Twined mittens finished

Thanks for your comments on my mittens in progress! I finished them late last night, and luckily enough there was actually almost some sun this morning - so I thought I'd share some photos of details.

Thanks to Ravelry, there's no really no need for me to add a year to remember when I made it, but it's a nice detail. Also, there are so many memories and associations are knitted into these mittens that I would be able to date them in the future: above all, teaching at HV and the people I've met there.

Here is the join, a three-needle bind-off:

the gingerbread whale

In sweaters I like adding my initials to a gusset; in this case I chose the inside of the thumb:

The thumb decreases are placed at an angle. It may look a bit strange at first, but it makes them incredibly comfortable! This wasn't my own idea, but something I learnt from Karin Kahnlund.

Cecilia's twined mittens finished

Cecilia's twined mittens
Originally uploaded by Asplund

At long last I've finished the twined mittens I cast on for Cecilia in April. There was no hurry then, and when I picked them up again after summer I had some difficulties with the pattern, since I decided to abandon my original idea.

I really wanted the thin lines to frame the hand and merge with the broad line in the middle, but then diagonal (and horizontal) lines pop up while vertical lines sink. I don't mind three levels if it's an allover pattern, on the contrary, but I think it would look silly with just two lines suddenly rising where the mitten ends. Cecilia appreciates simplicity, so I simply skipped the frame idea. Let's just hope her hands won't look like dark grey, cloven hooves.

For examples of Cecilia's immense artistic talents, check out her blog A Matter of Form. Another idea is to visit gallery Sigtuna Kulturgård, where she and her husband Mattias will be displaying their work during three weekends starting on Sat. 7 November.

Sunset in Uppsala.

Twined & stranded mittens finished

Lotta's mittens, cuffs
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Lotta's mittens are washed and blocked, and I'm happy with my decision to combine stranded mittens with twined cuffs. I will definitely do it again.

Combining twined and stranded knitting

WIP: Lotta's mittens
Originally uploaded by Asplund

A few months ago I promised my friend Lotta a pair of mittens. Now that the days keep getting shorter and cooler it's high time to get started!

I decided to try combining two knitting techniques, twined and stranded. The cuff is twined, which makes it stiff and dense, not very elastic - and I've discovered it's a technique that is great for knitting letters.

The main part is stranded, partly for elasticity, partly for warmth. I find twined knitting is more wind-proof, but stranded somehow warmer thanks to the floats. Or, rather, they're suitable for different kinds of weather.

The palm of the hand is striped, not simply to match the cuff but primarily to wear well; the palm will be subject to more wear and tear than the back of the hand.

Twined stripes: ca 3.5/cm or 9/inch; stranded stripes: ca 3/cm or 7.5/inch. (In addition, the stranded stripes are elastic.) The gauge difference is rather remarkable; same yarn, same needles, same pattern and same number of stitches, but different techniques.