Remember when I had 50g of possum yarn, generously mailed to me from New Zealand by my travel buddy Clare? At my most recent trip to Wool-Tyme, I noticed that they also sell the very same brand of possum yarn in several really nice colours.
I picked up a ball of oatmeal coloured yarn, and started knitting the most luxurious pair of mittens I’ve ever felt. My hands are ready for a change, since I’ve been knitting a lot of acrylic robotic hats lately.
I love how the 2 colour cast on looks paired with the braided cuff, and the possum rivals alpaca for softness and warmth. I could get used to this luxury!
Last night I finished a pair of mittens that I started a while ago. I love making mittens because they are portable projects, and a rather necessary accessory for the Canadian winter that is quickly approaching. I like customizing colours and patterns and making sure that my cuffs are long enough.
Really warm mittens are often knit with a stranded pattern in two colours. The stitch pattern usually includes a maximum of 4 or 5 stitches in a row of one colour.
I knit with a rather tight gauge, using 4mm double pointed needles and worsted weight yarn from Topsy farms. My general recipe for stranded mittens is as follows:
Decide on a stitch pattern: Colour in some squares on graph paper being sure not to make more than 5 stitches in a row one colour.
Figure out how many stitches and rows are in your pattern repeat: Choose one point in the pattern and count horizontally and vertically until you have mapped out a repeatable pattern block.
There are 4 stitches and 6 rows in this repeat
There are 6 stitches and 10 rows in this repeat
Decide on how many stitches to cast on: This should be a multiple of the number of stitches in one repeat, and it should fall somewhere between 48 stitches for size small to 54 stitches for size medium/large.
Using the first pattern, the cast on could be (4)(12)=48 or (4)(13)=52 or (4)(14)=56
In the second case it could be (6)(8)=48 or (6)(9)=54
Cast on: Use one colour, cast on the appropriate number of stitches and join in the round being careful not to twist.
Knit cuff: Join second colour and work until the cuff measures 2.5 to 3 inches (depending on your cuff preference).
Thumb Gusset: Mittens are very form fitted at the cuff, and you need to increase stitches to account for the width of your hand at the thumb area. The way to do this is to increase 2 stitches every alternate row on the thumb side of the mitten. The increases will affect the stitch count, and the pattern repeat. A good work-around is to change the patterning for the thumb gusset. A checkerboard or striped pattern on the thumb is easy to do.
Continue until the gusset is 17-21 stitches depending on thumb size. Keep gusset stitches on a stitch holder or piece of scrap yarn, and cast on a full repeat of stitches, or whatever is needed to maintain a consistent pattern across the hand.
Knit Hand: Keep knitting in pattern until the mitten fits up to your little finger.
Decreases: Put the mitten on your hand. Mark the stitches at the little finger and index finger edges for decreases. There should be equal numbers of stitches on the palm and back of the hand.
Keeping pattern consistent repeat the following two rows until approximately 16 stitches remain
Row 1: knit until 2 stitches before the little finger edge. K2tog in main colour, SSK in main colour. Knit in pattern until 2 stitches before index finger edge. K2tog in main colour, SSK in main colour.
Row 2: knit in pattern. Use main colour over the 2 stitches on the little finger and index finger edges.
Kitchener stitch bind off. video credit: the knitwitch on youtube.
Thumb: pick up and knit (in pattern) the stitches from the scrap yarn/stitch holder, and stitches from the cast on edge around the thumb hole. I often choose stitches that are not right on the edge of the thumb hole to avoid creating holes around the thumb. The number of thumb stitches is not critical. Make it fit your thumb. Knit in pattern in the round until the thumb is 1.5 to 2 inches long.
Decreases: K2tog in pattern until around 6 stitches remain. Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Draw yarn through stitches and pull tight.
I knew that I’d have lots of time to knit today, so I started a brand new project. I boarded the bus this morning and cast on in two shades of green worsted weight wool from Topsy Farms on Amherst Island. I improvised the pattern from something that I remembered from Folk Knitting In Estonia, by Nancy Bush.
Making the pattern continuous while increasing for the thumb gusset proved too difficult for me, specially when riding a bus. To solve the issue of concealing the increases I alternated colours to form a checkerboard pattern on the gusset stitches.
Knitting continued through the football game…which ended in a tie, but both teams seem to have interpreted that as a win, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. Exhibition game. Confidence builder. Team bonding. All in all it was a gorgeous day…bright sunshine…cool breeze…leaves turning colours….and lots and lots of knitting.
By the time I got home, I had completed one mitten–ends darned in and all! There was even time to complete the cuff to mitten number two before arriving back to Kingston. I was impressed with myself: 1.25 mittens in a day. And now it’s time to rest my aching knuckles.
Today I’d like to present to you the result of all that spinning
I have completed a pair of mittens for Evan (my traveling buddy) to commemorate our adventure, and remind him of his introduction into the crazy world of fiber arts. (He spun the white fleece on a drop spindle at our campsite)
The mittens have 2010 on the cuff (palm side) and on the back of the wrist they have alpacas!
All of the black stranded colourwork is done with alpaca that I bought on our trip. This means that the inside of the cuff is extremely soft and fluffy.
I like how all of the colours stripe and blend together. The mittens don’t match perfectly, but I think that adds to the charm. They are one of a kind, and will be making their way to Providence this fall for his birthday!
I’ve been enjoying a luxury knitting project these past two weeks. I spun up one package of alpaca roving from Island Alpaca, that I picked up on my vacation. It is incredibly soft, and made a wonderful DK weight 3 ply yarn.
The yarn has traveled with me and has slowly been transformed into a pair of mittens. These mittens will be an excellent autumn/spring pair, and will serve as the most soft and toasty liner mittens all winter long. Look at the halo that has developed already!
Mitten #1 was completed last week after a night at the movies
Mitten #2 was worked on during a few meetings, and is now almost complete
I thought that I had spun enough roving for two mittens. My estimation skills are usually pretty good. These mittens are a little extra long in the cuff, which might explain why I ran out of yarn.
Whatever the reason….I was so close!!! There’s half of the thumb left to do. I’m guessing that it will just take a few more meters of yarn, but that requires me to sit down at the spinning wheel.
In any case, I’m sure these will be finished before it gets cool enough to need them.
This afternoon I delivered my second pay it forward handmade gift. I signed up back in November to do a pay it forward challenge, where I had a year to make 3 gifts and send them to the first three people that signed up on my blog, provided that they also promise to make 3 gifts, and pay it forward to other people.
Since November, I have sent a pair of mittens to Lisa
Today is labour day, the day that marks the transition from summer to fall, from vacation to school. For as long as I can remember, my family has taken part in a rather strange labour day tradition.
We walk, all together, through campus, watching all the university students moving in, dyeing jackets purple and getting the craziest haircuts in the world. Our destination is always the same. We go to the ferry dock…
no cellphones? good luck!
…and go to Wolfe Island…
….and get ice cream….
tiger tail...my mom's favourite
….and eat it in the graveyard. (weird, eh?)
the church
the pretty flowers by the church
our ice cream spot
I brought my knitting (and my umbrella) with me. I’m working on my pair of black alpaca mitts.
They are the softest, warmest mittens around. I think I will wear them inside every other pair of mittens I’ve made for myself–this is Canada, we can get away with layering mittens! Even my brother, who claims everything that I knit is itchy, said that these were “not that bad”.
Yarn: handspun (by me) from superfine alpaca roving purchased at Island Alpaca, Martha’s Vineyard (blogged here).
I’m not quite sure where family traditions come from, but come rain or shine, you’ll find us all in the Wolfe Island graveyard on labour day, just taking it easy and enjoying our ice cream.
August brings with it the threat of some chilly evenings, specially for those out camping. This hat and mitts set were designed for a quick end of summer knit. Toss them in with your camping gear, and be toasty warm all night.
Knit in the round with a garter stitch border, they are decorated with butterfly stitch. Knit the hat in cotton and enjoy it as a summer beanie. Knit it in wool or alpaca it will warm you all winter long, and you will be forever remembering the beautiful butterflies of summer.
This pattern is suited to someone who is an intermediate knitter or beyond; it is a great way to practice knitting in the round, and add a new stitch to your repertoire.
Skills: Cast on, Knit, Purl, Knitting in the Round, Increasing, Decreasing
Size: Adult Small Yarn: worsted weight yarn Needles: 4 mm DPNs or circular for hat Gauge: 4.5 sts per inch, 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch
You know when inspiration hits, and you can’t really seem to put a new project down? I know that sometimes it’s easy to get lost in a book. This time I got lost in a pair of mittens. For some unexplainable reason I just kept picking up the needles to knit just a little bit more, and before I knew it, all that was left was to knit the thumb. Thumbs are quick to knit, so I cast on for the second mitten, and then I had to do the cuff before I forgot what I did with the first one…Next thing I know it is past midnight, and I am done! The picture doesn’t do justice to the colour of the yarn, but I’m thrilled with the results. I think it’s a record! On Tuesday this was a bag of fluff. On Saturday it is a pair of mittens!
Knitting with handspun is interesting, the colour of this pot luck roving does not stay constant, so each mitten changes colour slightly, and the thumbs don’t match. I like it though….it’s proof that they are hand made, and they are definitely unique.
Now that they are done, I can get on with other important things like doing my dishes!
By the time I got home, I had completed one mitten–ends darned in and all! There was even time to complete the cuff to mitten number two before arriving back to Kingston. I was impressed with myself: 1.25 mittens in a day. And now it’s time to rest my aching knuckles.
I like how all of the colours stripe and blend together. The mittens don’t match perfectly, but I think that adds to the charm. They are one of a kind, and will be making their way to Providence this fall for his birthday!
Mitten #1 was completed last week after a night at the movies
Mitten #2 was worked on during a few meetings, and is now almost complete
This weekend is 
