Berry Blue Thumbless Mittens

By Lorri Ann R.

After I finished dying my recycled yarn with Kool Aid, I knit up some thumbless mittens for my 8 month old. There is nothing as frustrating as trying to fit a baby thumb into a mitten so I have skipped the thumb. I have written out the directions so that everyone can knit mittens for the babies in their lives.

Size:
Fits approximately 6 to 18 months.

Materials:
50g worsted weight yarn (I used recycled yarn (11wpi) from a white thrift store sweater that I dyed with Berry Blue Kool Aid.)
Four size 3 double pointed needles (or size needed for gauge)
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle

Gauge:
20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Directions:

Make 2:

Cast on 28 stitches loosely.

Arrange stitches evenly over 3 double pointed needles. Join into a circle being careful not to twist your work. Place marker at the beginning of the row.

Ribbing: *K2, P2*, 7 times.

Repeat ribbing row until ribbing measures 1 ½ inches.

Increase row: K next row across increasing 4 stitches evenly around. (32 stitches)

Stockinette stitch: Continue to K around until the stockinette stitch portion of the mitten measures 2 inches.

Next row: *K6, K2tog*, 4 times. (28 stitches)

Stockinette stitch: Continue to K around until the stockinette stitch portion of the mitten measures 3 inches.

Decrease as follows:
Row 1: *K5, K2tog*, 4 times. (24 stitches)
Row 2: K around.
Row 3: *K4, K2tog*, 4 times.
Row 4: K around.
Row 5: *K3, K2tog*, 4 times.
Row 6: *K2, K2tog*, 4 times.
Row 7: *K, K2tog*, 4 times.
Row 8: K2tog 4 times. (4 stitches)

Finishing: Cut yarn leaving a 10 inch tail. Thread yarn onto tapestry needle and sew through remaining 4 stitches 2 times. Tack tail on inside of mitten. Weave in ends.

Abbreviations:
K - knit
P - purl
K2tog - knit 2 together
Dec - decrease
Inc - increase
Wpi - wraps per inch

This pattern is for your personal use only. Please do not copy it, post it, or sell items made using pattern.

What's for Dinner?

Here is my first attempt at Kool Aid dying with the wool yarn from my recycled sweater. I used Berry Blue and Pink Lemonaide.

My first batch was the Berry Blue which I did in the microwave. I had the skeins of yarn wrapped too tightly which resulted in white lines throughout the yarn. I actually like the final look of the yarn although it is not what I had intended.

My second batch of yarn was the Pink Lemonaide which you can see cooking on the stove. My husband seriously questionedmy sanity when he saw me cooking wool in the kitchen at 9 at night. The color came out more uniform although the pink had a bit too much orange in it for my taste.

Peacock In Progress - Chart 4

After a Peacock slowdown, I have complete chart 4. I think that the hardest part of this pattern is shifting the stitch markers on most rows. It really slows me down but I am not confident enough to do the pattern without the stitch markers.

I have stopped counting the stitches every row. I realized that if I mess up it is always leaving out a yarn over. It is much easier to just pick up the yarn over on the next pattern row when you realize your mistake than tinking which inevitably ends up in dropped stitches or other catastrophes.

The medium-sized feathers are almost done. After chart 5 I can start working on the large feathers.

FO - Aran Sweater

So my UFO is finally finished after approximately 5 years. The sweater was supposed to have a crewneck. I knitted it and liked the neck so much the way it was that I did not fold it over and tack it in place.

This sweater was knitted with Patons Classic Merino in a forest green that they don't seem to make any more. I have about 6 skeins left which means that I overbought. I never recorded how much I used though and I don't remember. I will have to think of another project for the rest of the yarn.

For my next sweater I wanted to knit Leaves in Relief from Knitty. I think I might use Patons Merino in sage this time. The merino is so soft that you can wear it next to your skin which I usually can't do with wool.

Recycling and Kool Aid

So I have finished my green aran knit sweater. I need to have my husband take a picture of me in it, so pictures are still to come.

My latest project is recycling a sweater. I took a trip to the Goodwill Store and found a nice white wool sweater that had good seams for unraveling (i.e. not cut knit fabric that has been sewn together). I have started unraveling the sweater for the yarn. It is a 100% feltable wool. I had thought of felting something with it but being that it is white I do not think it will work well. Since I have been meaning to try dying with Kool Aid, I figured that this might be a good opportunity. I can try two experiments at a time. I have already managed to unravel most of the yarn and have 5 ounces of yarn soaking in Berry Blue Kool Aid in my microwave. I am planning to make winter-wear for my children with the yarn (i.e. hats, mitten, scarves, etc.) I will keep you posted about how it turns out.

On another topic, I have picked my Peacock Feathers shawl back up and am almost done with chart 4. I keep looking ahead to chart 7, it is so long it seems a bit intimidating.

UFO Progressing

After knitting like crazy on my Peacock Feathers Shawl, I have temporarily abandoned it and am almost done with my aran knit sweater. The catalyst was learning that we would be moving from West Virginia to Michigan. While in West Virginia, I have been inspired to knit with cotton. After pondering the Michigan winters I have been inspired to return to warm winter objects.

I have finally finished the sleeves on my aran knit sweater. All that remains is to sew it up and knit the collar. The collar in this pattern is knit with straight needles. I have always knit collars in the round before and am tempted to do so with this one except I figured I should try this method just because it is new.

Peacock In Progress - Chart 3

Progress on the Peacock Feathers Shawl is getting slower, not because I'm not working on it but because the rows are getting longer. They are now up to about 230 stitches per row. I find that I am getting the hang of the pattern more and haven't needed to frog although there has been a lot of tinking. Counting the stitches after each half of row is completed has saved me a lot of work.

The medium-sized feathers are showing up better now. I'm very excited to see the shawl blocked but that is a long time away.

I've been enjoying my first attempt at lace so much, I am now planning out my next lace project. It is between:

1. Something from the Heirloom Knitting book which I think might be too hard for my concentration level at the moment, especially with two small children.

2. The Frost Flowers and Leaves Shawl from the Gathering of Lace book. There is a knitalong starting on yahoo which fits into my schedule well and the shawl is beautiful.

3. Or the Mystery Shawl 2 which has the lure of a knitalong plus the element of surprise but does not fit into my schedule as well being that it starts on September 30th.

Peacock In Progress - Chart 2

I have finally finished Chart 2 of my Peacock Feathers Shawl. You can finally begin to see the larger feathers at the bottom of the shawl. I'm finally beginning to get the hang of the pattern but the rows are also getting longer. I'm sure chart 7 will be slow going. It has so many rows and the rows increase to 450 stitches each. Right now each row is 170 stitches long.

I also am loving the Alpaca Cloud yarn that I am using. It is so soft that I just enjoy being able to touch the yarn while I'm knitting it. It's a little fuzzy which might blur the pattern a little although it seems to show up okay.

To the Frog Pond

I just had to share my latest disaster. On my Peacock Shawl, I had forgotten to put a lifeline on row 60 and put one on row 62. I got up to row 69 and then realized that I was off I stitch. I read my stitches backward only to find a huge hole. Alas I was unable to figure out how to repair it so I had to go to the frog pond. I ripped out 7 rows. That hurt. I'm almost back up to row 69 again. I love putting in the lifelines. It makes me feel like the rows before it are safe.

Peacock In Progress - Chart 1

I have finished the first chart of my Peacock Feathers Shawl. I told myself that I would only work on it when I really had time to concentrate on it but I have been somewhat obsessed.

These are the small feathers at the top of the shawl. I am still waiting for my circular needles to arrive so I am using single pointed needles.

Things that have helped me so far:

1. Stitch markers are your friend . . .

2. I have been threading dental floss lifelines through my stitches every 10 rows. I have used them. Unfortunately I have done a bit of frogging and tinking.

3. I have been using a row counter.

4. I have also placed a post-it not under the charted row I am working on. This has also helped me keep track of where I am.

5. I found that frogging can be minimized by counting my stitches at the end of every odd numbered row.

Now I'm off to start chart 2.

It's a Peacock Birthday

For my birthday, I asked my mother for the pattern and yarn to make the Peacock Feathers Shawl. I selected Alpaca Cloud yarn in iris and ordered an extra skein of yarn, just in case. I spent my birthday balling up the yarn. This was the first time that I ever balled yarn in center pull skeins. I started balling the yarn by putting the yarn down my thumb. The end of the yarn was in my palm and looped over the top of my thumb. I then wrapped the yarn in a ball around my thumb until voila a center-pull ball of yarn. Pretty good for just using my thumb and my knees to hold the yarn.

Today I received my pattern after much anticipation. I must say that I have never made a lace project before and I realize this is an overly ambitious beginning. I figure I've done about every other type of knitting at some time or another and I would rather make something that I really wanted to make. Anyhow, any lace knitting tips or any specific tips about the Peacock Feathers Shawl would be greatly appreciated.

My plan for tonight is to make the gauge swatch on single-pointed needles. After I determine the needle size then I will order myself some Addi Turbo circular needles, I believe.

Socks, Socks, Socks!

I have started two new pairs of socks this week. The first pair is the Amble pattern for the Six-Sock Knitalong. I am trying out the new KnitPicks Essential yarn with this pattern. The color is Dusk. I am using size one double-pointed needles and seem to be getting the right gauge of 8 stitches per inch. The sock seems a bit narrow but it does fit when I tried it on. The miracle of wool, I guess.

The other thing that I am trying this week is a pattern knitting two toe-up socks on one circular needle. This was a big deal for me since I have only done cuff-down socks on double pointed needles. I did the figure-8 cast on which I didn't find too onerous in spite of talk I had heard to the contrary. The worst part was tightening up the stitches in my opinion. I am still working on the toes, however. It feels as if it is taking forever but that probably is because I'm doing double the amount of socks.

I don't have a picture of my toe-up socks at the moment because I have put them in my car. Every time I end up sitting in my car with my 6 month old sleeping in the back seat, I wish that I had some knitting along so I have stashed this project in my trunk. Some day I will finish it.

Booga Bag Transformation

Before felting


I just finished my Booga Bag. I think it came out pretty well in spite of a few things. This was my first attempt at felting and I broke all of the rules.

1. I used bulky yarn. I didn't know that you weren't supposed to do that until after I started knitting.

2. I didn't make a swatch. I figured that this was an experiment and it's a bag so I didn't really care how much it shrunk.

3. I used Lopi yarn which I understand sheds too much for nice felting. I wanted to use up some stash leftovers so I did it anyhow. I didn't find that it shed too much.

4. I used white yarn which doesn't felt well because the bleaching process inhibits felting. I knew this but I thought that the white yarn I was using was more of a natural off-white color. It did not felt well though which is where I guess a swatch would have helped.

I'm pretty happy with the result, so I think I will make another bag with my remaining Lopi scraps. This time, however, I will leave out the white.

My UFO

This is my unfinished object. Although there are other things I am working on this is THE unfinished object since I can't even remember how long I have been working on this sweater. About 5 years I guess. As you can see I only have to finish the sleeves so I am just going to force myself to do it. I actually went out and bought myself another set of size 8 needles because these have been in use for so long.

This sweater uses Paton's Classic Wool Merino Blend. It is from the book Paton's Outdoor Aran's, pattern # 5 "Family Sweater."

Chutes and Ladders Socks Finished!

I finished my Chutes and Ladders socks for the six-sock knitalong with three days to spare. I joined the group a month late so that is my excuse for almost missing the deadline. If members post their completed pictures by the end of the month they are entered into a drawing to receive, yes, more sock yarn. What could be better!

I really enjoyed this pattern. I used Sock It To Me! Esprit yarn from Elann. It is a cotton and elastic yarn which is alittle tricky to work with because it stretches quite a bit while your working with it. For those people familiar with the pattern, I used size 2 double pointed needles and cast on 60 stitches.

The hint for the next pattern is that it would look best in a solid color. I am trying to decide between using more Sock It To Me! Esprit yarn or KnitPicks Essential yarn that I have ordered. It is a new solid sock yarn from Knitpicks.

Completed Harry Potter Bookscarf

I completed my Gryffindor Bookscarf just in time for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I think it cam out pretty well and I'm enjoying it a lot. The only problem is that my 3 year old daughter also likes it so I may be loosing my place in the book to her curiousity.

Harry Potter Bookscarf

I'm waiting for the new Harry Potter book to be released on Saturday. While I'm waiting I'm busy knitting a Gryffindor bookscarf that was posted on the net. I've used thick maroon and gold stripes though which I thought more closely resembled the scarves in the movie.

Check out the pattern and knit a bookscarf of your own:

http://knittingwithlaura.blog-city.com/harry_potter_bookscarf_pattern.htm

Chutes and Ladders Problem

I have been working on my Chutes and Ladders socks for the six sock knitalong. I noticed that in carrying the pattern down the instep that that pattern was not centered correctly. If you notice the "chute" is immediately next to a knit row causing the cable to be kind of blurry. What I should have done is frog the sock back to the heel but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I dropped the knit row, took out my crochet hook, and worked that row back up as a purl row. I think that it came out okay although the pattern is off by a row. I'll just say that I'm letting go of my perfectionism and let this sock be living memorial of that.

As for the gloves, I have finished the first one. I am now procrastinating on weaving in the ends, writing out the pattern, and finishing the second glove. That's a lot of work to do.

On the Needles

I'm currently working on two projects. The first is a glove pattern that I am designing with cables up each finger. It has gone fairly smooth so far. I am using baby alpaca / merino yarn that I found on Elann.com for the design. The yarn feels so luxurious I never want to knit with anything else again. I am trying to write up the pattern as I go along to post on the web. It seems as if a lot of knitting design is just a matter of math. I always excelled at math in high school. My parents didn't think that I was using it now (lol).

The second project that I have been working on is a sock for the six sock knitalong that I just joined. The pattern is called Chutes and Ladders. I have been perusing pictures of socks that people have completed for the knitalong. I think that I prefer the look of continuing the pattern through the foot instead of stopping the pattern at the ankle so I may alter the pattern in that way. I am using Sock It to Me! Esprit, again from Elann.com. This yarn is cotton with a little elastic which I am finding challenging to work with. It has been hard getting a consistent tension since the yarn stretches so much but I think I have gotten the hang of it. I also used the Norwegian cast-on for the first time. I think I should practice it on wool yarn sometime because it was very difficult to do with the elastic in the yarn.

Self-Striping Gloves Completed

My recent love has been sock knitting. Until last year's issue of Knit It! I never even thought about making socks but after I made my first pair I was hooked. I have made a number of socks out of Magic Stripes yarn. The wool, however, itches my feet so I have recently purchased some Sock It to Me! Esprit yarn off the Elann.com website. This is a combination of cotton and elastic. I plan to use this knit a couple pairs of socks on sock knitalongs that I have discovered on yahoo groups.

Because of my recent obsession with sock knitting I have been looking for other ways to use sock yarn. I have discovered the book The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns which lets you make about anything using any yarn. Last night I finished gloves using the glove pattern in the book with Magic Stripes yarn. I ended up frogging one finger of the glove to try to get the stripes of the gloves to match up but otherwise it was fairly smooth sailing. I used size 2 double pointed needles which enabled me to knit at 7 stitches per inch. The other thing that I learned during this process was to pick up a couple extra stitches at the base of each finger and to immediately decrease these stitches in the next row. That process eliminated any holes that previously sprung up between my glove fingers.

On a less glorious note, I had to frog almost an entire sock last night after I realized it was not going to fit over my heel. This was painful as the sock had a complicated cable pattern and was knit at a painstaking gauge of 9 1/2 stitches per inch. The gauge, of course, was the problem because I was aiming for 8 1/2 stitches per inch. (Sigh . . .) Apparently a gauge swatch worked in stockinette stitch does differ from a gauge swatch worked in the round. I had been warned. . .