yum, ice cream in the sping time!!

chocolate, strawberry and vanilla please

here’s a simple and quick garter stitch pattern for wrist warmers using straight needles and knitted flat with simple seaming at the end of the project.

the gauge is just a suggestion as there’s lot of room for variation. because these are quite fitted as described in the pattern, the needle size could easily increase to 4 mm and still fit most wrists. also, the striping pattern is just a suggestion…be creative and adjust the length, striping pattern etc.

this pattern calls for 3 different coloured worsted weight yarns with minimal amounts of contrast colour. try using scrap yarn to save yourself buying whole skeins.

this pattern was designed with a newborn in my arms; therefore there may be mistakes. please send me an email through ravelry or at lux.arnott@gmail.com.

materials: 


size 3.25 needles (or size necessary to obtain gauge)
stitch holders
darning needle
2 buttons...3/4 inch maybe? again, give or take.
your preferred worsted weight wool. i used PATONS CLASSIC WOOL in 3 different colours: Chestnut Brown (MC), Natural Mix,(CC1)  and Orchid (CC2)

GAUGE: approx 22 sts per 10 cms/4 inches in garter stitch when knitted on 3.25 mm needles...give or take. gauge isn't horribly important in this pattern as it's in garter stitch which is very accommodating. these mitts fit both my small wrists and my sister's bigger wrists. making them a bit looser would work well for fitting over a sweater. otherwise they're designed mostly to fit under sweaters or with short sleeves.


note: it's not necessary to follow this pattern literally...add stripes wherever you want (or knit solid) and adjust the length to your liking. i think there were about 38 ridges overall before i increased for the thumbs. i provided the literal directions for those who liked the way i did it but i encourage you to do it your own way.


also note: with garter stitch, one "ridge" is actually two rows. i write the pattern referring to ridges because they're easier to keep track of. 38 ridges is 76 rows.


-cast on 40 sts in MC

-Knit

-switch to CC1 and knit 1 ridge

-switch to MC and knit 1 ridge

-switch to CC2 and knit 3 ridges

-switch to MC and knit 4 ridges

-switch to CC2 and knit 1 ridge

-switch to MC and knit 1 ridge

-switch to CC2 and knit 1 ridge

-switch to MC and knit 2 ridges

- colour-work row: alternate CC2 and MC stitches (i.e. knit one pink stitch then knit one brown stitch, knit one pink, knit one brown and continue doing this until the end of row row). do the same on the way back but opposite;  knit a pink stitch into the brown stitch and knit a brown stitch into the pink stitch etc etc. 

- switch to MC and k 8 ridges***(explanation for *** below)

- repeat colour work row

- switch to MC and knit 2 ridges

THUMB INCREASES

row 1: K1, M1, K until 1 stitch remaining. M1, K1

row2:  Knit

row 3: K2, M1, k until 2 stitches remaining. M1, K2.

row 4: Knit

row 5: K3, M1, K until 3 stitches remaining. M1, K3. 

row 6: Knit

row 7: K4, M1, K until 4 stitches remaining. M1, K4.

row 8: Knit

row 9: K5, M1, K until 5 stitches remaining. M1, K5. 

row 10: knit 

row 11, 12: switch to CC1 and knit one ridge total...NO increases (in other words, knit two rows straight).

row 13: K6, M1, K until 6 stitches remaining. M1, K6. 

row 14: Knit

row 15 and 16: REPEAT rows 11 and 12. 

row 17: K7, M1, K until 7 stitches remaining. M1 K7.

row 18: knit 

row 19: knit to last 7 stitches, then slip these remaining 7 stitches onto stitch holder. 

row 20: knit to last 7 stitches, then slip these remaining 7 stitches onto stitch holder. 40 stitches should remain.

- knit 3 ridges straight in MC

- knit 3 ridges in CC2

- knit 1 ridge in MC

- knit 1 ridge in CC1

- knit 2 ridges in MC

- knit 1 ROW in MC

- BO loosely

SEAMS AND BAND

- sew a seam from the top of the mitt to the thumb.

- transfer slipped stitches onto a needle and start knitting the row. when you get to a gap in the middle, pick up 2 stitches, then proceed to knit the rest of the stitches. knit two more ridges. knit 1 row, then BO.

now knit the band:


with the right side facing you, pick up 6 stitches evenly in the middle of the large brown chunk of the mitt (***remember above when you knit 8 ridges of brown? start picking up at the second brown ridge from the bottom keep picking up until the 2nd ridge from the top. hope that makes sense). NOTE when you pick up these stitches, there should be a little seam formed on the wrong side of the mitt. you'll need this seam later for sewing up the mitt. knit 10 ridges (this forms a long slender band). make button hole by knitting 2 stitches, binding off 2, and then knitting the last 2 stitches. on the next row, knit 2, CO2, K2. knit 1 more ridge. knit 1 more ROW, then BO.

now sew up the remainder of the mitt, beginning at the bottom, all the up to the top of the thumb. sew on button. repeat entire process again but sew button on opposite side of mitt. done!!!


PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THE DIRECTIONS ARE UNCLEAR OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF I MADE A MISTAKE (i don't know why i felt like yelling this message out, but there you have it). i'm scattered and rarely do things right the first time. especially right now with a new born :s

oh and if you want to use this pattern to make projects for profit, please ask first :)

well john, i DO believe in zimmerman!!

elizabeth zimmerman that is!

she is a genius. for those that don't know her, she's a knitting goddess. born in the thirties in europe, she moved to america at a young age and changed the way the world looks at knitting (or, at the very least, she changed the way that i looked at knitting). she challenged the notion that one must follow patterns, sew seams, and purl. and for this i'm grateful.

she does not hold your hand while knitting; rather she provides guidelines and leaves you to figure the rest out. she fosters independence by discouraging any sort of reliance on knitting "experts" and blind acceptance of knitting "rules" (e.g. that one must sew all pieces of a sweater together) and shows you how to draw upon your own creativity with basic math skills. she teaches you to nut up, stop making excuses and get to work.   

she taught me to have a relaxed attitude toward knitting, gain independence in my knitting, have confidence in my knitting and fix mistakes in my knitting (as opposed to crying about it, throwing massive temper-tantrums, doing nothing to fix the mistake, and starting all over). these lessons have transfered into my real life as well; she helped me unlearn the lessons that years of formal education taught me...that i am indeed a competent human being and that i can do shit myself as opposed to a lame minion who must follow the rules laid out for me. that i can dictate my own fashion and call all the shots.i'm certain that she has indirectly helped me overcome my drive for perfection by teaching me that perfection in knitting (and in life) is absolutely silly and ridiculous. i learned to loosen up my tension as i knit and simultaneously, learned to loosen up in life as well.

thanks EZ, you are definitely one of my heros...if i could choose one person that i could sit and have a conversation with, it would be you. you rebellious knitting punk genius you. rar.

the two following pictures are projects of hers which i have individualized and tailored to my children. 

these are diaper pants made for my new baby. they fit beautifully over her oversized cloth-diapered ass.

this is my third of three tomten jackets (the other two can be viewed here)