Ruffles!

Well, it's time to tackle something new and challenging.  I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy X-2 lately (or, as I like to call it, Final Fantasy - Pretty-Princess-Dress-Me-Up -- those who've played it will understand).  Anyways, I've always loved some of the costumes, and I really like the way that even though the basic form is the same (warrior, thief, mage, etc.) each girl brings her own personal style to it.  Yuna in particular tends to have a lot of lacy bits and -- you guessed it, it's right in the title of this post -- ruffles!

So, having found my muse, I've finally got a project for that lovely, frilly yarn I've had tucked away.  As a big fan of creative styles that can be worn multiple ways, this Yuna-inspired demi-skirt could also double as a shawlette -- wear it however you want!  The best part about designing something is getting inventive and making it your own.

Alrighty then, let's get started; I'll walk you through the process first, and post the pattern at the end.  The yarn I'm using for this is Red Heart Boutique Sashay Sparkle in Emerald, and I'm using my trusty US9 needles...though the needle size doesn't really matter and there's no gauge to speak of, since you're knitting with the pre-made holes in the mesh.  So use whatever you've got to hand.

Casting on has got to be the easiest process I've ever seen...you literally just poke your needle through the hole in the mesh, from back to front.  We're using the second row of holes at the top, away from the sparkly edge, which gives us two strands to work with.  You could use whatever row you'd like, if you want a shorter fringe, but I wouldn't recommend using the top row, as a single strand might not hold up to regular wear-and-tear -- I always like to err on the cautious side.  I started by casting on two stitches, and you simply knit every row, making sure that you loop the yarn twice in the first and last stitch of each row (so row 2 is four stitches, row 3 is six, row 4 is eight, etc).  This will give you a nice smooth increase.

You can see the ruffles starting to take shape.  Keep knitting, always looping the next hole in the mesh over your needle, never the same one you just used.  This will keep the fabric loose and flowy, and avoid any bunching in your ruffles.  No-one wants a ruffly bunch (...of coconuts?  Sorry, that joke was bad, even for me!  That's what writing at 4 am gets you...).

Knitting with mesh is definitely a new experience.

Caius is always willing to "help" mommy knit.  He may or may not have ended up wearing this piece as a cape at one point.  He's asked me not to tell.

Keep going until the piece is the desired length -- you can make it longer or shorter simply by knitting more or fewer rows.  I knit 50 rows (100 stitches), then bound off.  I've decided to add a tie to my demi-skirt, so with a large yarn needle, just weave a length of the same yarn mesh through the top edge of the piece, tie a knot at either end, and voila!  A fancy, frilly fashion accessory that would make Yuna proud!  This'll go great over my pair of black tights.

Simplified pattern:

CO 2 stitches
Kw2, Kw2 (knit with 2 loops)
*Kw2, knit to last stitch, Kw2*
Repeat * until piece is desired length, BO
Lace ties through finished edge

Feel free to leave comments, I'd love to know if this was helpful (or not!) and to hear your own creative ideas!  Share your own take on my designs, and let me know if there's anything you think I can improve!