New Gloves!

Chris here again, taking over Ericka's blog to talk about something near and dear to my heart.

Of course I'm talking about a new FO! While Gina may have her "FO Fridays" (and Ericka may have a similar, yet opposite, "FO Friday"), my knitting habits tend to lend better to a "I just finished this"-day. The gloves that I have been working for the last three months are FINISHED!

I even have evidence!

As you can see, I have taken some liberties, and the second does not match the first. I decided to do away with one of the stripes in the body in favor of a more "punk rock" green middle fingers. Also, there is a completely different cable pattern for the second glove. If there was a gun to my head to do a third, here's the changes I would make:

1. use the cable from Glove 1, instead of the "flames that really look like tree roots" cable used for Glove 2
2. color changes every two rows in the ribbing, no where else (except for maybe an every-other finger look... who knows, design choices abound!)
3. CO 2 or 3 over the thumb gap
4. CO 4 instead of 3 for each finger gap

I think I really do need write this pattern down, because when people ask "how are you doing that" I feel like some of the contributors to the Foxes & Geese collection when I say "I just know...".

So, with that being done, I'm now "in between" projects as it were. I promised Ericka I would have the sweater for Kadin done for Christmas, and I saw the pattern kicking around recently. I just need to find more time to knit in December than I did in September, October, and November.

I guess I can leave this post with a "basic" recipe for the gloves, which will be completely unsupported, because it was unsupported for me :)

CO enough to wrap the intended wrist, is multiples of 4. Work in 2x2 rib for as long as you want the wrist, then switch to stockinette for three rows. Mark the beginning of the thumb gusset based on the left or right hand with two purl stitches side by side. Continue working body of the glove, while inserting any desired pattern for the back of the hand, and doing a Make 1 increase after the first purl stitch of the gusset on every other round. Place the gusset stitches on a waste yarn when there are 16 stitches between the purls (total of 18). Continue working the hand until its up to the base of the pointer, middle, and ring fingers. Divide the front and back stitches evenly across the four fingers, and place the stitches for the pointer, middle, and ring fingers on waste yarn. Work the pinky in the round, and Make 4 prior to joining.

Continue working pinky until the front and back cover the entire pinky finger when test fitted. Decrease for the tip of the finger by begging each side of the finger with K1, K2TOG ... SSK, K1 until 3 or 4 stitches are left (honestly, your working with between 10 and 20 stitches, so as long as you are decreasing "evenly", it'll look good). Break yarn and thread through remaining stitches to finish the tip.

Pick up front and back stitches for the ring finger, along with 4 (or so) stitches from the pinky, and Make 4 across the gap prior to joining. Knit and finish like the pinky.

The middle finger is knit as the ring, but slightly longer (again, test fit the fingers, and make sure that they are fully covered prior to decreasing).

Pick up the front and back stitches for the pointer, and 4 (or so) from the middle finger. Knit and finish like the pinky.

The thumb is worked similar to the pointer, wherein the stitches are taken from the waste yarn, and 4 or so stitches are picked up from the gap. Knit and finish like the pinky.

Weave in the ends, and then prepare to rock.

I now leave you with too much metal for one hand:

Comments

[Yarnophiliac]

Chris -- the gloves totally rock! I love the odd colored fingers, and the act that they don't match. Also, I agree w/ your assesment to leave out stripes on the hand of the glove -- they obscure your great cable work, but you def have to keep the finger changes. Awesome, as always.

[Arleta]

Love 'em! Great colors!!

[Gigi]

Congratulations! The finished product is wonderfully unique. =-D

[Nichole]

Kick a$$ gloves Chris! I agree with Heather - leave off the stripes and the "mismatched" and colored fingers rock!