Freitag, 18. Oktober 2013

Circle Mitts

These mitts form a circle shape around the thumb. They are knitted in five parts and can be adjusted to fit different hand sizes - their construction is similar to the Hexagon Mitts. The circle shape shows best when using variegated yarn.



Please note, that at some points in the pattern I don't give exact instructions or exact stitch numbers but rather the general outline of how to construct the mitts. Since hands are different, the mitt can be shaped individually as well.

However, as an example (and written in purple) I will give you the exact numbers for the mitts in the picture. These measure 18 cm in length. The circumference at the upper edge measures about 14 cm – and about 16 cm at the lower edge ribbing.





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Translations and other versions 
  • A version of these mitts knitted with aran weight yarn can be found in this blogpost.




Materials
  • 2.5mm dpns or 2.5mm circulars if you prefer the magic ring method - then you need an extra needle for a three-needle bind-off (for me it was perfect to begin with dpns, switching to circulars and magic ring when the circle got wider and switching back to dpns after finishing the short rows in part 4.)
  • a crochet hook
  • a tapistry needle to weave in ends

Techniques
Knitting a flat circle
Generally, a flat circle is knitted as follows.
CO8 and join in round
Round 1: k
Round 2: *k1 mk1 repeat from * (i.e. every 2nd stitch is doubled) (-> 16 sts)
Round 3: k
Round 4: * k2 mk1 repeat from * (i.e. every 3rd stitch is doubled)(-> 24 sts)
Round 5: k
Round 6: * k3 mk1 repeat from * (i.e. every 4th stitch is doubled) (-> 32 sts)
Round 7: k
Round 8: * k4 mk1 repeat from * (i.e. every 5th stitch is doubled) (-> 40 sts)
… I'm sure, the formula is clear by now, namely that you increase by 8 stitches every other row. It also means that the distance between the "doubled" stitches increases by one in each of the increase-rounds. The same "formula" will be used when constructing the mitts. If you do the increases at the same spot a pattern (maybe even corners) will become visible; to achieve a more circular look I started the increases at a different location in each increase row.

Short Rows in the Round (and the abbreviation t+ky)

I learned short rows in the round with this helpful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCgycxLce94; however, I ended up doing the wraps on the WS and all pick-ups differently.

"Wrapping" of the Stitches
Basically, when you're on the RS, you do wrap the working yarn around the next stitch (from front to back) and then turn your work, i.e. the "normal" wrap and turn (w+t).
When you are on the wrong side you slip the last stitch, turn your work with the yarn in front, wrap the yarn around the RIGHT needle and knit the slipped stitch. That creates a sort of double-stitch - one half of it has to be knitted together with the stitch in front when you're picking up the stitches. In the pattern, throughout the pattern I will call this stitch, t+ky (short for "turn and knit w/yarn-over").

Picking-up
When encountering a w+t, I turned the wrapped stitch on the needle, picked up the wrap from the front and knitted the stitch and the wrap together through the back of the loop.
When reaching the stitch BEFORE the “double-stitch”, I turned this stitch and knitted it together with the yo through the back of the loop.

Instructions

The picture on the right shows the parts of the project.

Part 1: Thumb (knitted in the round)

CO18 and join in round
Round 1: *p1 k1 p1 repeat from *
Repeat round 1 a total of 7 times
Round 8: *p1 k1 p1 mk1p repeat from * (-> 24 sts)
Round 9: *p1 k1 repeat from *
Repeat round 9 a total of 6 times

Part 2: Increases in a Full Circle (knitted in the round)

After finishing the thumb, you have 24 sts on your needles. Until the end of part 2 you have to increase by 8 stitches each 2nd round/row (as explained above in the "Techniques" section).

Round 1: k
Round 2: double every 3rd stitch (e.g. * kfb k2 repeat from *; you can use any form of increase you like, I prefer kfb's as they are easy to knit, but you could do *k2 mk1 repeat from * as well); now you have 32 stitches on your needles
Round 3: k
Round 4: double every 4th stitch (-> 40 sts)
Round 5: k
Round 6: double every 5th stitch (-> 48 sts)
Round 7: k … etc.
Continue until the distance between the thumb and the upper edge is high enough for you - always increasing in the even numbered round. Make sure to start the increases at different points in each increase row - this "randomizing" avoids the formation of an octagon pattern. Finish with an odd numbered row, i.e. a row without increases.

Example: For the mitts in the picture, the last full increase round was the one where I doubled every 12th stitch.

Then, to move to part 3 BO 6 stitches; ssk and knit to the last stitch before the BO sts (make sure to do the circle increases in this row as well - and keep the increases random, any changes to your stitch count can be "corrected" in part 4) – in case of the mitts shown here, I increased every 13th stitch.


Before turning slip the last stitch to the right needle and - using a crochet hook - draw the working yarn through the first BO stitch, put the loop on the left needle, move the last (not yet knitted) stitch back to the left needle, knit the two stitches together. This avoids the little gap between the first bind-off stitch and the last stitch of the row. (See picture on the right for illustration.)

Part 3: Increases in an Open Circle (knitted back and forth)
Row 1 (WS): p2tog purl to last 2 sts, p2togtbl
Row 2 (RS): ssk k to last 2 sts (not forgetting the increases); k2tog
Repeat these rows until the mitts are wide enough for your hands.  (In case of the mitts in the picture, the last increase round in this part was the one where I increased every 18th stitch.)
Please note, that in the number of increases per round is less than 8 in this part.

If you feel that just the upper edge should be wider, but  you don't want the mitts to be longer, you can also use short rows.
Row 1     (RS): ssk k10 w+t
    (WS) p to last two stitches p2tog tbl turn work
    (RS): ssk k (not forgetting the increases) to last to stitches k2tog
Row 2     (WS): p2tog p10 t+ky
    (RS): k to last 2 sts k2tog turn work
    (WS): p2tog p to last 2 sts p2togtbl

If the mitts are wide enough for you (try them on!), do a three needle bind-off in a WS row.

The picture on the left shows how the mitts look at the end of part 3.

The number of stitches to bind off should be a few stitches less than one fourth of the total circle circumference (this number differs from the actual amount of stitches on your needle, because of the upper bind-off and the decreases that form the upper edge). The total circumference is calculated as follows: (distance between doubled stitches in last increase row + 2) * 8 / 4
It is also important that the stitches that you have left after the bind-off are more than you need to fit around your wrist.


Example: If the distance between the doubled stitches in the last increase row was 17 (i.e. every 18th stitch was doubled), then add 2 to the distance (in this case 17 + 2 = 19) and multiply by 8 because you added 8 stitches in every increase round (19 * 8 =152). Then divide by 4 (e.g. 152/4 = 38).
Before doing the three-needle bind-off I counted 116 stitches on my needles. The total circumference (without the upper edge) would have been 152. I choose to bind off 32 stitches. That left 52 sts after the three-needle bind-off.

After binding off the chosen number of stitches, place the last stitch on the back needle.
While doing a three-needle BO, the WS is visible, i.e. the mitt is turned inside-out. After binding off place the single stitch (around which the last 2 stitches were bound off) on the back needle and turn the mitt back so that RS shows.

To move to part 4, place a marker ("end-marker"), slip the first stitch (that's the one that has already been knitted when you did the three-needle bind-off), pick up one stitch from the gap between this stitch and the next, knit the round and pick up one stitch from the gap. This gap might be a bit bigger than the one at the beginning of the row. To avoid a hole, you might try to pick up another stitch inbetween.
While you're knitting this row count the stitches - put a marker at the half of the round ("half-marker").

Part 4: Even out the Shaft with Short Rows (knitted back and forth)

Now you need to use short rows to shape the shaft while decreasing the number of stitches so that the mitt fits nicely around your wrists.

Example: With yarn of this weight, I wanted the shaft to be 45 stitches wide – it had to be a number divisible by 3, because of the k1p2-ribbing.

For doing short rows in the round, please read the explanations in the “Techniques” section.

Row 1:    RS: k1 k2tog k to 3 sts before half-marker w+t
    WS: p to 3 sts before end-marker p2tog p1 p2togtbl p to 3 sts before half-marker
    RS: t+ky k to 2 sts before end-marker ssk

Row 2: RS: k1 k2tog k to 3 sts before the last wrapped stitch w+t
    WS: p to end-marker, p2togtbl p to 3 sts before the last “double-stitch”
    RS: t+ky k end-marker

Repeat row 2 until you have reached the number of stitches you need for yuor wrist size. (When counting the stitches, make sure that you count the double-stitches created by t+ky as one.

Example: Since I had 55 sts on the needles (52 left after three-needle bind-off plus 3 picked up stitches, I had to decrease by 10 sts – I therefore did row 1 once (minus 4 sts) and row 2 three times (minus 6 sts).

Row 3:     RS: k1 k to 3 sts before last wrapped stitch w+t
    WS: p to end-marker p to 3 sts before the last “double-stitch”
    RS: t+ky k to end-marker

Repeat row 3 until there are only 3 stitches or less between the last turn and the end-marker. Then knit one complete row picking up all stitches – as described in the “Techniques” section.

Part 5: Lengthening the Shaft and Ribbing (knitted in the round)
You can lengthen the mitts by knitting a few more rounds. (For the mitts in the pictures only added one more row.)

Then knit the ribbing at the lower edge:
Round 1: * p1 k1tbl p1 repeat from *
Repeat round 1 a total of 9 times, then BO in pattern.

Weave in ends.


Dienstag, 15. Oktober 2013

Drop Stitch Scarf

Made based on a pattern I found on Ravelry. It's called #13 Drop Stitch Scarf by Laura Bryant.



Sonntag, 6. Oktober 2013

Helga Cabled Mitts

Free Knitting Pattern: Helga Cabled Mitts
Made from Aran weight yarn, these
fingerless gloves are a quick knit with decorative cables.

They were knit to very (!) clear specifications of my Mum who saw a photo in a catalogue and asked me to knit her such mitts.

This is not a complete pattern, but only a rough explanation.



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This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



Materials: 
  • about 60 grams of Aran weight yarn
  • 4.5 mm dpns
  • a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Terms:
Cable abbreviations are explained in the knitting cables section of http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-knit-a-cable-stitch/ .
Half the stitches of the width of the cable are placed on a cable needle (in case of C8F the cable width is 8, therefore the number of stitches you place on the cable needle is 4). This cable needle is held in front (in case of C8F) in at the back (in case of C8B) of your knitting while you knit the other half of the cables stitches. Then you knit the stitches from the cable needle.

Instructions:
  • CO 32 and join in round
  • knit 6 rounds of "k2-p2"-ribbing
  • the cable is knitted in 3 strands that are each 4 stitches wide; all stitches are knit-stitches, except for a purl channel (1 st wide) around the 12 cable stitches, i.e. set-up row: "k1 p1 k12 p1 k to end"
  • cabling is done every 4th row; the strand that leans to the middle is always the "front strand" (in row 4 the cabling part reads "p1 C8F k4 p1" and in row 8 "p1 k4 C8B p1" (and the other way round for the second mitt)). See chart below.
  •  
    Free Knitting Pattern: Helga Cabled Mitts
     
  • for thumb gusset start increases in 24th row after ribbing: place markers around a stitch 2 stitches away from the cabling part (for one mitt on the left side, for the other on the right side) - and k to marker mk1r k to next marker mk1l
  • do thumb gusset increases in rounds 24, 28, 32 and 36 (i.e. you increase by 8 stitches)
  • in row 40 place 9 thumb stitches on stitch holder and CO1 above the thumb hole (with backwards loop CO)
  • do last cabling in row 44 and knit 3 more "k1 p1 k12 p1 k to end"-rows
  • finish with 4 rows of "k2 p2"-ribbing then BO in pattern
  • for thumb gusset distribute the 9 sts from stitch marker on two needles and pick-up 5 more stitches from above thumb gusset (-> 14 sts)
  • knit 2 rounds in stockinette stitch (knitting decreases in the first row where the stitches from stitch holder meet the newly picked up stitches to avoid gaps) -> 12 stitches
  • finish with 2 rounds of  "k2 p2"-ribbing then BO in pattern

Freitag, 4. Oktober 2013

Circles

After the hexagon mitts, I'm knitting fingerless gloves in a circle shape around the thumb. Right now, it seems that I really like patterns with some "jommetry" (*) in them ... guess, I'm not a witch then. Maybe I should try an Octagram next :-)



UPDATE: The pattern is available here.

(*) "Female wizards aren't right either! It's the wrong kind of magic for women, is wizard magic,it's all books and stars and jommetry" (Terry Pratchett, Equal Rights)

Donnerstag, 3. Oktober 2013

Hexagon Mitts in Two Colours

These mitts are started from the thumb –
increasing to form a hexagon. They are knitted in one part without cutting the yarn - switching from knitting in the round to back and forth and again to knitting in the round. They start with the thumb, i.e. the fiddly part is dealt with right at the beginning. The colour effect is achieved by changing the colour every other row.


Marianne Holmen from strikkeglad.dk has written a Danish translation of this pattern. Thank you very much or rather "mange tak"!


I have designed a cowl in a chevron pattern to go with these mitts.






Creative Commons License
This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Materials
  • a total of about 30 grams of fingering weight yarn – either in two colours or two ends from one skein of variegated yarn
  • 3mm dpns (if you prefer the magic loop technique you will need a 3rd needle for a three-needle bind-off)
  • 7 stitch markers (1 different from the others; i.e. six “hexagon markers”  & one “travelling marker”)
  • a tapistry needle (to weave in the ends)

Techniques and Uncommon Abbreviations

Travelling Jogless Stripes (more about this)
  • To minimize the jog between the stripes, you can – when knitting the second round of a new colour – slip the first stitch of that round, place a marker and knit that round not until the old end, but until the newly placed marker. That way the end-of-round shift by one stitch. This technique will be used during part 2 of the pattern.
“Make One Purl”-Stitches (a video that shows these stitches)
  • mk1p right-leaning: make one purl stitch by inserting the left-hand needle from the back in the bar between the two stitches and purl through the front of the loop
  • mk1p left-leaning: make one purl stitch by inserting the left-hand needle from the back in the bar between the two stitches and purl through the back of the loop


The Pattern

Part 1 - Thumb
CO18 - with yarn A
Round 1: *p1 k1 p1 repeat from * to end
Round 2: *p1 k1 p1 repeat from * to end
repeat round 2 a total of 10 times
Round 12: *p1 place marker k1 p1 repeat from * – these 6 markers will be called „hexagon markers“

Part 2 - Hexagon In-the-Round-Increases
Round 1 (Yarn A): k
Round 2 (Yarn A): *k to marker mk1r slip hexagon marker k1 mk1l  repeat from * to last marker then knit to the end of round
Round 3 (Yarn B): k
Round 4 (Yarn B): sl1 purlwise (re)place travelling marker; p to marker (i.e. also purling the stitch you slipped before)
Repeat these 4 rounds 5 times or until the height from thumb to the top is high enough for you - ending with round 2.

Top Bind-Off and moving from part 2 to part 3
With yarn B: *k1 sl1 repeat from * until you reach the first hexagon marker - stranding yarn A.
BO between the first and the second marker (use any stretchy bind-off techique that you like, e.g. this) - while still stranding yarn A. Remove the two markers.
Knit until the end of this round then *k into stitch below k1 (repeat from * until you reach the first BO stitch - (you have just knitted the first stitches of this round again).
Remove travelling marker.
Turn and knit back one row with yarn B.


(A Note:  I really (really, REALLY) don't like breaking yarn in the middle of a piece - and consequently having to weave in more ends. That's why I go to any length to avoid breaking yarn. In case of these mitts (because of the construction and the colour changes) the yarn is not always where it is needed to be. Therefore, I have used a few "cheats", i.e. stranding the yarn over the first bind-off or knitting in the stitch below. If you don't mind the cutting and the weaving in, you can alternatively break your yarns A and B, slip the stitches to the first marker, start binding off with yarn A there and so on ... )

Part 3 - Hexagon Back-and-Forth Increases
Row 1 (Yarn A, RS): k
Row 2 (Yarn A, WS): *p to one stitch before marker mk1p (left-leaning) p1 slip marker mk1p (right-leaning) repeat from * to last marker then purl to the end of row
Row 3 (Yarn B, RS): k
Row 4 (Yarn B, WS): k
Repeat Rows 1 to 4 a total of three times (or until the mitt is wide enough to fit your hand). Try it on to make sure.
Then knit one row with yarn A - while you're knitting that last row, place the travelling marker (right at the stitch in the middle between the first and second hexagon marker).

Three-needle Bind-Off and Moving to Part 4

To join the front and back of the mitt, do a three-needle bind-off until you reach the travelling marker (you are seeing the WS of your mitt.) -  using yarn A and stranding yarn B. When you've reached the marker put the last stitch on the back needle. Turn your work inside-out to see the RS.
The first stitch of the round is the one you just knitted. Place an end-of-round marker and slip this stitch.
Still using yarn A, pick up a stitch from the bar between the two stitches, i.e. mk1r. Knit to the end of round. Pick up one stitch from the bar between the two stitches, i.e. mk1l.
Make the stitches around the end-of-round marker quite tight in order to avoid holes.
There are only three markers on your needle, the end-of-round marker and two hexagon markers.


Hexagon Mitts in Two Colors - Free Knitting Pattern by Knitting and so on


Part 4 - Wrist In-the-Round

Round 1 (Yarn B): k
Round 2 (Yarn B): p1 p2tog p to marker p1 mk1p p to marker mk1p p to two stitches before end-of-round p2tog
Round 3 (Yarn A): k
Round 4 (Yarn A): k1 k2 tog k to marker k1 mk1l k to marker mk1r k to two stitches before end-of-round ssk.
Repeat these 4 rounds until there are only three stitches between the two hexagon markers.

With yarn B, k until the last stitch of round. Slip the next stitch, k2tog and psso.
With yarn B, purl one round.

In case the wrist part is not long enough for you, you can continue as follows until the desired length.

Part 5 (optional)

Round 1 (Yarn A): k
Round 2 (Yarn A): k
Round 3 (Yarn B): k
Round 4 (Yarn B): p

Bind-Off
Then bind off loosely with yarn A.

Weave in ends.

Free Knitting Pattern: Hexagon Mitts in Two Colors