FO: (late) midsummer mitts

Another test knit, though I am being woefully late in posting this. This is a super cute pattern by 

Jess of Sushi Pie, which used less than skein of Manos de Uruguay Silk Blend (way less - I actually made three of this glove, because the first was too big!) Though the pattern is only written in one size, I went down to size 4 needles for the entire thing to get a hand-warmer that fits perfectly, and would be perfect for times like right now, when I'm typing in a freezing cafe and wishing I'd brought these along. Anyway, if you like leafy things, you should check these out!

Raveled here. 

Machu Picchu and an FO!

We are back in our small Andean mountain town after a weekend at Machu Picchu! It was a bit of a last minute decision to go, but I'm so glad we did - we totally lucked out with the weather, and had an awesome time. 

Also, possibly less excitingly, I was able to finish these Toasty handwarmers on the train to Aguas Calientes, which meant I could wear them the next day before the sun came out and clouds lifted over the ruins. 

The pattern: I used the Toasty pattern only a starting point for the length, but cast on only 30 and then did a modified thumb gusset as follows (the same for both hands):

k15, PM, m1, PM, k15.

k one round.

k to M, sm, M1R, k1, M1L, sm, k to end of round.

k one round.

k to M, sm, k1, MIR, k to 1 stitch before M, MIL, k1, sm, k to end of round.

k one round.

Repeat the previous two rows until there are 11 stitches between the markers. Knit one more round even after the final increase, then, on the next round, slip all thumb stitches to scrap yarn, and CO 2 more stitches using backwards CO.

k one round.

k to 1 stitch before the new CO stitches, SSK, K2tog, k to end of round (and then k to desired hand length - in my case, 3.5 inches above the thumb).

For the thumb, I picked up 2 stitches from the gap, then knit them together on the next round; and worked 9 rounds altogether before binding off.

I'm quite happy with the way these came out! I got slowed down knitting these because I was also working on a test knit, but once I sat down to finish these, they went incredibly fast. They were probably the most simple pattern I'd worked on in ages, and I found it incredibly satisfying to have such a quick, pretty knit.

I was also insanely excited to use the yarn, which was a handspun DK by Pigeonroof Studios - I had it with me for two weeks before I finally had time to use it - I actually put it in my carry on bag just in case my checked bag got lost (this happens to me like, one out of every five times I fly, I swear!) and I really love it. The photo doesn't really do the colors justice - it ranges from coffee browns to more black-cherry-browns to gold, and is so soft and pretty, I can't wait to wear these more! Fortunately, Ollantaytambo is freezing cold, especially at night, so I have plenty of opportunity.

Raveled here. 

me elsewhere!

I know it's a bit late to be posting this seeing that it's now at least one Monday ago, but I was super excited to have a project of mine featured on the amazing Knitted Bliss blog! I knit these almost two years ago in Japan, to match the ones I'd made for Iain earlier that summer. Thinking about this project for the first time in a long time (I have no idea where these gloves are now!) reminded me what an awesome pattern Dashing is, with or without mods. If you don't already follow Julie's blog, you definitely should - Modification Monday is a very cool feature, and her designs are absolutely gorgeous. 

new york handwarmers

While we were visiting California, my sister asked for a pair of fingerless handwarmers for her New Years trip to New York; though I actually suspect these won't be warm enough for New York's insanely cold winters,  I do think they'll suit her life in slightly-less-cold San Francisco. She chose the yarn herself - Cascade 220 in Palm - and I bought it for her as a thank for letting us use her car for the week. The pattern itself is improvised, mostly because my mom's printer wasn't working* and I couldn't be bothered to go on the internet and find an existing pattern to print. They're not the most shockingly original things (just a K2P1 rib all around) and unfortunately I've since lost the notes I scribbled (along with my entire knitting notebook!) but she seemed happy enough:

above: modeling her Marian cowl and new hand-warmers.

* later, it was determined that the printer wasn't working because no one had removed that little orange sticker over the new cartridge that says 'remove before printing.' Heh, oops. 

new pattern: arden

New Pattern up on Ravelry today! 

Arden is unisex elbow-length hand-warmer that uses a single skein of Malabrigo Worsted. One large cable is accented by single ribbing and smaller twisted cables, which can be easily knit without a cable needle, making Arden a fast, engaging project.

Arden is available in two sizes, a smaller size to fit an average woman’s hand and a larger size to fit an average man’s hand; the smaller size has a hand circumference of 7” and the larger size has a hand circumference of 7.5”. Both sizes of hand-warmer measures 7” around the arm, and are 15”/ 38 cm long when lying flat and un-stretched.

Two notes on fit:

• If you have small hands, you may prefer working at a tighter gauge by going down a needle size and/or using a lighter worsted weight yarn to ensure a closer fit.
• These mitts are elbow length, but it’s very easy to shorten them if that’s too long for you - some test knitters left off one repeat of the cable pattern for shorter mittens.

This pattern has been test-knit in both sizes, and includes written and charted directions.

Materials:

• 220 yards worsted weight yarn (I used Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Paris Night)
• Size 7 DPNs or size needed to achieve gauge. 
• Cable needle, tapestry needle, stitch markers.

download now!