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42nd Street Mitts–Concept

March 16, 2013 in Ella Rae, Inspiration, Mitts

Last weekend was spent visiting family and involved a lot of crisscrossing of the territory from New Jersey to Long Island.

Happily, I wasn’t driving so I got a lot of car knitting done!

On one of our crossings we popped out of the Lincoln Tunnel and ended up on 42nd Street.

On a Saturday evening.

In the middle of a bunch of cars and tourists.

On the bright side (aside from the fact that I wasn’t driving) the heavy traffic gave us plenty of time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and (ahem) smells of The City.

One of the sights that caught my eye was a woman wearing a very cute pair of cream colored arm warmers. The arms was just ribbing, but there was a black snowflake motif at the wrist.

Concept sketch for 42nd Street Mitts

Concept sketch for 42nd Street Mitts

We were moving so slowly that I probably had time to take a picture, but I didn’t think of it.

Heck, we were moving so slowly that I probably had time to jump out of the car, chase her down, take several pictures, and get back to the car before they’d gone to far. But I didn’t because jumping out of the car would have stressed everyone out.

So I just have my memory and imagination to recreate them!

As you can see from my sketch (and my drawing skills leave a lot to be desired!) I’ve probably embellished them a little bit.

Swatching

Since I’m basically designing the arm warmers from scratch, some swatching is in order.

First motif option

First motif option

After flipping through all my stitch dictionaries, I found the image of a snowflake motif that I liked on page 89 of The Ultimate Knitting Book from Vogue Knitting.

My swatch is quite pleasant, although not quite what I had in mind, and I thought I’d go for it. (I think the snowflake on the lady’s mitts was thinner. More a a line snowflake with dots around it.)

But as I settled down recreate the chart an issue presented itself.

My swatch didn’t look like the knitted sample in the book despite the fact that I’d followed the accompanying chart.

This required two charts.

First I recreated the chart that appears in the book and that matches my swatch.

Then I created a chart based on the knitted sample in the book.

Both motif options

Both motif options

As you can see, the centers are rather different. Both motifs are 15 sts wide, but the first one is 19 rows tall while the second is 15 rows tall.

This discrepancy is going to set my designing back, but that is one of the reasons we swatch.

My next step will be working a swatch of the second motif so I can have a better idea of which one I prefer.

Go For It

In the mean time, this is probably enough information for other experienced knitters to run with the idea. Everyone else will have to wait until I’ve knit at least one mitt so I have good numbers for you!

This is what I have so far:

Materials:

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool (black and white or colors of your selection)

Needles: US7

Gauge: I’m calling it 5.5 sts/inch, but it’s unclear. I worked a 19 stitch swatch and it’s about 3 1/2″ wide.

I’m thinking a motif on both the top and the bottom of the wrist so the yarn travels around the mitt. I’m thinking 40 sts for the motif section.

40 sts at 5.5 sts/inch should give you a 7″ circumference, which will fit my wee wrists.

I’m planning arm warmers, so I want them to reach up my forearm, which would mean casting on 56 sts for a 10″ circumference. Then gradually decreasing down to 40.

Maybe. It’s a work in progress.

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Chadwick Owl Arm Warmers

December 5, 2012 in Free, Gloves, Juniper Moon Farm Yarns, Mitts

Arm warmers and fingerless mitts are pretty awesome in my book.

right owl mitt

So warm and cozy!

I wear fingerless mitts practically year round. In the summer they are good for when the air-conditioning is too efficient and in the winter they are good when you want to stay warm but keep your fingers free.

Of course, you already know all this because of those Simple Striped Arm Warmers I knit recently using Mirasol Tuhu yarn.

What I didn’t mention was that I don’t like knitting fingers. Despite that fact that half fingers will help keep your hands warmer, I find knitting them fiddly and annoying.

Since I don’t think knitting (or crocheting) should be annoying I usually just knit some ribbing on the finger side of the mitt and call it a day.

Contrary to my anti-finger stance, you’ll notice that these Owl Arm Warmers have half fingers. That’s because these aren’t for me.

owl mitts finished marked

Owl arm warmers for my aunt

When I was visiting my mom for Thanksgiving she said my aunt had seen an ad for fingerless mitts in a magazine, but they were boring and utilitarian so she didn’t like them. She asked my mom whether I could knit her a pair instead.

My aunt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago and apparently it makes her arms cold sometimes. She doesn’t want to wear sweaters and such all the time and thought arm warmers would do the trick.

I was up to the challenge!

Using a soft, squishy yarn in a lovely color wasn’t enough. I wanted to jazz them up with a simple design. The ubiquitous owl cable fit the bill because my aunt has liked and collected owl figurines long before it became stylish.

Juniper Moon Farm Yarns Chadwick immediately came to mind as a good yarn for this project. This 60% Merino Wool, 40% Baby Alpaca blend yarn is not only as soft as a kitten but nice and warm as well. This smooth yarn has good stitch definition, which would enhance the cable. I decided to use color #6-Mercury. You can see all 12 colors here.

owl close

Eyes would make it more owly.

A note about yarn quantities.

I was hoping these arm warmers would be a one skein project, but I fell a few yards short of the goal.

Juniper Moon Farm Yarns Chadwick comes in generous 202 yard balls. If you knit the pattern as written you will use every inch of yarn and probably run out. In fact, I ran out and the left thumb is shorter than the right. Oops. Unfortunately, you’ll just need a wee amount of the second ball to finish up. You can make a matching headband with the second ball. Or make a second, shorter pair. Or shorten this pair. Or ditch the fingers. You’re a clever knitter; you’ll figure something out.

Owl Arm Warmers

Download a PDF version of the pattern here.

Size: To fit 8” hand circumference. 11” arm circumference at the elbow. 8 1/2” from wrist to elbow. 12 ¾” from fingers to cuff.

Materials:
Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Chadwick (60% Merino Wool, 40% Baby Alpaca), 2 balls. Shown in #6-Mercury.
Needles: US 7 dpns (or size needed to obtain gauge)
Notions: Cable needle, scrap yarn to use as stitch holders

Gauge: 4.5 sts x 7 rows = 1” in st st in the round

Owl Cable
Rounds 1 & 2: P4, K8, P4
Round 3: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Rounds 4-9: P4, K8, P4
Round 10: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Rounds 11-15: P4, K8, P4
Round 16: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Round 17, P4, C2B, K4, C2F, P4

Abbreviations:
CO-Cast on
C4B-slip next 2 sts to a cable needle and hold to back, K2, K2 from cable needle
C4F-slip next 2 sts to a cable needle and hold to front, K2, K2 from cable needle
C2B-slip next 1 st to a cable needle and hold to back, K1, K1 from cable needle
C2F-slip next 1 st to a cable needle and hold to front, K1, K1 from cable needle
Dec-Decrease
DPNs-Double pointed needles
K-Knit
KFB-Knit front and back
K2tog-Knit two stitches together
M1L-Make one left-insert left hand needle from front to back into horizontal bar between last st worked and the next st, K bar through back loop.
M1R-Make one right-insert left needle from back to front into horizontal bar between the last st worked and the next st, K bar through front loop.
P-Purl
PM-Place marker
P2tog-purl two stitches together
SM-Slip marker
SSK-Slip next two stitches individual knitwise to right needle, insert left needle into front of slipped stitches, k2tog
St(s)-Stitch(es)
St st-Stockinette Stitch

The Pattern:

Right arm warmer:
CO 52 sts.
Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist stitches. Place marker to note beginning of the round. Distribute stitches evenly on needles.

Work K2, P2 rib for 6 rounds
Round 7: K2tog, *P2, K2, repeat from * to last 2 sts, P2tog (50 sts)
Round 8: K1, *P2, K2, repeat from * to last st, P1
Rounds 9-13: Continue in rib as established.
Round 14: K1, P2tog, *K2, P2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, K2tog, P1. (48 sts)
Round 15: K1, P1, *K2, P2, repeat from * to last 2 sts, K1, P1

Round 16: change to stockinette stitch (knit all stitches, all row).
Continue in st st until piece measures 5” from cast on edge or desired length. AT THE SAME TIME, dec 2 sts every 7th round 5 times (i.e., Rounds 21 & 28: K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1)

Set up round for Owl Cable:
Round 35: K1, K2tog, K11, P16, K11, SSK, K1 (42 sts)
Round 36: K13, P16, K13
Note: when working Owl Cable it might be helpful to distribute work on 3 needles so there are 13 sts each on Needles 1 & 3 and 16 sts on Needle 2. That way the Owl is isolated to Needle 2.

Work Owl Cable over 16 sts on Needle 2. Knit all sts on Needles 1 & 3
Rounds 37 & 38: P4, K8, P4
Round 39: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Rounds 40-45: P4, K8, P4 (Also, work decrease round as established on round 42 [40 sts])
Round 46: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Rounds 47-51: P4, K8, P4 (Also, work decrease round as established on round 49 [38 sts])
Round 52: P4, C4B, C4F, P4
Round 53: P4, C2B, K4, C2F, P4

Rounds 54 & 55: K11, P16, K11
Continue in st st until piece measures 8 ½” from CO or desired length.
Work 3 more rows.

Start Thumb gusset:
Round 62: K29, PM, M1R, K2, M1L, PM, K to end
Round 63: K even
Round 64: K to marker, SM, M1R, K to next marker, M1L, SM, K to end
Round 65: K even
Repeat alternating Increase round and Knit even round 3 more times to 12 sts between markers, ending with a K even round.

Next round: K to first marker, place 12 sts between markers on a piece of scrap yarn for later. Remove markers. CO 2 sts using Backward E method. K to end
Work even in st st for 7 rounds or desired length.

Note: I found this “Ask a Knitter” article on Ravelry helpful when deciding where to pick up sts to minimize gaps at the base of the fingers.

owl mitt fingers

Use locking stitch markers to help visualize the finger placement.

Work Fingers:
K 10 sts to get to the side of the hand.
Place all sts on a piece of scrap yarn.
Mark sts for fingers. 8 sts for pinky and 10 sts each for the other 3 fingers. Half the sts will come from the top of the hand and the other half will come from the palm of the hand.

Work Pinkie:
Transfer 4 sts from back of hand and 4 sts from palm to 2 dpns
K3, KFB twice, K3 (10 sts)
Work 5 rounds even.
Bind off all sts. Cut yarn leaving sufficient tail to weave in end.

owl mitt finger arrow

To help prevent a gap at the base of the fingers, pick up the stitch on the holder.

Work Ring finger:
Transfer next 5 sts from back of hand and next 5 sts from palm to 2 dpns
With palm facing, attach yarn leaving sufficient tail to weave in end. K5, pick up 2 sts at base of Pinkie, K5 (12 sts)
Work 5 rounds even.
Bind off all sts. Cut yarn leaving sufficient tail to weave in end.

Repeat for next two fingers.

Work Thumb:
Transfer 12 held stitches to 2 or 3 dpns
Attach yarn, leaving sufficient tail to weave in end. K12, pick up 2 sts on side of hand (14 sts)
Work 5 rounds even.
Bind off all sts. Cut yarn leaving sufficient tail to weave in end.

Weave in ends. Note: Use the tails from attaching the yarn to close up any gaps at the base of the fingers.

Left arm warmer:
Work as for right, reversing thumb shaping and finger placement.

Left Thumb placement:
K7, PM, M1R, K2, M1L, PM, K to end.

Begin working fingers with the Pointer finger. 10 sts per finger. 8 for the pinkie.

Owl hand

I caught a snowflake!

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Avoiding Jogs

October 26, 2012 in Gloves, Mirasol, Tips

And I’m not talking about the exercise. Not that you’d catch me doing anything that strenuous anyway. I can walk and knit, but I can’t jog and knit.

No, I’m talking about avoiding the shift in color that happens when you work stripes in the round. You know the one I’m talking about, at the end of the round when you switch from one color to the next.

It happens because you are actually working a spiral and the rows are different heights.

jogless jog

Lift the stich of the previous color on the second row of the new color.

It bothers some people, but not others. On some projects it might not matter as much. For instance if you are working a sweater and the color change is up the side you might ignore it because you’re arm will cover it.

On the Simple Striped Arm Warmers I knit using Mirasol Tuhu yarn the jog was apparent because I accidentally worked two right hand mitts so the seam is on the top. (By the time I realized I didn’t want to rip back to adjust it.)

To smooth the color transition you’ll actually work the magic on the second row of the new color.

Work the first row of the new color as you normally would.

On the second row of the new color reach down and grab the right-hand leg of the last stitch of the old color. (The stitch where the colors change.)

Work it together with first stitch of the row.

This creates an elongated stitch. It’s really an optical illusion that makes the stripes appear even.

Bind Off Jog

Another jog to worry about when working in the round is on the bind-off.

ugly bind off

Eeew, who wants that?

Doesn’t that look loose and sloppy?

As you bind off you add just a little bit of height to the project causing the last bound off stitch to be just a little higher than the first.

You can work some magic with your darning needle to tighten things up. This is one of those techniques that takes longer to explain in writing than it does to execute.

Usually when I bind off I pull the tail through the last stitch and pull in tight. In this case, after all stitches are bound off pull the last stitch open so you have a good length of yarn and clip it in half.

Pull the working yarn free and turn your attention to the length of yarn attached to the project.

under stitch

Go under both bars of the first bound-off stitch

Thread your darning needle and pass it under the top two bars of the first stitch you bound off. (Or the first stitch that looks nice.)

Into last st

Go into the center of the last bound off stitch

Pull the yarn through, then go into the center of the last stitch you bound off. This should be the same stitch your yarn is coming out of. Pull the yarn tight and weave in the end.

Do you see what you did? You’re following the path of the knitting. You basically created a new stitch.

Clean edge

Now that's more like it.

You’ll end up with a neat, clean edge.

This method is good for most any project worked in the round. Top down hats. Toe up socks. Sweater collars, cuffs, and hems.

Test it out and see what you think.

Arm Warmer Weather

finished arm warmers

Fall is a great time for arm warmers.

The weather was beautiful today! Sunny and in the mid to high 60s. It was even nicer after the cold, rainy weather we’ve been having lately.

It was a great day for wearing my arm warmers. I didn’t want to be weighed down with a coat, but the weather was a little too warm for a jacket.

They added just enough warmth to keep me comfortable.

You can find the free pattern for these Simple Striped Arm Warmers here. There is a free crocheted version as well.

 

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Crocheted Simple Striped Arm Warmers

October 14, 2012 in crochet, Free, Mirasol, Mitts

As I was posting the pictures and pattern for the Simple Striped Arm Warmers I was knitting last week there were a few requests for a crocheted version.

Since I like to be an equal opportunity stitcher when I can be (I did grow up crocheting, after all) I thought I’d oblige.

crocheted simple striped arm warmers

Make them as long or short as you like.

Sorry the one in the picture is just barely big enough to cover my hand, that is as far as I got before my wrists started hurting. :-( Sadly the repetitive motion of crochet can quickly sideline me. Happily I’m smart enough to listen to my body and stop when it tells me to.

I learned that lesson the hard way and now know that if I push through I won’t be able to crochet OR knit for several days. I hope you remember to take breaks, too!

Since this is a crocheted version of my knit arm warmers I again used Mirasol Tuhu yarn. As with the knit version I suggest you divide the balls in half before you start so you can ensure you have enough yarn for both arms.

Crocheted Simple Striped Arm Warmers Pattern

Size: 7 1/2″ circumference x desired length

Materials: 2 hanks Mirasol Tuhu yarn (50% Baby Llama, 40% Merino Wool, 10% Angora with approx 109 yards per 50g).

I used colors #2003 – Aquamarine and #2007 – Fawn.

Hook: G or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 4 single crochet x 5 rows = 1″ in the round

Abbreviations: Ch-Chain, SC-single crochet, HDC-half-double crochet

NOTE: I suggest you either divide the balls in half before you start crocheting. This will help ensure they come out even and you don’t run out of yarn on your second arm warmer.

NOTE: Project starts at the fingers and progresses toward the cuff.

NOTE: US crochet terms.

Stripe Pattern: 2 rows color A, 2 rows color B, repeat

The Pattern:

Right hand arm warmer

Chain 30 loosely

Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist chain. Place marker for beginning of round

Single crochet in each chain around

Single crochet in each sc around

Keeping stripe pattern correct, continue working in single crochet until 8 rounds have been worked, or desired length from starting chain to thumb.

Make Thumb Hole:

Sc 19, half-double crochet in next sc, ch6 loosely, skip next 6 sc, HDC in next sc, sc to end.

Next round: sc in each stitch (sc, ch, hdc) around.

TIP: Try on the mitt to make sure you like that thumb hole. Make it bigger by adding more chains and skipping more single crochet on the body. In that case you might want to shift it in one direction or the other to keep the seam at the bottom of the hand. The goal of the HDC on either side of the thumb hole is to act as a sort of gusset and give the fabric a little more height. I did NOT work the HDCs and feel the stitches next to the hole are getting strained. But I couldn’t test the theory because my wrist were getting sore. So let me know if it works. :-)

Resume working cuff/arm.

Keeping stripe pattern correct, continue working in sc until piece is desired length.

I was thinking it might be attractive to finish the openings with a crab stitch (reverse single crochet). Or you can work a chain lattice trim on the arm edge. I’m sure you’ll think of something that fits your personality!

Left Arm Warmer

Work as for right reversing shaping.

The thumb hole should be worked after 3 or 4 sc on the target row. Try the mitt on and count stitches to find your ideal placement. :-)

Weave in ends. Wear with flair.

Change the size by adding or subtracting stitches from your foundation chain. Be sure to keep your foundation chain loose or your fingers will be restricted, which won’t be much fun.

Add the pattern to your Ravelry queue here.

Find the knit version of the Simple Striped Arm Warmers here.

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Simple Striped Arm Warmer

October 11, 2012 in Free, Mirasol, Mitts

The other day I was wondering around Ravelry and came across one of those threads about expensive knitwear in stores.

In this case it was arm warmers that ranged from $45 to $88. (In their defense, some of them were at least merino wool.)

Like most of the people reading the thread I thought, “Pfft! I could make those in colors I like and (probably) for less money.”

Since it was a cold day and I was wearing 3/4 length sleeves, I did.

Finished warmer

Is it long enough?

As you can see by my double points sticking up in the bottom of the picture, I’m not quite done yet, but so many of you clamored for the pattern after I posted the first picture on Facebook that I thought I better tell you what I know!

Simple Striped Arm Warmers Pattern

Download a PDF version of the pattern here.

Size: 7 1/2″ circumference x 10″ long (or desired length)

Materials: 2 hanks Mirasol Tuhu yarn (50% Baby Llama, 40% Merino Wool, 10% Angora with approx 109 yards per 50g).

I used colors #2000-Tangerine and #2008-Cream

Needles: US6 DPN or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 5.5 sts x 7 rows = 1″ in stockinette stitch in the round

Abbreviations:

BO-Bind Off, CO-Cast On, K-Knit, P-Purl, St st-Stockinette St, Sts-stitches

NOTE: I suggest you either divide the balls in half before you start knitting OR work the arm warmers two at a time. This will help ensure they come out even and you don’t run out of yarn on your second arm warmer.

NOTE: Project starts at the fingers and progresses toward the cuff.

Stripe Pattern: 2 rows color A, 2 rows color B, repeat

Twisting yarn

Bring the new yarn under the old yarn to prevent a hole.

Tip: Since the stripes are just two rows tall you don’t have to cut the yarn. You can carry it up the inside of the project. Avoid a gap at the color change by bringing the new color from underneath and then around the old color. You can see in the picture I just worked a white repeat and am switching to an orange repeat. Twisting the yarns together in this manner will also secure the floats from carrying the yarn.

The Pattern:

Right hand arm warmer

Cast On 36 sts

Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist. Place marker to indicate beginning of round.

Work K2, P2 rib for 4 rounds

Change to St st and work 10 more rounds (14 rounds total)

Make Thumb Hole:

Knit 6 sts, bind off next 6 sts, knit to end

Next row: Knit 6 sts, cast on 6 sts using “backward e” method, knit to end.

Keeping stripe pattern correct, continue working even in St st until piece measures 9″ from cast on edge. Work 4 rows of K2, P2 rib.

Bind off all sts. Weave in ends.

Left hand arm warmer

Work as for right, reversing shaping. (ha!)

Thumb Hole: K24, BO 6, K to end. Next round: K24, CO 6 using “backward e” method, K to end.

Knit on to match right arm warmer.

Wear with pride.

Variations

Resizing: Ok, so the first thing you’re thinking is that I must be a small person to make such small arm warmers. Well, I am. But I also didn’t include any ease in the pattern since I like my mitts and arm warmers snug.

Since these arm warmers are plain stockinette stitch they are easy to make larger (or smaller). Before you do so, I suggest you knit a few rounds to see just how the pattern will fit as written. Also, keep in mind that llama yarns have a lot of drape and you can expect the arm warmers to stretch a bit after you wear them a few times.

That said, I suggest you increase (or decrease) stitches in groups of 4 to keep the ribbing correct.

Remember to shift the thumb hole accordingly to keep the seam on the bottom. Stick your hand in the project, see where your thumb lines up, count stitches.

Changing Length:

hand warmer

Stop at the wrist for a hand warmer instead.

My first arm warm is reaching almost to my elbow and I still have quite a bit of yarn to work with. At this point I’m curious to see how far I get. You, however, might not want such expansive arm warmers. Since they are just plain St st the length is even easier to change than the size.

You’ll have noticed I started the arm warmers at the finger end and worked toward the cuff. I like to do this because it’s easier to control the length (and ensure my fingers are covered to the degree I want). I made a pair of mitts once starting at the cuff and felt they ended up a little short.

If you just want hand warmers, stop knitting at your desired length. Work some ribbing and cast off. If you are in gift knitting mode these might be a good option. Judging by how long my arm warmers are you’ll probably get at least two pair of mitts (if not three) out of the 2 hanks of Tuhu.

If you want longer arm warmers, keep in mind you’ll reach a point on your arm when you might want to start increasing stitches. Try to do it gradually so you don’t get a strange flair in your project. I’m at that point now. I think I’ll increase two sts on either side of the central seam, work 2 rows, then increase 2 more (remember, groups of 4 to keep the ribbing correct).

If you want more of your fingers covered, work more rows before the thumb hole.

For you advanced knitters: If you want fingers or half finger, start with a provisional cast on. To conserve yarn, I suggest you work to cover the hand, then do the fingers, then extend the cuff.

Rolled edge:

Rolled edge

Skip the ribbing for a rolled edge

In the thread on Ravelry people were laughing at the catalog description of the arm warmers having a “rolled edge detail.” As knitters we know that isn’t a detail, that’s just what stockinette stitch does! We can, of course, leverage that as a feature if we want.

In this case, just skip the four rows of ribbing and start working stockinette stitch right away (keeping your stripes correct, of course). This picture is of my swatch and you can see it’s curling nicely.

I did not want a rolled edge because I know it will drive me nuts when I’m trying to type. Another option would be to do ribbing at the fingers and a rolled edge at the cuff. They are your arm warmers, go wild.

Skip the thumb: These are, technically, really long fingerless mitts. To make pure arm warmers, skip the thumb hole and just knit as long as you like.

Changing colors: This is perhaps, the simplest modification of all. I selected orange and white because it echos the fall leaves. And looks like a creamsicle (yummy!).

Tuhu is available in 18 colors, including 8 new jewel tones for the fall. Use my colors or other colors. Work wider stripes. Work random stripes (some narrow, some wide). If you work wider stripes consider how long your floats will be if you decide to carry the yarn. Or ditch the stripes and work your arm warmers in a solid color.

Remember, you are only limited by your imagination.

gather supplies

A cheering section always helps.

I hope you enjoy this arm warmer pattern. If you make a pair share a picture on our Facebook page. I’d live to see your interpretation.

You can add the pattern to your Ravelry queue here.

Find the Crocheted version here.

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