  by
Anita Harkess
This pattern is my tribute
to the men of Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is
home to the University of Colorado, high-tech
businesses, and some of the best rock climbing
in the world. The men here are highly educated,
athletic, casual but stylish, and living in
the beautiful Rocky Mountains, many of them
care deeply about animals and the environment.
A great many Boulder men are
vegetarians, and this puts them in a bind. I've heard
them lament about the trials of trying to dress well
while living by their values. For a man who would
no more wear a dead animal than eat one, it is very
difficult to find a stylish belt. Most have had to
settle for an army surplus webbing-and-D-ring belt
that doesn't suit their sense of style, or a vinyl
imitation-leather belt that feels sticky and still
looks like the animal skins they are trying not to
wear.
I'm hoping my creation will
fill a void for animal lovers everywhere, giving men
an option that is casually stylish, masculine, and
a statement that is nothing like an ordinary leather
belt. To give a knitted item the firm body that a
belt requires, I've chosen durable hemp yarn and knitted
it with needles two sizes smaller than the label suggests.
The aran-style cable pattern gives the belt more structure,
as well as a classically masculine look. If you'd
like to substitute yarns, linen gives a similar tough,
firm feel; lace-weight cotton or wool will produce
a softer belt. I salvaged my belt buckle from an ugly,
inexpensive belt from a thrift shop. You can also
find buckles at most fabric stores. I've written the
pattern for a belt with holes -- if the buckle has
a center prong -- or without, for prongless buckles.
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model: R.J.
Zimmerman
photos:
Anita Harkess, R.J.
Zimmerman
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| S [M, L, XL, XXL] |
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Width: 1.25 inches
Length: 38.5[44, 49.5, 55, 60.5] inches
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Lanaknits Allhemp3 [100% hemp; 150 yd/137
m per 40g skein]; color: Avocado 10; 1[2, 2,
2] skeins. Available at www.lanaknits.com
if you can't find it at your LYS.
Note: Size
S uses exactly one skein, with very little left
over. A second skein may be desired.
1 set US #0/2mm double-point needles
Cable needle
Tapestry needle
Safety pin
1 belt buckle, with or without center prong,
1 1/2 inches wide
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28 sts/32 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette stitch
68 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in wheat ear cable pattern,
after ironing flat
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[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations
can be found here]
Wheat
Ear Cable Pattern
Rounds 1, 2, and 3: P2, k13, p2, k11.
Round 4: P2, sl3 to cable needle and hold to
back of work, k3, k3 from cable needle, k1, sl3 to
cable needle and hold to front of work, k3, k3 from
cable needle, p2, k11.
Buckle
Hole Cable Pattern
Round 1: P2, k13,
p2, k11.
Round 2: P2, k6, reach left needle behind
work and pick up center st of stockinette section
(this is sixth stockinette st, the last st on
second double-pointed needle), k this st tog
with next st on left needle, k next st and pass
previous st over, k5, p2, k5, bring yarn over
right needle to front of work then between needles
to back of work, k5. This joins the front of
the belt to the back of the belt at the buckle
hole (and makes the hole).
Round 3: P2, k6, k1 into loop on second
needle (do not drop loop from second needle),
k6, p2, k5, k again into loop, k5.
Round 4: P2, sl3 to cable needle and
hold to back of work, k3, k3 from cable needle,
k1, sl3 to cable needle and hold to front of
work, k3, k3 from cable needle, p2, k11.
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 Leaving
an 18-inch tail, CO 28 sts.
Divide sts on needles as follows: 17 sts on
first needle, 6 sts on second needle, 5 sts
on third needle. Join to begin working in
the round, being careful not to twist. If
desired, use safety pin to mark beg of round.
Work in Wheat Ear Cable Pattern. If using
a buckle with no center prong, cont until
work measures 38[43.5, 49, 54.5, 60] inches,
then cont to "Belt Tip". If using
a buckle with a center prong, cont until work
measures 32[37.5, 43, 48.5, 54] inches, ending
with Round 4 of cable pattern.
*Work 4 rounds of Buckle Hole Cable Pattern
once. Work 4 rounds of Wheat Ear Cable Pattern
once. Repeat from * 4 times more.
Cont in Wheat Ear Cable Pattern until work
measures 38[43.5, 49, 54.5, 60] inches.
Belt
Tip
Round 1: P2tog, k2, sl1, k1, psso,
k5, k2tog, k2, p2tog, sl1, k1, psso, k7, k2tog.
Round 2: Sl1, k1, psso, k1, sl1, k1,
psso, k3, k2tog, k1, k2tog, sl1, k1, psso,
k5, k2tog.
Round 3: Sl1, k1, psso, k1, sl1, k2tog,
psso, k1, k2tog, sl1, k1, psso, k3, k2tog.
Round 4: [Sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog]
twice.
Round 5: [Sl1, k2tog, psso] twice.
2 sts rem.
Pass first st over second st. Break yarn,
leaving a 6-inch tail, pull tail through last
st.
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Weave in ends securely by
weaving back and forth a couple of times to secure,
then inserting needle down into tube formed by belt
for a couple of inches. Pull the threaded needle tightly
so the belt scrunches up a bit, cut yarn, and pull
belt straight.
Set an iron to "Cotton/Linen"
setting with steam. Before pressing, the belt
will be cylindrical, like a snake. Use your
fingers to flatten out a small section of the
belt so that the cable pattern appears on top,
with one stitch of the stockinette backing along
each edge (see photos). Holding the section
flat, but keeping your fingers away from the
section to be pressed, cover with a press cloth,
and press with steam. Repeat, section by section,
until the entire belt is pressed flat. Allow belt
to cool before sewing on the buckle.
Sew buckle securely to CO
end of belt. Weave in rem end. Your Boulder Belt is
complete!
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 Anita
Harkess lives just outside of Boulder, Colorado,
where she knits, writes, edits, and admires
the men.
A compulsive knitter since the age of ten,
Anita was once cast in a play just because she
could knit gloves without looking down at her
work.
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| Pattern &
images © 2005 Anita Harkess. Contact
Anita |
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