The Third Glove

Although I haven't yet finished the long, tatty glove, I decided it was too unwieldy for working on outside the privacy of my own home. I found some Aran cotton I've had for a long time (no idea why I bought it, but that's the story of my life.) I was going to use my usual (adapted from an old pattern book, 39 stitch, 5mm needles, wrist to finger) pattern. It comes out a bit big for me, but slightly over life size seems right. I use a waste yarn cast on, knit the hand bit, then pick up from the waste yarn and knit the cuff in the opposite direction. This allows me to go on knitting till the yarn runs out, which is a metaphor for life. Maybe. But. (There is always a but.) The original design has a twisted stitch pattern on it. I thought it was a cable pattern, and I didn't fancy working a cable pattern on what could turn into a 2-3 metre long glove - but when I looked properly it isn't a cable, and twisted stitches would be OK. Maybe. (There is always a maybe.) So, on Wednesday, while we were waiting in at the Cheese Minor's new house (again) for the Openreach man to turn up (he actually did this time!),  I cast on my 39 stitches, worked a few rows - and realised that the twisted stitch design would look different above and below the join. I would have to knit it from the finger tips down. I've done that many times before, but I find making separate finger and thumb tubes and then joining them together irritating, so I don't usually do it. Time for Plan B - but not that day. On Thursday, back at Cheese Minor Mansion, in the time between shopping and going to pick up the VHC from Nursery, I cast on for the thumb, and knitted 2.5 inches of stocking stitch. Well, approximately 2.5 inches, I didn't have a tape measure, but it fits my thumb. Then I cast on for the little finger. The fingers have the twisted stitch pattern on them, but I started it merrily, and it was easy to pick up. I was nearly at the end of the little finger (no measuring here, just a set number of pattern repeats) when I realised that I had made a mistake, about 5 rows from the beginning. Easier to pull the whole lot back and start again. But not that day. No photo, just imagine an unpatterned, slightly large, cream Aran thumb... We will be back at Cheese Minor Mansion on Monday, waiting in for an IKEA delivery this time, so I will have another go then. (Unlike Openreach, IKEA have told Mr Cheese Minor when they will be arriving, but somehow '10.16' has a precision which does not encourage confidence.) I had hoped to show you a photograph of the long tatty glove, finished, but it isn't, so I can't. Here it is unfinished.  

You can see how little yarn there is left though, so if I can just stop procrastinating (drinking tea, writing blog posts, doing a bit of weaving, playing Patience...) I could finish it easily. Part of the problem is that it is on 15mm needles which I find hard to hold, plus the yarn and the needles are slippery, so they keep parting company. Which is good, because I want it to look tatty, but irritating.  However, the major problem is that I am bored with it. Three or four metres of purse stitch can do that to you. You may have noticed the mention of weaving. As I couldn't get to Jilly Edwards' class on tapestry weaving at Walford last month, I joined a couple of friends in a teach ourselves day on Tuesday. (Made a  nice change from waiting in for people.) Fortunately C. had attended a class and knew about complicated stuff like twining and half hitches, so we sat in her very covetable workroom and played. This is mine, although I've added a bit more since then. I made the mistake of taking a fairly restricted range of threads, and wish I'd taken something a bit more interesting than wool, but it was a good learning experience, in good company, on a lovely day. 

  (I've just noticed how that diagonal stripe bottom right goes with the carpet!)   I shall resist the temptation to pick it up again, and stick to my knitting. (That's the weaving, not the carpet...)