Flou Amour

Flou Amour” is French for “Fuzzy Love” (at least, I think it is. I couldn’t remember for the life of me whether amour was one of the words where the adjective goes before or after, so I went with my gut). Why fuzzy love? For the wonderful 100% baby alpaca of the yarn of course! When I first went into my LYS, I came across this yarn, and knew I had to have it. As soon as I had the funds (college student budgets are not yarn-friendly), I picked up a skein. Now, what to do with it? I already had too many hats, and a cowl that simply gathers dust. So I went for mittens. Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn right after the thumb gusset on the second mitten. Therefore, the mittens were frogged, I divided the yarn into two, equal balls, and proceeded with these. For the sake of saving yarn, they have neither fingers nor thumbs (that’s right, there’s just a hole where the thumb goes through, no gusset). Designed to use exactly one skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky, with only a few yards extra, they keep your palms and wrists marvelously toasty!



Needles: One US8/5.00mm, 32” or longer circular needle for Magic Loop, or two US8/5.00mm circular needles for double circ method (you could also use DPN, but the pattern is written for ML or two circs), cable needle/spare DPN
Yarn: One skein Misti Alpaca Chunky, 108yds/100g
Gauge: 4.5sts/inch, 6 rows/inch in stockinette st

CO 38 sts
Join into round
1x1 rib for two rounds
Work pattern below on 1st needle three times, ending on a round 7 for the last repeat, and K on the 2nd needle.

Pattern (round)
Round 1: K1, P1, K3, P4, 6-st RC, P3, K1
Round 2: K1, P1, K3, P4, K6, P3, K1
Round 3: K1, P1, 5-st LPC, 5-st RPC, 5-st LPC, P1, K1
Rounds 4 and 6: K1, P3, K6, P4, K3, P1, K1
Round 5: K1, P3, 6-st LC, P4, K3, P1, K1
Round 7: K1, P1, 5-st RPC, 5-st LPC, 5-st RPC, P1, K1
Round 8: K1, P1, K3, P4, K6, P3, K1

5-st RPC: Sl 2 sts to cn and hold to back, k3, p2 from cn.
5-st LPC: Sl 3 sts to cn and hold to front, p2, k3 from cn.
6-st RC: Sl 3 sts to cn and hold to back, k3, k3 from cn.
6-st LC: Sl 3 sts to cn and hold to front, k3, k3 from cn.



Right Thumb
Work 8th round of pattern on 1st needle
K4sts, K2sts, use these last two sts to BO1, K to end of needle
Now you’re going to be working flat, but in magic loop at the same time. Make any sense?
Work pattern on 1st needle, K4 on 2nd needle, TURN, P4 on 2nd needle, work wrong side of pattern (see below) on 1st needle, P14 on the 2nd needle, TURN, K14 on 2nd needle. Repeat this 8 times.
Now, work pattern on 1st needle, K4 on 2nd needle, CO1, K14. You’re working on the round again!

Left Thumb
Work 8th round of pattern on 1st needle
K14sts, K2sts, use these last two sts to BO1, K to end of needle
Now you’re going to be working flat, but in magic loop at the same time. Make any sense?
Work pattern on 1st needle, K14 on 2nd needle, TURN, P14 on 2nd needle, work wrong side of pattern (see below) on 1st needle, P4 on 2nd needle, TURN, K4 on 2nd needle. Repeat this 8 times.
Now, work pattern on 1st needle, K14 on 2nd needle, CO1, K4. You’re working on the round again!


Pattern (flat)
Row 1 (RS): K1, P1, K3, P4, 6-st RC, P3, K1
Row 2: P1, K3, P6, K4, P3, K1, P1
Row 3: K1, P1, 5-st LPC, 5-st RPC, 5-st LPC, P1, K1
Rows 4 and 6: P1, K1, P3, K4, P6, K3, P1
Row 5: K1, P3, 6-st LC, P4, K3, P1, K1
Row 7: K1, P1, 5-st RPC, 5-st LPC, 5-st RPC, P1, K1
Row 8: P1, K3, P6, K4, P3, K1, P1Rep rows 1–8.

Cable Crossing remain the same as in pattern on the round

Post-Thumb
Finish current pattern repeat.
1x1 rib for one round
BO using Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretch Bind Off

Make sure to block so that the thumb edges lay flat instead of doing the standard stockinette curl. I suggest turning the glove inside out and being sure to pin down those edges to they lay flat.

Sixty Stitches

I've been knitting socks for over a year now. I started waaaaay back in August 2008 with a plain, white practice pair. I've knit about eight pairs total, all in worsted or DK weight on needles no smaller than threes. Now, I'm embarking on my first "true" socks: fingering weight, Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn on US1s. I've read all over Ravelry how pretty much most of the sock-knitting population's stitch count is around about sixty stitches.

Um... excuse me?

As I've been knitting socks, I've adjusted stitch count several times until I've finally found an ideal stitch count in worsted: 56 stitches (as seen in my newly-finished ski socks):


That's only four stitches less than the stitch count for sock in sock yarn for the rest of the population. Now, on my new, sock yarn socks, my stitch count is 84 stitches. A whole, whopping twenty four stitches more than the standard stitch count. This leaves me wondering, how in the world do people squeeze their feet into such tiny socks??!?! Sixty stitches only covers my first four toes, leaving my pinky dangling. Granted, I do have wide feet (and I mean super-double-extra-wide feet, thank you genetics), which is where the difference comes in.

However, this leaves me with a dilemma: most sock patterns are around this sixty stitch count, completely excluding me from the wonderful world of sock patterns unless I come up with my own. Bummer, because there are some really gorgeous socks out there. This is why I'm making it my mission to come up with some beautiful sock patterns myself for people with huge feet, like me! Sorry, narrow-footed people, but you're going to have to make some adjustments if you want my sock patterns.

On another note, my time has been eated up upon arriving home from Florida for the holidays. I thought I was going to have tons of time to sit in front of the TV and knit, just like the summer. Haha, WRONG! My time has mainly consisted of helping my dad out with finishing the basement. We're on the ceiling. In the past few days we've snapped chalk lines all around the three sub-rooms of the basement for ceiling height, and hung the border girders on the walls for the suspended ceiling. We're not quite done with that yet, but we need another 12' girder to finish, and we're car-less at the moment, so today we moved on to the girders in the middle of the ceiling! We're starting with the gym area. Hopefully we'll finish before Friday (aka Christmas), so when by brother gets a bunch of new video games, the Wii and the TV it's hooked up to won't be squished together with the couch, table, trunk, etc. and under a drop cloth, and he can play his games, and I can knit while watching him.

Oh, be on the lookout for a new pattern, entitled Flou Amour, coming soon. It's a fingerless mitt pattern for bulky, alpaca yarn. I've finished the first mitt, and I'm halfway through the second. As soon as I finish the second I'll take pics and release the pattern ;)

Warning: Photo Heavy Post Ahead

Yep. I got a lot of knitting done in the past two weeks (really, has it only been two weeks since I last posted? It seems like forever ago!). Lots of little things, and lots of big things that I've been knitting for a while and finally finished. I attribute this massive upsurge in knitting activity to the completions of my Rainbow Scarf, Kevat, and Arrowhead. They are all done and blocked. Yay!

Oh! Speaking of my cabley-rainbowness, I won a prize in the House Cup for my OWL!

I've already started it, and it's going to be gorgeous (and match most of my dressy wardrobe, which was missing a necklace, actually).

My art project went well. I finished another animal to go into the arrangement, a starfish:

I finished the actual project a few days ago, and had the critique today. It was funny, because it was too good. It made it unexciting and boring because it was so well made and perfect. Everything went together just right and it just didn't have that crazy wacky factor that all those other projects had because of my awesome craftsmanship.

I think it's like Gordana on Project Runway: she's an amazing seamstress, but none of the designs really *pop* out at you.

I got a few other small things done as well. A birthday present for Michelle (she turned 19 on the 13th):

and a good luck charm for my roommate for her calculus class:

Hmmm... what else? Oh yeah! I started a pair of ski socks for myself, out of the Wool of the Andes in hollyberry I posted last time. I'm done with the first sock, and have about an inch and a half to go before the last inch of cuff ribbing on the second sock.

I'm going to be posting my sock methodology here soon, because I like my combo of doing things and want to make it available to others. So stay tooned for a sock tutorial featuring some Stroll Shoreline Twist!

But wait, there's more! I've finished my Movie Knitting, but that's a super-secret Christmas present for a family member (none of you click that link!), so no pic here until after Christmas. Also, rather large increase in stash happened recently. I got some Alpaca Cloud, and Stroll in burgundy, african violet, and shoreline twist from Knit Picks. I also got some Malabrigo Lace, Malabrigo Sock, and Misti Alpaca Chunky from the LYS (big thanks to the grandparents for funding this yarn splurge!). I can't decide what to make with the alpaca. It's so soft and I just want to pet it forever!

Productivity

AHHHHHHHHHH! I'm so excited! I just finished binding off my Rainbow Cable Scarf half an hour ago at the Knitting Garden:

All it needs now is to have the ends woven in, a wash, and blocking. Then I'll be done! It's such a huge relief to have finally finished this. I feel like it's been hanging over my head (why I don't know) for forever. This has got to be the longest project I've continually worked on, ever. Two and a half months! Yes, I know to many people that seems like a very short amount of time, but when almost 100% of your knitting energy goes into one project for that long, it drains you.

In other knitting news, I was a happy participant in the Fox Trot Challenge last Saturday, which required me to knit my quidditch prayer shawls for two hours that day (hence the phone in the picture).

Well, I finished knitting up Arrowhead, and now all it needs is blocking. I was amazed at the yarn transformation with a wash. Pre-wash, this yarn was scratchy and annoying and a pain in the butt to knit with. I felt bad that I was giving someone such a cruddy-feeling shawl. The I washed it. Oh. My. God. I was taking the load out of the dryer, and my hand fell upon the shawl. I immediately wanted to snuggle with it to no end. It was warm, and soft, and almost fluffy. I would never wear a shawl (expect perhaps a really gorgeous lacy one with my prom dress on a cold night at a formal event), so I'm glad this lovely thing is going to a good home.

I also rescued my Kevat shawl from the clutches of broken cables and needle tips; it's all better now and well on it's way to completion! I have plans of finishing it and another project before Thanksgiving so I can have a four-day blocking session in the room (the roommate will be home, so I'll have lots of room to spread out).

But wait, there's more! I have completed Nessie, George, and Ganesha, all for an art project, meaning they will all be dismantled and combined in some wacky, crazy way!

A starfish is going to be thrown in there too, but he's not done yet ;)

Last, I got my first Knit Picks order in the mail the other day! Feast upon it's yarny gloriness:

Why do I need all the yarn? Mainly for a sweater I'm knitting for my Dad for his birthday (shhh! Don't tell!), and for some ski socks for myself. Can you guess which color is for which ;) ? I got a pair of Addi Turbo circs today for the socks, US5/3.75mm and 40". Wow, the cable is supple and flexible! [or perhaps my other circs just have stiff cables...] I can't wait to get started on them, but I have to finish my other WIP's first!