Womens S, M, L] (shown in child size 8 above and womens size small below)
 
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 16[18.5, 20.5, 26, 26, 26] inches at longest point
Waist: 21.5[22.5, 24, 27, 32, 37] inches before elastic insertion
Note: Because waist is elasticized, the skirt will fit waist sizes 23.5[24.5, 26, 28.5, 33.5, 38.5] inches. For the
women's sizes, this is a low waist (not true waist) measurement, so that the skirt sits a little lower, around the top of
the hips. If you would prefer to wear the skirt at the waist, choose a size closer to your true waist measurement.
 
MATERIALS
Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy [34% Hemp, 41% Cotton, 25% Modal; 153 yd/140m per 50g skein] Colors are given for
Child[Adult].
 [MC] #02[09]; 2 [2, 2, 3, 3, 4] skeins
 [CC 1] #015[016]; 1[2, 2, 2, 2, 3] skeins
 [CC 2] #017[06]; 1[2, 2, 2, 2, 3] skeins
 [CC 3] #010[04]; 1[2, 2, 2, 3, 3] skeins
Note: If working the skirt in a solid color, you will need 4[6, 7, 8, 9, 10] skeins.

 1 24-inch US #4/3.5mm circular needle

 1 24-inch US #5/3.75mm circular needle
 1 32- or 40-inch US #5/3.75mm circular needle (This is optional if knitting the child's skirt, but recommended if
knitting the adult skirt; there will be more stitches then will comfortably fit on the 24-inch needle.)
 Crochet hook, approx. size D/3 / 3.25mm (optional)
 Row counter
 9[10, 10, 11, 13, 15] stitch markers (be sure one is different from the others)
 21.5[22.5, 24, 27, 32, 37] inches waistband elastic, 0.5 inch wide
 Sewing needle and thread
 Tapestry needle

 
GAUGE
26 sts/25 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US #4/3.5mm needle
24 sts/26 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US #5/3.75mm needle
Approx. 28 sts = 4 inches in Scallop Pattern
 
PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here]
As written, the waistband elastic is enclosed in the casing while the skirt is being knit. If you prefer to insert the
elastic after the skirt is complete, in order to adjust the length of the elastic, work the first 5 rows of the waistband
casing back and forth before joining to work in the round. This will form an opening through which the elastic may be
inserted during finishing, then the opening may be sewn shut.

M1L: Insert left needle from front to back under the horizontal strand which lies between the st just worked, and the
next st. Knit into the back of this loop.

M1R: Insert left needle from back to front under the horizontal strand which lies between the st just worked, and the
next st. Knit into the front of this loop.

Stripe Pattern
Work 4 rounds in CC1.
Work 4 rounds in CC2.
Work 4 rounds in CC3.
Work 4 rounds in MC.
Repeat these 16 rounds for Stripe Pattern.
PATTERN
Waistband
Cut a piece of waistband elastic 21.5[22.5, 24, 27, 32, 37] inches long. Overlap ends by 0.5 inch, ensuring that
elastic is not twisted. Sew ends securely together.

Using MC and US #4/3.5mm needle, loosely CO 153[170, 170, 187, 221, 255] sts.
Note: It is important to CO loosely; sts will be picked up from the CO edge when the waistband Joining Round is
worked.

Place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist. Use a marker that is different from
the others, to indicate beginning of round.
P 10 rounds.

Hold ring of elastic against WS of work, just below sts on needle. Fold work in half to WS around elastic, so that CO
edge is directly behind sts on needle.
Join casing as follows:
Joining Round: *Insert tip of left needle into first CO st, k2tog (st from needle worked together with CO st); repeat
from * to end of round.
Note: As you approach the end of the Joining Round, it may appear that there is excess elastic. This is because the
needle is shorter than the length of the waistband; with a little bit of feeding and stretching, the elastic will fit.

Skirt
Set-up Round: Using US #5/3.75mm needle,
[k17, place marker] to end. Including end-of-
round marker, 9[10, 10, 11, 13, 15] markers
in place.

Break MC and join CC1.

From this point, begin working from the chart,

following the Stripe Pattern.
All rounds not listed in the chart should
be knit.

The left-hand column of the chart gives the

number of the round being worked.

In the column for the size you are working,

the letter at left indicates which Pattern Round
should be worked on that round, and the
number at right gives the value for N in the
Pattern Round directions.

Pattern Round A: *[K1, M1L] 3 times, kN,

[k2tog] 4 times, kN, [M1R, k1] twice, M1R;
repeat from * to end.

Pattern Round B: *[K1, M1L] 3 times, kN,

[k2tog] 6 times, kN, [M1R, k1] twice, M1R;
repeat from * to end.

Pattern Round C: *[K1, yo] 3 times, kN,

[k2tog] 4 times, kN, [yo, k1] twice, yo;
repeat from * to end.

Pattern Round D: *[K1, yo] 3 times, kN,

[k2tog] 6 times, kN, [yo, k1] twice, yo;
repeat from * to end.

For example, Round 1 is the same for all

sizes: work Pattern Round A, using 2 as the
value for N. So, for Round 1, the directions
would read:
*[K1, M1L] 3 times, k2, [k2tog] 4 times, k2, [M1R, k1] twice, M1R; repeat from * to end.
Every fourth round is listed in the chart. These are the rounds in which the scallop pattern is shaped. They are also
the rounds in which the colors in the Stripe Pattern are changed.
Pattern Rounds A and C are increase rounds. To make the chart easier to read, these rounds are highlighted.

When all rounds of the chart have been worked, you will have just started a stripe using CC3. Complete this 4-round
stripe and break CC3. There are 369[450, 490, 495, 533, 615] sts: 41[45, 49, 45, 41, 41] sts between each pair of
markers.

Continue as follows, using MC:

Work Round D; value of N is 12[14, 16, 14, 12, 12].
P 1 round.
K 1 round.
P 1 round.
Work Round D as above.
P 1 round.
K 1 round.
BO all sts purlwise.
FINISHING

Weave in ends.

Machine-wash skirt using mild detergent and warm water. Lay skirt flat, stretching and molding to shape; pay
particular attention to scalloped edge. Allow skirt to dry thoroughly.

If desired, work 2 crochet chains approx. 4 inches in length. Form chains into loops and sew to inside of waistband, to
use as hanging loops.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Gudrun originally comes from the Shetland Islands in Scotland where back in the '70s her mother
designed Shetland knitwear. Gudrun only discovered that knitting was in her blood a few years ago
upon arrival in the US. During the relocation, her then 5-year-old daughter lost a treasured blanket
at the Iceland airport en route to America and Gudrun took up knitting to replace it with a now
much-loved poncho. She is making up for lost time and knits constantly, showering her family and
friends with hand knits and more recently doing her own designing. Gudrun's knitting-related life
can be found here.

Pattern & images © 2007  by Gudrun Johnston. Contact Gudrun