Yet Another Heart-Shaped Potholder

In my part of the world, Mother's Day is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May. So here's a pattern for cute heart shaped potholders to accompany the cake you bake for your mum.
It's knitted in one  piece, which minimizes the number of ends you have to weave in - and all in garter stitch. They come in two sizes - a larger and a smaller one.
If you've never done short rows, this might be the project to learn it, because it's quickly done <3

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






Materials

• between 20 or 30 grams of DK weight 
• 3mm knitting needles
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Knitted Cast-On: See this Youtube-video by Very Pink Knits.

Sizes
The bigger heart measures 19 cm at its widest point - the small one 15 cm.


Instructions

Big Heart

CO21
Row 0 (setup row): sl1, k to end, do a knitted CO of 2 sts
Ridge 1: kfb, k1, ktbl, k up to last st, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 2: kfb, k to 2 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 3: kfb, k to 3 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 4: kfb, k to 4 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 5: kfb, k to 5 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 6: kbf, k20, w+t, k to end
Ridge 7: kfb, k to 6 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 8: kfb, k to 7 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 9: kfb, k to 8 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 10: k to 9 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 11: k 20, w+t, k to end
Ridge 12: k to 10 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 13: k to 11 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 14: k to 12 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 15: k to 13 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 16: k 15, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 17: k to 14 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 18: k to 15 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 19: k to 16 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 20: k2tog, k to 17 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Rigde 21: k2tog, k to 18 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Rigde 22: k2tog, k to 19 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Rigde 23: k2tog, k to 20 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 24: k2tog, w+t, kfb

Ridge 25: kfb, k to 20 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 26: kfb, k to 19 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 27: kfb, k to 18 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 28: kfb, k to 17 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 29: kfb, k to 16 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 30: kfb, k to 15 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 31: kfb, k to 14 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 32: kfb, k15, w+t, k to end
Ridge 33: kfb, k to 13 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 34: k to 12 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 35: k to 11 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 36: k to 10 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 37: k20, w+t, k to end

Ridge 38: k to 9 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 39: k to 8 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 40: k to 7 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 41: k to 6 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 42: k20, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 43: k to 5 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 44: k2tog, k to 4 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 45: k2tog, k to 3 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 46: k2tog, k to 2 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 47: k2tog, k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 48: BO2, k2tog, k to last st, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Row 49: k2tog, BO to end

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Small Heart

CO16
Row 0 (setup row): sl1, k to end, do a knitted CO of 2 sts
Ridge 1: kfb, k1, ktbl, k up to last st, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 2: kfb, k to 2 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 3: kfb, k to 3 bef end, w+t, k up to last st, kfb
Ridge 4: kfb, k to 4 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 5: kfb, k12, w+t, k to end
Ridge 6: kfb, k to 5 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 7: kfb, k to 6 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 8: kfb, k to 7 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 9: k to 8 bef end, w+t, k to end
Ridge 10: k12, w+t, k to end

Ridge 11: k to 9 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 12: k to 10 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 13: k to 11 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 14: k12, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk
Ridge 15: k to 12 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 16: k2tog, k to 13 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 17: k2tog, k to 14 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 18: k2tog, k to 15 bef end, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Ridge 19: k2tog, w+t, kfb

Ridge 20: kfb, k to 15 bef end, w+t, k to last st, kfb

Ridge 21: kfb, k to 14 bef end, w+t, k to last st, kfb

Ridge 22: kfb, k to 13 bef end, w+t, k to last st, kfb

Ridge 23: kfb, k to 12 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 24: kfb, k11, w+t, k to end

Ridge 25: kfb, k to 11 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 26: kfb, k to 10 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 27: k to 9 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 28: k12, w+t, k to end

Ridge 29: k to 8 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 30: k to 7 bef end, w+t, k to end

Ridge 31: k to 6 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 32: k to 5 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 33: k12, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 34: k to 4 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 35: k2tog, k to 3 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 36: k2tog, k to 2 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 37: k2tog, k10, w+t, k to 2 bef end, ssk

Ridge 38: k2tog, k to last st, w+t, k to last 2 sts, ssk

Row 39: k2tog, BO to end

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Domspitzen

If there's one knitting skill I don't have, it's fair isle color work. From time to time I try it again - only to find, that I'm not much good at it. Yes, I know, that doing it more would make me better at it, but until I've done it a lot, I stick to smaller fair isle projects. Like this phone sock here.
Since I think that it's a lovely piece to try out fair isle, here's a short how-to. It's NOT a line-by-line pattern, but there is a complete chart :)

I chose the name "Domspitzen", because somebody on Instragram suggested that the peaks reminded them of the silhouette of the towers of the Cologne Cathedral - and I rather agree.



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




Materials

• about 15 grams of fingering weight yarn in two colors; main color (MC, red in the pictures) and contrast color (CC, off-white in the pictures)
• 3 mm knitting needles, you can use dpns, circulars with magic loop or Addi CrasyTrios
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Gauge and Size
17 rows gave 5 cm in height, and 17 stitches 5 cm in width.
The finished piece measures about 15.5 cm in height and 15 cm in circumference.


Techniques

• Judy's Magic Cast-On is a technique that gives you live stitches on both sides of your needle - it is generally used for toe-up socks (e.g. in this pattern), but it can be used for other purposes as well. Here's a written description (from Knitty) and here's a YouTube-video by Cat Bordhi and another YouTube-video by Very Pink Knits.

Instructions

Do a magic CO of 2x24 stitches, i.e. you have a total of 48 stitches with MC.
Knit one row in stockinette (in the round) in MC.

Then knit the charted pattern in the round according to the chart, with 48 stitches you will have 8 repeats of the stitch pattern.

After you've finished row 40 of the stitch pattern add 4 rows in stockinette in MC.
Finish with 8 rows of k2p2-ribbing in MC.

Bind off in ribbing pattern.

Weave in ends and block.

Bärentatzen Scarf

Ever since I knitted a brioche-lace combination for my Mum (see Luftbläschen Scarf) I wanted to do another project that incorporated both techniques.
So, here’s another scarf that combines the fluffiness of brioche with the elegance of lace - and because it’s brioche, it’s reversible. Once you get the hang of it, its fun to do - and I really like the result .

As to the name, the stitch pattern reminded me of certain piped chocolate biscuits that are tradional here, called Bärentatzen (which literally translates to bear claws, but American bear claws are a different bakery item). The photo at the end of this post shows Bärentatzen.

The pattern is available as a PDF

• on Ravelry, 
• on Loveknitting, 
• on Payhip and 
• on Gumroad.

It is 10 pages long and contains:

• the complete written patterns to knit this scarf
• a chart of the pattern repeats
• photo tutorials for the following stitches /stitch combinations
• brk4stdec: a double centred decrease in brioch
• brk2stLdec: a left-leaning decrease in brioche
• brk2stRdec: a right-leaning decrease in brioche
• sl1yo, yo, brk: i.e. a yarn-over between two stitches when knitting brioche
• kp1, i.e. knitting two stitches of the sl1yo, yo into the yarn-over of the row below
• yo, sl1yo, brk: also a yarn-over between two stitches in brioche, but in a different sequence to make the pattern look symmetrical on the other side
• pk1, i.e. knitting two stitches of the yo, sl1yo into the yarn-over of the row below

Skills you need to finish this scarf

• knitting brioche (in one color)
• a certain stamina while knitting - this is knitted in lace weight yarn and brioche, i.e. it grows extremely slow

Materials

• about 250 to 300 grams of Lace weight yarn (I used Wollmeise lace, colorway Hamam)
• 3.25 mm knitting needles
• 1 removable stitch marker (or a bobby pin) to do the 4st brioche decrease
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Cupcake Hat

I had the idea for this wavy hat for quite a long time - but it took me a while to actually do it (and I honestly don't know why :), and in my head I had the color distribution planned differently. But I am quite pleased with the result now.
I knitted this hat with leftover yarn (nearly one ball of each color) from a cowl (BFF Cowl designed by Ysolda Teague & tiny owl knits that I knitted back in 2012, a gorgeous Knitty.com pattern) and a pair of fingerless gloves (a DK version of my Short Wave Mitts). In the end, it was a game of yarn chicken, but fortunately I won :) (I would have frogged it and started it again with a shorter rim otherwise ...)

This hat is knitted sideways  with a chevron pattern and short rows. Starting with a provisional CO and ending with grafting gives it a seamless look.
The pattern is given in one size only, but there are explanations on how to adapt it to other sizes.

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






Materials

• 100 grams of DK weight yarn in two colors - 50 grams of each color
• 4mm knitting needles
• scrap yarn for provisional CO
• tapestry needle for grafting and weaving in end

Techniques

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits. 
• Grafting in stockinette stitch (also called Kitchener Stitch): a way to seamlessly join two rows of live stitches - as shown in this YouTube video by WEBS America's Yarn Store.

Size and Gauge
The hat measures 23 cm from rim to crown and about 49 cm in circumference (unstretched).
For me, 8 ridges (16 rows) in garter stitch gave 5 cm in height and 11 sts in garter stitch gave 5 cm in width.


How to Adapts to Other Sizes
Height: The rows consist of a rim and (for the waves) of short parts A and B (with A = "kfb, k3, ssk" and B = "k2tog, k3, kfb"). So to adapt the height you can either make the rim bigger or smaller - by casting on more or fewer stitches. Or you can do more waves, by adapting the number of A and B parts. But you have to make sure, that you use A and B alternately.
Circumference: At the rim, there are 160 rows - or 80 ridges (9 in garter stitch and 1 in stockinette per section).
Using your gauge, calculate the number of ridges you need and round to the next value that is divisible by 8. The number you get is the number of ridges per section. So you need to adapt the number of ridges as given in the pattern. Knitting fewer ridges means not knitting the last row(s) of a section (according to your calculations). Knitting more ridges means making the following ridges shorter by 2 stitches per ridge.

Instructions

The pattern is a repeat of chevrons - and these chevrons consist of two parts - one that starts with an increase and ends with a decrease (A) and one the other way round (B).
Therefore, the following abbreviations will be used.
A = kfb, k3, ssk
B = k2tog, k3, kfb

Rows are started on WS – that way you change yarns at the crown of the hat (very close to on another), so you don‘t have to carry your (currently) unused yarn up or cut your yarns.

Section 1 (in C1):
pCO60 – and leave a tail long enough for grafting (about 1 meter)
R1 (setup row, RS): k12, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6, pm, k6
Ri2: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, k4, w+t
Ri3: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, k2, w+t
Ri4: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, w+t
Ri5: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, k4, w+t
Ri6: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, k2, w+t
Ri7: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, w+t
Ri8: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, k4, w+t
Ri9: (WS) k to 12 bef end, w+t, (RS) [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, k2, w+t
Ri10: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, w+t
Ri11: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, B

Section 2 (in C2):
Ri12: (WS) sl1, p to last st, k1, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, k4, w+t
Ri13: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, k2, w+t
Ri14: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, w+t
Ri15: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, k4, w+t
Ri16: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, k2, w+t
Ri17: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, w+t
Ri18: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, k4, w+t
Ri19: (WS) k to 12 bef end, w+t, (RS) [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, k2, w+t
Ri20: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x2, A, sm, w+t
Ri21: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x2, k4, w+t
Ri22: (WS) k all, turn, (RS) sl1, k11, sm, [A, sm, B, sm]x3, A, sm, B

Repeat ridges 12 to 22 6 more times in alternating colors.
Now you have  a total of 8 sections, i.e. 4 sections of each color

Put the stitches from your provisional cast-on on a needle, hold both needles right sides together, holding the needle with the last knitted row (in C2) in front - see picture on the right.

Use the yarn tail (in C1) to graft together in stockinette stitch.

Weave in ends.

All Fingers and Thumbs

Sometimes small discussions on social media can lead to interesting ideas ... some time ago, under an Instagram-post by @berniblumentopf (Bernadette from Törtchens Blog) we talked about fingered gloves. E.g. that I had never tried to knit them and that it wouldn't be a preferred project for me anyway, since I don't like pieces where you have to cut yarn a few times in the middle of a project and consequently have to weave in more than two ends ... that got me thinking whether it would be possible to knit fingered gloves without cutting yarn - and it felt like a challenge :)
In the afternoon I started - beginning at the pinkie edge of the hand and knitting sideways, occasionally binding off and casting on stitches. The whole thing worked surprisingly well and I had to frog back fewer times than expected.
I was rather pleased with the result - a knitted fingered glove with only two ends to weave in. So here's the pattern!
Thanks for the idea, Bernadette!

This is a pattern for one size only, but there are explanations on how to adapt it to other sizes.

Dansk / Danish: A danish translation (by Marianne Holmen) can be found here.

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





Materials

• about 50 grams of fingering weight yarn, I used sock yarn bought at Aldi's for the green-blue ones (sorry, I don't know the colorway), and Colinette Jitterbug, colorway Jamboree for the pink-blue-orange-etc ones (here's the link to the yarn's Ravelry page)
• a 3mm circular knitting needle - with the cord long enough for Magic loop technique
• a third knitting needle for the 3-needle BO
• a crochet hook to help when picking up stitches from the gap
• 1 removable stitch marker - to mark the outside
• 2 stitch markers
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Judy's Magic Cast-On is a technique that gives you live stitches on both sides of your needle - it is generally used for toe-up socks (e.g. in this pattern), but it can be used for other purposes as well. Here's a written description (from Knitty) and here's a YouTube-video by Cat Bordhi and another YouTube-video by Very Pink Knits.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Three-Needle Bind-Off: https://youtu.be/Ph93jWSzTa0 - in this pattern the abbreviation 3NBO for this
• Figure-8 Cast-On: a technique to get a CO on two needles when you only have one string to work with. It's not as neat the the magic CO, but it was the best that I could find that works in the middle of a row. See this YouTube video by PostStitch. As opposed to the video, when knitting the stitches first, I made sure to have twisted stitches on both sides. I found that it made the new CO less visible - in the pattern the abbreviation f8CO will be used for this.
• Picking up stitches from a gap or ditch: After both three needle bind-offs there is one left over stitch which tends to have a distance to the stitches next to it. To avoid holes, I usually pick up one stitch from the gap and decrease over the new stitch in the following row (see also this YouTube video where it is shown on the example of a thumb gusset). 

Size and Gauge  
The gloves that I knitted measured: 22 cm in length (from top of middle finger to wrist), 17 cm in circumference at the wrist, 6 cm circumference at the fingers (except pinkie, where it is 5 cm)
I'd say that this is a ladies medium size.
After blocking, I had the following gauge: 23 sts = 10 cm in width, 12 ridges (24 rows) = 5 cm in height.


Some Ideas for Adapting to Other Sizes
For longer mitts, cast on more stitches, with my gauge about 2 stitches per centimeter. If you want your mitts a bit wider at the wrists, substitute some of the short rows (when knitting the thumb) for full length rows.
I'd advise you to try the gloves on while you're knitting them. If for example your fingers are more slender than mine, you could knit ridge 4 of ring, middle and index finger without the short rows, i.e. only knit them "k all" back and forth.


Construction
Back and forth, knitted flat in a U-shape from your wrist over the tops of your fingers and back.
You will be knitting similar to a magic loop method, except that at one end, you turn around and switch from knitting on the outside of your piece to the inside.
You start with a magic CO at the pinkie edge of the hand, then you knit back and forth (over the top of the pinkie) in a U-shape and finish this finger by a short 3 needle bind off at the top.
The ring finger is then started by a new cast on using the figure-8 CO - and ended with another 3-needle bind-off. Some shaping of the hand is done by short rows.
The same (figure 8 CO and 3 needle BO) is done for middle finger and index finger - however, the bind off at the index finger is a bit longer.
You will notice that the cast on of one finger is not always the same length than its (later) bind off - this is done on purpose to fit the shape of my hands.
The thumb also starts with a figure-8-CO, but it is done almost entirely in short rows to achieve the right shape.
Finally the the glove is finished with a 3-needle bind-off



Instructions

The row numbers contain the name of the finger (eg. Rp = row for pinkie) and start again after each finger.


Pinkie

Do a magic CO of 2x50, i.e. you have 50 stitches on both needles (see picture 1)
Turn back to front and upside down - so that you look at the garter ridge - twist working yarn and tail to secure the last stitch (see picture 2).

Rp1a (outside, OS): ktbl to 50 (now you have to change needles - the point where you have to change needles will be called "half" from now on and marked with a slash ("/")) / k to end
Rp1b (inside, IS): k15, place marker, k to 1 bef half, kfb / kfb, k to 15 bef end, place marker k to end
Mark the outside with a removable stitch marker.

Pictures 1 to 3

Rp2a (OS): k all
Rp2b (IS): k all

Rp3a: (OS) k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (IS) k to m, w+t,
    (OS) k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Rp3b (IS): k all
Now your piece should look similar to picture 3.

Rp4a (OS): k to 2 bef half, ssk / ssk, k to end
Rp4b (IS): k to half / hold outsides together and do a 3NBO of 12 stitches (see picture 4), put the remaining stitch on the front needle (see picture 5), and turn back right sides out, slip the first stitch (ie. left over from the 3NBO), make sure to draw this stitch tight (see picture 6), k to end

Pictures 4 to 6

Ring Finger

Rr1a (OS): k to half / you now have 1 st more on the front side than on the back side (the left-over stitch of the 3NBO, plus there is quite a gap to the next stitch (see picture 7), pickup 1 st (see picture 8), k to end
Rr1b (IS): k to half, do a f8CO of 2x16 stitches (i.e there are 16 stitches on each needle, see picture 9) / k16,  k to end
I made sure that my newly CO stitches were really tight. Plus, when knitting the stitches of the f8CO, I knitted them in a way that they were twisted after knitting - as you can see on picture 10, they lie on the needle so that I had to knit them through the front loop (as in a normal knit stitch to achieve that.

Pictures 7 to 9

Pictures 10 and 11

Rr2a (OS): k to half / ktbl16, pick up 1 (see picture 12 to 14), k to end
As you can see on picture 12 there is quite a big gap between the stitches of the f8CO and the following stitches. I picked up one by inserting a crochet hook into the bar below the bar below the bar below (picture 13) and draw the loop through - then I'd put that loop on th left hand needle (see picture 14) and knit this - so I had picked up a stitch two rows below :)
Rr2b (IS): k to 18 bef half, ssk, k to 1 bef half, kfb / kfb, k to end

Pictures 12 to 14

Rr3a (OS): k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (IS) k to m, w+t
    (OS) k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Rr3b (IS): k all

Rr4a (OS): k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to half, k to m, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Rr4b (IS): k to 2 bef half, ssk / ssk, k to end

Rr5a (OS): k all
Rp5b (IS): k to half / hold outsides together and do a 3NBO of 15 stitches, put the remaining stitch on the front needle, and turn back right sides out, slip the first stitch (ie. left over from the 3NBO), make sure to draw this stitch tight, k to end - this is done in the same way than the last row of the pinkie.


Middle Finger

Rm1a (OS): k to half / you now have 1 st more on the front side than on the back side (the left-over stitch of the 3NBO, plus there is quite a gap to the next stitch, pickup 1 st, k to end
Rm1b (IS): k to half, f8CO2x16 / k16,  k to end

Rm2a (OS): k to half / ktbl16, pick up 1, k to end
Rm2b (IS): k to 18 bef half, ssk, k to 1 bef half, kfb / kfb, k to end

Rm3a (OS): k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (IS) k to m, w+t
    (OS) k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Rm3b (IS): k all

Rm4a (OS): k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to half, k to m, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Rm4b (IS): k to 2 bef half, ssk / ssk, k to end

Rm5a (OS): k all
Rm5b (IS): k to half / hold outsides together and do a 3NBO of 16 stitches, put the remaining stitch on the front needle, and turn back right sides out, slip the first stitch (ie. left over from the 3NBO), make sure to draw this stitch tight, k to end

Index Finger

Ri1a (OS): k to half / you now have 1 st more on the front side than on the back side (the left-over stitch of the 3NBO, plus there is quite a gap to the next stitch, pickup 1 st, k to end
Ri1b (IS): k to half, f8CO2x16 / k16,  k to end

Ri2a (OS): k to half / ktbl16, pick up 1, k to end
Ri2b (IS): k to 18 bef half, ssk, k to 1 bef half, kfb / kfb, k to end

Ri3a (OS): k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (IS) k to m, w+t,
    (OS) k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to 6 bef half, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Ri3b (IS): k all

Ri4a (OS): k to half / k to m, w+t,
    (IS) k to half, k to m, w+t,
    (OS) k to end
Ri4b (IS): k to 2 bef half, ssk / ssk, k to end

Ri5a (OS): k all
Ri5b (IS): k to half / hold outsides together and do a 3NBO of 27 stitches, put the remaining stitch on the front needle, and turn back right sides out, slip the first stitch (ie. left over from the 3NBO), make sure to draw this stitch tight, k to end


Thumb

Rt1a (OS): k to half / you now have 1 st more on the front side than on the back side (the left-over stitch of the 3NBO, plus there is quite a gap to the next stitch, pickup 1 st, k to end
Rt1b: (IS) k to half, f8CO2x13 / k13,  k7, w+t,
    (OS): k to half / ktbl13, pickup 1, k7, w+t,
    (IS): k6, ssk, k to 1 bef half, kfb / kfb, k22, w+t,
    (OS): k to half / k24, w+t
    (IS): k to half / k27, w+t
    (OS): k to half / k27, w+t
    (IS): k to half / k29, w+t
    (OS): k to 2 bef half, ssk / ssk, k27, w+t
    (IS): k to half / k18, w+t
    (OS): k to half / k18, w+t
    (IS): k to 1 bef half, ssk / ssk, k to end

Rt2a: k all
Rt2b: k all

Put the outsides together and do a 3NBO of all stitches.
Turn the glove right sides out. Finished :)

Weave in ends.
Make two.

Herzchen

Next week is St. Valentine's Day <3
So why not knit a few of these lovely little hearts to decorate your home, presents etc. I found that they could be quite addictive and once I started, I couldn't stop knitting them.
Even though these hearts are 3-dimensional they are knitted back and forth. They are constructed of short rows and knitted all in garter stitch. They come in three different sizes.
These little garter stitch hearts may also be a lovely way to practice your knitting skills – especially magic CO and grafting in garter stitch.
As to the name, "Herzchen" is the German word for little heart.

This pattern is available:

• via Ravelry,
• via Loveknitting,
• via Payhip, and
• via Gumroad.

The PDF of the pattern is 10 pages long and contains:

• an explanation of the general construction
• six explanatory photos
• row-by-row patterns for these hearts in 3 sizes
• charts for hearts in 2 sizes

Materials

• yarn – basically leftovers - I different kinds of yarn – and self-striping fingering weight yarn)
• knitting needles – I used straight knitting needles, 2 mm for fingering weight yarn, i.e. always smaller needles than the yarn called for – in order to get a tight texture
• stuffing - I used the yarn ends and fabric scraps that I had saved from previous knitting or sewing projects
• a tapestry needle for grafting and weaving in ends
• one removable stitch marker

Skills
In order to knit such a three-dimensional heart, you need the following knitting skills

• Magic CO
• Short rows - with wrap and turn
• Grafting in garter stitch
• Basic increases and decreases (ssk and kfb)

Luftbläschen Brioche and Lace Scarf

This year my Mum wanted a new scarf for her birthday. So I took her to the yarn store and asked her to select whatever yarn she wanted. She choose a beautiful purple wool/silk mix in Lace weight. I wanted to knit something with a bit of structure, but I soon found that the yarn didn't lend itself to this and was better suited to a lacy pattern. In the end I settled for a combination of brioche and lace stitches – and I am very pleased with it.

It results in an elegant and squishy scarf with a reversible lace pattern that looks the same from both sides.

As to the name, Luftbläschen is the German word for little air bubbles.

The pattern PDF is available via

• Ravelry and 
• Loveknitting
• Payhip and
• Gumroad.

This pattern pdf is 5 pages long and contains:

• the complete written patterns to knit this scarf
• photo tutorials for the stitches and stitch combinations that are used in this pattern 
• yarn over between brioche stitches and how to knit it
• a left-leaning decrease in brioche

Skills you need to knit this pattern:

• knitting brioche (in one color)
• a certain stamina while knitting - this is knitted in lace weight yarn and brioche, i.e. it grows extremely slow

To knit this you need the following materials 

• about 160 grams of Lace weight yarn (around 1300 meters) - for the piece in the pictures I used West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite Lace (here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page)
• 3mm knitting needles
• 4 stitch markers plus 1 removable stitch markers
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends