I am in a knitting frenzy. In my family we have a little tradition we like to call the Make-It Pollyanna. This year, I have my sister-in-law, Kristen. Who is a writer, but does not have a blog I can link to when I talk about her, even though she is fabulous and talented.
So I am knitting her a little something. Also included in the giftyness is a shade of pail polish that picks up some of the undertones in the yarn and the mix of music I was listening to while I stitched away.
Songs in the Stitches:
Feeling Good- Nina Simone
Cut Your Hair- Pavement
Don't Rain on my Parade- Bobby Darin
Where Your Eyes Don't Go- TMBG
It's Bad You Know- R. L. Burnside
Regret- New Order
Naked Eye- Luscious Jackson
My Time (Has Come)- Twilight Singers
I Feel Free- Cream
Bustin Up A Starbucks- Mike Doughty
Caravan- Bunny Berigan (Sweet & Lowdown Soundtrack)
Hey Now Now- The Cloud Room
Believe- Frank Potente (Run Lola Run Stountrack)
Perfume- Sparks
Change Your Mind- The Killers
And She Was- Talking Heads
First, Last, and Everything- Barry White
The Knitting:
I found this lovely and soft alpaca yarn at my favorite knitting emporium. I made her some fingerless gloves (is there a theme this season? oh yes. There is always a theme). Because using a pattern is only something I do under duress (deathly allergic to Authority, even the beneficial kind), I made up a simple pattern I will share with you, my beloved readers. Consider this your belated Christmas present. Anyone unafraid of double pointed needles can knit these gloves in a few hours with chunky yarn.
Cast on 21 stitches.
Knit in the round for about an inch in 2x1 rib.
Increase in the purl sections (I prefer knitting into the front and back of a stitch rather than a yarn over, just because I can't be bothered to learn how to not make a hole when I yarn over) gradually until you are knitting in a 2x2 rib. I did this by increasing 3 times in the first round, knitting a round, increasing twice the next round, knitting another round, and then increasing whenever I found a section of purls that was still only one stitch.
When fully increased, I still had a few rounds to go before I reached the right spot for the thumb hole. But if I were to do it again, I might concentrate the increases in the first few rounds rather than spreading them out. I thought if I did it that way the wrist might get too big too fast, but the way it is, the increases are way obvious up on the hand. I don't know, do it your way.
I realize this is the most unprofessional and inexact knitting pattern you've ever read. Just deal.
I like knitting in the round because you can try on as you go. Put on the glove and see if it's long enough to cover the wrist and the lower part of your hand.
If it is, start the thumb hole. Pick a spot somewhere near where you began knitting in the first place (if you're me, you look for the messy wild edge on the bottom where there is clearly Something Very Wrong that you can (maybe) fix with some clever finishing).
When you get to that place, STOP! Turn around! Really, turn the whole thing around and knit back as if you were knitting flat, knitting the purls and purling the knits. Go back and forth until the hold is big enough for your thumb. For me, this was six rows.
When the hole is big enough, pretend that never happened and knit in the round like that's what you'd been doing the whole time. Be careful when you rejoin the edges, that you pull it pretty tight, or you end up with a thumbhole that you could put several more fingers through. Knit another few rounds, or until it looks like there is enough to hold everything together and it's not going to string apart when you put it on.
Then bind off, and frantically sew everything together with the leftover tails so they have a fighting chance to keep your hands at least partially warm. When you are finished, you should have something that looks vaguely like this. Except better. (Note the vermillion nails. I told you I am an avid nail-polisher, right? Well, now you know.)
Thnak you for the pattern and a delightful read.
Posted by: Holly Burnham | Tuesday, December 26, 2006 at 02:24 PM