Try, Try Again

Fingerless gloves.....hmmmmm, where do I start? I really want to make myself a pair of these to ride a bike in the early mornings when it's cold, or to sit outside in the early evenings and knit and not get cold hands! Misread the instructions the first time through...I didn't realize the directions about how long to do stockinette stitch meant from the line of cast on, and not from the line where the wrist ribbing was. By the time I got to the gusset for the thumb, the glove was WAY too long...ripped it back out down to the correct length and started almost over from the ribbing. Got to the thumb gusset, and directions were to pick up five stitches in the "gap" which I did. Got the main part of the glove done and went back to the thumb gusset. Kept going with the thumb gusset on double pointed needles, (first time for those) and by the time I finished the thumb I had a couple of problems....there was a hole in the gap where I hadn't picked up either enough stitches or just didn't choose the right place for the pickup stitches. Ripped out the thumb and tried again...

Got the thumb done the second time, and discovered I had dropped a stitch and it was dropping gradually down, down, down...I was starting to get frustrated. I don't know how to pick up dropped stitches other than ripping down to where it was dropped, so that's what I did. I've seen people use a crochet hook to lift up and through the lines of knitting to get it, but didn't have one handy where I was working on it at the time. It's just the thumb, so out it came again. If this yarn wasn't so pretty and soft, I'd pitch the darn thing, but I really like the yarn and don't want to waste it!

I got the thumb done, finally, and bound off of the three double pointed needles and something went wrong on the bind off. Good grief! Wish there was a knitting shop nearby! There isn't...I somehow got the bind off extending past the edge of the thumb gusset! And I bound off too tightly or decreased too many stitches as the thumb part about cut off the circulation to my thumb! (The directions are a little loosey goosey on how to do the decreases for each size.) So-o-o-o, I am bound and determined (bad pun intended) to get this right...out came the stitches for the thumb once again....hope I have this right this time.....good exercise in patience, that's for sure!

On a more encouraging note, I got my first sock finished just about! Just doing the ribbing and that's all that's left. What I'm not quite understanding is why the sock appears so big in the body part. I've got the correct gauge, and it's for a woman's medium size (whatever that means!) but it just seems so big around! Guess it's just the particular pattern I used. Not sure how hand knit socks are supposed to fit? Like store bought ones, or looser because they are a wool blend?

I got some help with my sock at a BEAUTIFUL knit shop in Bakersfield, CA, our last RV destination. (We're now in Coarsegold, CA). The shop is called ABC's of Creative Pursuits, and it was a fabulous place to get help, buy fibers, sit and knit at a sunny, warm, "living room" table. Beautiful store and great gals in there....I wrote about the store in my blog "Where's Eldo?" but here are a couple of photos in case somebody missed it. Lots of great handmade creations to visually stimulate your creative genes! And of course, bin after bin after bin of the most beautiful yarns and fibers for knitting and spinning and creating something beautiful.....

The shop owner, Karen, made this beautiful blanket....I just love it!

Got to get back to my knitting...I'm gonna get this fingerless glove done and it's going to be right! I hope!