Sunday, January 16, 2011

Things are looking up

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

It is very cold here right now, and we've got plenty of snow, which I suppose is normal for winter in Wisconsin, and though I'm not sick of it *yet,* check back in about a month and I'll be singing a different tune... Wonderful to have nice wool sweaters and socks to wear...especially while cross country skiing, or simply wearing inside our 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit house.

Heilo mittens are looking much better after ripping them out and re-starting with smaller needles:
The only problem is that if I place the end of the cuff (which is at the beginning of the increases which occur at both sides of the thumb) at the base of my hand as in the photo, the thumb opening is going to be in the wrong spot. Referring to the photo, I am supposed to knit the 11 thumb stitches onto waste yarn on the very next row, then place those stitches back on the left needle and continue knitting around in pattern for the rest of the mitten. After that, the waste yarn is picked out and those stitches are used to make the thumb... Notice how the thumb opening will not be in the right location for my anatomy...

HOWEVER, after a few e-mails with blog buddy BaxterKnits (Cindy), I think I'm going to take her advice and knit four rows for every increase instead of the three indicated in the chart. This means that I'll have to revise the chart a little bit, but the thumb location on the mitten will much more closely approximate the actual location of my thumb. So, I rip again, but just nine or ten rows this time...

So, do you think that it is time to change the name of our blog to "Pickin' and Throwin' and Rippin'?"

My NEW GOAL for 2011 is going to be to knit something according to the pattern, without alteration, and without having to rip it out. This might mean that I'll have to make a simple dishrag...

In other news, I don't think I'm going to run out of yarn on my Twist cardigan! I have the second sleeve halfway done, and plenty 0'yarn left... Goal to finish that one this week, before I start my final clinical in another week and have much less time for blogging...

Stay warm! Also, Go Packers! (Can you *believe* the Packers??!!!)

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)

5 comments:

marit said...

Ah, ripping! Reminds me of my parents- mum would knit all the time, and dad would tease her, because everything had to be ripped out at least once. So if she made something and didn't have to rip it out, it had to be something wrong with it;-D

Great mitten- and I think increasing every 4th row will be perfect

Sus said...

I think those mittens are going to be amazing, no matter what you do. They are so cool.

Cindy G said...

If you haven't already ripped back, I had another thought. Looking at the construction of an old pair of mittens of mine, you could also try just working even in pattern as established until they are long enough to reach the thumb opening point.

Had those mittens on to shovel snow today.

Caryn said...

Ms. Laura, I just shared a moment with my dear niece, LAURA, who is also a knitter. She's in Iowa, I'm in Wisconsin, but we're on the phone and reading your blog...together! She was impressed with the woven felt hearts, although not too fond of the Packers theme. (Go Vikings?)

I told her about Carnival, which needs to happen again...some day...soon. Do you have any time the first weekend in February? She'll be here for a visit, and practically crowed when I asked if she'd like to meet some of my knitting friends!

Smooches to you and yours,

Caryn

jerseys cheap said...

If you haven't pull back, I have another idea. Look at the construction of an old my a pair of gloves, you also can try to just work even in the model established, until they long enough to reach the thumb open point.
There are those who gloves to shovel the snow today.