Fingerless mits 2

I was thinking how I could adapt the fingerless mits to make them more like mittens but still be fingerless. I considered the usual cap that goes over the fingers  but this still leaves the thumb uncovered unless the whole thumb is knitted as in a glove.  I was looking at various ideas and realised if the whole hand could be covered but folded back, as in the ribbed cuff of a long sleeve and the same thing done for the thumb, this may be a successful and attractive design.

These are what I came up with.

Natalie's Fingerless Mits

I made these for my cousin who requested a short pair of fingerless mits.  She was quite specific about what she wanted too.  I make loads of socks but I had never made gloves of any sort before. I researched lots of patterns but didn't find anything like what she wanted, so I went about working something out. These are consequently very simple and need very little yarn.

Materials required:
2.5mm cable needle
Stitch holder or spare yarn
Two stitch markers
25 g fingering sock wool (Left over from another project?)

Pattern stitch.
(YO, K2tog tbl, K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K2togtbl, K2tog, YO, K1)

On 2.5mm circ.
CO 52 St's, long tail method.
K1, P1 rib 7 rows
K1, P1 x 3, K to last st, P1
Row 1,  K1, P1 x 3, pattern stitch to last 2sts, K1, P1
Row 2,  K1, P1 x 3, K to last 2 sts, K1, P1
These two rows constitute the pattern.
Continue for desired length to thumb increases. (11 repeats of two pattern rows).
Thumb increases
After row 2 of pattern.
K1, P1 x 3, M1R, pattern stitch to last 2 sts, M1L, K1, P1.
K1, P1, x 3, K to last 3 sts P1, K1, P1
K1, P1 x 3, K1, M1R, pattern stitch to last 3 sts, M1L
Coninue in this way keeping the same number of pattern stitches in each row increasing the rib stitches for the thumb until there are 18 rib stitches. Finish on row 1 of pattern.

Divide stitches for hand and thumb.

Place 18 rib thumb sts on spare yarn.


Continue working on main hand stitches in pattern stitch,

Joining row is a K row
Pattern to end, cast on 6 sts with thumb method and join in the round.
Increase row
Pattern stitch to CO sts K1, YO, K1tbl, K1, K1, YO, K1tbl, K1, YO.
Next Row and every alt row K
Keep two pattern rows going til 23 repeats from beginning complete, or to desired length.
End on K row.
RIB 7 rows K 1, P 1 rib
Bind off in rib.

Pick up 18 thumb stitches. Pick up 1 stitch in gap between these stitches and 6 CO stitches, pick up 6 sts from CO St loops, pick up 1st between the Co sts and 18 rib sts.
K1, P1, rib all sts for 7 rows
Bind off in rib.

Sew in ends.
Wash and block.

===================================
Alternative pattern designs
Over multiples of 6 St's +2.
Commence Co appropriate no St's.
Row1.  P2, (k4, P2)
Row2. (K2, p4) k2
Repeat rows 1 and 2
Row 5. (P2, (k 2nd st tbl, leave on needle, k1st st tfl, slip both Sts off needle, k2nd St tfl leave on needle, k 1st st tfl, slip both sts off needle)), P2.
Row 6. As row 2
Row 7. (p2, (k2nd st tfl, leave on needle, k1st st tfl, slip both sts off needle, k2nd st tbl leave on needle, k1st St tfl, slip both St's off needle)) p2


This is the row sequence, repeat as required.

Lily Pad = Floralized - Mystery Kit-Along by Cheri McEwen

This is the first blanket I have knitted in the round.  It is a pattern by Cheri McEwen on Ravelry called Floralized.  She has released it as a free pattern for The Summer 2014 Mystery Knit-along with 5 clues.  I seem to have become addicted to these.

This has been quite an adventurous knit for me.  The pattern is very versatile and can be knitted in any gauge wool and can be knitted in the round or as a triangle or three quarter shawl. There is provision for beads to be added as an optional extra; however, as I am knitting a blanket I didn't think this would be appropriate for me. I chose to make it into a complete square in James C Brett - Rustic Aran Tweed. This is a mixed yarn and very light ans soft.  I am actually enjoying knitting with this much more then the Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, which I found rather hard on the hands to knit.

The pattern itself is lace knit with eight repeats per quarter section that are divided by a spine stitch and additional fill stitches maintain the pattern throughout.

MKAL - Last Post

This project is now complete with all ends sewn in.  I am very pleased with the end result.  I am now thinking of making the Martin Storey  Dot Stripe Cushion  to go with it, with my remaining yarn.  I may need to get another ball of wool to complete it but I think they will go well together.

MKAL - 12 - Assembly

Had the most terrible day when starting to sew the centre squares.  I found I had assembled my centre squares up-side-down!  I have had to unassemble them and had to reassemble them the right way up. Fortunately I had only joined 4 strips of four squares up to that point otherwise I think I would have felt suicidal!

The trim is not very exciting to knit but, on the up side, I have turned the corners the using Dayana's short row  method.  This hasn't been without its own little quirks as the first two corners required a C6B and the last two needed a C4B.  I'm not going to worry about it as I am sure no one will notice once it is all made up. The blanket is so big that most little mistakes will not notice at all and just become one of the design features..

24 squares of middle section assembled with mattress stitch

Finished the trim and sewn it onto the edge, grafting the two ends together with difficulty as the wool was too dark to see the stitches clearly.

24 edge squares with cable trim attached

Middle section and edge with trim arranged to show how finished blanket will appear

Detail of corner turned with short rows with cable inserted

I have started to sew the centre panel into the blanket and it is really surprisingly heavy.  This would be better done in the winter as the weather is really too hot in July for a pure wool blanket covering the knees!!!  

MKAL 11 - Assembly

I have assembled all the edge pieces according to the plan and now need to knit and assemble the trim onto these pieces.

I made a provisional crochet cast on, in a contrast colour, to enable me to graft the ends of the trim invisibly and started to knit the trim directly onto the blanket but I think that it looks a bit messy.

I then thought of crocheting around the edge of the blanket and knitting the edge onto this.  I may end up by knitting it separately and mattress stitching it on to the blanket.

My intention is to sew the middle pieces together in strips so that it will mean that once the trim is in place the centre can be stitched in easily and quickly.

MKAL 10 - Layout

The official layout hasn't been posted yet , nor has the method for piecing the squares together but in the meantime I thought I would try out my layout, live on the carpet.  The last six squares in Raspberry are missing as they are in the process of being blocked, but I thought I would lay out the pieces in the order I had planned, anyway, omitting the last squares that are still drying.

Unfortunately I took the photo of the layout upside-down in comparison with the plan. I noticed a mistake in the first column whilst laying them out (the right hand column in this photo). There were two Doughnuts in the last row (top row here) and simply by exchanging a Doughnut for a Lace Kisses, in the same column, I was able to preserve order!  

The "knight's move" pattern is still preserved and there are no two patterns the same in horizontal or vertical rows.  The diagonal will always have a different colour but may be the same pattern. Each colour will be a knight's move away from the same colour.  (The gaps are the positions of the remaining squares). I think it will look good once it is made up.

My plan is still to join the edge pieces first so that I can knit on the border without having to hold the whole weight of the blanket on my knees in June and July!!!!  It would have been a lovely cosy knit in December but not in mid-summer.