This is a test. Repeat, this is only a test.

About learning, there is one thing to say: it isn't easy. It is always difficult for fingers to learn to do something new. On the other hand, when they do,they learn it. They never forget it, unlike the mind which learns easily and forgets quickly.... What is needed is patience, perseverance, and kindness. Talk to your fingers as you would to a dog you were trying to train..... They'll catch on and you'll be delighted.   Anna Zilboorg, Magnificent Mittens 

I've been talking to my fingers on this swatch:

Please note that I did manage to complete a twisted purl (aka Latvian) braid at the bottom edge, with the colors of the second row twisting in the opposite direction to the first.  It was slow going, and the tension is a bit loose. I am definitely still at the talking to, or muttering at, my fingers stage.  I should probably do a swatch that is just braid after braid after braid.

The bit of corrugated ribbing above that is just playing with color. My fingers can manage corrugated ribbing without coaching.

The color pattern section was for trying out how best to work with 3 colors in one row (4 out of the 10 rounds have 3 colors). First I tried holding 2 in my left hand and 1 in my right. Then I tried carrying 1 with my left and alternating 2 with my right, picking up and dropping the least used color as needed. Both felt awkward as all get out, but I think I am favoring the latter. Again, more practice and talking to fingers needed.

The color pattern comes from this photo

It's from a pdf file I found while Googling for images of Latvian mittens.  The file contains lots and lots of photos, and appears to be a booklet or book related to the thousands of mittens that were knit for the 2006 NATO summit held in Latvia.  I wish I could read the text.

There are no charts for the mittens shown, but the photo is clear enough that I could create one, so here it is.

The basic repeat unit-outlined in black, is 8 sts and 10 row or rnds. Obviously, the mittens in the inspiration photo are worked at a much finer gauge than my swatch.

And So It Begins,

the new year, that is.

New Year's Day was sunny (an amazing mood lifter) and began auspiciously with a first visit to friends who have recently moved to Madison. We got to see the house, which is charming, and more importantly, their grown children and beautiful new granddaughter. Marty made one of his specialties, split pea soup, which isn't quite Hoppin' John, but I figure it's close enough thematically (legumes & pork) to qualify for New Year's good luck. The ham came from a pig naturally raised not a mile from our house by someone I know. Not good luck for the pig, but a good break from the corporate food distribution system.

I don't usually make resolutions, but this year I'm setting a goal of completing four projects for organizations mentioned in Knitting for Peace that I haven't already contributed to. (Anything I knit for groups I have given to in the past will be gravy.) With a further goal of making said projects with material from the stash.

Today, the second and also sunny day of the year, I swatched some more on the Latvian project.




No, I didn't do all of that today. Just several rounds. The first swatch (yellow and white) was done on size 1 needles. It was a little too loose for my taste. It would be OK for a sweater, but I think mittens will be warmer if a little tighter. So the second swatch is on 0's. I think I'll felt the first one and turn it into a catnip toy.

While doing the scalloped bit at the beginning I discovered that it is really hard for me to knit tightly while working a pattern with yarn overs, especially on the first few rounds. This is going to take some concentration, and probably practice, before I launch into the actual item. I may switch to raised increases to tighten it up.

72 stitches gave a good size for a mitten. What I really want is fingerless mitts, which should fit more closely. I could use fewer stitches, but 72 is such a good number for fitting in patterns: multiples of 2,3,4,6, 8, 9 & 12. Will have to think on this for a bit....

Socks would also be an option, and they would be beautifully warm. But 1) the Palette yarn is not tightly twisted and has no nylon, so I don't know how well they would wear and 2) it's not machine washable.

Finally, I have put the pattern for the Progressive Shawl up on eBay. I'll setting up a link here for the pdf down-loadable version soon.