Saturday, September 05, 2015

Update.

Seems that blogging has become intermittent - much like the knitting. I did finish the second pair of Rainbow mitts, and I've started and restarted a cardigan. I made a mess of the warp in then loom - suspect it was messy right from the start - and after a heroic effort to selvedge the warp I came to my senses and cut the warp off leaving the loom naked. Today it's all about the mitts, next post the cardigan with stitches off the needles.

 

Here is the second pair of Rainbow mitts, this time the larger size and the larger needles. I think I could make another pair - the smaller size and larger needed and they would fit even slugger around the fingers and hand. With the larger size I was able to work the standard wrist shaping. Also different this time - I didn't rib the ends of the fingers. I'm still not a fan of rolling stocking stitch edges but these don't bother me to wear as much as I thought they would. I'm beginning to think of this as the Goldilocks mitts, First too small, then too big and maybe the next will be just right. It's not the pattern, after all I didn't swatch or use the yarn specified - I just cast on and went. And with stocking stitch there is very little pattern pull in as would happen with ribbing or cables. I am beginning to wonder what would happen if I worked the palm in a rib or a heel style slip stitch, which would pull in where most needed.

After dying about 5 grams of each colour and knitting two pairs I still seem to have enough yarn to knit another pair of mitts. Really each finger must use only 2 grams or so.

I worked the same cuff hem on these mitts, picking up stitches onto a second circular needle and working the inside hem down before casting off both sets of stitches together. This time I made the cuff deeper. I do like the finish,and think it (like the iCard cast off) might become a regular technique.

 

This is one of the nicest details about the mitts, the thumb gusset. The decreases are not simply repeated, instead the designer has considered the way the had is shaped and adapted the decreases to fit that shape. There are four decrease points, which work as three points, one up the midline of the thumb, and one either side. It makes a subltle but intelligent detail.

And it's snowing today, so a perfect day to wear something warm and colour full like these.

Na Stella.

 

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