PhiaKnits

Blomma Balaclava

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Blomma Balaclava
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Weather protection, with style.

Needles:
5mm
Sizes:
onesize

Instructions

Size: One Size

Gauge: 18 sts x 30 rows = 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4 inches in stockinette stitch with 5 mm needles

Yarn: 100 g total of Drops Air (50g = 150m), split into:

  • 50 g of Color A
  • 50 g of Color B

Yarn Alternatives: Any yarn that meets the specified gauge.

Needles:

  • 5 mm / US 8 circular needle with a 40 cm / 16" cable

Notions:

  • 1 stitch marker
  • 5 mm / US H-8 crochet hook
  • Scissors
  • Tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)

Required Skills:

  • Casting on
  • Knitting & Purling
  • German Short Rows
  • Seaming (Mattress Stitch)
  • Binding off

Abbreviations:

  • k: knit
  • p: purl
  • RS: Right Side
  • WS: Wrong Side
  • M: marker
  • M1L: Left-leaning increase
  • M1R: Right-leaning increase
  • SM: slip marker
  • sts: stitches

Instructions start here

The Neck Ribbing

With Color B and your 5 mm circular needle, cast on 100 sts. Place a marker (PM) and join in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Work in 2x2 ribbing for 8 cm / 3.25 inches as follows: k2, p2 to end of round

Shaping the Face Opening

In the next round, you will create the face opening and switch from working in the round to working in rows.

  1. Work the first 34 sts in the established 2x2 rib pattern.
  2. Loosely bind off the next 32 sts.
  3. Cut the yarn from Color B. With Color A, k the remaining 34 sts of the round. Turn your work.

Important Note: From now on, you will be working back and forth in rows. You now have 68 sts on your needle (34 sts on each side of the bound-off opening). To create a clean selvedge, work a garter stitch edge: k the first and last stitch of every row.

Shaping the Top of the Head

To add width for the back of the head, you will now work increases at the center back, marked by your stitch marker.

Work the following 2 rows a total of 5 times (for 10 rows in total):

  • Row 1 (RS): k to M, M1R, SM, M1L, k to end of round
  • Row 2 (WS): k1 (selvedge), purl to last st, k1 (selvedge).

After these 10 rows, you will have 78 sts on your needle (68 + 10 increased sts). Now, continue in stockinette stitch with the garter selvedge until the piece measures 27 cm / 10.75 inches from the cast-on edge.

  • RS: k
  • WS: p

End after completing a WS row.

Crown Shaping: Short Rows

Once your work measures 27 cm, you will begin the short rows to shape the crown using German Short Rows. The right and left sides are worked separately. After the increases, you should have 39 sts on each side of the M.

Right Side (starting with a RS):

  1. Knit to 1 st before M, turn, purl to end of row.
  2. Knit to 2 sts before M (1 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  3. Knit to 3 sts before M (2 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  4. Knit to 4 sts before M (3 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  5. Knit to 5 sts before M (4 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  6. Knit to 6 sts before M (5 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  7. Knit to 7 sts before M (6 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  8. Knit to 8 sts before M (7 before the double stitch), turn, purl to end of row.
  9. Bind off all 34 sts up to the SM.

Knit the remaining stitches of the row.

Left Side (starting with a WS):

  1. Purl to 1 st before M, turn, knit to end of row.
  2. Purl to 2 sts before M (1 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  3. Purl to 3 sts before M (2 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  4. Purl to 4 sts before M (3 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  5. Purl to 5 sts before M (4 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  6. Purl to 6 sts before M (5 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  7. Purl to 7 sts before M (6 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  8. Purl to 8 sts before M (7 before the double stitch), turn, knit to end of row.
  9. Bind off all sts purlwise.
  10. Leave a tail long enough before cutting to sew the top of the balaclava together.

Finishing

Close the top seam of the balaclava using the mattress stitch.

Face Opening Ribbing: With Color B, pick up and k 136 sts evenly around the entire face opening. A good rule of thumb is to pick up 3 sts for every 4 rows/stitches. Place a marker to indicate the beginning of the round. Work in 2x2 ribbing for 8 rounds, or until the ribbing measures approx. 4 cm/ 1.5 inches. Bind off all stitches loosely, tacking down the hem as you go to create the drawstring channel:

  • Bind off 1 st normally
  • k the next st together with its corresponding stitch from the pick-up row inside and bind it off

Repeat these two steps until all stitches are bound off.

Drawstring:

  • Using two strands of Color A held together, create a crochet chain approx. 100 cm / 40 inches long.
  • Using a safety pin or tapestry needle, thread the drawstring through the first round of the face opening ribbing (e.g., weaving over two stitches, under two stitches).

Weave in all remaining ends on the wrong side.