Thank goodness for the back page of catalogs :-) When I began to carefully review the 20-odd pages of info about making gloves for Scott, I realized I was going to need some serious measurements. Did I mention that he's totally princess-and-the-pea when it comes to gloves?
I also realized that they'd be far more useful, here in Canada where it really does get freakin' cold for the hands, to have a way to use the gloves with the iPhone. Whereupon I sourced this:
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| Etsy Vendor: Urbanstein |
The vendor is Canadian, and the price is totally reasonable. All in, 5 yards cost me 7 bucks. That'll last for a many pairs of gloves, not that I'm committing to glove-making in any meaningful way.
So, whatcha think of the thread? Whatcha think of using the back of a mag to draw your husband's hand? Let's talk!
Brief Update: I'd be lying if I told you I've figured out how to use the DPNs. I'm knitting the gloves using magic loop - so far. I guess, necessity is the mother of invention so, if I can't make the fingers using magic loop, I'll just have to learn. Really, though, I cast on 3 times with the DPNs and I could not mentally grasp where to go from there.
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That thread is ace! If you really want to learn how to use DPNs, I'll show you IRL next time we meet.
ReplyDeleteThanks! You can borrow some...
DeleteI generally cast on all the stitches onto one DPN, then divvy them up (sending 1/3 forward, 1/3 back, if that makes sense). Then carefully ensuring that there is no twisting, you pull the snake's tail to its mouth, so to speak, and put the needle with the last cast-on stitch into the first cast-on stitch (the one with the tail still hanging). This one's always a bit tight, for me at least, and takes a bit of wangling to get into, but then it's just straight knitting (well, generally ribbing at this point, right?) And I always hold my breath on that first row or two, in case I've managed to twist the stitches against my best efforts -- ironically, the only time I ever did that was in the Rams and Yowes blanket I'm knitting, with something like 180 stitches worth of colourwork -- and it took about 2 inches for me to recognize the twist. OMG, the denial, the disbelief, the out-and-out swearing. . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look for that thread -- and make a resolution to knit up some gloves. 'cause, you know, not enough knitting projects at the moment . . .
It's the new needle you use after the cast on, right? The one with no stitches on it? That's the thing I can't get with. I sit there wondering how to make it happen till I start laughing hysterically at my mind-block.
DeleteThat conductive thread is certainly something to tuck away for future projects. I wouldn't have thought to look for it. Super cool.
ReplyDeleteI know! And cheap.
DeleteI have some conductive thread hiding somewhere in my studio...I haven't used it, but I had great intention to make myself some gloves using it. It gets cold here in Reno too (surprising for the desert, I know), but definitely not the same type of northern cold that I'm sure you get!
ReplyDeleteI do not use DPNs as I have the same issue with them being fiddly and annoying. I use Magic Loop for everything that would otherwise require DPNs - including glove fingers. I do notice that no matter how hard I try (and I've heard it's the same for people who use DPNs so I don't feel so bad) there are always a few holes in the finger corners that I have to sew up (the join between the hand and thumb is the worst), but otherwise I have had very good luck with just splitting the number of finger stitches in half and using Magic Loop.
Doesn't surprise me that it gets cold at night in the desert! And, as it happens, I am using the magic loop and it's working just fine. BTW, to get rid of those holes I'm picking up a few extra stitches when I do the fourchettes and then decrease them on the first and second row. It seems to work.
DeleteHow cool! I really need gloves with a conductive patch for winter use.
ReplyDeleteI generally use magic loop for socks, but dpn's for stuffed animals - I like each best for those purposes. It took me a few tries to get the hang of the dpn's too. At first I hated them.
You have to get the conductive thread. Quite easy to come by on Etsy or eBay.
DeleteThis is so funny. I thought you were going to say that catalogs gave detailed measurements! Shows you how long it's been since I looked at one...
ReplyDeleteThe one time I knit gloves (for the fussy man in my life) I knit them using magic loop, which is my preferred method for mittens (and, I suppose, gloves). I am totally a dpn user for socks though. For me, I think, the difference is that socks (until the foot) don't have a front or back, but gloves and mittens do. Since pretty much all the mittens and gloves I've knit have been fair isle, magic loop makes it easier for me to keep track of the charts.
I do find dpns faster, though, since there's no rearranging for stitches necessary. They're a little more wobbly feeling for the first couple of rows, but after that they just fly.
Can't wait to see these gloves finished!
Oh I wish! I love to hear why people use DPNs in one instance and ML in the other. it's so random!
DeleteI confess that I love to use DPNs because it looks so dangerous with all those points. It's true, the first 2 rows are *not* enjoyable knitting but after that, Tally Ho!
ReplyDeleteHa! You see, that's what scares me.
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