Saturday, December 21, 2013

Making Gloves: Won't Be Doing That Again...

Remember how, when I made my first pair of socks, I seriously didn't like the process, but I kept on? Somehow I knew that it was a worthy undertaking, that I had benefited from the process, and would continue to do so.

Not so with gloves, my friends. Gloves, they're a huge pain in the ass - one instance, in which I suggest, machines can do it better.

Actually, I think gloves should be kid skin lined with cashmere shells (machine knit cashmere shells as light as gossamer). Or at very least Gore-Tex.

What's the use of wool gloves? They're not as warm as the other options. They're not as cute. The finger crotches (whatever we call these things) are hideously deformed - not my fault people. I tried everything. Hand needles don't get into that spot elegantly.

Somehow, though I did the exact same thing on the second glove as on the first, they look totally different. (To me, probably not to the average viewer...) And - regrettably - the second glove looks worse than the first. Which I didn't think was possible.

But I will say (and I hope Andrea or Sara might weigh in on this because they're the only ones who saw the horror that was the pre-blocked first glove), blocking was a lifesaver in this instance. And I don't think steam blocking would have done it. This blocking was freakin' surgery.

The finished product is entirely adequate, if not worth the effort:

I used Koigu Premium Merino, colour 144




You know how impossible it is to show texture and colour on blue-black fabric. And this yarn is actually blue/black variegated with little plumes of white. It's quite pretty, and textured like the actual glove pattern, but it really doesn't photograph well.

About the yarn: I used half of what the pattern suggested I would need, and I made a highly modified (aka bespoke to the hand) version of the medium. I've got just enough left over to make a pair of socks. I like this yarn, it feels nice, it's very sturdy. It's an interesting colourway - in a manly sense (and lots of colours are not so manly). I might use it again but I do think it's on the pricey side. And, while I go pricey when I love a yarn. If I'm merely satisfied by the hand, I tend to search out other options. Mind you, we'll see how it wears. Note: It stained my hands blue as I worked. And then a ton of indigo came out in the blocking. I would definitely suggest that you need to wash these by hand once to remove excess dye. And def. machine wash with like colours.

I'm glad I gave this a go. I learned things - though not how to use DPNs nor how to make finger crotches look good. I have a finished product that will act as a perfectly adequate Xmas present. But I didn't enjoy the process (this could have as much to do with where I'm at right now, aka flat out, as with the pattern). Most likely, I'd improve with practice - as I have done with socks. But I don't really care.

So you see, some mountains I have no need to climb.

Today's questions: What's the garment you've made once but never feel the need to reproduce again? Do you like glove-making? If so, why?!?! And, while we're at it, do you like this outcome - the colour, the pattern, the fit? Let's talk!

28 comments:

  1. Wow these look amazing! I never would have known they were such a pain! But then again, I have made fingerless gloves before and I do remember they were quite a bit of work. Nicely done!

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    1. The fingerless ones are less tricky, but still not worth the effort, IMO. I like the sleeves with little slits for the thumb. Easy and they layer perfectly over leather gloves.

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  2. I think they really look great. I wish you'd taken a picture in their unblocked state so we could see the difference!

    I have to agree with you - knit gloves are not nearly as warm as leather, which is why I gave up on my own glove-making scheme this fall. Also, it's REALLY hard to drive a stick shift in anything but leather gloves! (Or bare hands.) I don't find them a super tedious item to knit, but because they're not very practical, I generally don't think it's worth the effort. For me, there have to be some pretty amazing style features to get me to do it.

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    1. I was to traumatized even showing those gloves to knitters, never mind showing them to the internet! :-)

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  3. I really like the gloves, great manly pattern, the colour and the fit looks good too. Too bad you didn´t like the process. Personally I would make the cuffs longer, but that´s a matter of taste. Thats a thing I like most about my handknit gloves. I´m planning to sew a new winter coat next winter, so I think matching gloves will be in my future. But I don´t mind DPNs...

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    1. I would make them longer too, but my husband had the chance to weigh in and said he liked this length.

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  4. I think your gloves turned out great! Agree the cuffs could be a smidgen longer. No cold wrists!

    Personally, I make gloves all the time because no commercially-made ones fit my tiny hands properly. (Except the 99cent stretchies which are crap.) I have no fear of dpns, even for fiddly fingers, because it gets much easier with practice. And I've had lots of it! BTW the areas where glove fingers join are called fourchettes.

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    1. Thanks Louisa! And it's great that you can make them since they don't fit out of the box. I have huge hands - and sometimes can't find women's gloves that aren't too small. I know the stitches are fourchettes, but the zone - is it the fourchette zone? Or the crotch of the fingers?

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    2. I'm not sure about knitted gloves, but in sewn gloves the strips of fabric (like gussets) that go between the fingers are the fourchettes. Since that translates as "fork" that could still apply to that area on the knit gloves, no? I haven't heard of any other term being used. I think sewn gloves came first anyhow, before knitting was even invented so the terms likely transferred over.

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    3. In sewn gloves, the fourchettes are actually gussets that cover the space between the fingers. Since sewn gloves were invented before knitted ones, the term was likely passed on. Fourchette means "fork" which seems like it describes the area quite well, don't you think?

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  5. I guess I don't know much about gloves but to me those look gorgeous! I will take your word for it that they are fatally flawed, however. ;)

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    1. Well, how can I feel bad about them with this kind of compliment! Notice how I didn't turn them over and take a scrutinizing shot. :-) Sometimes, navy blue really is a good thing.

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  6. Those are some good-looking gloves, truly! but did you hear "Must Make Gloves" slipping to the bottom of my 2014 list . . .

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    1. Seriously, I am so uninspired by making gloves. It doesn't have the "sock magic" thing going for it at all.

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  7. These gloves are not hideous at all! )
    And they are perfect Xmas present!

    I don't knit now... but if I resume I think the item I would never make is a beanie. They just look awful on me. I'm more of pashmina or fur hat type.

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    1. Thank you! You know there's this yarn made by Louisa Harding that looks like fur when you knit it up. It's amazing. So if you're looking to get back into it, let me know and I'll find you a link.

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  8. I think the gloves look fine, both modeled and not, so perhaps they aren't as fatally flawed as you feel (remember, we're always our own worst critics!) However, the tedium involved would make me understand why you wouldn't feel the need to make them again. :-)

    I'm slowly coming to the realization (again!) that quilts are much more economical to just go ahead and buy vs trying to make yourself. I'm pretty sure that just materials cost as much as a cheap quilt would have, even if it didn't quite match my decor. Not worth it.

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    1. I am critical, but really, I think realistically so. And you know, quilts are where I draw the line. My husband amusedly says I'm going to go there next but I am NOT. Sure, I love a finished handmade quilt. But they take so much time, so much space, so much planning, money, effort. Not gonna happen.

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  9. Hello K-line, it's my first time on your blog, and I really like it !
    On the gloves front, I just bought a Craftsy class on how to make gloves (I'm a beginner knitter), and after your post I think I'll just make the fingerless ones, if any. That saying, your gloves look really good to me but maybe knitters have as much a tendency to fall into the perfectionism pitfall as sewists do ?

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    1. Hi Eurielle: What a nice name you have! Please don't let me put you off from learning new crafts. Especially since you've got yourself a course that is probably very adequate at teaching the elements I struggled with. I think that some knitters are like those perfectionist sewists. :-) Not sure if I'm in that category - but I do enjoy a finished product that reflects the insane amount of effort and work applied.

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  10. I think this may be one of those cases where, after toiling away at these, you only see the flaws. These look gorgeous! You'd be hard pressed to find RTW gloves like these. I really like how manly the pattern is and your choice of yarn is classic without being plain black.

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    1. Isn't that ridiculous?! Thank you for the compliment. I should just choose to see things your way. :-) The yarn is a huge hit, btw.

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  11. With knitting... socks
    With sewing... tailored jackets

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    1. Ha! And tailored jackets, I can see your point.

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  12. well to my severely untrained eye, these look beautiful! such a bummer they don't hold the warmth though.

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    1. Thanks L! Scott has told me, having worn them a bit this week, that they're fairly warm. I mean, I don't think they're Toronto-freezing warm, but probably good for a warmer sort of winter day.

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  13. I have a pattern that comes in fingered and fingerless and I'd recently decided that I just couldn't cope with doing the fingered version. It seems to be a wise decision. That said....these are very lovely indeed!

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    1. Thanks Evie. I can't say how fussy and stupid I find it to make gloves. Too many tubes! Little tiny tubes!

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