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Skill level: Beginner through Advanced
The Shine Bright Together wrap celebrates Hanukkah and the Jewish spirit. For the third year in a row, I’ve created a “Festival of Lights” Hanukkah yarn box (it’s sold out for 2023). Each year, I design a special piece (or two… or eight…) to accompany the yarn in the sets. This year, the theme of the yarn set was “Hanukkah Yarn Party” and I wanted everything to represent lighting the menorah, preparing (and eating!) delicious foods with family, celebrating miracles, and bringing light to the world. Designing, knitting, and now presenting to you the Shine Bright Together wrap embodies all of those special moments.
The Shine Bright Together wrap is knit on the bias and has nine textured stripes in bold solid colors. Each colorful stripe has a different stitch pattern with a fun Hanukkah themed name. The patterns are listed in order of difficulty, though not necessarily in order of deliciousness… Jelly Filled Donuts, Get the Gelt!, Layers of Latkes, and Milk & Honeycomb are just four of the nine themed stitch patterns featured in the wrap.
The pattern includes suggestions on using a dreidel or dice to help you figure out which stitch patterns to use, particularly if you’re a newer knitter and don’t want to take on cables, bobbles, or knitting five rows below just yet. There are tutorial videos on my YouTube channel for the more challenging stitches and techniques. The stitch patterns are provided in charted and written form, feel free to follow either!
Why is Hanukkah about miracles? About 2200 years ago in Judea (Israel), the Second Jewish Temple of Jerusalem was wrecked by the Syrian-Greek army. After defeating the larger army, the Maccabee warriors returned to the wrecked temple to find that there was only enough holy oil to light the menorah in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, enough time to prepare new oil and keep the temple’s eternal flame burning bright. We celebrate Hanukkah for eight days to commemorate that miracle of light and its focus on the Jewish spirit and one of Judaism’s central principles – for us all to help bring light into the world. I hope this pattern helps bring light into your world this holiday season.
Construction Details:
The Shine Bright Together wrap is worked on the bias by increasing at the beginning of RS rows and decreasing at the end of RS rows. While working the simple bias pattern in a background of garter stitch in the main color, there are 9 stitch patterns to choose from for the contrast color stripes. A Crochet Cast On matches the bind off and the edges are neatened with an I-cord edging.
Skills Required:
Crochet Cast On
Knit/Purl
Slipping Stitches
Knitting through the back loop https://youtu.be/poKmHypv0_E
Purling through the back loop https://youtu.be/3CzxNT4gOm8
Bobbles https://youtu.be/Ve4fKx31Tac
Decreasing (k2tog, p2tog)
Increasing (yo)
Working into a stitch 5 rows below https://youtu.be/DoXem_LehSc
Cabling (1/2RC and 1/2LC) https://youtu.be/FlY9cn8g0fI
Bind off
Weaving in ends
Approximate finished measurements: 14”/35 cm wide x 60”/150 cm long.
Shine Bright Together is worked on the bias. Measurements given are taken along the long straight edge and straight across the width.
Gauge: 22 stitches and 40 rows = 4”/10 cm in garter stitch, blocked.
Needles: US 6 (4 mm) needle or size needed for gauge. Adjust needle size as necessary to obtain correct gauge.
Yarn: At least two colors of fingering weight (CYCA #1) yarn.
Main Color (MC): 400 yards
Contrast Color (CC): either 720 yards total of one color or 80 yards each of 9 colors.
Sample shown uses Hand Dyed Yarn by Shaina Bilow “Bounce” (80% superwash merino wool, 20% nylon; 400 yds / 100 g) in 1 ball Natural (MC) and 1 set of the Festival of Lights mini-skeins (CC).
Wrap can be made in one solid color. 1120 yards are needed.
Other Materials: tapestry needle, row counter (optional), F (4 mm) crochet hook for Crochet Cast On, dice or Dreidel (optional).
Pattern notes:
This wrap is worked on the bias. One stitch is increased at the beginning of all RS rows and one stitch is decreased at the end of all RS rows.
The increase used for the bias shaping is a YO increase. Work this YO increase through the back loop on the subsequent row as indicated to close the eyelet.
Both charted and written directions are provided for the stitch patterns. Knit according to your preference.
The stitch patterns are numbered in order of difficulty.
The wrap can be made wider or narrower by adding or subtracting stitches to the cast on in multiples of 12. Designer suggestion: to make a narrower scarf that uses less yarn, cast on 60 sts. Scarf dimensions would be approximately 7”/18 cm wide x 60”/150 cm long.
