Berroco Picnic Knitting Pattern

Berroco Picnic Knitting Pattern #374

What Is Being Made

Berroco Picnic is a collection of nine knitted garments or accessories, each named after plants and flowers. The designs include Parsley, Kale, Jonquil, Astilbe, Oxalis, Sorrel, Coneflower, Zinnia, and Woodrush. These pieces are created using various Berroco yarn lines and represent a coordinated set suitable for seasonal wear, with the "Picnic" theme suggesting lightweight, warm-weather garments.

Techniques Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques including ribbed edging, stockinette stitch construction, and increases worked throughout the garment. Ribbing is used as a foundational element, with instructions to work in a knit-purl pattern (K2, P2 ribbing) for the opening section. The pattern includes shaping through strategic increases and utilizes both straight needles and double-pointed needles (dpn) for construction. Pieces are worked flat in rows, with finishing techniques involving joining stitches from double-pointed needles to the main needle using a knit-together method.

Stitches Used

• Ribbing: K2, P2 ribbing creates an elastic edge
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary fabric structure, worked in even rows
• Knit Stitches (K): Basic knit stitches throughout
• Purl Stitches (P): Used in ribbed sections
• Increases (inc): Strategic increases shape the garment
• Knit Two Together (k2tog): Used when joining stitches from dpn to the main needle

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Picnic pattern offers flexibility through multiple yarn options, allowing knitters to choose based on desired weight and fiber content. Berroco Weekend DK is a 75% acrylic and 25% cotton blend, available in 268-yard skeins weighing 3.5 oz (100g), worked at a gauge of 5.5 stitches per inch on US size 6 (4 mm) needles, with a 4-inch gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows. An alternative Berroco Weekend option uses the same fiber blend in 205-yard skeins, worked at 4.5 stitches per inch on US size 7 (4.5 mm) needles, with a 4-inch gauge of 18 stitches and 26 rows.

Berroco Remix offers a 30% nylon, 27% cotton, and 40% rayon/viscose blend in 209-yard skeins (3.5 oz / 100g), worked at 5 stitches per inch on US size 7 (4.5 mm) needles, with a 4-inch gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows. Berroco Modern Cotton combines 60% cotton, 24% acrylic, 10% silk, and 9% linen in 216-yard skeins (3.5 oz / 100g), worked at 4.25 stitches per inch on US size 8 (5 mm) needles, with a 4-inch gauge of 17 stitches and 23 rows.

Construction requires both straight needles (in the appropriate US size for your chosen yarn) and double-pointed needles for specialized joining techniques. All yarns are machine washable; Weekend DK and Weekend varieties should be laid flat to dry, while Remix requires a delicate cycle with flat drying, and Modern Cotton should be laid flat to dry.

Pattern Details

The pattern begins with casting on 54 to 70 stitches depending on the desired size, establishing a foundation with ribbed edging worked in K2, P2 pattern for approximately 1 inch from the cast-on edge. After the ribbing section, the piece transitions to stockinette stitch and is worked even until reaching measurements between 9 and 14.5 inches from the beginning, depending on size. The pattern includes size options accommodating different gauges and yarn weights, with corresponding stitch counts and row measurements provided for each yarn choice.

Pattern Corrections and updates are available at www.berroco.com/patterns/pattern-corrections. The pattern was edited by Brenda York with instruction coordination by Alison Green. Berroco recommends using the specified yarns