A whale for Wendy

It was a whale of a project.

But I wanted to express to my sister how much I loved her, from far away.  (I live in NZ, she in North America.  She had also just given me some super valuable advice and had always helped me so I wanted to show her how much I cared.  Also, wouldn't that be a funny thing to get in the mail?  

I restarted several times figuring out the best way to proceed.

I normally knit in the round, and after many sea creatures like dolphins, start at the nose and expand or shape at will.  It is seamless.  It is like a sculpture.

But the humpback tended to the 2D sew-it-together approach as it seems like there are two colours, one on its base, another on top.  Also the mouth wraps around up high on the whale.  After trying a few times switching colours but knitting round I gave up on that and calculated the 3D shape as best I could, mapping put the area around the whale and making a knitting graph of the top and bottom (based on actual tension).  I drew the flanking shapes - lower half shaped like an arrowhead, the top like a bottle starting narrow and staying narrow for awhile then expanding.

The graph and the drawing were super helpful but for some reason I figured it wasn't quite wide enough - too realistic - so I multiplied the stitches by 33% wider...

This was the result.

This is the start of the base (baleen) piece- really big ribbing to show those grooves...

I recorded what I was knitting - eventually sewing both parts together, stuffing it and continuing the second half in freestyle- leaving caps to return to for adding the fins.  

Every part required several tries, the start (5), the joining, the tail (twice).  The fins of course - but when I elaborately spent an evening following the scalloped edge on a fin, this is the most important part to write down as nature is syymmetrical.  I can freestyle the body all I want, but the second fin must copy the first exactly (mirrored).  And the left side of table in to right.  So it must be written down - even just for the moment until it is complete.

Kind eyes need eyelids; I always enjoy adding soul to the animals doing this part.  Eyes are the most important to be done right.

After all was complete adding bumps and even the top fin through shaping added lots of whale character.

I may not have made a realistic humpback whale, I think following such a bumpy type of whale (while shortening the proportions) allowed me to make a very whale-like whale!  

My sister has always loved blue, and I used a few strands of blue sock wool, and he same but part white on the base.  When she got this in the mail - it was a whale of a hug!

By the way here is the pattern I painstakingly recorded.  I hate following patterns myself, but just in case!  Well they are a great way to learn technique.

Pattern:

Bottom of humpback whale

Cast on 16 sts

1. Knit in rib 16 sts

2. Add 2 each side, rib 20 

3. Rib 20   

4. Add 2 each side, rib 24    

5. Rib 24

6. Add 2 each side, rib 28

7. Rib 28

8. Add 2 each side, rib 32

9. Rib 32

10. Rib 32

11.  Add 2 each side, rib 36

12. Rib 36

13. Rib 36

14. Rib 36

15. Add 2 each side, rib 40

16. Rib 40 start double ribbing 2k2p

17. Rib 40

18. Rib 40

19. Add 2 each side, rib 44 2p2k first 

20. Rib 44 stil 2p2k first

21. Add 1 each side, rib 46 care for ribbing as 1 extra (Kfb, p, 2k2p…)

22. Rib 46  starting k1 p2 k2

23. Rib 46 

24. Rib 46 

25. Rib 46 

26. Add 1 each side, rib 48 

27. Rib 48 switch bigger needles

Rows 28 - 48, continue double rib 48 for 12 rows, then change to 

49. K or p2tog 7 times following pattern, then continue pattern until 14 left, k or ptog 7 times following pattern

50. K2tog, p2tog, k2tog, continue pattern until last 6 - k2tog or p2tog 3 times with pattern

51. K2tog twice, follow pattern to last 4; k2tog twice (24)

52. P1, k2, p3 etc until last 3, 2p, k1

53 - 55 Continue in triple rib for 3 rows then reduce 1 more each end. (22)

Knit in pattern for 48 rows or until narrow part measures about 30 cm.

103. Switch to double rib again to fade out indents - *(2k2p) repeat until end of row (but ends on a 2k)

104. Start with 2p2k. Repeat to end, but ends on a 2p.*

105-106. Repeat rows 103/104 double rib pattern once more. 

107. K2tog,(2p2k) until last 4, then 2p, k2tog. 20

108. P1, (2k2p) repeat until last 4, then 2k, p1. 20

109. K2tog, p1, (k2p2) until 3 left, p1, k2tog. 18

110. (2k2p) repeat, ends on a 2k. 18

111. (2p2k) repeat, ends on 2p. 18

112.  K2tog, (2p,2k) until end.  17

113. K2tog, (2k, 2p) until last 3, k1, p2tog  15

114. K1, p1, (k2, p2) until last sts k1.

115. P1, (2k, 2p) until last 2, k2tog. 14

116. P1, (k2, p2) repeat until last 1 then k1.

117. K2tog, k1, p2, (k2, p2) until last 3, p1, k2tog. 12

118. (2k, 2p) until end.

119. K2tog, (2p, 2k), until last 2, p2tog. 10

120. K1, p2, k2, p2, 2k, p1. 

121. K2tog, p1, k2, p2, k1, p2tog. 8

122. K1, p1, k2, p2, k2 (8)

123. P2, k2, repeat.

124. P2, k2, repeat

Put sts on hold

Top of humpback whale

Cast on 8 sts

1. K8

2. P3, kfb twice, p3   (10)

3. Kfb, k8, kfb    (12)

4. P3, kfb, p4, kfb, p3 (14)

5. Kfb, p12, kfb  (16)

6. jKfb, p14, kfb (18)

7. K8, kfb twice, k8 (20)

8. Kfb, p18, kfb (22)

9. K10, kfb twice, k10 (24)

10.  Kfb, p23, kfb (26)

11. K7, kfb, k10, kfb, k7 (28)

12. P28

13. K13, kfb twice, k13 (30)

14. P30

15. K30

16. P30

17. Kfb, k30, kfb (32)

18. P32

19. K32

20. P32

21. K3, kfb, k to last 4, kfb, k3.  (34)

22. P34

23. K34

24. K2tog, p to last st, k2tog (36)

25. K36

26. P36

27. K12, kfb, k10, kfb, k12 (38)

28. P38

29. K38

30. Kfb, p38 (until last st), kfb

31. P40

32. K40

33. P40

34. CO 10 to right side, k to end, .CO 10 sts

35. P60

36. K29, kfb twice, k29 (62)

37. P62

38. K62

39. P62

40. Kfb, k to last st, kfb 

41. P64

Stockinette until matches bottom piece then sew together leaving holes for side fins and knit in round again.

Narrow tail by eye looking at photos of whale.

Whale tail

When at most narrow (48 sts) start increasing - also knit more rows below so tail will be slightly lifted up(like when the breach).

Over 16 rounds increase to 82 total (I turned and knitted more rows on underside than top).

Method for knitting tail - when stitches are evenly divided onto 4 needles, knit with 2 at a time, other 2 on hold.  

For a few rows, reduce k2tog x 2 at beginning (closest to tail centre), then increase by 1 at tail edge on end of needle, again at end of next needle, then k to last four of round at k2tog x 2 again.

Then k2tog at start and end of rounds with no increases at edge until all stitches gone - draw string through last two.  

Repeat on other side.

Whale fin - right (according to whale)

Doesn't matter what you do just write down and mirror exactly as fins are symmetrical!

Right side, round starts by eye, bottom needle first to the left...

Stick needle in round hole, pu 14 sts top, 14 bottom

k 4 rounds

1. k28

2. k28

3. k28

4. k28

5. Increase by 2 on bottom (16) and by 4 on top (18) 34 sts

k 8 rounds

6. k34 

7. k34

8. k34 

9. k34 

10. k34 

11. k34 

12. k34 

13. k34 

14. n1 bot: Kfb by eye, k2tog at end (tail).  n2 top: k to last st, kfb by eye. (35)

15. k round 

16. k round 

17. n1 bot: k2tog by eye, k to end of round

18. n1 bot: k2tog x 2 by eye, k.  n2 top: k to last 2 and k2tog (by eye).  

19. n1 bot: k.  n2 top: k2tog by tail and k2tog x 3 by eye. 

20. k28 (15 bot n / 13 top)  

21. n1 bot: k.  n2 top. k to last 2 and kfb x 2 (by eye). 

22. n1 bot: k.  n2 top: k to last 2, kfb x 2 (by eye). 

23. n1bot: k to last 2, k2tog (by tail).  n2 top: k. 

24. k29 (14 bot / 15 top)

25. n1bot: k2tog by eye, k to end.  n2 top: k to last 4 sts, k2tog x 2 by eye.

26. n1 bot: k2tog by eye, k to end.  n2 top: k2 tog by tail, k to end. 24 sts

27. kfb x 2 at start and end of round (by eye)

28. k28 

29. n1 bot: k to last 2, k2tog (by tail).  n2 top: k. 27 sts

30. k2tog x 2 at start and end of round (by eye)  23 sts

31. n1bot: k2tog by eye, k.  n2 top: k. 22 sts

32. k22 (10 bot, 12 top)

33. k22 

34. k22

35. n1 bot: k to end.  n2 top: k2tog by tail, k.

36. k21

37. k21

38. kfb start and end (by eye).

39. k23

40. k23

41. k2tog at start and end of round (by eye)

k 6 rounds

42. k21

43. k21

44. k21

45. k21

46. k21

47. k21

48. kfb at start and end f round (by eye)

49. k23

50. k2tog x 2 at start and end of round (eye)

51. k2tog at start and end of round (eye)

52. k2tog x 2 at start and end of round (eye)

53. k2tog x 3 at start and end of round (eye)

54.  k2tog x 4

55. k2tog x 2

draw string through 2 sts

tidy up corner

shape and stuff bumps, reinforce, look at photo whale fin 

other fin - round starts by eye but is top needle first.  replicate (mirror)

That's it!