Wrist Warmers!
Yay, they're done!
The pattern was tricky to write up, but I got it in the end. It's currently residing
here.
Yarn: Peru DK Luxury Alpaca (80% Merino, 20% Alpaca, 10% Silk), 2 50g balls, 200 yards
Needles: US 4 dpns (3.5mm), set of four OR long circ for the magic loop
Gauge: 3 inches=20 sts
Notes: It took a lot of swatches, a lot of graph paper, and a lot of counting stitches from various screen grabs to come up with the proper dimensions for this. That said, the final gauge came very tight overall and the diamonds appear a little smaller, but that was the only way I could get the twist cables on the sides to sit on my hand properly. Looking back at the pictures (which can be seen in the original post linked at the top of this one), her gloves are a much looser fit. The original gloves could possibly be knitted in a sport weight yarn rather than the DK, or even still with DK but on size US5/3.75mm, but I wanted something nice and snug.
The twist cables on the side are also not accurate - this was an honest oversight. I started knitting while the chart was still a work in progress, and when I *thought* I had it right, just continued knitting them as I had first written them down. I have adapted this on the pattern chart, mainly because with the proper spacing it makes for a perfect repeating pattern. If you want your twist cables to look like mine, then just ignore those columns on the chart and cross your cable every fourth row.
What I learned:
Cables: This was the first time I tried to write a pattern with cables. I learned that you must have a purl stitch on either side of the cable to make it stand out. On some level, I'm sure I knew this having knitted cables before, but now I will definitely remember it!
The Magic Loop: This pattern works well on dpns, but I wanted to try the magic loop too. I thought it would be better so that there weren't any gaps between the cables (these fall exactly on either side of the first needle which holds the diamond motif), and that it would be better for the knitting overall. It worked very well, but I found I knitted much more slowly. If this technique works for you, I wrote the pattern for this method as well.
Other thoughts: These were a LOT of fun! Once I understood how the diamond cable worked, I barely had to look at the chart. It was completely worth the time and effort to come up with the pattern because I'm thrilled with the result. If anyone tries this out and spots any errors or other issues, please let me know - my email address is at the bottom of the pattern.
Doctor Who wrist warmer, Part 1
Well, the first wrist warmer is done. I'm rather pleased with it!
This one was done on 4 dpns. It worked out fine, but it was a lot of needles to handle when the cable needle was in play, and a bit hard on my hands. The second one has been cast on with my a long circular, marking first foray into the magic loop method. It was a bit fiddly at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. It's better for the distribution of the cables too, as each one isn't on its own needle. I'm anxious to finish it so that I can post the pattern. The chart is finally accurate (after MANY drafts), but the twisty cable on the side can't be written on a repeating chart since they're done every 4th row and the chart has an odd number of rows.
Lace Gloves, Part 1
I came upon some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. It's sooo soft and I just thought, "This would make a great pair of gloves." It was crying out for something simple but beautiful, and sadly, none of the patterns out there could please me. So what do we do in this instance? Make one up! I pulled out my mother's stitchionary and came across the Travelling Vine stitch. It was easy to adapt it to an in-the-round pattern, so after a little experimenting, off I went! I wanted a long glove too - this took just about the entire ball of yarn. I borrowed techniques for the thumb gusset and fingers from at least two other patterns. I wrote everything down, so when I'm done with the second one, I might put the pattern up.
Modelled on my hand - you can't really see all the holes clearly...you really have to click for the bigger picture to appreciate it.
Close up of the back stitches:
The whole thing after a bit of blocking:
A lesson on colour accuracy...
Well, I'm a little disillusioned. This is the yarn I ordered from Knipicks - Elegance in the Wild Rose colourway (70% baby alpaca, 30% silk).
Now, that looks beautiful, but here we have the picture with the flash, which is mostly what it looks like:
This is a picture in the natural light - much different:
I *suppose* they did the best job they could photographing it. Looking at the natural light picture does look mostly similar to the photo they posted (which is what I prefer) but in the incandescent light, it's disconcertingly magenta. I'm going to use it anyway because I don't think I'll be able to find better, but it's just not what I expected. The wool itself is completely luxurious and strokable though. Plus, I will normally be wearing wristwarmers outside, won't I?
I figured it out!
I am so pleased...I have figured out the pattern for that wrist warmer!
It's a much fatter gauge here than it will be for the real thing, but it's just a test swatch! I need to get some DK...an order from
Knitpicks will take care of that. The cable was different than any cable I've tried before, and it was a little tricky to grasp but once I sussed how it worked it was easy to just carry on...the diamond in this swatch is only 11 sts wide, whereas I believe the proper one is 21 sts wide. (I've got loads of screengrabs from a friend, and I've seen every angle possible to try to count!)
For anyone reading who doesn't know what I'm doing, this is the wrist warmer in question. (I do hope this isn't disallowed by BBC copyright...no infringement is intended.)
The side cable is just a simple 3x3 twist, and all that's really left to figure out is how many stitches around I'd have to cast on with DK, and where to start the thumb gusset (not pictured). Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward, I think. The diamonds repeat 4 times down the length of the glove, and I think there is some thick ribbing at the bottom in another shot I saw. I know it doesn't have to be exact, but I'm quite smitten with these and want it to be as close as possible!
Opal socks are DONE!
The angle makes my feet look gigantic! Anyway, I can't believe I did the entire foot part of the sock in two evenings. I'm thrilled that they're done, and I love how they turned out. They don't match, but I'm not anal enough to care.
So this opens doors for a few things. I have two sets of sock yarns that I need to find patterns for next. I'm going to refer to my copy of Sensational Knitted Socks, of course. I'm tempted to try
Grumperina's Jaywalkers, but EVERYone has made them! SKS has a chevron style pattern so I might do that with my
Lorna's Laces Childsplay since it will show off the stripiness. The other pair will be fair isle with some stuff I got from
Knitpicks but I haven't even thought of a pattern yet.
Also, I intend to work out the pattern for the wrist warmers that Billie Piper wore in the latest episode of Doctor Who. They're cute, they use cables in a young-and-hip sort of way, and I'm in the market for nice wrist warmers. Fingerless gloves are SO my thing too. Can't wait to start!
Opal update...
I really put my mind to it and made a fantastic dent in that Opal sock today. I was just at the beginning of the gusset decreases and now I'm half-way up the foot. One or two more evenings' hard work and they will be done and dusted. Then I can do more socks! :D
What I've been up to...
Well, I did go on holiday for a week, so that is a good reason not to have posted...but the rest of the time it's been a combination of business and laziness. So here goes...
I made two shining star hats for my friends' kids. Both little girls, but one of them is not into the frilly pink like the other. I think she'll be pleased with what I chose:
The star, of course:
And then...there was lace. I acquired some Hipknits' laceweight silk at the Stitch and Craft show at Olympia in the spring. I don't know if it's because I didn't wind it into a ball straight away, but my GOD this stuff is difficult. It's all twisted and kinky and it drives me nuts. However I will persevere if only to have a lovely silk shawl that will make me feel beautiful when I wear it.
So check this out. I finally understand why people block stuff. I knitted a swatch to test the pattern out (located
here). I wet blocked it and used pins to hold it to shape while it dried. It's been fairly abused since then (as I wanted to see how it would hold its shape after it was off the pins) and it's taken it rather well. It has a lovely feel and drape. It looks like this:
So far, not too bad right? Pffft. This is what it looks like on my needles:
What is that you say? Chicken wire? (A dear friend of mine used that word to describe this yarn...she couldn't be more right.) I think it's because the silk is so weightless that it can't help bounce back up on itself. So, it's pretty hard to tell where I am in the pattern which has a 16 row repeat...I've had to use a row counter and stitch markers just to make sure I don't screw up. Now look at the two next to each other:
So it'll be a little difficult to tell how long it is when I'm working on it. I'll keep knitting till I'm sick of it or I run out of yarn. If I can do one or two repeats an evening and put it aside every so often, it'll come along. I hope to be able to post more regularly as I work on this stuff, but I'm in the middle of my dissertation right now. It cuts seriously into my knitting time. >:(
