Another Experiment -- hand warmers

That title makes me sound like a mad scientist, doesn't it?!  No test tubes or bunsen burners or toxic chemicals, but lots and lots of testing and trying and searching for answers.  Mad?  You decide.

Those fingerless gloves (aka hand warmers) were shouting my name and begging me to cast them onto needles so they could come alive.  Picked Andean Silk from Knitpicks, soft and warm, worsted weight, alpaca, silk and merino wool.  Just plain yummy!

I finally got to this point -- but only after several different approaches.  Like wandering around a new city as a tourist: you get to see a lot, but your feet can get tired and you may get lost.  Still . . .

Didn't get 'here' without some detours.  Finally decided to use
the double pointed needles (DPN).
Can you see "the wave" in the ribbing pattern?
This is another from One Skein Wonders.

First I decided to teach myself another new technique.  Great idea -- put two socks or two hand-warmers (anything that requires a pair to be knitted) onto two needles and knit both of them at once.  This is supposed to guarantee against the insidious and cruel "one sock syndrome."  Yes, I have one sock sitting in some UFO box somewhere.  Sounds like a good idea -- knit both of the pair at one time.

Two at a time technique from this book by Antje Gillingham.
The explanations are fabulous; the diagrams are clear and real pictures.
I was able to use each step to get both hand warmers onto
two needles.

But I lost patience quickly.  Each hand warmer has only 30 stitches and using this new technique I felt like I spent more time moving yarn around and untangling.  Just not worth it for this item.  I can, however, definitely see the advantage for socks with finer yarn and more stitches.  I will try it again.

Converted both hand warmers to one long circular needle and tried that.  If you wanna learn more, go to YouTube and search for Magic Loop Method.  Lots of folks can show you.  Here's what they look like on the one long needle.

Even that drove me crazy.  Dividing the 30 stitchesmeans 15 on each side.  And still, I'm managing two balls of yarn and turning the needles back and forth and sliding stitches.  Groan.  Reminded me of the afghan squares I finished several years ago.  32 squares sat dormant for at least 10 years (now THAT is a UFO, readers!).  When I realized I needed only four, yes 4, squares I took four balls of yarn and cast on stitches for each of the remaining squares.  Had to sit quietly on the couch with two balls of yarn on each side of my feet and be very, very careful every time I finished one row to turn around and go back.  The afghan is wonderful but that 4-at-a-time was just painful.

Converted again, this time to DPN -- and will do one hand warmer at a time.  It's much more satisfying.  The project is now portable -- just one ball of yarn and 4 DPN's.  The pattern can be memorized after just a row or two.  Knitting around means I only turn the entire thing about 1/3 the way counterclockwise as I finish the 10 stitches on one needle and begin the next set.

This is 30 stitches in total, with 10 on each DPN.
The needle on the right is beginning to knit off the stitches from
the needle just below.  Needles are about the size of a pencil.
US8, worsted weight yarn

I'm finally enjoying this and expect to finish both hand warmers within a few days.  The wool will make them warm and the silk and alpaca will make them soft.

The wavy pattern is visible.  You can compare the pencil
to the needles and the yarn to get an idea of the size of each.

Mad or not, this knitting geek found a way to make the project work.  This time the yarn is right for the project.  This time I learned a new technique to try again later.  

Sometimes it's valuable to be a bit mad -- pick up your sticks and try something new.  You'll surely find some sanity in the process.  Life lesson again?  Gotta take a few detours to discover your true path.

One is Done -- Mohair Lace Scarf

I am, proudly, a knitter.  I choose yarn and pattern, I cast on stitches, I knit and knit and knit and sometimes I take it apart and start over.  And now and then I get to celebrate:  One is Done.

Finished one of the four scarves from yesterday's post.  It's on the blocking board, sprayed gently with water and then steamed.  Being careful with the mohair.  I love the fuzzy, soft feel and look and don't want to ruin it by letting the water tie it in knots or -- horror -- having the steam melt the bits of nylon.

Here's a bit of the color wave as it appears on the blocking board.

Wonderful wine then teal and moving off to the left
it morphs into olive.

Olive, gold, dark mustard.  Choose your own word for
this collection of colors.  You could say this was
the color of a swamp -- doesn't matter.  Tis gorgeous.

The pattern is from One Skein Wonders.  This is a great book for gift knitting.  The items are for babies, adults (both men and women).  The suggested yarns run the gamut from bulky to fine lace.  There's whimsical and practical, and yet none of the items is taxing.  Yarn shop owners from all over the US submitted their designs for hats, gloves, mittens, shawls, scarves, bags, sox, and more.  If you really feel the need to provide warmth for a cell phone, see page 66.

This pattern is called Gossamer Lace Scarf, from Clickity Sticks in Minneapolis.  From the picture below you can see the instructions plus a drawing of the finished item.  Color pictures are in a folio in the center of the book.

Pencil markings indicate the date of my knitting and
the recipient.  The yellow stickies mark other patterns
on my wish-to-knit list.

After casting on the suggested 40 stitches and knitting till the scarf was 5 inches, at least, I was at DP (decision point.)  Clearly not enough yarn from the one skein I found in the yarn stash.  And it really was too too wide for a scarf.  More like a sort-of shawl, but not.  So, off come the stitches and winding, winding I go, wrapping the long end around the ball of yarn from whence it came.

Now, how many stitches will make it come right?  The answer lies in some doodling and thinking and a bit of adding and subtracting.  It's a great way to begin the process of understanding lace while adjusting it to fit the size you want the item to be.  Here's my notebook and pen, showing the quick chart (vertical hash marks and "O's" for yarn-overs, with slash marks representing Knit 2 Together.)

When I'm done with this doodling, I have discovered
a) how many stitches repeat themselves across (12 in this case)
and b) how many extra stitches are at each end to finish off the design
(16 in this case.)

And finally I discover that if I use any multiple of 12 stitches (like 12, or 24, or 36, etc.) PLUS the 16 edge stitches, I will have exactly what i need to make the pattern work out properly.  I already know that 24+16 = 40 is tooooo many stitches -- that's the number called for in the original directions.  So I 'jump down' to 12 + 16 = 28 and that's what I used.

Worked out perfectly.  Scarf is on the blocking board.  Design is wonderful with the yarn I selected (which sometimes doesn't happen -- an example later.)  I'm moving on to the next scarf.

BTW:  I added another one to the list.  This is like the game with team hands slapping one on top of the other in the center of the huddle.  It can go on forever unless, and until, someone older and wiser calls a halt to the silliness.

Just had a birthday, so I reckon I'm 'older' now, but can't seem to get with the 'wise' part.  I just keep buying yarn, choosing patterns, adding a new book to the shelf, dreaming about another pattern, . . . 

and . . . casting on more stitches to yet another set of needles.  According to her comment, Ludmilla does the same thing.  Projects, projects and more projects.  

I am, proudly, a knitter.  Join me in the obsession