Birthday Mittens

I know. I'm an intermittent blogger at best.

I have no desire to document my life in knitting
...I merely wish to make a few records to share of the knitting in my life... & there's been precious little of that!

The most recent project in my busy life (teaching & a toddler doesn't allow for much time to create anything other than a living...) has been some simple mittens.

The Godfatha' has a birthday in February. I'm broke like everybody else, so I asked him if I could make anything for him.
The first request was for a pie.
Done!
(n.b. that is not burny-ness... the dark parts are chocolate that has bubbled up from the bottom. This will happen when one uses an entire bag of chips in an "I-can't-believe-it's-not-Derby-Pie"...)
Come on, there has to be something more for the man who makes sure my Sam is never gonna suffer single-mamma's-son issues.
All he wanted was mittens. So, mittens it was.

Who knew designing mittens could be tricky?
Well, it's not like I was really designing. I was merely adapting the things I had done to adapt the Cigar-Style Fingerless Gloves into mitten form.
I chose a Fair-Isle Style, because it gives a double thickness & warmth to the final mitty.
I know that twisting the yarn & balls can be fussy, but so worth it in the end.

The first one ended up a ladies medium/large, despite gauge & swatch & tracing measures.
(Some lady in my life is going to end up with a present of mittens soon...)
The first attempt is on the top of the photo.
I measured some more & ended up with the mittens you see in the bottom of the photo.
I like the darker tone to them... much more suited to the Godfatha' anyway.

Here is a potentially buggy free pattern transposed from my notes:

Birthday Mittens by Ruth H. Bennett

Yarn:
MC: 1 skein Black Cascade 220 (I would have preferred another ball of LP, sigh.)
CC: 1 skein Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted, Prairie Fire (a heathered red)
(Your favorite worsted weight yarn would be a suitable substitution...)

Needles & Notions:
Size 5(us) DPNs
Yarn needle

Gauge:
6 sts & 7 rows = 1”

Cuff:
CO 44 sts.
Work in the round in 2x2 rib for 28 rounds for cuff.

Gusset:
1: K one round.
2: K1 in MC, Switch to CC & M1, (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 20, K2 in MC, K20 in CC, M1 in CC, K1 in MC=46sts.
3: K one round in MC.
4: K1 in MC, Switch to CC & M1, (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 21, K2 in MC, K21 in CC, M1 in CC, K1 in MC=48sts.
5: K one round in MC.
6: K1 in MC, M1, K 22 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K22 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=50sts.
7: K1 in MC, K23 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K23 alternating MC & CC.
8: K1 in MC, M1, K 23 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K23 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=52sts.
9: K1 in MC, K24 alternating CC & MC, K2 in MC, K24 alternating CC & MC.
10: K1 in MC, M1, K 24 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K24 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=54sts.
11: K1 in MC, K25 alternating CC & MC , K2 in MC, K25 alternating CC & MC, K1 in MC.
12: K1 in MC, M1, K 25 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K25 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=56sts.
13: K one round in MC
14: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, K1 in MC.
15: K one round in MC
16: K1 in MC, Switch to CC & M1, (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, M1 in CC, K1 in MC=58sts.
17: K one round in MC
18: K1 in MC, K27 alternating CC & MC , K2 in MC, K27 alternating CC & MC, K1 in MC.
19: K1 in MC, K27 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K27 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
20: K1 in MC, M1, K 27 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K27 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=60sts.
21: K1 in MC, K28 alternating CC & MC , K2 in MC, K27 alternating CC & MC, K1 in MC.
22: K1 in MC, K28 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K28 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
23: K1 in MC, K28 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K28 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
24: K1 in MC, M1, K 28 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K28 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=62sts.
25: K one round in MC
26: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 29, K2 in MC, K29 in CC, K1 in MC.

(This is where we take off the 12 sts for the thumb!)
27: K one round in MC, stop 6 sts before end, place on holder or spare DPN, put 1st 6 sts of next round on same holder.
Pull tight when starting next round.
28: K1 in MC, Switch to CC & M1, (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 23, K2 in MC, K23 in CC, M1 in CC, K1 in MC=52sts.
29: K one round in MC
30: K1 in MC, M1, K 24 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K24 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=54sts.
31: K1 in MC, K25 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K25 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
32: K1 in MC, M1, K 25 alternating MC & CC, K2 in MC, K25 alternating MC & CC, M1, K1 in MC=56sts.
33-36: K1 in MC, K26 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K26 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
37: K one round in MC.
38: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, K1 in MC.
39: K one round in MC.
40: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, K1 in MC.
41: K one round in MC.
42-48: K1 in MC, K26 alternating MC & CC (the opposite of the last row), K2 in MC, K26 alternating MC & CC, K1 MC.
49: K one round in MC.
50: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, K1 in MC.
51: K one round in MC.
52: K1 in MC, Switch to CC (carry & "twist in" black as you go...)K 26, K2 in MC, K26 in CC, K1 in MC.

Begin “finger cap” Decreases:
53: Break CC yarn. K one round in MC.
54-5: Knit MC. (This is where you could add more rounds if a longer finger length is needed.)
56: (K5, K2tog)* = 48 sts.
57: K3, PSSO, (K4, PSSO)* 5 times, K4, PSSO using 1st st of next row =40sts.
58: (K3, K2tog)* =32 sts.
59: K1, PSSO, (K2, PSSO)* 5 times, K2, PSSO using 1st st of next row =24sts.
60: (K1, K2tog)* =16 sts.
61: (K2tog)* =8sts.
Break Yarn. Sew end through 8 loops & pull snug.
Weave in loose ends.

Thumb:
On 3 DPNs, Place 3 sts, 6sts, 3 sts.
1: Using MC, Knit one round, Pick up 2 sts on last DPN using loose yarn edge from that side of the thumb hole = 14 sts. (**Leave a long tail when beginning row.)
2: Pick up 2 sts from the loose yarn edge from that side of the thumb hole. Knit rest of round. Sts should now be 16= 5/6/5, on 3 DPNs.
3-14: Knit.
15: (K2, K2tog)* =12sts.
16: Knit.
17: (K1, K2tog)* =8sts.
Break Yarn. Sew end through 8 loops & pull snug.
Weave in loose ends.

Finishing:
Use long tail to sew gap from thumb base together snugly. I used a blanket stitch to give it a neat finish.
Weave in all remaining loose ends.

Andean Hats

I am taking a moment from my sick day at home to (finally) post about some knitting.
Concentrating on yummy color work sure does beat focusing on stomach cramps & even nastier symptoms of a stomach flu...

Here is a vision of knitting bliss: A basket full of neatly balled wool on the big red knitting chair... Sigh.

I usually NEVER fall for kits, but this kit from Knit Picks was too fabulous to resist!
These are the perfect gifts for my Colorado nephews…

Here is the one for the younger neph:



Here is the one for the older neph:

Well, it’s Llama Chullo II: Electric Boogaloo! The color work looks complex, but is really rather straightforward... In fact, this is an ideal project to combat Seasonal Affective Depression.

This time I’m added 16 sts to the circumference so it will fit my oldest Neph’s giant cranium.

I can’t wait to start changing the charts to have other motifs aside from the LLLLLLLLAMAS!

After this adaptation, I think I’m going to adapt the pattern to make it for old Atari system lovers… Can you say “Space Invaders Chullo”? I hope I won't run into copyright problems...

Pattern Notes:

To achieve gauge, I had to use size 4 needles. a 16' circular was fine for the body of the hat (especially on the 24" hat), but I had to switch to dpns for the crown decreases.

I ended up adding 32 sts to the crown cast on=192 sts.
My reasoning is this: the small pattern bands are based on an (8 to) 16 repeat, but the wave pattern I wanted to use instead of the alpaca motif is based on 10s. I just decreased 2 on the solid color rows before the wave motif & increased 2 again for the remaining small bands & crown decreases.
Yes, this does give you 12 instead of 10 decrease units, but the transition to 3 st. i-cord is much smoother.

So… voila! a 24” crown & an men’s large sizing!

note: If you use the large alpaca motif for your pattern (instead of the wave/ripples), you do not need to change any counts while knitting the crown.