Knit Along: Cabled Hand Mitts from Mass Ave Knit Shop - Day 4

Reading Palms

Oh, my, but it got tricky.  Not only was I keeping track of where I was in the cable pattern, but I had to make sure I was increasing the correct number of stitches for the thumbs.  Two at a time.  This was definitely a challenge to the brain cells.  

I read somewhere that such tasks keep our brains active and growing, decreasing the chances that we’ll end up confused old ladies with too many cats wandering the yarn aisles at discount superstores.  I hope that’s true. I want to end up the quirky-yet-elegant older woman sauntering down the fiber arts fair aisle waving to my adoring fans.  Yes, well, I do have an active imagination. 

All that mental sprinting wasn’t too long, thankfully.  Two inches at most, and they were those exciting, “almost to the end” two inches at that.  It was fun to watch the palm of the mitts take shape literally in my hands.  As much fun as turning a sock heel, without all those maddening short rows.  I was smiling as I hit the rounds requiring the K1P1 ribbing, grinning as I bound off.  I must admit to some worry about the bind off--I tend to bind off too tightly and that would ruin these--but it came out just fine.  

The cozy softness of the yarn continues to astound, as does the lush color.  These are going to be fall favorites--I suspect I’ll have to hide them from my college daughter when she comes home from thanksgiving.  I could see them equally yummy in a fuzzy white mohair, maybe even with a bit of sparkle to them.  You could go a dozen directions with these--elegant, funky, cozy, dramatic--and they would all work.  That’s the mark of a good pattern.

All I’ve got left now is the ribbing around the thumbs.  I can’t wait to see them finished!

Knit Along: Cabled Hand Mitts from Mass Ave Knit Shop - Day 3

While I admit it took a bit of concentration, once I got the rhythm down it wasn’t that hard to manage both mitts at the same time. Truly.  Since the cable takes place at the same place in the round of both mitts, it was simply making sure I knew where I was each round.  While it took me almost a whole week to work my way through the seven inches of cabling, I got it done without major incident.  Yes, I lost my place once or twice, somehow dropped a stitch somewhere in the fifth inch, but managed to track back and fix my errors in both incidences. I love the vibrant color, the yarn is thick and soft, and the weather is just starting to turn truly chilly here in Chicago.  Perfection.

Now, things get a bit trickier.  

It’s sort of like one of those aerobics classes I so successfully avoid.  We’ve gotten the “feet” down, knowing our cable steps, so know we’re going to “add the arms.”  I’m not that coordinated.  This is where I mess up in dance routines--it had better not be where I mess up in mitts.  While I still continue on my lovely eight row cable pattern, I’m going to throw a thumb in there. In two different places. As a matter of fact, the way my stitches are divided on my circ, it will be on the “front” of one mitt and the “back” of another--see those white stitch markers (yes, I had to incorporate a third color!).  Which makes perfect sense when you look at it from a left- and right-hand perspective, but takes a bit of staring at just on knitting needles.  I did several of those “are you sure?” takes to my pattern, re-reading the instructions while gawking at my needles.

Yes, I’m sure.  My thumbs are right where they should be, opposable and all.  Onward!

Keep those comments coming...cool stuff is waiting for you!

Knit Along: Cabled Hand Mitts from Mass Ave Knit Shop - Day 2

Difficult, but not impossible

Two sets of directions!  Simultaneously!  Mostly mirrors of one another, but things will get more complicated when we reach the thumbs.  Still, it works.  And I am delighted to realize I will cast off a complete set of mitts, not just the first half.  

Like most knitters, I love to start things.  Seeing them through to the end?  Well, that’s just a bit harder.  Walk through my kitchen at any given moment and three (if not more) cabinet doors will be left open.  I plant but hardly ever water.  Don’t mind loading the dishwasher but loathe to empty it.  Am fine with putting wash in but hate taking it out of the dryer and folding it.  And writing books?  Well, let’s just say I’m no fun to be around when a deadline looms near.  Friends tell me these are symptoms of ADD, but I refuse to entertain the notion.

Should you be attempting this two-fisted feat of fiber yourself, a few hints are in order:

• Divide the mitts unevenly on the two halves of your circ so that the cable section is all on the same needle (11 stitches the left hand front, and 10 on the right hand front, for example).
• Use different colored stitch markers to help you keep the left and right mitts straight.  I used green on the left hand and orange on the right. Until you get to the cable portion (and probably even after), place an additional marker on the “front” of both mitts so you know exactly where you are anywhere in your round.
• Try not to stop in the middle of a complete “round” of both hands if you can help it.  Inform you family of this requirement, or you know what will happen. Educate them that the response “I will pick you up from Youth Group in five minutes when I get to the end of this round,” contains just as much love as “I will drop everything I hold dear and see to your needs immediately.”  Maybe even more.
• Cut and paste or fold your pattern so that you can make a copy where the directions for both hands are on a single sheet.  I did this for the directions up until the thumbs, then I’ll make another single “cheat sheet” for the thumbs, etc.  This helps to keep you from forever flipping back and forth through the pattern pages.

With all these aids intact, it’s actually not been too bad.  The occasional furrowed brow, but for the most part the lush texture of this yarn is enough to soothe over any confusion.  The right fiber can motivate you to just about any skill challenge, right?

Don’t forget to leave a comment so you can win the cool stuff!

Knit Along: Cabled Hand Mitts from Mass Ave Knit Shop - Day 1

Relentless...

Yes, I changed my mind.  I took a look at my schedule and for various reasons it made more sense to do these mitts first and save the Super Scarf for my trip to the Kentucky Book Fair in November.

So after careful consideration, I embarked on the fingerless mits of Susan’s design from Mass Ave Knits.  Now I have been called “persistent” many times.  Actually, I’ve been called “relentless,” although that doesn’t sound nearly as virtuous as persistent.  In truth, I am both.  So it made perfect sense to continue my strategy of doing both items of anything that came in pairs simultaneously.  After all, if you can do two socks on one circ, can’t you do two mitts?

Sounded plausible, until I realized these mitts have a left and a right.  That stopped me in my tracks.  Until my engineer husband looked at me and said, “so just do both sets of directions at the same time.”  Just like that.  Like it’d be a piece of cake for someone with a decent intellect.  In response, and in a decision I might come to deeply regret sometime in the near future, I agreed.  Two sets of directions at one time? How hard can it be?

The last time I asked “How hard can it be?” I ended up a romance author.  I have a very colorful history with that question.  Those with delicate constitutions might just want to stop following this blog and go spend that time at LOLCATS.com or something.  I decided to use my Denise interchangeable needles so that if I had to shift stitches like I did on the Comin Round the Mountain socks, I could separate the cable to make adjustments (see?  I learn from my mistakes.).  Granted, I’ve only gotten as far as the first eight rows of ribbing, but its going fine.

Now I get to introduce a new feature at DestiKNITions:  the giveaway!  Every comment posted during the installments of this Knit-Along will get an entry in a drawing for this exceedingly cool knitting bag from Mass Ave Knit Shop.  Nice and deep, a clever shoulder strap, and places for your pen, highlighter, and Frappuccino bottle.  As an added bonus, I’ll tuck a copy of my most recent novella Bluegrass Easter inside.  The novella features a knitting librarian sheep farmer as the charming heroine.  

Play nice now, only one comment per person per episode.  Still, with a six-episode Knit Along like this you can score yourself six chances to win.  Pretty nice odds!

INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Gentlemen, start your....

First off, my regrets in advance for some wacky font troubles.  I'm trying to get the fixed but didn't want to delay the post.


Anyway, everyone knows Indy for the race-car thing, but I was impressed with the city during a recent visit.  My affection for small and mid-sized American cities is no secret, mostly because of the discoveries one can make when you take the time to look beyond the standard tourism sites.  And from a fiber (and, okay, a caffeine and sugar) perspective, Indianapolis has a lot to offer.  

Because Indianapolis is one of those affordable cities, I recommend staying downtown.  You will need a car for this city, so if it makes you nuts to pay premium for parking (I married one of those but wasn’t traveling with him this time), choose an option farther out, but for me there’s always something energizing about staying in the city.  Indy also has several good tourist-shouldn’t-miss spots, so a downtown location makes catching those sights easy.  VisitIndy.com will happily point you to your choice of these, but a few of my favorites are Connor Prairie living history museum, the top-notch Indianapolis Zoo, the surprisingly stirring Soldiers and Sailors monument, and my personal favorite, the Canal Walk (come on, they’ve got gondolas!).

Day One:

Pick a standard tourism activity for your morning, but rest assured, we’ve got your afternoon covered.  When you’re ready, head for the five blocks or so of diagonal Massachusetts Ave that make up the “Mass Ave” district.  Have lunch anywhere that suits your fancy (there are lots of choices), but save coffee and desert for:

The Flying Cupcake

715 Massachusets Avenue

Indianapolis, IN  46204

317-536-0817

theflyingcupcakebakery.com

The sheer pinkness of the place makes you smile--we were tipped off by the bubble-gum pink van parked out front as we were looking for it--but the baked perfection of their cupcakes will take you over the top.  Big, wonderful confections that were the perfect balance of moist and sweet.  The coconut and chocolate ganache ones I had were spectacular.  My friend had a very unique one called The Bee’s Knees that was a pear cake with honey and ginger.  We ordered about twelve in all and every single one of them was delectable.  The t-shirts sold here, with lines like “Real Men Eat Cupcakes” are just as irresistible as the sweets.  Their specialty, the Red Velvet Elvis cupcake, was fabulous--and I don’t usually care for red velvet cake.

As the sugar courses through your veins, consider your choice of not one but two excellent--but different--coffee spots.  Need caffeine NOW? walk a little further down (or is it up?, we are on a diagonal here) to :

Yogulatte

755 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202

http://www.yogulatte.com/

A surprisingly good latte awaits you, even if this is primarily a frozen yogurt place.  Don’t be fooled by the mechanized coffee machinery--lattes are about precision anyway, and the guy behind the counter will make sure you like what you get or he’ll make it again (when’s the last time you had THAT kind of customer service?).

If you really need the artisan coffee experience (and many of us do),  head on down to our day’s second destination, the funky artsy neighborhood called Fountain Square and pop into:

Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company
615 Virginia Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 423-9697
http://www.cfcoffeecompany.com

These people take their coffee and their community very seriously.  The store regularly donates proceeds from a tip jar to a local charity.  If you’ve got a non-coffee person with you (bless you for including the unenlightened!), the store boasts no less than eleven flavors of Boylan soda.  Our sources tell us the raspberry bar is the treat of choice here.

Ready for your fiber fix?  Keep your eyes peeled as you travel down Virginia Avenue...you need to look closely to catch

Mass Ave Knit Shop

862 Virginia Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46203-1705

(317) 638-1833

massaveknitshoponline.com

Yes, the Mass Ave Knit shop is on Virginia Ave...get over it.  They moved to a bigger place, and you should be grateful they did; this place is enormous.  Big enough to hold in-store retreats twice a year!  They do “overnighters”--this produced gasps of “I wish I lived closer” from every single one of us.  The kicker for me was the “men's room" spousal entertainment center with recliners and a television.  The massive table filled with projects and sweets tells you this is a community store, cozy and welcoming.  Owner Susan Brennan welcomed us with open arms and infectious energy.  The store's massive...and I do mean massive...inventory is arranged by gauge with loads of project samples to tempt you. 

 Projects that caught my eye include:

Parisian Ribbed Wrap

An exclusive pattern in 5 or 6 skeins of Plymouth Chunky alpaca, short rows create a unique wrap with an eye-catching back. Perfect for showing off your collection of pins.  My friend and fellow author/knitter Camy Tang models it here for you.  Camy, by the way, proclaimed Mass Ave Knits "the best yarn store I've ever been to."  And she's been to a lot.

Looking for something on a slightly smaller scale?  Ask Susan about the two-button headband. You’ll want an excuse to access the store’s outstanding button selection, believe me.  See all those? 

Our Knit-Along from Mass Ave Knits will be dramatic Cabled Hand Mitts, using a skein of South West Trading Company's Saphira yarn.  Perfect for keeping knitting hands warm as the fall weather hits.

You can spend an entire afternoon in here; it’s that big.  So go ahead, linger, chat, wander the nooks and crannies that make this large store still feel warm and cozy.  When you’ve bagged up all your purchases, we’ve got something truly unique planned for your evening.

Dinner:

Santorini Greek Kitchen
1417 E. Prospect St
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 917-1117 

One of my favorite things about DestiKNITions is that I get to feature places I’d never have found without the recommendations of our savvy shop owners.  Fun, warm, neighborhood kinds of places that aren’t just meals, they’re experiences.  This is one of them.  Owner Taki Sawi and his wife Jeanette are just plain amazing...everybody loves them, and they seem to love everybody.  Eat hearty; you’re going to burn some calories after your meal.

Okay, so when was the last time you went Duck Pin Bowling?  Ever?  Well, now’s your chance.  The cool Fountain Square Theater venue hosts not one, but two duckpin bowling allies:

Action Duckpin Bowl & Atomic Bowl Duckpin
1105 Prospect Street
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 686-6006

Unique doesn’t begin to describe it.  Action has a 1930’s vintage vibe while Atomic has a 1950’s feel.  Just in case you were wondering, duckpin is a smaller ball without holes (yea! I won’t break a fingernail!) about the size of a large grapefruit.  The pins are shorter and squatter, too.  Lady-sized bowling; the perfect girls’ night out. One caution:  chances are you’ll need reservations, so call ahead.

You couldn’t ask for a better funky, artsy, retro fiber day.

Day Two:

One of the neatest things about Indianapolis is its many distinctive neighborhoods.  If feel like I could spend several weeks here exploring the many different atmospheres.  Today, we’re traveling to the other end of town to a different artsy vibe in the Broad Ripple neighborhood.

Start early, you’ll want lots of time to explore.  Grab some coffee but save breakfast for later and drive up Meridian Street.  Sip your coffee as you enjoy the parade of huge historic homes that line this street.  Cut east along the canal and park along Broad Ripple Avenue.  Notice that even the crosswalks are artsy here.  

Stop for an ecclectic breakfast at: 

3 Sisters Cafe

6360 North Guilford Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46220 

(317) 257-5556
http://3sisterscafe.wp.net/

I liked the mismatched, laid-back vibe this place gave off, even though it can be packed on weekends and not a place for fast-paced service.  And the food was quality stuff.  Lush omelets with build-your-own ingredients, lemon corncakes with fresh blueberries and lemon curd, rave-worthy french toast, not to mention eggs a dozen inventive ways and seriously good scones.  If you’ve got a vegan in your group, she’ll especially appreciate this menu.  (Tip: If you end up here for lunch, my sources rave over the creamy avocado gazpacho and the humus appetizer. ) Don’t worry if it’s taking a while to polish off your meal; you don’t have far to go:

Across the street you’ll find:

Broad Ripple Knits

6367 Guilford Ave

Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
(317)255-0540

http://broadrippleknits.com/

I love this place.  It’s like you stumbled into a good friend’s home and she owns more yarn than you can imagine.  It’s as charming as the whole town--and as friendly, too.  “We expect to see our customers come in a lot and hang out,” declares owner Karin Lyons, who hosts lots of classes.  I’m impressed that they start off beginning knitters on a cardigan, getting them to pattern literacy pronto.  That’s the kind of service that grows life-long fans of the craft, not just someone who knocks off a scarf or two for the holidays.  Customers range from very young to very “seasoned,” and you know a store likes folks to hang around when they have drinks available.  Speaking of drinks and atmosphere, it’s store policy to celebrate when you finish a project (I believe I heard something about a bubbly beverage, but I’m not confirming any rumors)!

Projects to keep an eye out for:

Alison’s Cardigan

Ask for this exclusive pattern fashioned by store instructor Alison Jester.  Done up in sport weight like Fresco by Classic Elite or Ultra Alpaca Light by Berroco, this basic-yet-snappy garment can show off a great color or an interesting fiber in style.  Three cool buttons complete the look.

Fringed Edge Scarf

One skein of Plymouth Yarn’s Kudo gets you this distinctive accessory with a very simple cast-on-cast-off pattern.  Excellent for gift-giving season!

Want to get literary?  Later this year you can ask for the Ahern Shrug, a retro piece out of Giselle Classic Elite to honor local author Elizabeth Stuckey French’s January novel, Revenge of the Radioactive Lady.  Heroine Marylou Ahern would be so pleased---if she weren’t fictional. 

Our Knit A Long is part of a city-wide yarn and needles effort called SuperScarves.  If you’re looking for a reason to move to Indy, this might be reason enough.  Host to the 2012 Superbowl, the city’s entire knitting community has committed to hand-knitting the 8,000--yes, you read all those zeroes right--scarves needed to deck out the entire expected Superbowl volunteer corps.  8,000 hand-knit scarves.  To honor this fiber fanaticism, the city’s unofficial mascot, StructureMan, received his own giant-sized scarf (even though I find it endlessly amusing that StructureMan doesn’t have a neck) knit by Allison and Karin with died rope and paint-roller handles.  Mine’s a bit smaller, thankfully, done up in local company Alpaca With A Twists’s specially-died-for-the-occasion yarn.  

Once your loaded down with your knitting treasures, take some time to wander the neighborhood.  I found Broad Ripple to have an inexplicable “beach town” feel to it...laid back and entertaining.  Just a few of the shops you wouldn’t want to miss:

Artifacts

6327 Guilford Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46220

317.255.1178 

http://www.artifactsindy.com/

The kind of place where I could spend my next book advance in twenty minutes flat.  I aspire to afford this kind of stuff in my home, on my wrists, all around me.

Big Hat Books
6510 Cornell Ave. 
Indianapolis, IN 46220

(317) 202-0203

www.bighatbooks.com

An unusual, uncluttered small bookstore with an art gallery and yoga studio upstairs. Look on top of the bookshelves for an admirable collection of...naturally...hats.  People seem to either love or hate this place...and that alone makes it worth a visit in my opinion.

Marigold

6512 N Cornell Avenue, 

Indianapolis, Indiana 46220

(317) 254-9939

marigoldclothing.com
Fab-u-lous.  Friendly.  Artsy-elegant but not fussy.  They talked me into a pair of black JAG jeans.  I hate jeans.  You know what?  I love these jeans.  The mark of a great boutique is when they know what you need even when you don’t.

When you’re shopped out--or just need to hit the “pause” button on your shopping, head over to France.  Well, not really to France, but to something very much like it:

Petite Chou

823 E Westfield Blvd

Indianapolis, IN 46220-1715
(317) 259-0765


A serious oo-la-la vibe...in fact, a couple next to me was dining alfresco with their poodle!  The kind of atmosphere that makes you want to have a chic little scarf tied around your neck and a man in Italian shoes paying you smooth compliments across the table.  I’m especially fond of restaurants where they don’t make you feel odd for dining alone, which I do often, and this place was wonderful.  If you like this place, don’t hesitate to check out its sister establishment, Cafe Patachou, while you’re here.  But don’t get desert...I’ve got plans for that at:

Back behind Broad Ripple Knits, in a rehabbed train station, is some of the best ice cream you’ll ever have.  

BRICS

Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station

901 East 64th Street,

 Indianapolis, IN 46220|317 257 5757

www.bricsindy.com

I had a double dip of the heavenly Caramel x 3 and Whistle Stop Wake Up as instructed by the folks at Broad Ripple Knits.  Absolute heaven--worth every calorie and then some.

Should you need some coffee--and who doesn’t, ever--relax, we got it covered:

Monon Coffee Co.
920 E Westfield Blvd

Indianapolis, IN 46220-1718
(317) 255-0510

www.mononcoffee.com

I’d never let you go a day without a really good latte, you know me.  And I was impressed that you can submit a drink suggestion on their website.

Well, there you have it.  Two lovely days in a surprising city, and not a racing reference, pun, or metaphor in the entire episode. And I’m married to a car guy so I deserve extra points for that.   

Up next?  My crack at a SuperScarf.