Knitting Pattern: No threat to pot holders from the EU
In the book "Rejected Designs for the European Flag," Jonas von Lenthe writes, "So, the European flag was a project of continental peace, as well as a means of external demarcation - a structure that also characterizes present-day Europe. Thus, the dismantling of internal borders goes hand in hand with an increasing barricading against strangers and migrants."
In her essay "Völkerordnung" (Order of Nations), Maria Rotkopf writes, "And the most beautiful inventions are those imagined and woven by women, with patience and in harmony with time, with the pragmatic sense of nature. In 1776, Betsy Ross gifted us a piece of her dreams when she sewed the first flag of the USA."
In the "Clarification: No Threat to Pot Holders from the EU," issued by the European Commission on August 17, 2016, the European Commission found cause for an official clarification. After adjusting safety standards for personal-use oven gloves and pot holders, confusion and uncertainty arose. The EU clarifies: "By the way, there is no danger for self-knitted pot holders at the bazaar, which some media outlets are already concerned about. These are decorative items that are not considered personal protective equipment. Only if a manufacturer markets their product with the claim that it protects hands from burns does it need to be true."
At this location, Europe keeps reappearing. My first impulse was to knit the European flag. There are precise specifications regarding the proportions of the flag. I implemented this as a knitting pattern for a pot holder.
Knitting Pattern: No Threat to Pot Holders from the EU
Materials:
- Cotton in Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue) and Yellow (Pantone Yellow)
- Knitting needles size 2
- Crochet hook
- Safety pins or stitch markers
Gauge:
Check if 26 stitches in width and 52 rows in height of stockinette stitch create a 10 x 10 cm square. Adjust needle sizes if the gauge differs.
Procedure:
The pot holder is knitted from bottom to top. Finally, a loop is crocheted for hanging, and all sides are closed with a crochet seam.
Star Pattern Repeat:
The star is worked from bottom to top and consists of 9 stitches in width and 13 rows in length. Each stitch is knit in Yellow (Pantone Yellow). Draw the pattern on graph paper, marking a rectangle with 9 squares in width and 13 in length. Fill in the corresponding squares to visualize the repeat.
- Row 1: Stitches 2 and 8
- Row 2: Stitches 2, 3, and 7, 8
- Row 3: Stitches 2, 3, 4, and 6, 7, 8
- Row 4: Stitches 2, 3, 4, and 6, 7, 8
- Row 5: Stitches 3-7
- Row 6: Stitches 3-7
- Row 7: Stitches 2-8
- Row 8: Stitches 1-9
- Row 9: Stitches 2-8
- Row 10: Stitches 4-6
- Row 11: Stitches 4-6
- Row 12: Stitch 5
- Row 13: Stitch 5
Repeat this sequence for each star in the circle.
Instructions:
- Cast on 110 stitches in Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue).
- Mark the stitches for the pattern intervals with safety pins: 27 and 35; 31 and 39; 40 and 48; 54 and 62; 68 and 76; 77 and 85; 81 and 89.
- Knit 15 rows in stockinette stitch.
- Knit the first star pattern in the interval 54-62 in Yellow (Pantone Yellow).
- Before completing the first pattern repeat, begin the pattern repeat 40-48 and 68-76 after 10 rows.
- Knit 8 rows in Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue).
- Continue with the patterns for intervals 31-39 and 77-85.
- Knit 9 rows in Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue) and work the patterns for intervals 27-35 and 81-89. After this pattern repeat, you'll have completed half of the star circle. Begin the patterns for intervals 31-39 and 77-85 after 9 rows of Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue).
- Knit 8 rows of Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue) and work the patterns for intervals 40-48 and 68-76. Start the last star in the interval 54-62 after 10 rows.
- Knit 15 rows of Blue (Pantone Reflex Blue) and cast off the stitches.
- Fold the pot holder in half and crochet the open sides together. To achieve the full width, a second European flag can also be knitted, which is then placed on top of each other and closed with a crochet seam.
- For the loop, crochet 25 chain stitches and attach them at the seam.
- Repeat the process for a pair of pot holders.