Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Cigar Gloves

The photographer (aka Cigar) gloves are almost done. I've got the thumb left on the second hand left to finish, then I can bind off.

In this pattern, the thumb, index, and middle finger are "fingerless" and the pattern stops short of the 1st knuckle. The ring & pinky fingers are fully covered. This should help keep my hands relatively warm while operating a camera. (I only need those fingers to operate the camera controls & lenses).

The gloves went by surprisingly quickly using "left over" yarn from my first pair of socks. I'm thinking about making a small pocket for the palms to hold hand warmers, but I can easily make those later. I'm also trying to figure out IF I can make coverings for those three digits without adding buttons (i.e some sort of elastic that wraps around the hand or another finger?), but I highly doubt that will work.

Actually...now that I think about it, I might be able to knit individual tops for those three digits, then sew a part of the circumference into the ribbing of the glove. I might have to knit it very stretchy in order to remove the finger tops when needed. Hmm. Must experiment. 2x2 ribbing? Or just elastic? Hmm...

Regardless, once this is done, I'm pretty much out of knitting projects to start, which is sad....at least without buying more yarn. I did finish the guage for the shawl, but that's more of a very slow project since the yarn & needle gauge are...not conducive to overall health of my hands...and I need to buy longer needles for this specific gauge. The ones I have are much too short both in needle & cable length.

I might actually have to go back and finish the projects currently in hiberation -- mostly crochet projects.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Knee High Socks

I finished my knee-high socks; casting off the last pair tonite. They've been washed and are psuedo-blocking (as in drying on towels because my wire-hanger ones are for short socks).

_MG_9433

I did try working a gauge on the Serenity shawl kit that J gave to me, but the recommended needle (Size US 4) is too small, so I'm going down a needle size and re-gauging. Unfortunately, I have problems with needles smaller than US 4, because they wreck havoc with my hands. I can do short stints on US3s, but not for long. So, I'll work on the gauge and see where that leaves me.

If THAT doesn't work, I have to find a new project to work on the train. I might make myself a pair of "photo" gloves. Fingerless gloves with a mitten cap; or add fingers only for the last two fingers (I need the thumb, index, and middle to operate the camera and lens.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Down to the last skeins....

Yesterday, I realized that I was almost done with the entrelac scarf, as I was almost out of yarn (I originally had 3 skeins). THEN I realized that I was not going to have enough to actually finish the appropriate row so I can do the LAST row so I can cast off.

(The entrelac is built on 4 different row sets: start row, Row 2-3 that alternate until length, then an End row. However, you need to end on a Row 2 in order to do an End Row.)

So, I can either:
1) buy another skein and make it longer.
2) frog back a whole row (which is a lot, considering entrelac) and then end it appropriately.

I'm tempted by #1, because I like long scarves, and this one, while long, is not exactly as long as I like. AND, I wouldn't have to worry too much about the dye lot, as it is a variegated Noro and the scarf is multi-color ANYWAYS. But, it means a trip to the LYS....oh noes!

But, apparently, in my indecision yesterday, I took the scarf out of my commute bag, which, I didn't realize this morning, until I got on the train! DOH! Gawds forbid that I have nothing to do with my hands while on the train.

Luckily for me, I had grabbed my knee-high sock project, because I thought to finish up the last row on the entrelac and that would only take the train ride there; I wanted to have a second project for the train ride home.

So, it turns out I just have to work on my socks for today. Oh woez! Actually, I'm almost done. I've got less 2 inches on both socks before I start the final ribbing for another 1.5 inches.