Sunday, January 21, 2007

Multi-Tasking

Main task No. 1: Stulpen

Sub-Task (a): To knit something for Tweeding Along



Sub-Task (b): To knit something for Fall Cable KAL 2006



Sub-task 1(c): To knit something to keep my hands warm



Main Task No. 1 and all associated sub-tasks: Complete.

The pattern for these wonderful, fingerless gloves can be found here -- scroll down for the English version. The pattern as written has the cable motif on the wrist. I modified them to have the design on the back of the hand by making the wrist portion a little longer, starting the thumb gusset when I started the cable chart, and then making the finger portion a little longer. They are the perfect length for driving, keeping the hands and fingers warm while still allowing a little finger pad for traction. I can also have my fingertips sticking our, or just tuck my fingers in to keep them warm. The flecks in the tweed give them the appearance of being dusted by snow. I am very pleased with these, and they were a fun and quick knit. I had three balls of the Rowan Tweed and have enough to do another pair -- next time with the cables crossed correctly. :-)

I had the opportunity to use my new stitch markers while knitting this project.

Very nice! Made by Aija, my favourite pronographer, and available at her new Etsy shop. They are indeed jewelry for your knitting.

Main Task No. 2: 4 Corners Dishcloth



Another fun and quick knit, designed by Abigail, and pattern available here. A most excellent usage of short rows to mix up the colours in variegated cotton, and a clear and well written pattern. I can see more of these in my future, as friends are always asking my for dishcloths for gifts.

Main Task No. 2: Complete.

Main Task No: 3: Clean the litter box.

Guess I should get on that, eh.

53 people had something to say:

Abigail said...

I'm so glad that you like the pattern. I was so hoping that it would please you!

The lime green and blue combo should brighten any kitchen! Well done!

Anonymous said...

I love those mitts - thanks for the link!

sheep#100 said...

Chiral mitts - excellent!

Anonymous said...

The cats would probably appreciate task #3 being completed.

On the other hand ... knitting is so much more fun. Your mitts look nice and the dishcloth too. Love the colors. It almost makes you want to do dishes. Almost.......

Stacey said...

those are great! Love the multitasking! Doesn't Aija make the most beautiful markers! She has such talent!!!

schrodinger said...

The mitts are lovely, I really like textured tweed. The dishcloth is a great pattern too, thanks for drawing attention to both the patterns.

Michael said...

I like! Common theme, but clever twist.

Liz K. said...

Mmmm. Felted tweed! Love it.

HPNY KNITS said...

blogger ate my comment- here we go again-

gorgeous mitts! ever so strong and handsome! I love this colorway of FT. I recently started something in FT ginger.
the dishcloth is very psychedelic 70s :-)

Jennifer said...

Love, love, love the mitts. Very nice washcloth too!

As for the litter box, yeah a drag but a necessary chore...

earthchick said...

Gorgeous mitts! Fab dishcloth! Excellent job getting tasks 1 and 2 done. Task #3 is one of my most-hated chores.

knitspot anne said...

"sigh"
i just love felted tweed. and the jewelry . . .those mitts are grand!

textilejunkie said...

Another lover of the mitts - you can never go wrong with felted twee. Thanks so much for the link - they are in my future :-)

LaurieM said...

Very nice Dave, both the mitts and the warsh cloth. But I must admit that I don't think I'd be able to drive with those mitts on. The mis-crossed cable would drive me nuts. You're a better man than I am. ;-)

lookinout said...

Those cables are great.
Gillian

Meg said...

I love the mitts, they're gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Great Mitts. They are wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for linking to that pattern. I saw it once while surfing and then I wasn't able to find it again. Now it's been properly bookmarked.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link. I love the way your mitts turned out.

Anonymous said...

Great mitts. That Rowan tweed sounds like it would be kind of rough, but it looks incredibly soft. Which is it?

Nana Sadie said...

WOW! Love those mitts - especially the multi-tasking component of them, but what do you mean cross the cables right next time? (No, I don't notice such things very often!) The dishcloth is cool.

And The Meezer says you really must make sure your feline friends have a clean potty (otherwise, like the Blonde Bombshell, they will find OTHER places - yeck!)

Congrats on the multitasking (I don't know a thing you can combine with changing the kitty litter...)
(((hugs)))

Stacy said...

Those mitts look wonderfully cozy. Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes that is the only way to do these KALs and keep up....find something that works for ALL of them!
Beautiful mitts - I love that they cover the fingers so well....solves my only problem with fingerless mittens - my fingers get cold!

Kris B said...

I love the cables on the mits, very nice. The colors in the dishcloth are nice to.

Angelika said...

The pattern made it all the way to Canada. Great. I did the same thing with moving the cables, on my second set of stulpen. Sorry no pics, they had to be sent off before I got a new digi cam. By the way, don't forget the cat now :)

Anonymous said...

Those mitts look fabulous, especially the cables. Good job with the knitting!

turtlegirl76 said...

The mitts are gorgeous but dude, how the fuck long are your fingers? The mind boggles at the implication.

lexa said...

Did that darned litter thing this morning. Not the most pleasant task in the world.

Love the fingerless gloves. They look very warm. I got some of Aija's stitch markers, too. They are very nice.

Tania A said...

Oh, I've been wanting to find a nice cabled pattern for handwarmers, and those might do the trick. Now, if I can only steal my purple tweed from my husband ...

Opal said...

What handsome mitts. Like turtlegirl, I too boggle at the length of your fingers.

CynCyn said...

littermaid litterbox is a godsend if your cat won't get scared of it. one of my cats used it fine, the other... was a bit freaked.

love the fingerless mitts. LOVE the color.

limedragon :-: Harriet said...

The dishcloth is cute! And I love the mitts and the yarn you used, yum! As for the litter box... have you looked into automation?

Anonymous said...

The tweed is perfect for this pattern - and there's something about semi-precious st markers that makes me go aaaahhhh... x

Kim said...

Love the mitts, and I just received markers from Aija! We must be thinking alike!

Anonymous said...

Multi tasking! Very nice end result! Handsome and handy. I should marry those gloves.

Task #3 is bound to need to be done again and again.

Debi said...

I love the mitts and the dishcloth...thanks to your beautiful examples I think I'm gonna add both to my queue! :)

Kirsten said...

Oooooooh, I love everything about those mitts! The color of the felted tweed is fabulous and that scrumptious cable pattern is perfect for the yarn!

Anonymous said...

thats beautiful!! thanks for sharing the pattern.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous mitts!

Kimberly said...

Great job on the mitts-they are so cool in the tweed. I have the pattern but not the yarn...yet. :)

Kim said...

Did you like the Rowan Felted Tweed? I was inspired by your ISE3 scarf and made one for my ISE3 pal (which knitted my scarf). It was a lovely weight and turned out nicely.
http://thekniterella.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-scarf-pal.html

Anonymous said...

How nice to see someone else that knits from german patterns. Somehow I find a lot o nice stuff to knit on various german blogs. Perhaps you are german, otherwise its nice that someone else is struggeling with the language too! Greetings from snowy Sweden

Mag said...

So ancient and yet so modern, that's what came to mind when I saw your fingerless mittens. Wonderful job. I love cables.

The dishcloth is no slouch either! I may have to make one too.

Anonymous said...

Very organized presentation of your goals (and your accomplishment thereof)! Those fingerless mitts are wonderful -- I LOVE that cable motif. They look very toasty and useful.

Lou Schiela said...

Thanks for the link to the mitts pattern. I am not familiar with the yarn she used. I am familiar with Rowan Felted Tweed. Is that the same weight as she used? If not did you make any adjustments to her pattern? Your mitts are so nice I want to make a pair for myself! Thanks

Marlene said...

I've had that fingerless mitt pattern printed out and waiting for a while now. So many things to knit it's hard to find time for them all. Yours turned out fantastic! Love your choice of yarn and your alterations.

auntiemichal said...

Inspired by your mitts and cold hands, I started a pair a couple of days ago. I'd done cables in my distant past, but not by reading a chart. Mine look just like (wishful thinking, really) yours so far, including one crossing the wrong direction. Do you think it's the pattern? LOL I'll have a scan up on my blog in a little bit if you want to peek. PS: please don't look at the split stitch.

auntiemichal said...

A follow up to my previous comment: the chart was fine, so it was the knitters! I colored my chart along the ribbing lines which made understanding and following much easier. New pics, including the chart, at my blog. Thanks, Dave, you're my first non-administrative commenter!

Anonymous said...

Ooh - love those fingerless gloves. Great choice of yarn and pattern.

Kim said...

Love the mitts! And I _am_ such a fan of Aija's stitch markers, especially the pearl ones!

Anonymous said...

Argh, the Stulpen chart! I did the exact same thing, in the exact same place. The symbols, they are confusing, yes?

I finally went through and realized my mistake. I had thought that -\_ always meant "move stitches forward" and _/- always meant "move stitches to the back." But in the case of a crossing with four knit stitches, those meanings are reversed.

(I've never worked from a chart before. Is it always this hard?)

Diana said...

I know this was a loooooong time ago but I knew I had seen some wonderful tweedy mitts somewhere and I knew it was on your blog! Anyway the pattern called for a fingering wt. you must have had to change the number of cast on using the felted tweed didn't you? Is it reall soft enough. I use a lot of Rowan yarns but wondered if this one would be soft on the hands.
Hope you don't mind my questions! I'm at searching Jimmy Beans Wool right now trying to find some yarn for them! Thanks!

AuntieAnn said...

I made those mitts, finally, after seeing your post and saving it some time ago. They're up on my blog today. And I think there is a little problem not in the chart itself, but in the key to the chart. Reverse the descriptions for the right cable and left cable and you should be OK. And I've started a pair for my DD, now, too.