third time’s a charm?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 | design, knitting

I finished knitting up the colourwork mittens I started last week – they were super fast since they’re knit in DK weight! Then came time to do the linings. I wanted to use Road to China Light, which is stupidly soft and gorgeous, but it was too thick. Guess I’ll just have to save that skein for a sweater project I’m dreaming up!

Then I tried a lighter fingering weight cashmere from my stash (pictured above) which was thinner than the Road to China. I knit up most of one lining only to find that…yeah, it was still too thick. So soft, though. I only have a hundred yards, I think, so now I’ve really got to come up with something else for that yarn. (See a trend developing here?)

So now I’m onto a really thin laceweight cashmere that I got at Rhinebeck last year – it’s very very soft and I think it’s finally doing the trick! Lesson learned, I need to go a lot thinner than I think for linings like this. The first couple of rounds, the yarn seems way too thin, but it all evens out after an inch or so. The slightly smaller lining should fit really nicely inside the outer mitten, and prevent my fingers from catching on the floats.

I hope there’s actually cold weather to wear these in once I’m done. It’s been so mild and springlike here, it hasn’t really felt like winter at all.

14 Comments to third time’s a charm?

1 Jackie
January 26, 2010

Just send them to any of us freezing in the Midwest! I would gladly give you some of our endless winter in exchange.

2 Martha
January 26, 2010

I LOVE them!

3 Ivana
January 26, 2010

They are wonderful! And double mittens is exactly what I’ve had on my mind the last few days…

4 Abby
January 26, 2010

I love the colors and how they’re doubled up. I’ve never tried making double mittens that way before, but your picture has intrigued me and I want to try it now!

5 April
January 26, 2010

That purple is beautiful and really pops with the gray. I hope the lining works out this time.

6 Sarah
January 26, 2010

Oo Laura they’re lovely!

7 Leslie
January 26, 2010

Such gorgeous mittens! I love the colors and that lining will be so cozy.

8 Monique
January 26, 2010

Really cute. Glad it’s working out for you now.

9 Jess
January 27, 2010

I love those mittens! I’m still crossing my fingers that you get a chance to post the red sweater pattern soon.

I do have a question for you. What would you do if you were knitting a cashmere cowl in ribbing, and halfway through you accidentally started knitting in seed stitch (I must have K2 instead of K1P1, somewhere)? I ripped it out, but now the stitches are twisted and it’s starting the seed stitch pattern again. Would you rip it all out and start over?

10 Paula
January 27, 2010

I like your new project very much! Especially colours which look so fresh and nice.

11 Seanna Lea
January 27, 2010

It’s a gorgeous project. Hello Yarn has a mitten pattern with a lining that uses kidsilk haze for the lining (if I’m remembering correctly). When I finally get off my butt and make my mittens, I’m going to use that weight of yarn or something very similar for my lining!