Like Candy

I have been saving a skein of Lorna's Laces yarn for almost two years now, waiting for something special to come along. It didn't happen until I decided to do a little bit of de-stashing, and I saw the potential for hand warmers/gloves in the skein. I lost my first pair of dashing gloves (left them behind on the T), and so I figured that even though I have a great pair of fingerless gloves in my mermaid gloves, I needed a "fun" pair for this winter, too.

Pattern: Dashing from Knitty
Yarn: Lorna's Laces shepherd worsted multi in watercolor
Needles: size 6 clover dpns

Nothing too exciting, just the pattern as written, with fingers instead of the open cast off that the pattern calls for. With these needles and this yarn, I usually knit 10 rows in pattern, then make the fingers 9 rows of stockinette before I cast off - that seems to be a good height that allows for dexterity while also being long enough to provide warmth, and it looks better than stumpy fingers.

As if it weren't obvious how much I love this pattern (these patterns if you consider fetching), I'm knitting another pair of modified gloves based on dashing for a friend. Seriously can't get enough of this quick and easy fix to a little problem I have called "not being able to finish things."

What Is The Status All Up In Here

It's been a while since I've had a status update, and that's mostly because all I've been doing is working on the blanket. The wedding was two weekends ago, and I'm still working on the blanket. I finally caved in and bought them a small gift from etsy, so the pressure is off - although I do want to finish this afghan before their one year anniversary!

So while the afghan was going along, I kind of took a major detour. You saw the first Swallowtail...but there's a new and improved Swallowtail V2.0:

Yep, I took time away from the blanket to [selfishly] knit myself another shawl, but this time I did it up right! I'm still confused as to why mine seems So Much smaller than some of the others on Ravelry, but I know it has to do with needles and yarn and blocking, and anyway I'm very happy with it.

Stupid Mutant Seed Stitch Bastard

I've been working on the Burridge Lake Afghan for some friends of ours who are getting married this summer. If there are two people in this world that I can think of who I would bear knitting an entire afghan for, it is these two. They are so perfectly matched, so comfortably in tune with each other, that I have no doubt that they will make each other happy for a very long time, and that makes me more than thrilled to knit each and every stitch of this blanket for them.

That being said...

The entire time I have been knitting this thing, ripping back cables that are less than perfect, making sure each and every stitch is the stitch it is "supposed to be"...I have been thinking, "What a stupid fucking transition [between the cables]. Why is this thing some mutant seed stitch rib pattern? Why not just a rib?"

I asked Jason about it, "Do you think this transition looks stupid?"

"No," he said, "It looks great."

Well, after some ravelry browsing, I noticed that a few people have cast on with me this January. And of the pictures I can see clearly, I am but one person who interpreted the stitches as the mutant seed stitch and not a rib. That makes me feel better. As a person, I mean.

As far as this afghan goes?

Well, I will be ripping it out and starting over.

Cute and Functional -- Just like Jason

Work has sent Jason into the middle of the desert for the past week to do research at the crack of dawn every morning. He keeps commenting on how cold the desert is (and he was surprised, which is cute). While he's outside the RV at five in the morning, before anything has a chance to warm up, he has to type at his laptop in the freezing cold. Last night he told me that he has been wearing his dashing gloves, because the fingerless mitts were perfect for typing and keeping part of his hands warm. One of the guys out there commented on how great the mitts were (he had moded a pair of gardening gloves by cutting the fingers off) - and wanted to know where he got them. "Oh, my girlfriend made these for me."

I have never been more proud of my knitting. Cute and functional.

Well...cuter than a pair of gardening gloves with hacked off fingers, anyway...and at least equally functional.

Pattern: Dashing from Knitty
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Aran Tweed in blue (09)
Needles: size 5 clover dpns

Also, just as a consideration for people like Jason who grew up where it does get cold, you know, unlike the desert - when there aren't any trees, and there isn't much concrete, there is nothing there that will retain heat after the sun goes down. So yes, it gets colder than you might imagine. So make sure you've got your mittens!

Warming the Office, Two hands at a Time

I started wearing my own pair of Fetching mitts around the office last year, and even though I technically only wore them to go out in the cold, they caught the eyes of some co-workers. They bought me some yarn and I agreed to knit them some fetching gloves for the office. I ended up adding finger holes to theirs because my own gloves had started warbling and curling at the finger end, and they both wanted finger holes, despite my inner-protest that casting off without fingers would be way easier.

This year, the building management didn't turn the heat on when it first got cold (and thank goodness because it was 60° yesterday, and hot as hades in here), and so a third co-worker remembered the mitts I'd made. He asked for a pair, and seemed excited to pick out yarn, so once again I agreed to warm another pair of hands at the office.

His mitts were a modified version of dashing (sans-cables. He didn't want frills or anything fancy -- Just a manly rib), and I sadly did not get any photos of anything but the yarn.

Once he told his wife about the plan, she also became excited, and in exchange for a handmade wristlet of hers, I agreed to knit yet another pair of fetchings. I really love this pattern, I do, but to mix things up I modified the pattern a little bit to keep things interesting. I am slowly falling in love with the pink my co-worker chose for her, although I wouldn't wear it on my own skin (it clashes something fierce). I'll be glad to get these done, though. I have holiday knitting to finish!

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: Size 5 Clover DPNs

Mods: I staggered the cables:

Row 1: C4B, p1, [k4, p1]x2* rep to end of row
Row 2: k4, p1, C4B, p1, k4, p1* rep to end of row
Row 3: [k4, p1]x2, C4B, p1* rep to end of row
knit 4x1 rib for two rows
Row 6: C4B, p1, [k4, p1]x2* rep to end of row
Row 7: 4x1 rib
Row 8: [k4, p1]x2, C4B, p1* rep to end of row
knit 4x1 rib for two rows

Repeat the last 10 rows once
Knit rows 1-3

Then I followed the fetching pattern until I got to the cable for the fingers.

Knit one row in 4x1 rib

To make fingers that line up with the cables (this was the part I found difficult to do with the other two pairs that seemed to work out this time. I don't really know how. Angels, I think. From heaven.) My guess would be that I managed to use about 4-5 stitches for each finger, making sure the cable was somewhat centered, and decreasing or casting on as I needed smaller or bigger finger holes. Oh, and that I paid attention and did a little bit of math...that usually helps, too.