Sunday, November 24, 2013

Xmas Knitting: Foxhall Gloves

Have you seen this pattern?

Foxhall Gloves by the Rainey Sisters
When you purchase it for the totally reasonable price of 6 bucks, not only do you get a really well-organized pattern - with TONS of info on fitting and men's hands and how to work the pattern - you also get a really cool Glove Guide. The Guide is 11 pages, relevant (I believe) for making any gloves, and I imagine I'm going to be very happy, once I start making these things, to have the extra support.

These gloves will be an Xmas present for Scott but, in truth, I don't know how much he'll appreciate them. I mean, I have fair warning; he told me not to go to the trouble. Mind you, everyone else at Xmas will have a hand-knit and, therefore, so will he. By making this project, at least I'm going to learn a new skill.

These are the first full gloves I've undertaken. The others had a thumb, but no fingers. This is also the first project I will ever have made with DPNs - 5, insanely mini, scary-pokey seeming Addi bamboo needles. I don't know, people. I realize that one should learn all the techniques possible, to widen one's arsenal of abilities, but there are so many needles to contend with. I think I know how to cast on and set up but, really, do I? I figure it will make me a better KAL host to have worked using the most popular method for small diameter, in-the-round knitting, even though it's not the kind I'll be concerned with. It'll be hard to convince you of the superiority of magic loop if I don't actually know anything about the alternative.

Truth is, though, I'm pretty sure magic loop is the best. Not that I'm trying to start an argument!

Today's questions: Have you ever knit gloves and, if yes, are they difficult? Have you ever knit these gloves? Have you used both magic loop and DPNs? If yes, which do you prefer? Let's talk!

17 comments:

  1. already getting ready for xmas?
    wow!

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    1. Oh, I'm early with this because knitting takes time and I'm knitting for everyone!

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  2. I'm going to be honest here: I hate knitting gloves. Dealing with all those small diameter fingers in DPNs is a pain, even for someone like myself who likes DPNs. I knitted gloves once and swore never again so it's been mitts for me ever since. Good luck to you, go forth and conquer!

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    1. I remember you mentioning this and, honestly, I'm not entirely psyched by the idea. But I want to be able to say I've done it :-)

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    2. Don't listen to Andrea! (Sorry, Andrea!) It's not so bad! Especially if you can find the shorter DPNs - they do make it easier.

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    3. Oooh - smack down! :-) I don't know if mine are short enough but I can tell you that I'm making these gloves on magic loop cuz I can't figure out how to do the DPNs. It's like my brain isn't grasping it - yet! I mean, I've watched videos but there seem to be too many needles! I never know which one to use.

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  3. Gloves are not so much difficult (certainly no worse than a sock) as annoying. Whatever your preferred method, you're knitting tiny-circumference tubes with too much needle in the way.

    I do like that pattern. Might have to make them for myself.

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    1. I'm happy to hear you say this. I feel socks have their fiddly parts but, on balance, they're not bad! I hope to be able to say the same about gloves.

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  4. I've made a few pairs of gloves and find them very satisfying. All the needles and the little fingers seem worse than they really are, in my opinion. The fingers go really fast!

    My one piece of advice would be to make sure your pattern calls for extra rows in between where the pinky starts and the rest of the fingers. Some patterns start the fingers all at the same height, whereas on my hand, the "crotch" between the pinky and ring fingers is a bit lower than the other fingers. If you don't add extra rows in there, I find it really uncomfortable - like wearing too short tights, if you know what I mean.

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    1. This pattern is actually really excellent from this perspective. It calls for fourchettes between the fingers to give extra space, per one's requirements. Of course, putting it all together is the tough part :-) But very good analogy with the tights!

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  5. One summer I knitted 2 pairs of Knotty gloves, one pair for myself, and the other pair for my niece. I like knitting gloves, because you can ajust the fit, I have long fingers, RTW are always too short. I´m indifferent between magic loop and DPN´s. Although for knitting in the car I prefer magic loop because you can´t loose a needle. You could start your gloves with magic loop and do the fingers with DPN´s. The pattern looks nice and manly. There are different lenghts of DPN´s, mine are about 6", and I think there are even shorter lengths especially for gloves. I inherited 1 set of them.

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    1. I'm pleased to find someone who likes DPNs and magic loop equally! Maybe i will too. And I thought of knitting the base of the gloves with magic loop, but I kind of want to have the full experience

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  6. Funny, I've been thinking I need to make some gloves but only to tick them off the list, thumb gussets being already just about enough joy..... I'm pretty committed to DPNs, even with two-handed colourwork, but a big recent frustration is having my bamboo DPNs snap mid-row. About 6 times now!!!! Way beyond irritating, all those teeny stitches having to be moved from a jagged break
    And re-seated on a new needle. Ugh! I just find metal too slippery although my grandma always managed just fine with hers ;-)

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    1. I've had bamboo needles snap while doing magic loop - actually - and it was equally horrible. I was homicidal! But metal isn't prone to breaking and the Addis that are kind of bronzey in colour are less slippery. At least I think they are.

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