A Guided Tour – Gherkin Mittens

Hold the pickle!

Whirly-WIP

When I finished my Elsica Hat in Adriafil New Zealand Print I had only used .75 of one ball – I had another 1.25 balls left. So I set about making some matching mittens. What follows is not sufficiently worked out to be a pattern i.e. I haven’t got measurements of the finished mittens as they’ve been gifted by now and I can’t give you a gauge. So I’m calling it a guided tour of what I did to make them. I knit these mittens from cuff- to-tips, in the round and two-at-a-time on two circular needles. I’ve included some tips for how to do that too.  

..."And now it's time for the Architect's Sketch!"

Adjust gauge so that it fits

Finished Size: To fit a woman’s small to medium hand.  

Yarn: Adriafil New Zealand Print (75% wool, 25% acrylic; 220 yd [201 m]/100g)  – 0.65 of 1 skein needed for these mittens; Colour 021 – blues and greens  

Needles: US Size 7 (4.5mm) two sets of circluar needles  

Notions: Two lockable stitch-markers; tapestry needle  

Gauge: Ahem! Mumblemumblemumble… Didn’t quite hear you there. Did you say gauge? Oh… eh… Adjust gauge as necessary, so that they fit! 

You will need…

Notes:

• Needle Set-up: You will need two matching pairs of circular needles, of whatever size you need to get gauge. If you have interchangeable needles, you can set up two cables with the needle-size to get gauge on one end and a smaller needle-size on the other. I set up two medium-length cables from my set of Denise Interchangeables with Size 7 (4.5mm) needles on one end of each cable and Size 5 (3.5mm) needles on the other end of each. 
• Yarn Set-up: The key to knitting two at a time is that you’re knitting from two separate balls of yarn. It seems obvious but I had to have a light-bulb moment before I figured it out! So, before you begin, wind your yarn into two separate balls. Use a weighing scales (preferably digital) to determine when you’ve reached halfway. Don’t try to knit from both ends of the one ball – ask me how I know!

Half of two cuffs cast-on to first needle

• To Cast-on for two-at-a-time:
  1. Using your preferred cast-on (I used a long-tail cast on; but use anything you like, as long as it’s elastic) and ball A, cast-on half of the overall number of stitches you require for one mitten onto the correct needle size for gauge (see needle set-up above). If you opt for a cast-on that requires a long-tail make sure each tail is long enough to cast-on all of the stitches required for one mitten.
  2. Now forget ball A and take up ball B.
  3. Using the same cast-on and ball B, cast-on half of the overall number of stitches you require for one mitten onto the same needle.
  4. Stick with ball B but pick up the other circular needle.
  5. Let the first circular needle dangle as you cast-on the second half of the stitches onto the 2nd circular needle – as close as you can to where you left off on the first needle. Make sure you’re casting-on to the correct end of your 2nd circular needle!
  6. Now forget ball B and take up ball A again.
  7. Cast-on the 2nd half of stitches for the other mitten – again, as close as possible to where you left off before.
  8. When you start your next round you will join for knitting in the round, being careful not to twist.
  9. And there you’ll be with two mittens on two circular needles – two half-rounds on each needle.



Starting cast-on to second needle

Stitch Guide:

S1 to LH ndl:

1. As you knit to the end of each half-round for each mitten, lock the stitch-marker around the loop of the last stitch and let it slip off your Left-Hand (LH) needle.
2. As you start each half-round for each mitten, pick up the stitch-marker and use it to replace the loop onto your LH needle. Remove the stitch-marker and lock it around the loop (not the leg) of the last stitch in the half-round.

Right-leaning Travelling Stitch: (T2R) 

1. With yarn to back, knit into both sts as though to K2tog. Don’t drop sts off left-hand needle;
2. Bring yarn to front, purl first stitch and drop both sts off left-hand needle.

Right-leaning Travelling Stitch with Decrease: (T2Rdec) 

1. With yarn to back, knit into both sts as though to K2tog. Don’t drop sts off left-hand needle;
2. Bring yarn to front, and slip first stitchonto RH ndl as if to purl;
3. Drop both sts off left-hand needle;
4. Insert RH ndl into next st on LH ndl and p2tog with first st on RH ndl
5. 1 st decreased with right travelling stich

Mittens 

Cast-on: 36 sts for each mitten i.e. 18 sts onto each needle with each ball – see Notes above. 
Cuffs: Work in [Ktbl,P2] rib around for 2.5″ (or however long you would like) 
Increase round: Ktbl, M1, p1 around to last st, lock a stitch marker around the next st so that it can be slipped onto LH ndl.
Set-up round: T2R, p3 around to last two sts; then M1 and slip last st onto LH ndl (49sts)
Hands: [T2R, p3] around to last st; s1 to LH ndl
Repeat this round for 3” or until you get to “crook” of your palm then work “EZ’s thumb trick” as follow: Work 4 sts in pattern, switch to spare yarn and knit 7 sts; replace sts just worked in spare yarn back on LH ndl and continue in pattern as though nothing had happened!
Continue with hands until 1.5” before desired length.    

Spiraling towards tips

Decrease for Mitten tips: 

• Rnd 1: *T2Rdec, P1, [T2R, P2] twice; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 2: *T2R, P1, T2Rdec, P1, T2R, P2; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 3: *[T2R, P1] twice, T2Rdec, P1; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 4: *T2Rdec, [T2R, P1] twice; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 5: *T2R, T2rdec, T2R, P1; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 6: *T2R, T2R, T2Rdec; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 7: *T2R; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 8: *K2tog, T2R, T2R; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 9: *K2tog, K1, T2R; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 10: *K2tog, K2; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• Rnd 11: *K2tog, K1; rpt from * to last st; S1 to LH ndl
• 9sts are left. Break yarn, thread ndl and fasten off last 9 sts by bringing yarn through each loop as if to purl-through back of loop.
• Fasten off and weave in ends.

Twirly thumb

Thumb: I did one thumb at a time, using two circular needles, as before. I picked up sts for thumb on wrong side – a minimum of 15 sts initially. Remove spare yarn and bring the ndls through the hole and pull the mitten right-side-out. I picked up one or two more sts at the ends, to minimise holes.  
Set-up rnd: This was a bit of a fudge but generally each ndl had one “set” of sts with [T2R, P2] and one sets with [T2R, P3]. I made sure to have a knit stitch at the start of each ndl and I made sure that the travelling stitch of the main mitten body was not interupted. I used the stitch-marker locked around the loop, as before – see notes – to move the last st onto the next LH ndl .  

• I knit thumb for 2″, or until it was 0.5″ short of the tip of my thumb.
• For my first decrease round I decreased such that all “sets” are T2R, P2;
• Two rounds with no decreases
• Then decrease each round until 9 sts remain.
• Finish off as for main mitten top

Finished Mittens

Bit-a-Bling?

Are you as shocked as my knitting friends were yesterday that I had these yarns in my possession?  

Dream On! Lady Bliss

 You can’t imagine the abuse they gave me for not only having paid money for these yarns but that I was proposing to knit with them! In public! AND in their company! It didn’t help matters that one of them decided to barf all over the floor of the restaurant we were in at the time. That’s one of the balls of yarn, I hasten to clarify – not one of my knitting friends; though they were making similar noises.  

But, undaunted, I persevered with what I had in mind. The other day Chickwithstix posted this idea for an adorable Christmas Ornament. I think you’ll agree that Donegal Tweed, a.k.a. Kilcarra, lends a certain air of sophisticated, bo-ho chique to this project. Well… here’s the “Skanger Bling” version…  

Badda Bing!

• If you’re screaming WHY? at your computer right now, I’ll be getting back to that in a later post.
• If your eyes are threatening to bleed, click back to Diane’s soothing version quickly. You can comeback here tomorrow. It’ll be all over then, I promise.
• If you’re here for the how-to, then pull up a chair and let’s get started.

Not everyone likes Bling. If I were given the choice of my offering and Diane’s I’d pick Diane’s. Then again, don’t you get away with a bit of bling at Christmas-time? So if you’re after a bit a’ Bling? Badda-Bing!: 

Advent Wreath with Bling

Based on Diane’s instructions, to make this wreath you knit a length of  i-chord, turn it into a circle and sew one end to the other. When I first ventured into the online-world of knitting I had no idea of what an i-chord was. In case you’re in the same boat, I’ll tell you what I’ve picked up since. Apparently, i-chord is short for (the more polite name for) “idiot-chord” and the phrase was first coined by Elizabeth Zimmerman because it’s how an idiot would knit if they didn’t know how to. That is, you knit row after row of a few stitches, without ever turning your work, and you end up with a long mini-tube. This is because the last stitch of the previous row twists around to meet the first stitch of the next row.

Keep going until you want to stop

To knit an i-chord you’ll need two double-point needles (DPN). Gauge and tension are not important in this project so select your needle size according to what yarn you’d like to use.  

Cast-on  a very small number of stitches onto one of your DPNs. Diane used 4sts for her Kilcarra wreath; I used 5 for my hairy blend of novelty yarns. You wouldn’t want to use more than that or the effect will be lost. Now follow these simple steps until your i-chord is long enough to make the circle you want.  

1. Knit all stitches across then put your right-hand needle into your left hand but do not turn your work;
2. Push all the stiches to the working end of the DPN;
3. Your yarn, however, is now at the wrong end. To continue knitting just pull it over, behind your work, and repeat from Step 1

As you continue, your mini-tube will relax and if you give it a few pulls the odd time you’ll help to sort out any ladders that might occur.  

If you’d like to add beads – to represent the four candles on an Advent Wreath then here’s more how-to:  

You have two options (well, three if you count ignoring the following and just sewing them on afterwards!):  

• you can either thread four beads onto your work before you start (Option A);
• or get a teeny-tiny crochet hook – one that’s small enough to go through the holes in the centre of your beads of choice (Option B).

Advent Wreath

I recommend placing the first bead after you’ve knit a few rows. You’ll want them at the North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West compass position on your final circle as it hangs. When you get to the right place in your knitting where you want to position a bead, work to a middle stitch – don’t try either manouvre described below at the first or last sts of your i-chord. 

Option A: 

• Knit up to the place where you’d like to add the bead.
• Bring the yarn between your needles to the front of your work, and slide the next stitch purl-wise onto your right needle.
• Then slide the bead up along the yarn as close as possible to the needle, letting it occupy the slight void left by the slipped stitch.
• Lift your yarn back between your needles and to the rear of your work, and knit the next stitch. The bead should be secured tightly.

 Option B: 

• Knit until you reach the stitch where you’d like to add the bead.
• Pick up the crochet hook, slide one bead onto it, and use the crochet hook – instead of your DPN – to work into the next stitchon your left knitting needle.
• Slide the bead down from the crochet hook deep onto the yarn loop, then place the loop back on your knitting needle.
• The bead is now in place and you can continue knitting.

For my novelty yarn Option A – threading four beads onto one of the thinner stands of the blend – was the simplest. All three strands would not go through the hole in the bead and foostering with one strand while trying to knit the other two as normal was too much of a pain. 

As you continue knitting the i-chord, bend it into a circle periodically to help you determine when you’ve completed another quarter-round. When you get to the end of your i-chord, just cast off in the normal way. If you’re using a crazy blend of fun-fur or novelty yarns, as I did, don’t try to sew one end to the other with the same yarn. Use some standard sewing thread, in a complimetry colour, to sew it up. Add something to hang it – you could crochet one of the yarn ends, perhaps. 

Hang it up and enjoy it; or give it away as a present; or donate it to charity. Whatever is your preference, I hope you have a bit of fun making one.