07-07-07 The ring bearer pillow

Pattern basics begin as follows.

I used some mystery thread from my guild's stash sale and size 1 US needles for the cover. I used the same size needles for the liner using Knit-Cro-Sheen.

You could also use the DMC Senso I used for the Lilies (there's a white with a bit it sparkle) and Twilley's Goldfingering (again used with the lilies) another option would be Brilla from Filatura di Crosa.

I am a very loose knitter and gauge is not that critical. You do need to use dps to begin and end unless you are a magic loop savant and can translate my instructions into magic loop speak.

Cast on 7 stitches onto a dp.

Row 1: (k f&b, k1) onto a dp. (k f&b, k1)3x.onto a 2nd dp, (k f&b, k1)3x. onto a 3rd dp. 14 stitches on three needles.

You are knitting a spiral heptagon and the 1st dp has one of the seven sides, the other two dps three sides of the heptagon on each. If it helps you, place markers to delimit the virtual sides of the heptagon on the 2nd and 3rd dp.

Row 2 (1st round) Join do not twist 3rd needle stitches to 1st needle stitches -- (k1, k1b) 7x

Begin increase rounds:

(YO, k2)7x (21 stitches -- 3 per side of the heptagon)
(YO, k3)7x (28 stitches -- 4 per side of the heptagon)

Add a bit of lace to the mix:

(YO, k1, YO, ssk, k1) 7x (35 stitches -- 5 per side of the heptagon)
(YO, k5)7x (42 stitches -- 6 per side of the heptagon)
(YO, k4, YO, ssk) 7x (56 stitches -- 8 per side of the heptagon)

Next up some short row bumps to extend and create the stars. Find this in a later posting

I used a length of the Kristha ribbon I'd picked up from the sale bin at The Grove for the bottom of the pillow (the better to secure pillow to little paws).

If I'd done a simpler top I might have also used the same ribbon there but it seemed too wide and fussy so a quick run to JoAnn's turned up a suitable organdy ribbon with just a touch of gold.

I raided my bead stash for some small gold beads to lightly tack down the points on the top of the pillow.

If anyone opts to knit a lining like I did, please be smarter than I was and don't totally finish and stuff the liner before finishing the cover.

A not totally stuffed pillow is easier to work with and you don't need a large hole to push the polyfil through.

Remember, this is closed loop knitting starting and ending with a small number of stitches.