Here is a draft post I intended to write about the second BonBons fingerless mitt.
Remember last year about this time. I wrote about a lovely hand spun yarn from Roubaix Wool of Winterwind Farm in Battle Lake, Minnesota. The hank has 140 yards of CVM wool (California Variegated Mutant). It contained a tangle of bright olive green, maroon, golden yellow and violet. This yarn called to me to buy it and it had to be knit up as soon as I brought it home. The pattern selected was BonBons by Susanna IC. One mitt was knit within 24 hours of the yarn arriving home. The faux cables are easy and the ribbing interesting enough to keep me well entertained.
With the first mitt completed I realized there would be a game of yarn chicken about to take place. I had 140 yards and the pattern calls for 150 - 175 yards (137 - 160 m). It could become a problem if the way I knit took up more than the 140 yards I had on hand. The completed mitt was weighed, the remaining ball was weighed and it appeared all could end well. And then it was simply put away. More accurately I think, "you've got this" and move on. More interesting patterns are found so the mitt project is put in a basket, then more patterns are completed and the mitt project goes into storage and then I returned to Vancouver and the mitt project came with me. There the mitt and the yarn entered the witness protection program. I couldn't find either until this week when I was cleaning and tidying up my stash.
If you check out the post from last year there is no mention of the several alterations made to the pattern. First I did only four instead of five of the cable pattern rows by deleting an entire row for the repeat rows 3-5. This made for a less elongated cable. Second an I-cord cast off was used at the top of the mitt and a purl row followed by a purl cast off for the thumb. All of this I could see, what I could not see was the size of the needle used. For some reason I decided to use the size of the needle mentioned in the pattern knowing I generally go down at least one and most times two needle sizes to get gauge. So after much of the ribbed cuff was completed using the prescribed needle size, it came out and I dropped a needle size. Gauge seemed to be working out so I completed the mitt in short order.
All of the above was written before the mitt was fully complete. It was to be continued by patting myself on the back about being able to read my own knitting. Without the details of the alterations made I was able to figure out on my own what to do. The post would go on about how just a few years ago I wouldn't have been able to manage this feat, etc., and end with something sounding like "How Great I Am!"
Once the second mitt was complete though (I won the yarn chicken game, BTW) I put it on along with the first to check out the fit. In my defense, it is very hard to put a mitt on when it is on a circular or double point needles, this had to be postponed until the project was finished. That is when I found the first mitt fit much more snugly, so I did what any knitter would do, I tugged on that first mitt to see if I could stretch it out. You would do that, right?? Well it didn't help. Undaunted, I set up a photo shoot to show both mitts and the amount of the yarn left over. It wasn't until I tried to line up the mitts through the lens of the camera I realized the second mitt should have been knit on a needle one more size smaller. That would make for a more snug fit as well. I tried to talk myself into believing it would be fine, no need to frog that second mitt, but that nagging thought about the two mitts being two sizes would not go away. After a good night's sleep I decided the second mitt has to be done again on the right sized needles and this time I will do it before I forget all the other alternations. (Note to self~~Use size 3 needles!)
This photo shows the problem even the faux cables are bigger.
In the end the post of self-congratulations has had to turn into a post about humility. About the time I think I have this knitting thing well in hand, it kicks me in the shin to say, just hold on there sweetie, you aren't nearly as clever as you think. It is also a good reminder to knit pairs two at a time rather than separating them by a year.
Remember last year about this time. I wrote about a lovely hand spun yarn from Roubaix Wool of Winterwind Farm in Battle Lake, Minnesota. The hank has 140 yards of CVM wool (California Variegated Mutant). It contained a tangle of bright olive green, maroon, golden yellow and violet. This yarn called to me to buy it and it had to be knit up as soon as I brought it home. The pattern selected was BonBons by Susanna IC. One mitt was knit within 24 hours of the yarn arriving home. The faux cables are easy and the ribbing interesting enough to keep me well entertained.
 |
| A photo from last year |
With the first mitt completed I realized there would be a game of yarn chicken about to take place. I had 140 yards and the pattern calls for 150 - 175 yards (137 - 160 m). It could become a problem if the way I knit took up more than the 140 yards I had on hand. The completed mitt was weighed, the remaining ball was weighed and it appeared all could end well. And then it was simply put away. More accurately I think, "you've got this" and move on. More interesting patterns are found so the mitt project is put in a basket, then more patterns are completed and the mitt project goes into storage and then I returned to Vancouver and the mitt project came with me. There the mitt and the yarn entered the witness protection program. I couldn't find either until this week when I was cleaning and tidying up my stash.
If you check out the post from last year there is no mention of the several alterations made to the pattern. First I did only four instead of five of the cable pattern rows by deleting an entire row for the repeat rows 3-5. This made for a less elongated cable. Second an I-cord cast off was used at the top of the mitt and a purl row followed by a purl cast off for the thumb. All of this I could see, what I could not see was the size of the needle used. For some reason I decided to use the size of the needle mentioned in the pattern knowing I generally go down at least one and most times two needle sizes to get gauge. So after much of the ribbed cuff was completed using the prescribed needle size, it came out and I dropped a needle size. Gauge seemed to be working out so I completed the mitt in short order.
All of the above was written before the mitt was fully complete. It was to be continued by patting myself on the back about being able to read my own knitting. Without the details of the alterations made I was able to figure out on my own what to do. The post would go on about how just a few years ago I wouldn't have been able to manage this feat, etc., and end with something sounding like "How Great I Am!"
Once the second mitt was complete though (I won the yarn chicken game, BTW) I put it on along with the first to check out the fit. In my defense, it is very hard to put a mitt on when it is on a circular or double point needles, this had to be postponed until the project was finished. That is when I found the first mitt fit much more snugly, so I did what any knitter would do, I tugged on that first mitt to see if I could stretch it out. You would do that, right?? Well it didn't help. Undaunted, I set up a photo shoot to show both mitts and the amount of the yarn left over. It wasn't until I tried to line up the mitts through the lens of the camera I realized the second mitt should have been knit on a needle one more size smaller. That would make for a more snug fit as well. I tried to talk myself into believing it would be fine, no need to frog that second mitt, but that nagging thought about the two mitts being two sizes would not go away. After a good night's sleep I decided the second mitt has to be done again on the right sized needles and this time I will do it before I forget all the other alternations. (Note to self~~Use size 3 needles!)
This photo shows the problem even the faux cables are bigger.
 |
| That small wad of yarn to the left is about the size of a quarter. The bigger mitt is at the top of the photo. |
In the end the post of self-congratulations has had to turn into a post about humility. About the time I think I have this knitting thing well in hand, it kicks me in the shin to say, just hold on there sweetie, you aren't nearly as clever as you think. It is also a good reminder to knit pairs two at a time rather than separating them by a year.
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