Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Done!

Well.  It just goes to show you how wrong a knitter can be.

They fit beautifully!  Nicely snug—not a bit too snug—around the wrists where the lovely cable pattern pulls it in a smidge.  Perfectly stretchy around the arms and hands, thanks to the new skill of Jenny’s stretchy bind off that I learned back with the Arroyo Shawl.  They still look tiny off my hands, but that will make them easy to stash in my coat pocket.

Of course, they’re more decorative than warm—at least by Chicago standards.  Where my daughter lives in Charleston, they might be just the right touch for a chilly fall or winter morning.  That doesn’t mean she’s definitely getting them…I admit it, I’m a selfish knitter not especially prone to giving things away, especially something with this much time invested in the making.  

Of course, I just might have enough yarn for a second pair.  Now, all I have to do is find two weeks of free time to knit them!

Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Day 5

A happy accident?

Now with the thumb gussets safely tucked away, it was on to the final section of two by two ribbing.  This is always the best place to use continental style, as it creates less of a switch from knit to purl.  Trouble for me is always that my index finger gets cramped from pulling the yarn down in front.  I’m fast knitting, but I still fumble through the purling.

When I mentioned this to a fellow knitter, she suggested I take the working needle over the yarn rather than under it.  It was awkward at first, but definitely faster.  The difficulty came in the subsequent row, where it continually felt as if the purl stitches were mounted backward (and thus more tightly) on the left hand needle.  When I looked at the finished fabric, however, I could see no visible difference in the stitches.

Off the needles, they’re not as snug as I thought—look at how much they expand!

I don’t think the eyelets at the gusset are supposed to be there.  I think I made my “make one”s wrong somehow.  Only I think it’s rather a pretty detail, a happy accident if you will, so I’m okay with it.  We’ll just have to wait and see once the thumbs are finished.

Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Day 4

Two thumbs up?  Maybe...

I struck a happy compromise, finishing the gusset and moving the stitches to the waste yarn out of my house but at my knitting group.  I took another project with lots of mindless garter stitch to my long committee meetings.  It’s best to know your limitations, right?

I finally tried these on the other day, and was disappointed to discover they are currently a bit too snug and too short.  They are lovely enough that I suspect my daughter will snatch them up in a New York minute, she being in possession of lovely slim young hands and mine being of the pudgy middle-aged variety.  

That’s not a fault of the pattern--more a consequence of the yarn.  I think if I redid the pattern in a heavier weight yarn, I’d come up with just the right size for my substantial hands.  Or, with the half a skein I have left, I might adapt the pattern to size up since I do love the elegance of this weight of yarn.  While I admit to being worried, I’m smart enough to know you can’t really judge a pattern until it’s blocked.

I’m still proud of myself for doing both the right and left thumb gussets simultaneously.  It took a little marking up of the pattern, and a little concentration, but all-in-all not too taxing.  This might bolster my confidence enough to attempt turning two simultaneous sock heels one of these days.  Who knows what hilarity will ensue if I try that!

Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Day 3

Cozy cable confidence…

Isn’t this cable pattern just lovely?  I know these look very narrow on the needles, but all that ribbing makes for a wonderfully elastic piece.  I like knowing they’ll be snug around my wrists because that’s the part that always gets cold for me.  

These really do manage a great combination of cozy and elegant.  They would make lovely gifts, but I plan on keeping them for myself.  The great thing about Arlene’s pattern, though, is that you can get TWO pairs from one skein--one to give and one to keep.  That’s my kind of knitting--everybody wins.

Even with two balls of yarn (a must for two mitts on one needle), this is a highly portable project.  The only part I think I wouldn’t pull out at a meeting or in public would be the end of the gusset where you must move stitches to waste yarn--I’d only do that in the peace and quiet of my own home.  

That will be the next segment, so you’ll get to see if I stick to my tactics.  I’ve got several long committee meetings coming up this week...I might get cocky.

Lucky for you, that always makes for entertaining reading.

Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Day 2

So now we cable.  My prior planning served me well here, as my cable section was nicely contained in my front needles.  I only messed up once, but in true Allie fashion, it was many rows before I noticed it.  The misdirected cable is so subtle that I didn’t feel compelled to go all the way down and fix it.  I’ve never been a perfectionist.

The color still delights me--there are so many lush tones in there!  You can always count on Malabrigo to come through with a stunning fiber.  Arlene has come through, too, by employing a really lovely cable pattern--something a little different than the standard “twist” and more like an elegant interweaving.  Combined with the pleasant rhythm of the ribbing that makes up the rest of the piece, this is a pleasant section that goes quickly enough to be satisfying.  I’m feeling especially smug in the fact that both will be done when I’m finished.

Don’t forget, DestiKNITters, that today is the last day to enter the Love Inspired Knits sweepstakes!

Hiawassee Handwarmers from The Needle Nook - Day 1

There’s something about fingerless mitts that strikes at the very heart of why I knit.  They feel artistic and just a bit funky--especially in a soft, undulating color like this Malabrigo Arroyo provides.  

Thick and chunky mitts are warm and cozy, but the more delicate ones like these have a vintage, almost steampunk feel to them that makes me feel so very cool for wearing them.  Even my slightly pudgy, suburban mom self can manage a bit of panache with these tipping my sleeves.  For once, just once, I can feel as if I might out-cool the barista pulling my latest late.  Might.  No matter how winsome my wristwear, I doubt my sensible shoes will ever out-cool anyone at the coffee bar. (But hey, I bet my feet hurt less than theirs!)

Knowing my propensity for second sock syndrome--that paralyzing response that prevents knitters from crafting the second sock of any given pair--I opted to modify Arlene’s instructions and cast these on with the two on one circ method.  Tricky at first, but definitely worth it.  Because cables are involved, I read the pattern completely through (always a good idea but a step I too often skip), did a few calculations, and divided my circs with needle 1 on one side and needles 2 & 3 on the other.   The stretchy nature of the ribbing handles this unequal distribution beautifully.

I love the color and the texture. It’s a great start to a lovely accessory.