In Training
Taking my self-chosen Olympic challenge reasonably seriously, I started "training" this week.
Tuesday: Read the pattern for "Flying Geese Gloves" (in Favorite Mittens, by Robin Hansen, published by Downeast Books). Go back to the beginning of the book and read the General Instructions so the pattern makes sense. Read the pattern again. There may be a typo there that I'll try to track down before starting these.
Wednesday: Decide to knit a stranded mitten as a training project (and likely Christmas gift). Cast on 45 stitches for a child-sized "Salt and Pepper Mitten" (same book) in Lamb's Pride worsted weight yarn (blue and white), using needles one size smaller than suggested by the pattern (I usually have to drop one or two needle sizes to make gauge). Gleefully start in on the ribbed cuff, in K1P1 ribbing and then wonder why the pattern had me cast on an odd number of stitches. Had already decreased one stitch to "fix" this when I looked at the pattern again and saw that the ribbing was actually "K2P1". Oh. Frog that attempt. Cast on again. Knit a couple of rounds of ribbing before bed.
Thursday: Continue on the child's mitten. Start the stranded pattern, with one color in each hand. This works well (first time I've tried to do this). Okay, I did spend some time last year practicing carrying the yarn in my right hand (I usually knit with the yarn in the left hand). But the gauge seems kind of tight.
Friday: Knit some more. Get enough knit to actually check the gauge. Yep, it's way too tight. Pattern calls for 6 1/2 stitches per inch (in pattern). I'm getting 7-8 stitches per inch.
Friday evening: Frog the first mitten. Start over using the recommended needle sizes, and in an adult size.
Saturday: Knit a lot on the mitten. Decide to add a couple of stripes to the solid colored ribbed cuff. Get most of the hand knitted, just starting the decreases to close the hand.
Here's the partially finished mitten. The lumpy looking spot in the middle with the strings hanging from it is the thumb gore with the held stitches on a piece of narrow ribbon.
Saturday, I also bought yarn. For the gloves (probably). And for some other mittens. I'll need to swatch for the gloves prior to February 10th. Not sure if the second mitten of this pair will get finished now, or after the Olympics. Is there such a thing as second mitten syndrome?
Tuesday: Read the pattern for "Flying Geese Gloves" (in Favorite Mittens, by Robin Hansen, published by Downeast Books). Go back to the beginning of the book and read the General Instructions so the pattern makes sense. Read the pattern again. There may be a typo there that I'll try to track down before starting these.
Wednesday: Decide to knit a stranded mitten as a training project (and likely Christmas gift). Cast on 45 stitches for a child-sized "Salt and Pepper Mitten" (same book) in Lamb's Pride worsted weight yarn (blue and white), using needles one size smaller than suggested by the pattern (I usually have to drop one or two needle sizes to make gauge). Gleefully start in on the ribbed cuff, in K1P1 ribbing and then wonder why the pattern had me cast on an odd number of stitches. Had already decreased one stitch to "fix" this when I looked at the pattern again and saw that the ribbing was actually "K2P1". Oh. Frog that attempt. Cast on again. Knit a couple of rounds of ribbing before bed.
Thursday: Continue on the child's mitten. Start the stranded pattern, with one color in each hand. This works well (first time I've tried to do this). Okay, I did spend some time last year practicing carrying the yarn in my right hand (I usually knit with the yarn in the left hand). But the gauge seems kind of tight.
Friday: Knit some more. Get enough knit to actually check the gauge. Yep, it's way too tight. Pattern calls for 6 1/2 stitches per inch (in pattern). I'm getting 7-8 stitches per inch.
Friday evening: Frog the first mitten. Start over using the recommended needle sizes, and in an adult size.
Saturday: Knit a lot on the mitten. Decide to add a couple of stripes to the solid colored ribbed cuff. Get most of the hand knitted, just starting the decreases to close the hand.
Here's the partially finished mitten. The lumpy looking spot in the middle with the strings hanging from it is the thumb gore with the held stitches on a piece of narrow ribbon.
Saturday, I also bought yarn. For the gloves (probably). And for some other mittens. I'll need to swatch for the gloves prior to February 10th. Not sure if the second mitten of this pair will get finished now, or after the Olympics. Is there such a thing as second mitten syndrome?
posted by Pamela | 3:16 PM
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