I thought I would try some fingerless mitts yesterday, so I got out some yarn, pulled up Knitty’s Voodoo pattern and gave it a shot…
I think that I should think this out again…
Of course I couldn’t leave things alone so I twisted the K2s. I don’t think this looks real good though. My next attempt will be to make regular 4-stitch cables with P2s between them. Not exactly the K2, P2 ribbing the pattern recommends, but I think it will work.
The yarn is Classic Elite Follies and aside of being slightly splitty (it’s very loosely twisted), it’s really lovely stuff. Wool, Rayon and Alpaca and it’s very soft and will be, I believe, very warm. You may recall that I got a bunch of this stuff free sometime ago because it was all done up in tiny sample hanks.
It’s the “Orchid” in the upper right
There’s only about 20 yards per skein but I discovered, last night, that it’s Russian joinable (first time I’ve tried a Russian join) and, despite the rayon content, easily spit spliceable as well. Whatever gets made out of this yarn is going to be very, very nice. The orchid got chosen for this project because there are only a few hanks of it - enough for a pair of mitts but not enough for much of anything else.
I’m also going to try, this weekend, to figure out a cable pattern to correspond with the mosaic pattern on the bottom of the poncho (see yesterday’s post). I dug out my copy of Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking Patterns for Knitting last night to research the method and I think I want to give it a try! Stay tuned :)
I have been enjoying fall this year - so much glorious color around!
Which one of these doesn’t belong?
That’s my Asian pear there in the back on the far right. I didn’t want to put it in the fridge and forget about it, so it went on the table to be part of the display until I get to it in a couple of days. If you’ve never had one of these things, I strongly encourage you to try them. They’re sweet, crispy and juicy and taste something like a cross between a Bartlett pear and a Golden Delicious apple. Unbelievably yummy. They’re also, often, massive - so get together with a friend and share one :)
What are you lookin’ at?
Happy Halloween everyone! Have a great weekend!
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i love to read about how you ‘think out’ your knitting process- i tend to just leap right in and make a mess- guess i am a ‘reckless knitter’-
i am never comfortable with spit-splicing (has nothing to do with the spit thing) as i always think that it is going to pull apart at some point and leave a gaping hole but it certainly isn’t as time-consuming as the russian join-
don’t jade and goldie just look like halloween with their coloring? we have kitties with the same coloring (as well as a most gorgeous orange, black, and white calico) and i do wish they would just sit still and look decorative for the week-end- i wish for an end to war and famine too and will get all those wishes at about the same time!
stay happy-
Barb - I tend to be a process knitter and am always interested in seeing how others figure things out. That said, I have a certain amount of wistful envy for those who can just jump in at the deep end.
The cats have been at each other all day and I’m nearly ready to trade them both in on a nice quiet statue! Never happen :)
Thanks for the awesome Russian join link! Because I’m the kind of knitter who just keeps knitting til i run out of yarn, and that’s where I join in new yarn—wherever I am. No end of row for me! And my new dog is the color of pumpkins and I really wanted a cut pic of her in a pumpkin patch, but she won’t hold still! Oh well…
Hey Laura - Me too. I’m not going to waste yarn because I’m at an edge without enough yarn to do another row. And it’s even less likely that I’ll rip out a partial row back to an edge just because I reached the end of a ball of yarn.
I love your new dog - I think she’s adorable and a picture of her in a pumpkin patch would be great. Give her some yarn to play with :)
That yarn looks yummy… I am a fan of the russian join too. I started using it last year. Love the kitty pictures. Have a good weekend. 
Thanks Maureen - The yarn is yummy but, unfortunately, discontinued. I’m really glad to have what I’ve got of it!
Just checking out knitting blogs and found yours. :-D My 5 year old DD was walking by and asked why Sully and Pearl were at someone else’s house. Your Goldie looks like our Sully and Jade like Pearl. (But Jade probably has all four legs I assume.)
Great blog. Noticed you have some very Harry colours going on with that slipper. I am just starting to knit a HP scarf for my daughter and was wondering what pattern you used for yours? Wool choice?
Thanks
Knit On 
Lynn - LOL! Yes, Jade does have all of her legs and enough haughtiness for at least three other cats :) She doesn’t like it when I knit either, because I won’t allow her in my lap.
Lisa - Thanks :) I kinda made up the pattern as I went along. Cast on twice as many stitches as I wanted the scarf wide (on DPNs) and just knit around, slipping the first stitch and the “halfway” stitch every other round. Swap colors every so often for nice thick bands. I didn’t bother sewing the ends together - the fringe does that job for you.
I didn’t use wool, but acrylic at the request of the mother of the boys for whom the scarves were intended - Burgundy and Gold. It was Red Heart yarn and was a bit stiff but not too difficult to work with. The colors were perfect :)
