labour of glove
Isn't it terrible, posting about Labor Day several days afterward? I won't bore you with all my sleeping late and ordering pizza for dinner and watching entirely too much reality TV (but only the good kind like Top Chef, Flip that House, and Project Runway) while knitting madly. Here's the good stuff:
Fingerless gloves! This was not the first pair I knitted, nor was it the last. But, they are my favorite,and that explains the reason why so many pictures of them. Wait for them, they will appear before your eyes. They are made with Louisa Harding Kimono Angora (which color though?) and Filatura Di Crosa Zara, an extra-fine merino wool in light gray (1494) that I found at Dee's Yarn Nook ages ago and never used. Love them so much. Wanted to keep them, but had to give them away.
Didn't get the matching ribbon for this angora. They sell it you know, Louisa Harding has this ribbon made up that perfectly matches the shade of angora you're knitting with. See the eyelets? One threads that through and also makes some kind of flower adornments. I made those for another set. Read on.
I love the combination of these yarns. So much, that I want to make a sweater of it for myself. Only, the colors... I'm not sure they're really suitable for my complexion.
There you have them in action as I rub hands together in chilly office environment. Bbbbbbrrrrrrr. That's right. I have my space heater going year round. Especially in summertime.
These purple were the first pair I made, and it was after I finished both and tried them on for size that I realized how much they did not match in length. These are the ones that are made with called for yarn with the pattern in The Accessories Collection, also by Louisa Harding. That's the Kashmir Aran and Kimono Angora together. And they are delightful on the eyes and hands. Almost buttery, if you can believe that.
The green... is not my favorite. There's only one at this time. Really hated the combination of fibers. The green was cascade and the variegated was a merino of some type that I've had for ages and cannot recall who manufactured it. However, I loved the orange. Wasn't sure it would work so well with the pink and purple, but I dig it. Using the Kimono Angora lends a lovely hue to anything. The orange is standard Lamb's Pride, which I truly love anyway. If you're set on making anything with the Kimono Angora, beware: It pulls apart too easily when it comes to mattress stitch. Haven't worked much with rabbit, and in normal knitting, it works up so lovely. Yet I was constantly frustrated when my angora broke and I had to tie on some more.
So, I hated delaying on giving an already-belated birthday present to Terilee, one of my most wonderful co-workers. See that ceramic dish in the background? Top corner left? She gave me that for my birthday early in August. I wrapped the lovely gloves in tissue and sent them her way via interoffice mail this afternoon. Then I lunched at my LYS where I sought an alternate solution to... you guessed it... ripping them out and beginning again. The trouble lay in the ribbing. I goofed. I need another inch or even a half-inch of ribbing and then I shall finish. So sat and picked out mattress stitch, stitch by stitch by stitch. Yes, like several other unlikely accessories from this book, the mittens were not knit in the round. I'm eager to figure it out. Surely that can't be too difficult? Also got a heads up on the possum vest I stalled on for my father. I think I've got it now and can move on with confidence, charts and all. That's first on my list because I've got lots of Noro Cash Iroha waiting to be knitted into an hourglass sweater for me.
Pattern: Gardening Mittens, The Accessories Collection
Yarn: Louisa Harding Kimono Angora & Kashmir Aran
Needles: US 5 & 6
Start date: 2 September 2006
Finished: 3 September 2006 (but not really)
Cost: @ $8.35 a skein X 2 kashmir aran and @ $11.25 a skein kimono angora and $11.50 a skein Kimono ribbon= $39.45
Pricey for a set of fingerless gloves. But...I used so little kimono ribbon, it's hardly worth mentioning. It's likely that a similar effect can be had with thin ribbon one can buy locally. I highly recommend using lamb's pride with the kimono angora to cut the cost. Until I grow tired of them, this is what I'll be making lots of folks for christmas.
