Hemlock Ring Blanket Pattern

As already mentioned, the original pattern is here: http://www.angelfire.com/folk/celtwich/KnitHemlockRing.html or on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hemlock-ring-blanket.

I've rewritten it for myself below to replace the sl 1, k1, psso's (also known as skp's) with ssk's. I also changed the repeat bracketing so that each round lists one repeat. The original was harder for me to read and this makes sense. Each round repeats the pattern eight times.

Hemlock Ring Blanket Pattern

(Original from Crocheted and Knitted Doilies, Book 184, Canadian Spool Cotton Company, 1942)

If using Cascade 220 held double, use US10 needles.

Cast on 8 sts and spread around three double-pointed needles. Suggest Emily Ocker cast on (http://www.spellingtuesday.com/circular_co.html) using a loose loop around one finger and a crochet hook to form the cast on stitches.

Change to circular needles when dpn’s become unwieldy – easiest on a knit row between rows 15 and 24.

Ssk – slip two stitches individually as if to knit, then insert left needle through front loops and knit them together.
R = Round

** Alternate double decrease: Instead of sl1, k2tog, psso, a double decrease can be used. To do, slip 2 together as if to knit (like a k2tog), k1, pass the two slipped stitches over. This makes a centered decrease instead of a slanting one. See http://minou14.livejournal.com/9139.html for photos.

All pattern rows repeat 8 times unless otherwise noted.

R 1: knit
R 2: knit
R 3: (yo, k1)
R 4, 5, 6: knit
R 7: (yo, k1) – 16 times
R 8, 9, 10, 11, 12: knit
R 13: (k2tog, 2yo, ssk)
R 14: (k1, drop 1 yo, work 9 stitches in next yo [to do - (k1, p1) 4 times, k1], k1)
R 15 – 24: knit
R 25: (yo, k11)
R 26 and all even Rs: knit
R 27: (yo, k1, yo, k11)
R 29: (yo, k3, yo, k4, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), k4)
R 31: (yo, k1, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso) yo, k1, yo, k3, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), k3)
R 33: (yo, k3, yo, p and k in next stitch, yo, k3, yo, k2, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), k2)
R 35: (yo, k1, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), yo, k4, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), (yo, k1 – twice), (sl 1, k2tog, psso), k1)
R 37: (yo, k3, yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso))
R 39: (yo, k1, yo, (sl 1, k2 tog, psso), yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), (yo, k1 - twice))
R 41: ((yo, k3 – twice), ssk, k2tog, (k3, yo- twice), k1)
R 43: (yo, k1, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), yo, k3, ssk, k2tog, k3, yo, (sl 1, k2tog, psso), (yo, k1 - twice))
R 44, 45, 46: knit
R 47: (yo, k1 – twice), yo, k3, ssk twice, k2tog twice, k3, (yo, k1 – 3 times))
R 48, 49, 50, 51: knit
R 52: ((yo, k1 – 4 times), ssk 3 times, k2tog 3 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 4 times)
R 53, 54, 55, 56: knit
R 57: ((yo, k1 – 5 times), ssk 3 times, k2tog 3 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 5 times))
R 58, 59, 60, 61 – knit
R 62: ((yo, k1 – 5 times), yo, ssk 4 times, k2tog 4 times, (yo, k1 – 6 times))
R 63, 64, 65, 66: knit
R 67: ((yo, k1 – 6 times), k1, ssk 4 times, k2tog 4 times, k2, (yo, k1 – 6 times))
R 68, 69, 70, 71: knit
R 72: ((yo, k1 – 7 times), ssk 5 times, k2tog 5 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 7 times))
R 73, 74, 75, 76: knit
R 77: ((yo, k1 – 7 times), yo, ssk 6 times, k2tog 6 times, (yo, k1 – 8 times))
R 78, 79, 80, 81: knit
R 82: ((yo, k1 – 8 times), k1, ssk 6 times, k2tog 6 times, k2, (yo, k1 – 8 times)
R 83, 84, 85, 86: knit

(Updated 4/21/08) The pattern originally binds off on row 87. Additional rounds below were originally written by Mary White from the Yahoo KAL. I rewrote them in the format above and changed the skp's to ssk's.

R 87: ((yo, k1 – 9 times), ssk 7 times, k2tog 7 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 9 times)) [408 sts]
R 88, 89, 90, 91: knit
R 92: ((yo, k1 – 9 times), yo, ssk 8 times, k2tog 8 times, (yo, k1 – 10 times)) [440 sts]
R 93, 94, 95, 96: knit
R 97: ((yo, k1 – 10 times), k1, ssk 8 times, k2tog 8 times, k2, (yo, k1 – 10 times)) [472 sts]
R 98, 99, 100, 101: knit
R 102: ((yo, k1 – 11 times), ssk 9 times, k2tog 9 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 11 times)) [504 sts]
R 103, 104, 105, 106: knit
R 107: ((yo, k1 – 11 times), yo, ssk 10 times, k2tog 10 times, (yo, k1 – 12 times)) [536 sts]
R 108, 109, 110, 111: knit
R 112: ((yo, k1 – 12 times), k1, ssk 10 times, k2tog 10 times, k2, (yo, k1 – 12 times)) [568 sts]
R 113, 114, 115, 116: knit
R 117: ((yo, k1 – 13 times), ssk 11 times, k2tog 11 times, k1, (yo, k1 – 13 times)) [600 sts]
R 118, 119, 120, 121: knit
R 122: ((yo, k1 – 13 times), yo, ssk 12 times, k2tog 12 times, (yo, k1 – 14 times)) [632 sts]
R 123, 124, 125, 126: knit
R 127: ((yo, k1 – 14 times), k1, ssk 12 times, k2tog 12 times, k2, (yo, k1 – 14 times)) [664 sts]
R 128, 129, 130, 131: knit
R 132: ((yo, k1 – 15 times), ssk 13 times, k2tog 13 times, k1 (yo, k1 – 15 times)) [696 sts]
R 133, 134, 135, 136: knit
R 137: ((yo, k1 - 15 times), yo, ssk 14 times, k2tog 14 times, (yo, k1 - 16 times)) [728 sts]
R 138, 139, 140, 141: knit
R 142: ((yo, k1 - 16 times), k1, ssk 14 times, k2tog 14 times, k2, (yo, k1 - 16 times)) [760 sts]
R 143, 144, 145, 146: knit
R 147: ((yo, k1 - 17 times), ssk 15 times, k2tog 15 times, k1, (yo, k1 - 17 times) [792 sts]
R 148, 149, 150, 151: knit

Bind Off Round: (originally Round 87 but can be substituted on any pattern round (92, 97, 102, etc) if larger diameter is desired) k1, [k2tog, yo, k2tog, TURN, p1, work 5 st in yo stitch (k1, p1 – twice, k1), p1, sl 1, TURN, bind off 7 stitches (k1, k1, pass first knit stitch over)]. One stitch will remain on right needle. Repeat in [] around.

** To make it easier to work bind-off, cap right hand circular needle. Use the left circular needle with a dpn of the same size as the right hand needle.

** If knitting with Cascade 220 held double, work bind-off row with only one strand.