Mr. Mittens, Cloth/Square, Etsy

I've finished one mitten body of the Manly Mittens I'm making for the Mr.. I am accepting that the decreases in the pattern as written are all one direction, making it easier for a knitter new to colorwork to finish off the shaping and closure of the mitten.  The pattern is not quite maintained for the last 7 rows, and if this is not your preference, you can substitute mirrored increases.  I knit the pattern as written just to see how it looks. For those who are really OCD about patterning, this won't work, but generically I'm impressed that there is as little interruption as there is. 

Keeping in pattern during decreases for new Fair Isle knitters is like trying to put pantyhose on a kitten.  It's not too successful, and everybody loses. This is an ideal solution.  I showed the Mr., and he loves it, insists that it needs a thumb, and never even noticed that the pattern changes a little toward the top.

I've added another baby blanket/dishcloth square to the collection today.  It really takes a long time to get things translated from original drawing to uploaded computer file!  Soon there will also be an Etsy shop will more involved designs available. First, I need to tackle my pharmacology final, though. 

Better Than Chocolate, Mr. Mittens

Better than chocolate, really.  Oh, man!  Epiphany by Cascade is incredible.  60% Royal Alpaca, 20% Cashmere / 20% Silk, this yarn is a worsted weight that comes in 12 beautiful colors.  Better than that, it is the softest, easiest to work with alpaca blend I've ever touched.  It's very warm, and due to the silk and cashmere contents it's strong and it doesn't grow! The price is good, too.  At Karma Knitting in Williamsville, it's $28 for 273 yards. Why better than chocolate? Delicious without calories!

The Mr. Mittens are going along nicely.  (See Manly Mitts in Free Patterns, above)  Making the substitution of needles has really done it this time.  The pattern is easy to knit and easy to follow.  I'm teaching a version of this pattern in a mitten class this Sunday as a "First Fair Isle" project, and wish I had started on something like this!  The carries are short (translation - easy) and the pattern is only 4 stitches wide and 2 rows long.  If Fair Isle makes you nervous, I would suggest these as a project to get over your fear. 

Most people worry about the pattern puckering, which is the most common problem for folks new to the technique.  I suggest you pay attention to your carries (the yarn of the color not used on a particular stitch is "carried" behind.)  Bring them along at the same tension you always would, even if you're just taking the yarn from one stitch to the next.  No tighter, no looser.  Your work will be flat and smooth.

Folks also complain about the two colors getting twisted up between the work and the skeins, but there is a simple solution.  Once you introduce your contrast color, choose one yarn to be "the bottom" and one to be "the top" yarn. (Usually the contrast color is used as the "top" yarn, as it will have slightly smaller stitches and therefore be slightly less prominent.)  As you drop the "bottom" yarn to knit with the "top" one, make sure you always bring the "top" yarn over your working yarn. Bring the "bottom" yarn up under the working yarn when it's time to use it again.  If you do this, your colorwork will be even smoother, and your yarn will twist rarely.

Works in Progress, Free Patterns

This is a good week; a little headway on the Mr. Mittens (using the recently posted Manly Mitts pattern in a heavy worsted), a little work on the Reversible Brioche Rib scarf, and a little work on My Socks.  On top of that I've completed writing two patterns, and posted lots of charts (this week's free patterns) on the Cloths/Squares page and on Ravelry. Still not on Ravelry?  Once you open an account you can roam tens of thousands of free patterns, see what other knitters are up to, and so much more!  Climb aboard.  If you'd like, ask a current Raveller for help. (Like me!)

The My Socks represent my ongoing infatuation with Nichole Sock Yarn by Schaeffer.  This stuff is a pleasure to knit up, wear, and even to wash!  It dries pretty quickly, too.  I know I'll have to branch out beyond this stuff some day, but Buffalo winters beg for cozy, cheerful socks, and this yarn is the magical weight between dress socks and too heavy.  (I know for a fact that this yarn is seeing other people, and I see them in public from time to time.  As long as I get to keep these socks as souvenirs of our relationship, I'll tolerate it.)

The Reversible Brioche Rib is a lovely, meditative process.  Since you work each row twice, once in each color, it's slower going than it appears.  It isn't like trudging through quicksand, though; more like choosing to meander on a walk.  I knit on this project less than I'd like, and it ends up feeling like the midnight ice cream snack a dieter sneaks! (I've owed the Mr. a pair of mittens for a long time.) There need to be more knitting hours in the day!  With a big final on the horizon for school, it'll probably be another week or so until I get back to 2-3 hours of knitting per evening.  I really feel like a kid waiting for summer vacation.  COME ON!

History, Free Patterns

I've been reading about knitting's American history, and learned a few things that surprised me.  The biggest surprise by far is that sweaters weren't knit in the US in any significant number until WWI.  Until then, knitting was usually about socks, hats, and shawls.  Another stunner: knitting for babies didn't take off until rationing in WWII made it difficult to buy baby clothes for newborns and infants, leaving mothers to get creative on their own.  Since knitting was considered a "patriotic duty" most women could easily whip up baby things out of yarn scraps.  The third surprising thing I learned is that wool was in such short supply due to the military demands for uniforms, bedding, and bandages, that re-using wool from all sources was commonplace.  Wool used for clothing, upholstery and carpeting was re-carded and re-spun into wool in factories and sold as "reclaimed", or sometimes "rag" wool.  New or "virgin" wool was largely allocated to the needs of our "boys over there".  When it was available, it was a pricey luxury.

All the history reading has made me think about my own knitting history, and that of my family.  The grandmothers both knit.  My mother knitted for her children. And at around 7 she and my grandmother taught me to knit.  I knit a sweater for my teddy bear, and a big raglan-sleeved mock turtleneck with graduated stripes.  I only knit occassionally for years.  Then I had a hysterectomy 8 years ago, and decided to spend my convalesence knitting.  I grabbed up two sweater patterns, a chemo cap pattern, and a ton of yarn, and I was back.  The yarns are amazing, and the patterns are so much more fun than I can every remember them being!

I've been looking for patterns to share with you that represent my knitting history, and here's what I've found:

Teddy Sweaters, click here.

HalfDome Chemo Caps, click here.

Manly Mittens, click here.

Thanks to the original designers who published these patterns in a free format.  Knitters are so cool that way! These were fun patterns for me, and I'll make them again, I'm sure.  Enjoy! 



Manly Mittens



Teddy Sweaters



Half Dome Chemo Cap