Moebius neckwarmer / headband and ninja mitts

[vilakins]

I finished my Moebius neckwarmer a few days ago, but I decided to wait to post till I made the matching ninja mitts.

They were both easy once I sussed the Moebius and the magic loop techniques respectively (I hate using double-point needles; circulars are so much easier), but they took longer because of frogging and redoing. I frogged the neckwarmer twice, first because it had too big a circumference, then again because I decided the moss stitch (US seed) didn't suit the yarn. As for the mitts, I was very pleased with the first one I made, but Ashley got at it while I was watching TV and mauled it so badly I had to unarvel it and start over.

Photos


I like the tweedy look of the yarn; it's hard to tell it's just garter stitch.


It can be a neckwarmer or headband which Greg says makes me look like a flapper. I have another whole skein so I think I'll knit another one so I can wear both at once on windy days. :-)


Yay, my first go at knitting in the round using the magic loop method! I like it; so much easier than faffing about with double-pointed needles. This was a dead simple pattern. Now I know how to do this, I can fiddle with this pattern trying other stitches.

Comments

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

OOOh, lovely!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! YouTube is great for videos showing different techniques like the Moebius cast-on and how to use a circular needle instead of double points. :-)

[wolfma.livejournal.com]

Those look great!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I was going to do a crochet project next but I don't have a the right sized hook (and I have about five). Damn. Eh, I'll buy a couple more next time I buy yarn.

[trixieleitz]

Very nice! You look great as a flapper :)

I love the magic loop method, especially the way that a longer cable makes it easier rather than harder. I have an almost-finished pair of fingerless gloves that I made that way.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I have some more complicated fingerless glove patterns queued up on Ravelry I'd like to try some time. No more double points for me!

[trixieleitz]

Oh, yes, dpns are just too fiddly!

Did I see you say elsewhere that you have one of those interchangeable circular needle sets?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yep, the Knit Pick ones. I bought three different cable lengths and about four different sets of tips. They're lovely to use. I found them on-line at the Yarn Queen here (http://www.theyarnqueen.co.nz/harmony-interchangeable-circular.html?lnum=62698). The cables are very flexible and the tips quite beautiful and easy to use with a very smooth join.

Sorry about the corrected typos. I do so hate to leave them.

[trixieleitz]

Oooh, those look so nifty! *drools* I love the way they sell everything separately, so you don't have to lash out lots on a big set, and the geeky little touches like the ID tags. And the tips are pretty :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I put mine back into their packs when I've finished with them, but in case I stuff up, I have a gauge for testing mystery needles. :-) They really a re lovely sets.

I want to buy a 150cm cable (I already have 80 and 120) for doing a woven-style scarf lengthwise. It uses a colour a row, all done in UK moss (US seed) with the ends left angling and I'm going to use my leftovers in it. I may wait till March when they restock as I may buy more tips.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I'm going to get some knitpicks in a couple of weeks, when they come into stock. I discovered that a shop about 20 miles away sells them. As I don't really NEED more needles I want to feel them before I buy.

Like trixieleitz I think it's good the way I only need buy the sizes I use most.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They really are nice to use. I love how I'd just need to buy tips in a different size if I needed them.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

It's a pity they don't do them in 3.25mm, neither wood nor the nickel plated. That's a size I use a lot. I shall just have to be content with my other main sizes of 4mm and 3.75mm.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That's a pity! According to their site (http://www.knitpicks.com/Options+Interchangeable+Harmony+Wood+Circular+Knitting+Needle+Tips_NDKPNDETipWD.html), they do a 3.5mm though.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Trouble is 3.5mm isn't a standard European size. And I have patterns that call for needles as thin as 2mm. I wouldn't expect wood at that thickness, but I hope the nickel plated will be available if I use one of those patterns again.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I like!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

Very nice.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[kerravonsen]

Cool! (or maybe that should be "Warm!")

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! They were very hot the day I put them on for photos. It's a bit cooler today though and a lot less humid despite it having rained.

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

Love the moebius head/neck warmer.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[acanthaster.livejournal.com]

Oooh, nice! You look great as a flapper!

Lovely matching arm warmers, too (or are they not arm warmers, as they don't go up high enough?) My brother calls those "hand socks."

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's less hair-flattening than a hat too!

Well, the pattern I used calls them ninja mitts, but I've also seen them called wrist warmers and fingerless gloves. :-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

oh I can see what Greg means, definitely an air of the flapper

love the hand warmers, I want some just like it

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They were so easy and fast to make! Do you knit?

[Edit] If you like, I could make you some. I'd just need to be paid for the yarn and postage, not having a job. It would only be a skein. Let me know if you'd like the same yarn (purple/pink/white mix with changes as you can see in the mitt, but they'd both be slightly different) or something else. I could nip over to the wool place and see what they have. They have plain colours and various mixed ones. The yarn I used is 67% wool and 33% acrylic which is a nice mix. You can ask for all wool or all acrylic though.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Sadly I am not a knitter. I am better at sewing.

I would absolutely love some! Thank you!
How can I pay you, would paypal be the best way?
I do like the purple/pink/white combo, or if there is one with a burgundy/cream/blue or similar.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll see if I can buy another skein of that (there's a little blue in there too); if not, I'll see what else they have. :-)

PayPal is fine! I'll let you know when I've done them and what the yarn and postage is. Hopefully not too much. I'll include the yarn details and washing instructions etc. :-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

wonderful, thank you :0) I liked the sound of the brown/orange ones too you mention. To be honest I'd like any colour as long as it isn't black (I don't really wear black, I'm too pale)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That other yarn of brown/orange/purple/blue, and is darker than the purple/pink/blue/white. They're both very nice. I could knit a pair in the brown/orange/purple/blue for myself (I was going to anyway) and send you a picture to see id you like it. You could always have two pairs! I can't remember what the yarn cost, but it was Vienna Naturally Handknit, a very nice yarn. Here's a picture (http://www.naturallyyarnsnz.com/y_vienna.htm) of their yarns. The ones I have are 603 and 604, if that helps.

Off to bed now. :-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

607 looks very nice indeed :0)

hope you slept well

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think the shop only had three of them. 603 and 604 are richer and more intense than that site shows. 607 might therefore be a lot darker, but I'll get it if they have it. I'll have to see what they have. Do you want 603 and/or 604 if they still have them? Otherwise I could see what they have that's similar to 607.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I like them both, so either is fine, but probably 604 for preference

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

OK! That's a very nice one and has more blue and purple than you can see on the page. They'd go with lot, but of course each mitt will look different due to the variations in the yarn.

I was thinking of doing a little garter stitch on the ends to stop rolling. Do you want them like that (so they'd have edging) or left plain like the ones I already made?

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

the garter stitch sounds good :0) thank you

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Actually I think I'll do a 3/1 rib; I think it will look nicer. :-)

OK, I bought you some yarn today, a pure wool which was actually cheaper than the wool/acrylic I already had. I thought you'd like it since it looks rather like the 607 you liked. It's the Cleckheaton 9 on this page (http://www.knitting.co.nz/site/page_products/category_69/category_57/product_/category_206/product_/), called red/purple but it's actually got a lot of pink and burgundy in it. What do you think? If you prefer the 604 which also has purple and dark blue in it though not shown (they didn't have the 607) I can go back to the shop and swap it for that. I think the Cleckheaton will also self-stripe which would be nice; their sample in another colour did.

The Vienna 604 is $9 and the pink/burgundy Cleckheaton I found today is $6.50.

[Edit] OK, I finally got the stupid flaky USB connection to work and here's a photo I took of both yarns which is pretty accurate for colour.

I think the Cleckheaton on the right looks more like what you were after. Let me know and I'll start the mitts!

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I love them both, but I think the Cleckheaton wins :0) Thank you!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think it will work better for a mitt anyway. The other one has really long stretches of base colour purple, blue, and brown, so it's hard to get matching mitts. I knitted myself a left one and it's purple, mostly blue, and a bit f brown. The right one will e purple, a lot of blue, and some burgundy, I think. The Cleckheaton should be a lot more regular, perhaps even faintly striped. :-) I'll do you one tomorrow and see what it looks like.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

wonderful! I'm stupidly excited by this ;0) I'm a funny girl!

thank you x

[jecono.livejournal.com]

They look wonderful! The yarn is also very pretty.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I bought two lots of variegated yarn, so I'm making a second set in a brown/blue/orange mix. :-)

[kernezelda]

Those are pretty! I love the colors, and you do look like like a mischievous flapper with the headband. :D


ETA because I can make complete sentences!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I like the idea of a headband rather than a hat sometimes; it's a different look and flattens the hair less. It was a lucky accident as I calculated the right amount for a snug fit over the head and neck--and got it just right so I can use it as both. :-)

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Nice work, I think my youngest would like those ninja mitts.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They were so easy to make. I did them inside a day and I'n not an expert like you.

They're Leethal's ninja mitts. It's not a free pattern, but $1 isn't much to pay. :-) It's a simple pattern but as she says, you can do things to it by adding ribbing or cables etc. It's here (http://leethal.coloredlights.net/zine/?p=63). She has some nice striping variations at the top of her blog (http://leethal.coloredlights.net/zine/).

I found the mitts because I loved her vortex hat pattern (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTvortex.php) so and followed the link to her site. You can see her design process for the hat on her blog if you scroll down.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's beautiful!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :-)