Friday, September 26, 2014

Fingerless gloves for fall

Since last spring, I've been trying to get a start on the second pair of handspun fingerless gloves I'm supposed to be giving away as soon as the weather turns chilly again:


but it looks like this one is sweet on Araminta, so it might be a bit of a wrench to make that happen.

Okay, maybe I'm rather partial to it myself, and isn't that unfortunate?


You will recognize the project I'm sure - Waterloo Wools' 'Lakeside' fiber, spun into what passes for sport weight, and knit up into a pair of Churchmouse Yarns and Teas' Ferryboat Mitts.  I have lost count of how many times I've linked to that pattern here at Hugs. Lots?  and I think this is my third pair.  It's such a nice straightforward pattern, and if I ever do get to make a pair for myself I might stop the thumb at this point and do a nice stretchy bindoff instead of going on another inch or so, the way the pattern does.  It just looks so pretty leaving one's thumb free, and it feels super comfortable.


Also, I am really loving this yarn again.  I was getting a bit tired of it by the end of the second mitt of the last pair.  Mind you it's easy to say I love it now, when I'm doing the first mitt... I never feel quite so calm and cheerful knitting the second, when I'm battling my desperate need for symmetry, and trying to match up the handspun stripes perfectly while telling myself it's fine, they'll be beautiful, it's part of the charm of handmade, blah blah blah I WANT MATCHY.

Deep breath.  Aren't the stitches just amazing looking?  I'm still not used to the fact that I can spin yarn that looks like stitches when it's knit, and not big globs of fiber.


I guess if I was going to try to say something meaningful about this project it would be that spinning yarn and knitting with handspun yarn both have quite a lot to teach us about life.

Like the way that energy transforms things and makes them strong.

And that life is full of shifts that might seem endless when we're in them, but show up as stages when we look at them from a distance, objectively.

And that there's a lot we can't control, and that's okay, because in the end you will still have something that was useful.

(even though it may still drive you crazy that it didn't match.)

Okay, time for you and me to get on with our days.  One last loving look at Minty and the knitting?


Yep, she's sitting on a little tin of Churchmouse stitch markers.  Cute, or cute?  Hope you have a great weekend - see you Monday!

2 comments:

Mimi said...

Love these mitts. Looks like everyone is getting ready for fall.

Mary Keenan said...

Yep Mimi - in spite of the imaginative effort here, because the weather is downright summery in Toronto this weekend ;^)