The Sirka Counter
TM
1
2
3
TM
by Grellow & Gray
G
“Hey, Grellow.”
G
“Do you know what most
knitting counters do?”
G
“Yes, Gray?”
“Sure. They count rows. ”
“Meanwhile, most knitting
patterns don’t count rows.”
G
“Not directly. When’s the last
time you read a pattern that ran
from Row 1 to, like, Row 182?”
G
“They don’t?”
“Last year. It was twenty pages long.”
© 2013 GRELLOW & GRAY INC.
All Rights Reserved.
“Exactly. Most patterns break
things up into tasks. They say, ‘Do
this for a few rows, then stop.’”
G
“‘And then do something else.’”
“‘And AT THE SAME TIME, do
something completely different.’”
G
“Right. So then you have to
translate the pattern, row by
row, on a big piece of paper ...”
“... Just so you can use
your row counter ...”
“... And then you lose the
piece of paper. I hate that.”
“You lose the piece of paper.”
G
G
“(Sigh.) I’m tired of the paperwork,
Gray. Can’t we just figure out a way
to knit directly from the pattern?”
“I don’t see why not.
We’re knitters, right?”
G
And knitters are smart. Not only can they read
and speak a foreign language (e.g., “k2tog tbl”),
but they can keep track of multiple instructions
AT THE SAME TIME. We thought knitters
deserved a counter that’s smart, too.
Unlike other knitting counters, which are made
to count rows, the SirkaTM counter is designed to
count “repeats,” or repeating elements of a pattern.
A repeat can be a row, such as the number of rows
between increases, or the rows in a cable pattern.
But a repeat can be other things, too, such as the
number of increases worked or the number of
cables completed.
Because most patterns require knitters to count
several repeats at once, the SirkaTM counter is
designed to multitask. Three rotating discs in
three different colors count three different
numbers in a range from 0 to 36, which is wide
enough to include the usual repeats (and some
unusually large ones, too). Three “hands” remind
knitters when to stop each count. Revolutionary!
Make your own watch fob by
fastening a strap to the bow.
Start each count at
the top of the dial,
either at “0” (i.e., 36)
or at the “1” position.
33
36
3
Sirka
TM
30
6
27
Use the hands
to remember
where each
count ends.
Advance your count by
rotating a crown in a
clockwise direction.
9
24
12
Grellow & Gray
21
18
The teeth underneath
the hands fit into
slots on the dial.
15
!
CHOKING HAZARD: SMALL PARTS
Not for children under three years old.
Example No 1: The Button Cardi
Here is the Sirka counter
at the beginning of Row 9:
TM
Row 5 (RS): k4, yo, k2tog, k3, k to end.
Row 6 (WS): purl.
Row 7 (RS): (dec) p9, k to last 4 st, ssk,
k2.
Row 8 (WS): p to last 9 st, k to end.
Continuing with pattern as est, work dec
as in Row 7 every 8(8,10,12) rows 8(7,6,5)
more times, AT THE SAME TIME continuing to
make buttonhole as in Row 5 every 14 rows.
1.
2.
3.
33
6
TM
27
9
24
Use the gray crown to count the
total number of decreases worked,
starting at 0 and ending at 7.
Use the blue crown to count the
rows between buttonholes, starting
at 1 and ending at 14. Work each
buttonhole on the 14.
3
Sirka
30
Use the yellow crown to count the
rows between decreases, starting
at 1 and ending at 10. Work each
decrease on the 10.
36
21
tip!
12
Grellow & Gray
18
15
Start at 1 when counting rows. Start at
0 (“36”) when counting the number of
times you have completed something, such
as increases, decreases, and buttonholes.
Example No 2: The Shawl
Row
Row
Row
Row
10:
11:
12:
13:
Here is the Sirka counter
after 21 repeats from *:
TM
knit.
k54, w&t.
knit.
k to end.
The gray
crown is
under here.
*Work 7 rows garter stitch, then work Rows
1 through 13 of body pattern. Repeat from *
23(31) more times. Bind off loosely.
1.
2.
3.
33
TM
6
27
9
TM
24
Use the gray crown to count the
rows in the body pattern, starting
at 1 and ending at 13.
Use the blue crown to count the
total number of repeats from *,
starting at 0 and ending at 32.
3
Sirka
30
Use the yellow crown to count the
garter stitch rows, starting at 1 and
ending at 7.
36
Grellow & Gray
21
tip!
18
12
15
To return a crown to the “0” position,
you may rotate it in either direction.
Example No 3: The Aran Pullover
The pattern includes three charts: Chart A
has 8 rows; Chart B has 16 rows; and
Chart C has 36 rows.
For the back piece, the pattern asks
knitters to work the charts in a
specified order until the piece
measures 17” in length.
1.
2.
3.
tip!
Use the yellow crown to count the
rows in Chart A, starting at 1 and
ending at 8.
Use the gray crown to count the
rows in Chart B, starting at 1 and
ending at 16.
Use the blue crown to count the
rows in Chart C, starting at 1 and
ending at 36.
To see this SirkaTM counter, visit us on
the Web at www.grellowandgray.com.
“Let’s recap.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
G
Identify the things you would
like to count.
Assign a color to each thing.
Rotate each crown until it
appears alongside the starting
number for that count.
Push the end of each hand
into the slot next to the ending
number of each count. Match
your colors.
As you work, rotate the crowns
clockwise. When a crown
reaches its corresponding hand,
you have reached the end of
your count.
Never, never try to open or
disassemble your counter!
“And if you need more help ...”
“ ... Join us on our Website, at
www.grellowandgray.com.”
“We’ve got video tutorials.
And a blog. I love blogging.”
“Too much, I think.”
G
G
“And we’ve got a contact form that
you can use to ask us questions.”
“So please feel free to
ask us questions, and
in the meantime ...”
“... Happy knitting!”
Thank you for your purchase!
••
••
!
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN
OR DISASSEMBLE YOUR SIRKATM
COUNTER. Doing so would release the
tiny springs and balls inside, which could
cause injury, would render the counter
inoperable, and would void the warranty.
DO NOT EXPOSE YOUR SIRKA
COUNTER TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT.
Doing so could discolor or damage the
plastic, which would void the warranty.
TM
G
For warranty information, please visit us on
the Web at www.grellowandgray.com.
Materials: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(“ABS”); stainless steel.
MANUFACTURED AND ASSEMBLED
IN THE U.S.A.
G
PATENT PENDING.
GRELLOW & GRAY INC.
Omaha, Nebraska
U.S.A.
www.grellowandgray.com
13-1-25C