mittens

Tutorial for making mittens.

The Measurements
You need the following measurements:
- Wrist circumference in cm
- Palm circumference in cm
- Distance from wrist to base of thumb, in cm
- Distance from base of thumb to top of little finger, in cm
- Thumb length, in cm
- Gauge of your yarn, worked in the round. I recommend going down a needle size or two, to create a denser and therefore more windproof fabric.

The Calculations

Cuff stitches:
- (Wrist circumference less 2cm) x (number of stitches per cm) rounded up to the nearest even number.

Body stitches:
- (Palm circumference) x (number of stitches per cm), rounded up to the nearest even number.

Thumb stitches:
- Body stitches divided by 6. For a woman's hand, subtract 1.

Closure rounds:
- (Difference in length of little finger and longest finger) x row gauge, rounded up to the nearest even number.

Closure stitches:
- Body Stitches divided by 3, rounded up to the nearest even number.

----------------
co 44
size 1 needle
cuff ~2" (20 rows) 2x2 ribbing
1 round of knit
increased to 47 in purl, except for pattern - begin pattern on this round

10 rounds (~1" from cuff), then mark thumb - 7sts for thumb
knit 4.5 repeats of pattern then begin decreasing for closure

11 closure rounds; end with 15-16 sts
8 decrease rounds. Alternate even round with decrease round for first 5-6 rounds, then decrease each round.

Diagonal Lozenge Cable (in the round)

(Adapted from 99 Knit Stitches)
multiple of 8sts + 4

odd-numbered rows are the wrong side
even-numbered rows are the right side

-----
C3F: (uses next 3 sts)
Slip next 2 sts onto cn, hold in front, K1 from left needle, K2 from cn

T3F: (uses next 3 sts)
Slip next 2 sts onto cn, hold in front, P1 from left needle, K2 from cn
------
1: P1 K2 (P6 K2) across to last st, P1
2: P1 (C3F P5) across to last 3 sts, K2 P1
3: P1 K2 (P5 K3) across to last st, P1
4: P1 (K1 C3F P4) across to last 3 sts, K2 P1
5: P1 K2 (P4 K4) across to last st, P1

6: P1 K2 (T3F P3 K2) across to last st, P1
7: P1 K2 (P3 K2 P1 K2) across to last st, P1
8: P1 K2 P1 (T3F P2 K2 P1) across

9: P1 K2 (P2 K2) across to last st, P1
10: P1 K2 (P2 T3F P1 K2) across to last st, P1
11: (P1 K2) twice, P3 K2 (P1 K2 P3 K2) across to last st, P1

12: P1 K2 (P3 T3F K2) across to last st, P1
13: P1 (K4 P4) across to last 3 sts, K2 P1
14: P1 K2 (P4 T3F K1) across to last st, P1
15: P1 (K3 P5) across to last 3 sts, K2 P1
16: P1 K2 (P5 T3F) across to last st, P1

Lion Microspun

An ultra soft microfiber sports yarn. Machine washable and dryable.
100% microfiber acrylic
2.5 oz/70 g/168 yd/154 m
24 sts and 32 rows in 4" with size 4 (3.5mm) needles

Made in Turkey

The color I have is yellow - Buttercup 158, lot 62680

Sensations Angel Hair

22% wool, 50% acrylic, 28% nylon
3.5 oz (100 g) 120 yds/110 m
12 sts, 16 rows in 4" with size 11 (8mm) needles

Hand wash with similar colors.

The color I have is a variegated orange/brown 4361. I used it all to make a sweater for my daughter.

Regia Cotton (4-fach haltbar)

41% superwash new wool 34% cotton
25% polyamide
50g (200 m)
42 rows and 30 sts in 10cm with size 2-3 needles
Machine wash 40 (celsius), do not bleach, cool iron, dry clean (do not use trichloethylene), tumble dry low

10-year guarantee

The yarn I have is black, 99, lot 22162 (I used it to make elogated corded rib socks)

Lion Wool Prints

100% wool
2.75 oz - 143 yds /131 m
Medium/4 (from yarn symbol)
16 sts, 24 rows, in 10 cm with size 8 (5mm) needles
Hand wash, lay flat to dry
Made in Turkey.

The color is have is a variegated pink/purple. Flower Garden 202, lot 35677. (I used it to make woven stitch socks and mittens for my daughter.)

Caron Simply Soft

100% acrylic worsted weight 4-ply
No dye lot.
Medium/4 weight (from the yarn symbol)
Machine washable and dryable. Machine wash warm, gentle cycle. Dry with low heat, delicate cycle.
6 oz (315 yds./288 m)
18 sts and 24 rows in 10cm with size 8 (5mm) needle

The color I have is Dark Sage, 9707. (I used it to make Snowflake fingerless gloves.)

Cottontail Reynolds Kids

60% cotton, 40% microfiber
50g = 116 yds (106 m)
20 sts and 28 rows to 4" (10 cm) in St st with size 6 (4mm) needles.
hand wash in cool water with mild soap. Roll in towel to remove excess moisture. Lay flat to dry. May be dry cleaned.

The blue color I have is color 4020, lot 5618. (I used it to make yo cable socks for my husband.)

Finished YO Cable Socks

I finished them last night, finally. They turned out pretty good, just slightly too big. It was difficult for me to determine exactly when to begin the short rows for the heel, so the foot is a bit long. Also, the bindoff at the leg is rippled, and I'm not sure why. I couldn't make it too tight because then the sock wouldn't stretch over the heel. Well, they look ok worn, which is what counts. I'll take some pictures and add them to this post later.

I used 1.5 balls of yarn per sock. I did a pretty good job of estimating half a ball, and so I only had a couple of feet of yarn leftover.

Stretchy bind off

Taken from Lots of Yarn:

#1 K2tbl Bind Off with a stitch between:
Very stretchy, with the look of a chain stitch on the side it’s knit.

Knit 1, *Knit 1, insert tip of left hand needle from back to front through the front loops of both stitches on the right needle so as to knit them together through the back loops. Repeat from * to *.

Child sock, Toe-up, Short row toe

For my 8yo daughter, size 1 1/2 shoe ( I think).
Foot length 8"
Ankle bone to foot bottom 2.5"
Foot circumference (ankle circumference) 5.75" - 6"

7 sts/in size 2 needles

Wool, worsted weight? Maybe DK weight.

----
I used the toe-up instructions (short-row toe) from the "5-stitch patterns" section.
CO 22 sts, and woven stitch pattern on p. 38.

7.25" from toe to beginning of short-row heel

-------------------

I had to get her to stick her foot into the sock as I was working on it, so I could be sure of the size. It seems to me that a child's foot has different proportions than an adult's foot -- she had to stretch really hard at the ankle of the sock to get it to go over her heel. This is one reason I kept the leg short. Maybe a sock made from a lighter-weight yarn would be stretchier.

Toe-up (short row toe), Yarn over cable (tentative)

Copied from Sensational Knitted Socks for future reference. Assumes a gauge of 6sts/in, and foot circumference of 10". Size 3 needles, Reynolds Kids' Cottontail yarn. (DK weight?)

Cast on: 60 (from chart).

The instructions use a lot of markers. When reversing short rows, markers help to keep things lined up. Make your own by cutting a smooth contrasting yarn into short lengths and tying them into rings.

Short-Row Toe
Using waste yarn and provisional CO (see p. 22) cast on half the number of stitches needed for the whole sock. Purl 1 row with sock yarn.

Row 1 (RS) K28, yf, sl next st, yb, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn
Row 2 P26, yb, sl next st, yf, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn

***

Beg short-row shaping, slipping st pwise unless otherwise instructed:
Row 3 Knit to st before last wrapped st, yf, sl next st, yb, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn
Row 4 Purl to st before last wrapped st, yb, sl next st, yf, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until 12 st remain unwrapped, end by working WS row.

Reverse short-row shaping Note that your short rows will be more attractive if you sl the wrap up and over the st before knitting it tog with the st.

Row 1 (RS) Knit to next wrapped st (1 st before marker) knit this st tog with wrap, remove marker, yf, sl next st, yb, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn. This st now has 2 wraps.
Row 2 Purl to next wrapped st (1 st before marker) purl this st tog with wrap, remove marker, yb, sl next st, yb, sl wrapped st to RH needle, yf, return to LH needle, turn.
Row 3 Knit to next wrapped st (1 st before marker), sl knit st to RH needle, PU wraps with LH needle and place on RH needle, sl all 3 sts back to LH needle, K3 tog, remove marker, yf, sl next st, yb, sl st back to LH needle, turn
Row 4 Purl to next wrapped st (1 st before marker) sl purl st kwise, PU 2 wraps from base of st and place on RH needle over first slipped st, sl them back one at a time pwise to LH needle, P3tog in back of loop, remove marker, yb, sl next st pwise, yf, sl st back to LH needle, turn.

Rep rows 3 and 4 until you have worked all double wrapped sts and removed all markers. The 2 end sts have 1 wrap each. Beg knitting in rnd, RS facing you.

***

Needle 1 (instep): K29, knit next st tog with its wrap.

Unzip provisional CO and place sts on spare needle.
Needle 2 (sole): K15
Needle 3(sole): K14 from spare needle. Knit last st tog with its wrap.

Sts per needle: 30, 15, 15

Instep and Sole
Needle 1 Begin patt st.
Needle 2, 3: Cont St st.

Continue until sock reaches anklebone.

Pattern: Yarn over Cable
Rnd 1 *P1, sl 1, K2, psso, P1*
Rnd 2 *P1, K1, YO, K1, P1*
Rnd 3, 4 *P1, K3, P1*

Short Row Heel
Work heel back and forth in rows on 30 sts.
Row 1 (RS) K28, yf, sl next st, yb, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn
Row 2 P26, yb, sl next st, yf, PM, sl wrapped st back to LH needle, turn

Follow instructions between *** above, then continue below.

Leg and Cuff
Needle 1 (instep): K29, knit next st tog with its wrap.

Cont working est patt on instep. Work St st on bottom or back side of foot for 1" ending with last rnd of patt. Then beg working rnd 1 of est patt above the 1" of St st beyond heel, and work patt all around leg. Rearrange sts to make it easier to work in patt.

Sts per needle: 30, 15, 15.

Work est patt to desired leg length. Cont knit and purl sequence in sock patt by working ribbing as follows: P1, *K3, P2, rep from * to last st, P1 or ribbing patt of choice. Work ribbing for 1.5" or to desired cuff length.

Finished Sweater

I had to go back to JoAnn's to see if they had more of the yarn, and luckily they did, so I was able to finish the sweater. It used more than I expected. I need to learn how to estimate yardage so I don't end up with an unfinished project.

This was sized for my 8yo daughter. I ended up using 5 (or was it 6?) skeins of Angel Hair yarn. I had to make the sleeves a bit shorter than I'd planned, and also had to buy another skein (for $6) in order to finish the collar. Luckily, I was able to find a color that seems to work ok.

I used the remained of that extra skein to make gauntlets for my son, who likes soft textures.

For future reference, here's the pattern I adapted this sweater from.


The actual pattern measurements I used were:
co 59 sts
front and back:
rectangles were 16" wide, 17.5" tall (hem to shoulder), with 2" vertical gap for the neck (as in the original pattern) which was 14 rows
11" from hem to bottom of arm hole, where the sleeve was attached.
6.5" from bottom of sleeve to the shoulder
each shoulder was 4" (15 sts) horizontally, and the neck was 8" (30 sts) horizontally
The narrow part of the neck was 15 sts.
To make the neck, I put the 15 sts on a holder, and decreased 1 st every 2 rows (14 rows, and 7sts decreased for each shoulder, yields the 30sts width for the neck. If you look at the diagram, it makes sense :) )

I started knitting from the bottom, and put in a few rows of stockinette because my daughter wanted the hem to curl inward a bit. I did the rest of the sweater in garter.

To finish the neck, I used dpns to pick up the sts around the neck and I added a few rows of stockinette, decreasing 4 sts in each row, evenly spaced. This made the neck smaller, a bit less stretchy, and added a nice curl.

sleeves
shoulder was 13" (46 sts), sleeve length was 16" (50 rows), and cuff was 7" (20 sts). I started at the shoulder, and decreasd 2 sts every 4 rows (at each end of the row) to decrease 26 sts in 50 rows.

I did the sleeves last, and was running out of yarn, so I was careful to make both sleeves together to I could be sure I had enough yarn for them to come out the same size. They ended up a bit short; I don't think I got the full 16" length I'd planned. But it still looks pretty good.

Basic Child's Sweater

I'm going to try to adapt this pattern to a larger size (approx size 6-8).

I measured an existing shirt that seems the right size (body measurements are in parentheses).

Chest - 32" (24")
Waist - 32" (24")
Height of armhole - 6.5" (circumference of armhole 13")
Height from bottom of armhole to waist - 11"
Neck hole width - 9" (with a 2" scoop front and back)
Length of arm - 16"
Circumference of wrist - 7"

The basic idea is that the front and back are rectangles, except for the neck hole. The sleeves are trapezoids. Sew all pieces together, and add a few rows of ribbing for the neck.

I'm going to use Sensations Angel Hair, a fuzzy wool-acrylic-nylon blend. I'm hoping I have enough to complete the sweater. I bought 3 skeins on clearance for $2 each, so once it's gone, it's gone.

My swatch is 4 sts and 4 rows per inch, using 10 1/2 needles.

Elongated Corded Rib socks

(Copied from Sensational Knitted Socks, so I don't get lost in all the numbers.)

Size 8 sock
Fingering weight yarn (9sts/1", size 1 dpn)
8" foot circumference
CO 72 sts
Cuff: Work K2P2 ribbing for 1 1/2"
Leg: Work pattern for 6 3/4". End on Rnd8.

Pattern:
Rnd1,2: *K2, P2, rep from *
Rnd3: *ssk, yo, P2, rep from *
Rnd4,5,6: *K2, P2, rep from *
Rnd7: *yo, K2tog, P2, rep from *
Rnd8: *K2, P2, rep from *

---------------------

Heel flap: The heel has 36 sts, beginning with WS row and ending with RS row.
Rearrange sts to center patt over instep. Unknit last purl st of rnd and then move this st from needle 3 to needle 1. Move 1 st from needle 1 to needle 2, and 1 st from needle 2 to needle 3.
There should be 18 sts on needle 1, 18 sts on needle 2, and 36 sts on needle 3. Needle 3 has the heel sts.

The heel is worked with a 3 st garter border:
Row 1 (WS): K3, P to end
Row 2: P3, *K1, sl 1, rep from * to last 3 sts, K3
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 36 total rows in heel flap.
(Heel should measure 2 1/4"

---------------------

Heel Turn
Row 1 (WS): sl1, P18, P2tog, P1, turn
Row 2: sl1, K3, ssk, K1, turn
Note that there will be a small gap between working sts that form heel turn and unworked heel sts.
Row 3: sl1, P to within 1 st of gap, P2tog, P1, turn
Row 4: sl1, K to within 1 st of gap, ssk, K1, turn
Rep rows 3 and 4, until all side sts are worked, end with completed row 4. There should be 20 sts left on heel flap.

Note that for ease of instructions, beg of rnd is now at center of bottom of foot. The needles are renumbered at this point. Needle 1 is beg of rnd.

--------------

Gusset

Divide heel sts evenly onto needles 1 and 3. There should be 10 sts on needles 1 and 3, and 36 instep sts on needle 2.

Pick up 18 sts from side of heel flap, pick up 2 sts at top of gusset (see p. 25).

needle 2: work across instep in pattern st.
needle 3: pick up 2 sts at top of gusset, pick up 18 sts from side of heel flap.
Knit remaining heel sts.

Needle 1 should have 30 sts, needle 2 should have 36 sts, needle 3 should have 30 sts.

Gusset Decrease

Work round 1 once to combine sts picked up and to eliminate gap at top of gusset.
Rnd 1: needle 1: K to last 2 st. ssk.
needle 2: Work patt.
needle 3: K2tog, K to end
Rnd 2: needle 1: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1
needle 2: Work patt
needle 3: K1, ssk, K to end
Rnd 3: needle 1: K
needle 2: Work patt
needle 3: K
Repeat rounds 2, 3 until 72 total sts remain.

-----------------

Foot

Continue stockinette stitch on needles 1 and 3, and pattern stitch on needle 2, to desired heel-to-toe length. (approx 8 in)

Toe Shaping

Adjust beginning of round to side of foot as follows:
Knit sts on needle 1 (36 sts). Needle 2 has half of sole sts (18 sts), Needle 3 has half of sole sts (18 sts).

Work decreases as follows:
Rnd 1: needle 1: K1, ssk, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1
needle 2: K1, ssk, K to end
needle 3: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1
Rnd 2: K around
Repeat rnds 1 and 2 until 36 total sts remain.
Repeat rnd 1 only until 20 total sts remain.
Place sts from top of sock onto 1 needle and sts from bottom onto 2nd needle. Graft toe sts tog with kitchener (see p. 24).

Classy Slip Up for a man (abandoned)

This is my first attempt to adjust a pattern (the Classy Slip-Up from Knit Socks) to fit a real person, in this case, my DH. It simply didn't work! I think the problem is that I second-guessed myself. Here were the measurements I took:
1) Width of foot (not circumference, which is probably a better number): 4" at the widest part
2) Length of foot (heel to toe): 11"
3) Length of heel flap (ankle bone to sole): 3 1/4"
4) Widest part of the foot (diagonal across the ankle):For 13 1/2"
5) Circumference of calf (taken about 4 in above ankle): 12"

I knit a small swatch and estimated a gauge of 4"=28 sts (on size 1 dpn). The pattern stitch requires a multiple of 4, so I calculated that 13.5" would require 94.5 sts. The Kint Socks! book siggested subtracting 10%, which left me with 85 sts, and rounding down to be a multiple of 4, gave me 84 sts to cast on.

I initially cast on 84 sts, and knitted about 1 inch of k1p1 ribbing for the cuff. At that point I asked DH to try it on, and it seemed really loose, by a couple of inches, so I unraveled, and co 68 sts instead. When I knitted 1in, and then 2in, I had him try it on, and it seemed to fit, so I continued with the sock pattern.

When I was ready to start the heel flap, I asked him to try it on again, and it seemed a little snug, but I optimistically continued. By this time he was getting annoyed with all the fittings, so I decided to just finish it, and accept that I might have to unravel it. As you can see in the picture, I didn't get all the way done, because I had a gut feeling that it just wasn't going to fit. So I asked him to try it on one more time, and he couldn't get the cuff over his heel! I have no idea what happened, because it seemed to fit before. There must be some influence by having a bunch a stitches compared to having just a few rows, that tightens the knitting.

So I took a couple of pictures, for posterity, and I will unravel it, and put off trying to make custom socks for him, until I have more experience.

Another issue is that this yarn, once kitted up in this pattern, just seemed too heavy. It's a Reynolds Kids Cottontail yarn, 60% cotton, 40% microfiber. 50g = 116 yards. According to the label, it knits up 20 sts and 28 rows with size 6 needles. According to the chart in Sensational Knitted Socks, this would make this yarn a DK weight.



I must have done something wrong, too, when picking up the gusset stitches. The "seam" curls under, instead of laying straight. Argh...

I think this yarn isn't suitable for socks. Maybe I'll make a bikini with it, or something small enough that only requires 150g (3 skeins) - a top-down halter top?