Sunday, December 31, 2006

Pattern for my Fingerless Gloves on 2 Circular Needles

Sharmane's Basic Cable Fingerless Gloves Pattern


Fingerless Gloves, Basic Cable


I posted my pattern for these Basic Cable Fingerless Gloves on Knitting with a Vengeance if you want to check it out. The pattern was created for the Double Circular Needle Method, so that I could try on the gloves while knitting to make sure the pattern was working out. That, and I just f&ckin' love the 2 circs method.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Basic Cable Fingerless Gloves by Sharmane

Fingerless Glove Completed

Fingerless Gloves, Basic Cable

Fingerless Gloves


I have been working on my fingerless gloves for about a week now. I tried a couple of the patterns that were posted in this KAL but nothing seemed to work for me. I wanted to use the Double Circular Needle method so that I could slide my hand in from time to time to make sure everything was going well but none of the patterns I saw worked well with this method. After completing and frogging 3 right hand gloves, and several other partial ones I finally decided I would just build my own pattern. I blogged about it at Knitting with a Vengeance. It was a very frustrating process but after a few revisions I created this pattern...

Basic Cable Fingerless Gloves

I know you can't really see the pattern in this picture but it looks fine on an Excel file. I have the pattern written out as well but I am a visual person so building it on this Excel chart was the best way for me to get an idea that my pattern would translate on sticks okay. I'll post the written out form of the pattern later.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Scarlet & Gray IHS's

Hi Everyone! I joined the KAL a short time ago, but this is my first time posting. Last winter I made myself a IHS in gray, then made a hat in the left over yarn a few months ago. And for Christmas, I made a Scarlet set for my mom. Here is a pic:

I still need to get a pic of the finished red one, and being from Ohio, love the colors. Stop by my blog if you'd like to see what else I made for Christmas.

Christmas Scarf

This is my first Irish Hiking Scarf, but certainly not my last! I immediately cast on to begin another when I finished it. Everyone was right, this is a great project on which to learn the basics of cables. The scarf made a beautiful Christmas gift for a special friend.

Two skeins of Plymouth Encore, color Raccoon, size 8 needles. You can read more about me and my knitting (mis)adventures on my blog T-Town Knitiot.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Three Gifts

I made three irish hiking scarves for christmas gifts and everyone loved them!

Here is a picture of all three of them together:
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

They were made with wool of the andes in coal, hollyberry and amber.

Lauren
http://kittensandknittin.blogspot.com

Sunday, December 24, 2006

My First Hat & Scarf Combo

My first Scarf & Hat Combo...Irish Hiking Scarf

Irish Hiking Combo

I finished my first cabled hat the other day to match the scarf I posted earlier. It is a little loose around my head but I actually kind of like it because I can wear my heat down with out messing it up, that's all a girl wants out of a beanie right? This was my first that on a circular needle. I have done several on DPNs but this cabling was a bit too hard on DPNs so I went out and bought my first interchangeable needle. To see more about my cabling check out my blog, Knitting with a Vengeance.

Happy Chrismahanukwanzstice to you all!

Friday, December 22, 2006

I LOVE this pattern!!

I joined the KAL about a week or two ago, started a scarf and hat for my son and finished them up for Christmas. We checked to make sure the hat would fit and it does. His comment was, "I think it's perfect". This is from a 17 year old who has never had or really wanted a hand knit item from mom. I was tickled pink!!




I modified the scarf because it was ending up way too wide, and I knew he wouldn't wear it. I went down two needle sizes from the pattern and I took out one of the cable repeats.

I used Kathmandu Aran in the light grey colorway(I don't recall the number, maybe 120). The hat took 1 1/2 balls, and for the scarf I used 2 1/2 balls.



Now I have a darker brown for a hat for dh. I doubt I will get it done for Christmas, but probably before he has to go back to work in January.

These are great patterns, especially the hats and mitts made to go with the scarf. Thank you to all the designers out there!!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Irish hiking scarf and wrist warmers


This is my second Irish hiking scarf. I modified the pattern slightly by using "uneven cables" which I found in Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Instead of putting 3 stitches on a cable needle and knitting the next 3 before knitting the 3 from the cable needle, you put 2 stitches on the cable needle and knit the next 4. I like the way these cables turn out, and they're a bit easier to do. I went with a 6-row repeat, as opposed to the 8-row cables in the Hello Yarn pattern.

The finished scarf is about 60" long. The ends don't fan out much because I did the first cable row on the third row (as opposed to row 8). Likewise I ended the scarf 2 rows after the last cable row.


I improvised a matching pair of wrist warmers. They're 36 stitches around (3 repeats of the 12-stitch cable pattern). I started at the arm, and after 22 rounds began increasing for the thumb gusset. I increased 2 stitches every other round until there were 42 stitches. In round 35 I bound off 8 stitches at the thumb, and in round 36 I cast on 2 stitches to complete the circle. After another 10 rounds, I bound off.


For more details, visit my blog.

Irish hiking scarf
Started: Beginning of November
Finished: End of November
Pattern: From Hello Yarn
Yarn: Bernat Satin, Sterling, 3 skeins (used very little of the 3rd skein)
Needles: US 8 Addi Turbos

Irish hiking wrist warmers
Started: Beginning of December
Finished: Dec. 9
Pattern: My own
Yarn: Bernat Satin, less than 1 skein
Needles: US 8 dpns

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I'm Back Baby!

In my earlier post I mentioned that I ran out of yarn and searched high and low to find the same Iceland Madil Colbalt Blue, 929 and finally found 4 balls on eBay from QualityFibers Store. I was nervous that the due lot wouldn't match so I got an extra ball in case I was going to have to start all over again, but I got the yarn a few days ago and it matches perfectly. I couldn't be more thrilled. So, I'm back knitting my own person IHS and it is great. I have to tell you, if you want to spend $11/ball on yarn (which I can't afford) that you gotta try this Iceland Madil, no joke it is a dream to knit with. Luckily, it didn't cost that much for me on eBay BUT I still say it you get a chance get some of this stuff, its like knitting butta (thank you Barbara)!

So here is a picture of the previous knitted half of my IHS and the new yarn I just got...

Irish Hiking Scarf, Iceland Madil, Colbalt Blue, 929

Keep y'all posted on how it comes out.

(I type y'all now cause I live in Texas but I don't actually say y'all in real like so don't hold it against me.)

My Irish Hiking Cables


For the last month, I have been busily knitting my Irish Hiking Cables. My favorite is the red scarf and matching mittens although I also knit several more which can be seen on my blog (www.Artseycrafts.blogspot.com) I also belong to the Fall Cables KAL so you may see the same post there.........Shirley

Thursday, December 07, 2006

OK, so the scarf is now in lavender purple cashwool...

Well, I know I got started on the scarf in fine style, using my precious silk/cashmere yarn that looks like string, smells like a fish factory, but comes out elegantly ahead of the pack.




But then - well I don't know if you're going to accept this or not, but you see I got this pattern in the post that I'd been waiting for simply AGES - the Travelling Cables Cardi from Karabella. Adorable Angeluna got it for me and posted it on - for some vicious reason, American suppliers wanted seventy-seven times the actual price of the pattern to post it to Ireland. Don't ask me, blame it on international relations or the weather or something. Anyway, once I got it, of course I wanted to get going right AWAY, and the only possible yarn to make it in was that selfsame silk/cashmere...

So now the Travelling Cables Cardi is well under way, and the Irish Hiking Scarf has been reborn in another lifestyle - this time a supremely luxurious "cashwool" in a rather good lavender/purple shade.


I know, there isn't much to see yet, but I thought I'd let you know that although I was unfaithful on one count, I did get right back in there with something just as beautiful. (I'll be listing a skein of that cashwool on eBay this weekend, under the Celtic Memory label, so keep an eye out for it.)

Cashwool is actually pure merino, but so finely spun that it has the gorgeous softness and silkiness of cashmere. This cone is very very fine, so I've plied it up to - oh, I think sixfold actually - to use for the scarf. A delight to use, though - like a whisper of fine silk through the hands. Will keep you posted, and should have a picture in the next day or two.

Jo
http://celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com