Sunday 30 November 2008

Too little time

In theory, time is constant. By counting "1 elephant, 2 elephant" etc, one can count seconds. Count 60 of them and you have a minute, count 60 minutes and you have an hour.....well, you all know how it goes.

So why does time keep disappearing? It's DECEMBER, for goodness sake, how did that happen? It seems only five minutes ago that it was June!

Knitting

Needless to say, most of my queue is still a queue. One of Alena's Arsenal socks is completed, and I'm not far from the heel on the other, but time is my enemy.

It's my works fault. I ended up working yesterday (a Saturday! I'm an office worker, we don't do Saturdays) because of "data migration UAT" (which is converting one computer system to another and checking the information, for those of us who don't speak computer) and this had to be done over a weekend.

All next week, I'm going to have to work full time to help our new colleagues feel comfortable with said computer system and then we're only 3 weeks away from Christmas!

As my sister has told me that she doesn't like wool right next to her skin, I no longer have to worry about making her any socks, which is good as I really won't have the time.

I've kept my Christmas knitting list realistic, so nobody should have to wait until Spring to get their FO, but I must start earlier next year (like, in January).


Writing

Time may also be my enemy here. This week's writers' group will include my last distributed chapter that's already been re-drafted. I was SO ahead of the game, but now the game has overtaken me.

I must also get some more articles written - I'm falling behind and I could do with the cash!

Life

I'm still waiting for things to get better. Roll on the week after next (there I go, wishing and waiting and hoping again...)

Ah well - keep smiling.

Thursday 13 November 2008

Coloured cable handwarmers


Here's another free pattern; my coloured cable hand warmers.


This is one of those patterns that is much easier to knit than it is to write down. It looks very complicated and I've written it in a great deal of detail, but once you get into the swing of the pattern, it's actually much easier than it looks.


That said, if anything is unclear (or even if I've made any typos) please let me know and I'll do my best to help, clarify and correct.


Cabled Handwarmers



Materials:

Alpaca Silk by Blue Sky Alpacas. (50g/146 yds)

2 balls of main (light) colour and 1 ball of contrast (dark) colour.

1 pair of 3.25mm needles.

Size: Lady’s medium size

Tension: Not vital.



Abbreviations:


L “Light” (the red yarn used on the handwarmer pictured)– eg K2L means “Knit 2 in light coloured yarn”
D “Dark” (the blue yarn used on the handwarmer pictured)
NB - the yarns are carried using the techniques for stranded knitting (twisted together every two or three stitches, to keep the work flat and even).
C4B Place the next two stitches on the cable needle and place at the back of the work. Knit the next two stitches, then knit the two stitches from the cable needle.
C4F Place the next two stitches on the cable needle and place at the front of the work. Knit the next two stitches, then knit the two stitches from the cable needle.
C3BD Place the next stitch on the cable needle and place at the back of the work. Knit the next two stitches in D, and then knit the stitch from the cable needle in L.
C3FD Place the next two stitches on the cable needle and place at the front of the work. Knit the next stitch in L, and then knit the two stitches from the cable needle in D.
M1K Pick up the loop between the left and right hand needle. Place on the left hand needle. K 1 into the back of this loop.
M1P Pick up the loop between the left and right hand needle. Place on the left hand needle. P 1 into the back of this loop.



Cable Pattern (42 sts):

Row 1 K4L, (C4B in D, K6 in L) 3 times, C4BD, K4 in L
Row 2 (and all even rows) Purl, keeping colours consistent from the previous row.
Row 3 K3L (C3BD, C3FD, K4L) 3 times, C3BD, C3FD, K3 in L
Row 5 K2L (C3BD, K2L, C3FD, K2L) 4 times
Row 7 K1L, (C3BD, K4, C3FD) 4 times, K1L
Row 9 K1L, K2D (K6L, C4F in D) 3 times, K6L, K2D, K1L
Row 11 K1L, (C3FD, K4, C3BD) 4 times, K1L
Row 13 K2L, (C3FD, K2L, C3BD, K2L) 4 times
Row 15 K3L, (C3FD, C3BD, K4L) 3 times, C3FD, C3BD, K3L
Row 16 Purl, keeping colours consistent from the previous row.

These 16 rows form the cable pattern.



Right hand glove pattern.

Using 3.25mm needles and L, cast on 53 sts.

Work 20 rows K1, P1 rib. On the last row, increase 12 sts evenly across the row (total 65sts).

Row 1 K5L, (K2D, K8L) 4 times, K in L to end of row.
Row 2 P27L (P4D, P6L) 4 times, P in L to end of row.
Row 3 Work row 1 of cable pattern for 42 sts, work the rest of the row in L. M1K, K2 M1K, K to end.

Work 2 more rows, keeping the cable pattern correct.

Continue with the cable pattern, working increases for the thumb gusset as follows:

Next row (Row 6 of the handwarmer - row 4 of the cable pattern) P21, M1P, P4, M1P, work cable patt to end.
Row 9 Work cable patt. M1K, K6, M1K, K to end in L
Row 12 P21, M1P, P8, M1P, work cable patt to end.
Row 15 Work cable patt. M1K, K10, M1K, K to end in L
Row 18 P21, M1P, P12, M1P, work cable patt to end.
Row 21 Work cable patt. M1K, K14, M1K, K to end in L
Row 24 P21, M1P, P16, M1P, work cable patt to end.
(Total number of stitches now 81)
Row 25 Work 42 sts of cable pattern, K18L, Cast on 3 sts, turn.

Thumb
Purl 21, cast on 3 sts. turn
Work 4 rows K1 P1 rib on these 24 sts.
Cast off loosely in rib.

Rejoin the yarn, pick up 4 sts at the base of the thumb and K to the end in L.

Row 26 P25, work 42 sts of cable pattern

Continue working straight on these 67 sts until you have completed 41 rows in total (2 ½ repeats of the cable pattern).

Row 42 P26L, P2togD, P6L, (P2togD, P2togD, P6L) 3 times, P2togD, P1, K1 row in L.

Work 4 rows K1, P1 rib in L.

Cast off loosely in rib.




Left hand glove pattern.

Using 3.25mm needles and L, cast on 53 sts.

Work 20 rows K1, P1 rib. On the last row, increase 12 sts evenly across the row (total 65sts).

Row 1 K28L, (K2D, K8L) 4 times, K in L to end of row.
Row 2 P4L (P4D, P6L) 4 times, P in L to end of row.
Row 3 K21, M1K, K2, M1K , work row 1 of cable pattern.

Continue with the cable pattern, working increases for the thumb gusset as follows:

Row 6 Work cable patt, M1P, P4, M1P, P to end in L
Row 9 K21 M1K, K6, M1K, work cable patt to end
Row 12 Work cable patt, M1P, P8, M1P, P to end in L
Row 15 K21 M1K, K10, M1K, work cable patt to end
Row 18 Work cable patt, M1P, P12, M1P, P to end in L
Row 21 K21 M1K, K14, M1K, work cable patt to end
Row 24 Work cable patt, M1P, P16, M1P P to end in L
(Total number of stitches now 81)
Row 25 K37L, Cast on 3 sts, turn.

Thumb
Purl 21, cast on 3 sts. turn
Work 4 rows K1 P1 rib on these 24 sts.
Cast off loosely in rib.

Rejoin the yarn, pick up 4 sts at the base of the thumb and work cable pattern to the end of the row.

Row 26 Work cable patt, P25 to end.

Continue working straight on these 67 sts until you have completed 41 rows in total (2 ½ repeats of the cable pattern).

Row 42 P1L, P2togD, P6L (P2togD, P2togD, P6L) 3 times, P2togD, P to end.

K1 row in L.

Work 4 rows K1, P1 rib in L.

Cast off loosely in rib.



To Make Up:


Block glove. DO NOT PRESS.

Sew up the thumb seams.

Sew up the side seams.

Sunday 9 November 2008

Knitting's fine - photography's crap

Knitting

So I made a pair of plain black fingerless mitts for the daughter of a colleague.

No biggie, but I finished them before work one morning, so I took a quick piccie before giving them away.

I have a photograph of two ribbed wristbands.

D'Oh!

Writing
Well, butter my backside and call me a piece of toast, I've actually done some writing today!

For the first time in I can't remember how long I've had a spare hour (and a nagging feeling that I've forgotten something) so I edited chapter 8 of the interminable novel. I feel good..... I knew that I would now....

Life

Still hate my job. Except now I'm doing some serious planning to get myself out of there.

Focus, focus. Must not buy yarn, must not buy yarn.