For the Love of Cables

Over the past week I have been working on a bunch of new projects, all in different stages of completion.  I wanted to share one of my favorite projects which also happens to be one of my favorite winter accessories - fingerless mitts!  I enjoy them because they are a quick item to knit up, you can modify the pattern to add as little or as much style as you want, but above all, they are extremely functional!  They keep your hands warm while keeping your fingers free.

I really enjoy knitting in the round, especially on small circular needles vs. double pointed needles.  The circulars allow me to find a flow that helps me work much more quickly than if I were using dpn's.  My absolute favorite needles to use with pretty much any type of yarn are Addi's by Skacel -  http://www.skacelknitting.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.4/.f  I happened upon them at my local yarn store and instantly fell in love, they are lightweight, super smooth, never snag and have flexible, non-kink cords...they are well worth the price! 

For this pair of mitts I chose a cabled moss stitch that runs up the center from cuff to cuff.  I feel the moss stitch adds a great deal of interest to a basic twisted cable. I choose to use 100% pure wool in 'Winter White' from Patons -  

http://www.patonsyarns.com/product.php?LGC=classicwool I have quite a few skeins of this wool in my yarn stash.  It is reasonably priced, available at all 'big box' craft stores and is of great quality.  I love using this wool especially for felting projects.  

I chose to make this pair a generous length which allows for three diamond repeats.The ribbing along both cuffs allow for maximum stretch so they will comfortably fit a variety of arm sizes.  These are elbow length and can double as a pair of sleeves.  They are very warm!  I still have to make the mate to this mitt and block before I am truly finished but I was excited to share this project!  Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Amy L.