It seems that during the winter months, I am always cold. Especially my hands and toes. For the toes, I simply put on some wool socks and my felted clogs, leaving my feet warm and toasty. My hands were left to freeze, however, because I didn't have any mittens, gloves, or variations thereof.
So, when I finished my latest deadline project, I determined that I needed something to keep me warm. I knew the yarn I wanted to use,
Awesome Alpaca Yarn from
Krystal Acres Alpaca, but needed to find a pattern. I took advantage of
Ravelry's
advanced pattern search and found the
Treads pattern by
Victoria Anne Baker. One quick note about the yarn: It's listed as being sport weight, but I found it to be more of a worsted weight. Bottom line, swatch before using!
The pattern is detailed, clear, and very well written. Mrs. Baker also put links in the pattern to techniques used, so if you're unsure about anything you've got guidance built in. It is an excellent pattern and I highly recommend it.
The patterning is so interesting; there's always something going on, and that makes you want to just keep going 'til they're done. They are knit from the cuff to the fingers, with 1x1 ribbing for the cuff, and 2 bands of linen ridge stitch that is set off by lateral braiding. The stockinette field is created when making the thumb gussets, and knitting the fingers in the round finishes them up. Weave in the ends and, abracadabra,
my hands are now cozy.
What does this have to do with the Christmas countdown? Well, these would make a fabulous gift. And with Christmas just around the corner (only 9 days left!), they are a quick knit that can easily be finished in time. I would estimate that most knitters could have them done -- start to finish -- in 6-8 hours. Just don't forget to swatch, and swatch in the round, since they're knitted in the round.
Whether you use this pattern or another, hand knitted gloves, mittens, mitts, etc. all make truly wonderful gifts.
Details:
Pattern Name:
Treads
Pattern Designer:
Victoria Anne Baker
Pattern Source:
Ravelry
Yarn:
Krystal Acres Alpaca's Awesome Alpaca Yarn in Topaz
Needles:
US 5 (3.75 mm) Clover double-pointed needles
*Almost all of the links used in this post are
Ravelry links, so you'll need to sign in to access them.
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