Long-Slip Striped Table Runner

Long-Slip Striped Table Runner

I'm not exactly sure why I decided to knit a table runner, but I think it was some combination of wanting to create a non-wearable knit for summer and NOT wanting to knit four whole placemats (if the baby won't even let me knit more than one coaster, you know a gaggle of placemats will never happen). Whatever my inspiration was, however, I totally dig the end result - colorful, cheerful, and functional, this table runner is a great choice if you want to keep knitting through the summer but don't want to make winter-y items. It would also make a lovely gift, if Christmas knitting is already on your mind...

A close-up of the pattern. So stripey!

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Jeannee (51% Cotton, 49% Acrylic; 111 yards [102 meters]/50 grams); #0023 (Lavender) - two skeins (color A), #0006 (Sage) - one skein (color B), #0022 (Gray) - one skein (color C), & #0033 (Teal) - one skein (color D)

Needles: Straight needles in size 8, at least a 24" circular needle in size 6 (there's no circular knitting here, but you will need something long to pick up stitches along the edge of the runner)

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches on size 8 needles

Using your color A yarn and your size 6 needles, cast on 53 stitches loosely. Then, work the following rows:

Set-up Rows 1 - 9: using color A, k1, * p1, k1; rep from *

Set-up Row 10: using color A, purl

And once these 10 rows are done, it's time to switch to our size 8 needles and our main pattern, which is Long-Slip Stripes from page 37 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. And although I hate to do this to you, I should mention that your finished result will be nicer if you clip the tails of each of your yarn colors after each set of four rows - the color pattern is a bit long to bring them up the sides effectively. Anyway, let's proceed as follows:

Rows 1 & 3 (right side): using color B, k1, * slip 1 with yarn in back, k1 *

Row 2: using color B, p1, * slip 1 with yarn in front, p1 *

Row 4: using color B, purl

Rows 5 - 8: using color C, repeat rows 1 - 4

Rows 9 - 12: using color D, repeat rows 1 - 4

Rows 13 - 16: using color A, repeat rows 1 - 4

Knit rows 1 - 16 eleven times (or more, if desired), and then switch back to your size 6 needle and knit the following edging rows:

Edging Rows 1 - 9: using color A, k1, * p1, k1 *

Bind off loosely in pattern and tuck in all the dang ends you've accumulated so far. And now it's time to pick up stitches along the raw edges of this piece! So, using your size 6 needle and your color A yarn, pick up 111 stitches along one of the piece's edges (if you chose to make the runner longer, pick up 9 additional stitches for each additional pattern repeat you complete - basically, you'll be picking up 6 stitches for the seed stitch edging on either end, and, like I said, 9 stitches for each pattern repeat). Then, work the following edging rows:

Edging Rows 1 - 5: k1, * p1, k1 *

Once these are done, bind off loosely in pattern and repeat on the other side. Finally, tuck in ends and block. The slip stitch portion of this pattern will draw in more than the seed stitch ends, so you may want to block it a bit wider in the center.