Thursday, December 14, 2006
Pattern: My own
Yarn: Koigu, 1 skein. I've lost the band so I don't know what colorway it is, but if I were to give it a name, I'd call it Mardi Gras.
Needles: Size1 dpns
These gloves were a quick and satisfying knit, taking up just a mere skein of yarn, with a couple of yards leftover. I did make these super small, casting on 52 stitches which yielded about 3.25 inches across the knuckles (when measured unworn). It fits great, and I'm going to put it to good use around the house when it really starts getting chilly inside.
So I kind of made these up as I went along, but the pattern is pretty vanilla and are the simplest things ever. First I knit 3.5 inches of 2x2 ribbing for the wrist (including a little cuff in a dash of leftover yarn from these socks), then began increasing stitches at the start of the round for the thumb gusset, knitting that and the rest of the hand in simple stockinette stitch.
Then I knit the fingers like so...
Left: After completing the thumb gusset, I place its stitches on scrap yarn, cast on a couple more stitches, then join the round for the rest of the hand, thereby closing the circle for the thumb. I continue knitting the hand until it reaches the base of my index finger.
Middle: After the hand is complete, I place the stitches on scrap yarn to make it easier to work with. Knitting fingers with dpns is fiddly enough without having other needles on the hand poking at you. I place stitches for the index finger on two needles, about equal numbers (I did 7) from the front and back part of the hand, and knit to desired length. (For each finger I rearrange the stitches and knit with 3 needles for more flexibility). As I'm knitting the first round, I cast on 2 stitches in the "crotch" of this finger and the next (in this case, the yet-to-be-made middle finger).
Right: After finishing the finger, I cast off loosely and cut the yarn, leaving a few inches to weave in with later. I begin the next (middle finger here) by picking up the two stitches I had cast on for the index finger, and then picking up from the scrap yarn 7 stitches for the front, and doing the same for the back. As I'm knitting the first round, I cast 2 stitches again in the crotch as I did for the index finger. These stitches will be picked up when knitting the ring finger. You won't be casting on these crotch stitches for the pinky, as it's the last finger. Picking up stitches this way closes up the holes between fingers quite nicely.
When I go back to finish knitting the thumb, I also pick up the couple stitches I had casted on when I finished the thumb gusset. All fingers are knit to desired length; just keep trying them on as you go along!
After receiving emails asking which pattern I used, I poked around the web for a concrete example to offer and I found these Cigar gloves on Knitty.com. Construction-wise I knitted these gloves - and the Mermaid Gloves - very similarly.
Oh Bunny, why do you always come out looking so possessed in photographs?
Dude. I love Koigu. Which is why it hurts me so bad to see that their website looks nothing like their yarns. Hurts my eyes, hurts my teeth, and hurts whatever marketing sensibilities I have. I'm no branding guru, but everyone can see that they can do better. Oh that splash page! That craggly 3D logo! How my heart bleeds! I have half a mind to cold call them and ask if they would consider having their website redesigned. And offer my services for free yarn. Just a few skeins of KPM is all I need. But cripes, it's so in dire need of an overhaul that I'd be just as willing to pay them to do it!
Filed Under: Completed Projects | Gloves