Screen Door by Leigh Radford

Screen Door

Knitting
September 2005
Ultra Dee UV-Coated Nylon Upholstery Thread
18 stitches and 44 rows = 4 inches
in Garter stitch
US 8 - 5.0 mm
2070 yards (1893 m)
23" x 57" (unstretched)
English

Pattern description from Alterknits:
“Once I decided I wanted to take on the challenge of knitting a screen for a door, I swatched with an array of materials. I knew I needed something flexible and durable and able to withstand outdoor weather conditions. I tried craft wire, fishing line, sewing thread, and nylon rope, among other materials, until I finally settled on uv-coated nylon upholstery thread. Double-stranded and worked in garter stitch, this kind of thread is incredibly flexible and springy and gives the screen a very interesting look, more unique than you might expect from such a humble medium. These instructions are written for the size door frame I used. If your door frame is a different size, you’ll need to knit a swatch and recalculate the number of stitches you need to cast on to achieve the measurements desired. Your knitted screen should measure five to ten percent smaller than the opening in the door frame, depending on how taut you want the screen to be once it is mounted.”

Yarn: Ultra Dee UV-Coated Nylon Upholstery Thread (100% bonded polyester; 1035 yards); 2 spools. Shown in #1412 bird’s egg blue.

Needles: One set straight needles size US 8 (5 mm). Change needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Materials: Recycled wooded screen door (shown with opening 23.75” x 59.75”), wood molding cut to dimensions of door opening (with ends cut at 45-degree angles); heavy-duty staple gun, 1/4” staples, finishing nails.