The Recipe for Chocolate Tuna Fish

If you count the old site, which I do, this is my 200th post… and we’re getting dangerously close to my blogoversary too…I’m okay with that…

Anyway, Bells did a silly thing–she asked me for the pattern to Chocolate Tunafish and then said, “No hurry…it’s okay…but I promise to make them, honest…” Isn’t that cute? I mean, do you really tell an egomaniacal narcissist “Hey–that’s great–can I have more?” and expect that to just be ignored? With the way …I respond to flattery, I think not.

However, as you’ve seen, my pattern writing skills, uhm, reek. I’m going to do my damnedest–I’ll try to make it look just like those patterns you see in the books, only, well, not confusing…but you’ve all got a pretty good idea what my brain looks like, and you know it’s not pretty–if anyone looks at this pattern and goes, “Uhm…Amy…it’s not, you know the word, ‘sane’?” I fully expect you to tell me, okay? (ANd then blame the little person in the top photograph… she’s an easy patsy…)

The Pattern For Chocolate Tunafish

Materials–50 gr. fingering weight yarn. (The originals were done in Regia Bamboo Color, but since the yarn color was the reason I called them ‘Chocolate Tunafish’ in the first place, I’m thinking you guys with better taste will make better picks.)
4 7 inch dpns, size 1
4 4 or 5 inch dpns, size 1
scissors, yarn needle, etc.

Gauge 7 st. per inch, stockinette (this is approximate–I just know what I knit with fingering wt. on size 1s)

Twin Leaf Panel + p2 relief stitches

Rows 1,3,5,7 p2, k10, p2, k10, p2
Row 2–p2, k6, ssk, return the resulting stitch to the left-hand needle and with point of right-hand needle pass the

nextstitch over it and off needle; then sl the stitch back to the right-hand needle (this is “ssk and pass”); yo,k1,yo,p2,yo,k1,yo, sl1–k2tog–psso, k6, p2.
Row 4–p2,k4, ssk and pass, k1, (yo,k1) twice, p2, k1, (yo, k1) twice, sl 1–k2tog–psso, k4, p2.
Row 6–p2, k2, ssk and pass, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p2, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl 1–k2 tog–psso, k2, p2.
Row 8–p2, SSk and pass, k 3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p2, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl 1–k2tog–psso, p2

Single Eyelet Rib

Multiple of 5 stitches (It’s usually 5+2, but I put the + 2 on the Leaf Panel with another + 2)

Rows 1, 3, 5, 7–k3,*p2, k3; rep from *.
Row 2–k3, *p2, k3; rep from*.
Row 4–*k2 tog, yo, k1, p2; rep from *, end with k2 tog, yo, k1,.
Row 6–Repeat Row 2
Row 8– *k1, yo, ssk, p2; rep from *, end with k1, yo, ssk, p2.

Okay…let’s see if I can explain this without sounding like dark matter. The usual Eyelet rib pattern is a p2, k3 (and variations thereof) affair. But I put a p2 on either side of the leaf pattern, so the Eyelet Rib part starts and ends with k3 and the variations. If I’ve totally confused you, let’s see if I can fix that w/the rest of the instructions.

CO 64 st on the 7″ dpns. Arrange 26 stitches on the first needle, 18 on the second and 20 on the third. (You don’t want to know how many times I had to do that in my head.)

Work 6 rows garter stitch (for 3 garter ridges)
Then, on needle 1, work Row 1 of the twin leaf panel.
On Needles 2 & 3 work Row 1 of the Eylet Rib
Continue working both patterns in the round until the cuff is as long as you like–my version of Chocolate Tunafish had 4 inch cuffs, but that was on request of the person I was making them for. Of course, remember, more cuff, more yarn, and I used ALL of the 50 gr. for the pair.

When the cuff is complete, it’s time to work the palm and thumb gussett, so here we go.

Left Mitt–Thumb gussett

Work Needle 1 in Twin Leaf Panel pattern, then work Needles 2 and 3 in stockinette for one round.
Next Round–Work Needle 1 in Twin Leaf Pattern, k 4 stitches of needle 2, place a marker, M1, place a marker, knit rest of needles 2 and 3.
Continue to work Twin Leaf Pattern on needle 1, and stockingette on needles 2 and 3, while at the SAME TIME Making 1 right after the first marker and right before the second marker every THREE rows. Do this until you have 23 stitches between the markers.

Thumb
When you have 23 stitches between markers, on the next round, after the Twin Leaf Panel, knit first four stitches of needle 2 onto needle 1 (just to get them out of the way) and then knit all of the gusset stitches onto the shorter dpns, co 2 stitches to needle 3, join, and knit the thumb to desired length, then work another six rows in garter stitch and bind off.

Hand–
Join yarn on 7 inch dpns after the thumb, and continue working in pattern until desired length. (Leave a long tail when you join so you can stitch up the gap left by working the thumb.)
Finish by working Row 8 of the Twin Leaf Pattern, and then working six rows of garter stitch (3 garter ridges).

Bind off!

For the Right Mitt–Finish working the Twin Leaf Panel on Needle 1, then knit 34 stitches from needles 2 and 3, place marker, M1, place marker, k 4.

Work the rest as for Left Mitt.

Okay–remember–all flaws in this pattern are Ladybugs. Really. Truly. For real.