Finally a pair of gloves that I didn't give up on! I thought I had a jinx when it came to me and knitting hand wear. This pattern came along, and I enjoyed working these from start to finish. Similar to the experience I had with the other pattern I've made from Ysolda's Knitworthy collection, Mitbringsel results in a lovely pair of fingerless gloves that I am loathe to give away.
One of the things I've found I like best about these patterns (besides the smashing designs) is that I learn something new with each one. These gloves start out with a really intriguing i-cord technique that makes stitching up four fingers at once a breeze. Unrelated to the pattern, but due to the fact that I don't have dpns in a size 8, I also taught myself how to work in the round using the magic loop technique. It really is magic! Once you get the hang of wrangling the tangle of cord it is actually very easy. I also watched a nice video (from verypink.com, love those) that helped me avoid ladders at the gap before they were ever a problem.
The other big thing I learned that I've been wanting to try out is stranded colorwork. It has always seemed a bit intimidating and for super advanced folks, but this small project with aran weight yarn made it very approachable and easy. As if magic loop and i-cord fingers weren't enough. Before I knew it I had breezed through the first chart and was well into the second.
And then it just kept on growing! With each row being different and the pattern showing through as I went the inches went by and I was quickly down to the garter stitch cuff on the first glove. I changed one thing about this design, and that is simply the specifics of where the colors were used. I wanted to use up some leftovers that I had limited yardage of so I switched the color of the finger section to match the cuff to avoid running out of the dark brown.
All three yarns are single ply fluffy wool so they ended up playing together very well. The gloves are thick and warm due to the floats behind the stitching which make it basically double thick. They will be very warm, I'm sure! I made these for a friend who is moving to Stockholm in January, so I am hoping they will be effective and useful. She is originally from Sweden but has been living here in California for a few years. If I learned anything from my first few visits back to Chicago after moving here, it is that it definitely doesn't take long to lose our immunity to cold!
Pattern: Mitbringsel, by Ysolda Teague (Knitworthy Collection)
Needle: size 8, 29" metal
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay wool clasica in "flame" and "coffee", Stitch Nation in "mediterranean"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for chiming in and leaving a comment!