Design experiment #1

Cincinnati Reds Logo Design Experiment #1

Yarn: Lion Cotton (100% cotton; worsted weight)
Color: Natural
Needles: US 7s
Stitches: 63
Size: 6" x 13.5"

I came pretty close to replicating the wishbone C, if I do say so myself. I knitted this to see how my chart translated into stitches. The C may be narrower in my knitted item, but it certainly captures the essence of the logo...or is close enough for my exacting standards. Frankly, I'm amazed that it turned out this well.

I wasn't intending to "make" anything, but it would appear that I've cranked out a miniature hand towel. I used yarn from my stash. I didn't knit the few extra rows on the top and bottom that would have given a uniform border. I just wanted to make this as quickly as possible and examine the result. That I've produced something of undetermined use is a bonus.

I ended up plowing through most of this experiment during knit night in the café. Although I initially thought I'd missed everyone at the Thursday gathering, I spotted two other knitters who are part of the group but weren't present last week. It was nice to meet some new people and see a couple familiar faces. For that matter, it was nice to know that the trip had been worth making. (I didn't see anyone I recognized when I arrived a little late, ate supper, and was on the way out the door until I saw KIPing.)

This experiment is on the large size, especially in dishcloth terms, but it might work as a dish or hand towel if I knitted more stockinette around the wishbone C. The major question now is how do I knit the background in red and the C in white. Intarsia is one option. Someone tonight suggested double knitting, which might be interesting if it produces a reversible FO with red on white for one side and white on red for the other. How would switching needle size affect the pattern? It's all a mystery to me at this point, but I'm proud that my design worked on this level. I imagine I'll figure it out eventually.

Anyway, here's the pattern for the rare person who wants to replicate it. I used US 7s and worsted weight cotton.

-CO 63 stitches
-Knit two rows in k1, p1 moss stitch
-[k1, p1] twice, k to the last 4 stitches, [p1, k1] twice
-[k1, p1] twice, p to the last 5 stitches, [k1, p1] twice, k1

For the wishbone C, I used the five-stitch border of moss stitch followed by four stitches in stockinette. Odd-numbered rows begin with [k1, p1] twice, k5 and end with k5, [p1, k1] twice. Even-numbered rows begin with [k1, p1] twice, k1, p4 and end with p4, k1, [p1, k1] twice.

Row 1: k12, p15, k18
Row 2: p16, k19, p10
Row 3: k8, p23, k14
Row 4: p13, k25, p7
Row 5: k6, p27, k12
Row 6: p11, k29, p5
Row 7: k4, p11, k9, p11, k10
Row 8: p9, k10, p13, k10, p3
Row 9: k2, p9, k17, p9, k8
Row 10: p7, k9, p19, k9, p1
Row 11: p9, k21, p9, k6
Row 12: p5, k9, p31
Row 13: k32, p9, k4
Row 14: p3, k9, p33
Row 15: k33, p10, k2
Row 16: p1, k11, p33
Row 17: k33, p12
Row 18: p1, k11, p33
Row 19: k33, p10, k2
Row 20: p3, k9, p33
Row 21: k32, p9, k4
Row 22: p5, k9, p31
Row 23: p9, k21, p9, k6
Row 24: p7, k9, p19, k9, p1
Row 25: k2, p9, k17, p9, k8
Row 26: p9, k10, p13, k10, p3
Row 27: k4, p11, k9, p11, k10
Row 28: p11, k29, p5
Row 29: k6, p27, k12
Row 30: p13, k25, p7
Row 31: k8, p23, k14
Row 32: p16, k19, p10
Row 33: k12, p15, k18

-[k1, p1] twice, p to the last 5 stitches, [k1, p1] twice, k1
-[k1, p1] twice, k to the last 4 stitches, [p1, k1] twice
-Knit two rows in k1, p1 moss stitch
-Bind off