Month: December 2019

Panic knitting

How are you making out with your gift knitting for the holidays?

I was fine for a bit, enjoying myself, and then I started to feel the pressure of the big day closing in. I started to make mistakes and then … panic sets in and the enjoyment goes out the window.

I like to knit for my loved ones. I think about them as I knit which I’m sure you do too. That makes knitting a pleasure and the giving extra special.

I did gift knit many Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down.

But I had a much more ambitious plan in mind which … I am now abandoning. I’m Done.

My new plan is to go through the pile of my knitted garments that sit on a shelf, OK, OK, many shelves. Things I knit because they looked like fun or were interesting, with no one particular in mind or maybe even for myself. I’m going to throw all the hats, shawls, mittens and cowls into a large basket and offer them around and say pick anything you like. Enjoy.

Whew. No pressure. I’m looking forward to the holidays now.

How about you? Are you knitting gifts? Is it fun? What are you working on? I’d love to hear about it.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and GAUGE-FREE Patterns by Deb

CabinFever patterns

Deb on instagram

Mittens Galore

I went on a mitten knitting jag. Yup, lots and lots of mittens using the Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down pattern. I think I’m done now. Here’s a long post to tell you all about it.Any Gauge Mittens group

Yes, lots of black. I had quite a few balls of black chunky weight Northern Lights in my stash and well, can you go wrong with black for young people and men?

These are for me because they match my new butterscotch coloured winter coat. The colour block pair (Navy and Apricot) will go inside my striped pair. I knit the stripes first, a little bit big. Then with a smaller needle and the same stitch and row counts, knit the second pair. One pair fits nicely inside the other. I used almost all of the two balls of wool.DSC_0030 (2)

I did the same for this pair for my daughter, who is a mitten wearer. I noticed she had a very bedraggled pair of mittens that I knit her several years ago. Long overdue for a new doubled up pair.DSC_0032 (2)

We have a new member of our family, my son’s partner, so I knit her a pair too (worsted weight). She liked the fingerless mitts I knit her so maybe she’s a mitten wearer too. I put a pattern down the back of the hand to keep me amused.DSC_0031 (2)Here’s a tip: For the Right Hand you work the Palm first and the Back of Hand second. For the Left Hand you knit across the Back of Hand first and then the Palm. Now you can add any pattern you like to the Back of Hand. I’m sure you have a couple of favourites that would fit nicely.

Once I had done all these mittens I started to get the second mitten syndrome. Oh, no, I wasn’t finished yet. I had a couple more pairs to go. So I took on a new to me technique, two-at-a-time. And it was a synch, ha, ha, ha, ha!!

It took me 3 times to get the cast on done and redone and redone again. Then I was on my way, except for the two times I joined up the two mittens. If you’ve done the two-at-a-time thing you probably know what I’m talking about.20191207_121250.jpg

The correct tools do help when you’re trying something new and I didn’t have them. I don’t own a long circular needle in size 5.5mm/US9 with a flexible cable. I have older needles with cables that don’t bend too well. So … I thought I would try using 3 circular needles along the lines of those flexi sock needles. The ones that are 3 very short circular needles with half your sock on one needle, the second half of your sock on a second circular and knit across with a third circular needle. I haven’t tried them. Have you? Did you like them?flexiflipsIt sort of worked. There was a lot of clacking of needle tips above my knees but that’s sort of music to my ears.20191207_153336 The next pair I knit I had a correct circular needle for Magic Loop method (still rather new to me) but no problems this time (worsted weight). 20191208_1132140.jpg

You Can teach an old dog knitter new tricks. This pair is for our friends who we see this weekend. DONE with the mitten thing, at least I think so.

Are you knitting for the big holiday? How’s it going?

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever NO-SEW patterns and BOOKS

Deb on instagram

 

Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down

Mittens, they’re a small, a portable project and quick to knit. Do you have a pattern you knit over and over? It works. You know exactly how to do it because you’ve done it so many times before. Or do you download different mitten patterns to try something new? A new stitch pattern, a different yarn or a different way of doing them? It can make knitting mittens an adventure.

These are mine. A new pattern: Any Gauge Mittens, Top DownDSC_0012 (2) - Copy

They start at the top, yes, the top. That way you can dive into your stash and pick up any ball of yarn and get started right away. NO SWATCH. I love that.

Work increases until they are the correct size. GAUGE DOESN’T MATTER. In fact, nowhere in this Top Down Mitten pattern is it referred to. Not once.

If they’re for you, knit until you can fit your finger tips into the mitten top.DSC_0018 (2)

You also get to knit the thumbs from the top too. That’s the exciting part. It’s knit as a giant I-Cord on two double pointed needles. Quick, really quick.

Check out the Video: Any Gauge Mitten, ThumbMitten thumb

What do you do with all those ladders? You hook them up with a crochet hook, just like a dropped stitch. It’s magic!

Video: Hooking Up the Thumb LaddersNAA mitten P1020890

I’m experimenting with videos as you can see. Ha, it’s a learning curve for sure. I’ve made videos to go with each section of the mitten knitting. You’re getting all the info you would get in an Any Gauge Mitten, Top Down workshop. Let me know if this works for you.

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever, NO-SEW patterns by Deb & Lyn

 

 

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