Hello my lovely readers. I hope you've had a great weekend and managed to sneak in a little bit of crafting to release your creative spirit.
I've taken a few moments to pull together a little more information about my "Warmer Hands Project" for those who would like to help me in making 100 pairs of mittens, gloves or wrist warmers. All links are at the end of the blog post.
Fingerless mittens are perfect for wearing indoors, especially for the elderly, disabled or frail, or those suffering with long term health conditions, as well as families who live in poverty. hand and wrist pain/unable to afford heating/have poor circulation and full mittens and gloves and perfect for those who are homeless and are forced to endure the incredibly cold weather that we experience in Winter here in the UK. I'm aiming to knit up lots of pairs, based on my basic pattern, and will send them locally first (or at least within the North West Region) and will also send pairs to Knits for Peace, who distribute knitted and crocheted items both around the UK and to other countries.
I'd love to aim for 100 pairs of hand warmers, so if you have a spare ball of double knitting yarn, and a few spare hours, then it would be lovely if you could join in. There are lots of free knitting and crochet patterns on line too, so if you have a favourite, you can use those instead - the more the merrier (other patterns may require more than 1 x 50g ball). I've started Pinterest Board for other free mitten patterns that you could use too.
To make a pair of "Ruggen", you only need 1 x 50g ball of double knitting yarn that has as least 100m (some balls will have slightly more, which is even better, but 100m is enough to make a pair of "Ruggen" hand warmers).
First, split this ball into 2 x 25g ball (one ball for each hand warmer), then follow the pattern below to knit your chosen size (measured around the palm). An extra small (XS) pair will fit a child/small adult hand of around 16cm, a small (S) pair will fit a teenage or small adult hand of around 18cm, a medium (M) pair will fit an average hand of around 20cm and the largest (L) pair will fit a larger hand of around 23cm (it fitted my husband and he has quite big hands). The pattern is essentially a rectangle that you can have fun with, by playing with colour combinations. I love this denim blue, matched with the coral and orange - a combination of Scheepjes River Washed and Stone Washed yarns.
When sewing the seam, I left 14-15 rows for the opening on my small pair for the thumb, which was placed about 5.5cm down from the finger edge. Download "Ruggen" here - my free pattern for fingerless mittens from one 50g ball of yarn.
I even added a little thumb with the small amount of yarn I had left over as follows: with the right side of mitten facing, pick up and knit 14 or 15 sts along one side of the thumb opening then work 4 rows in stocking stitch starting with a knit row (first row is knit row with wrong side facing - so it made reverse stocking stitch on the right side). Cast off, then repeat on the opposite side of the opening. Then simply sew the small seams together to create a shallow thumb. It worked really well.
Of course, if you prefer to knit in the round, you can easily adapt the pattern - simply create a thumb by working in rows when you reach the base of the thumbs - around 14-16 rows should be plenty for the thumb gap, then continue in the round as before and add a thumb border if you want to.
Mindful Knitting
I love this design - it's so simple to knit and is the perfect mindful knitting project. Rows of knit and purl means that you can really become absorbed in the rhythmic movement of your hands, and the texture created by the reverse stocking stitch feels soft, warm and tactile. You can count each stitch as you knit, and try to reach the end of a row without letting any unwanted thoughts enter your mind. I find it incredibly refreshing to practise mindful knitting, and I would definitely recommend a daily 15-20 minute session if you can.
Where to send your mittens
If you want to join in, and if you are going to Yarndale this year, you can drop off your mittens at my stand (J164). Alternatively, you can send them to me (email me at lpp10@sky.com and I will end you my address - postage would be at your cost; hope that's OK), or alternatively, you could donate your hand warmers to a local charity or to a charity you would normally knit or crochet for, which would save us double-posting.
Before you give them to your charity, please share a photo of your mittens using the hashtags #warmerhands100 #knitcrochetcreate #lynnerowedesigns and I will add them to my total. I will also create a new post on my Ravelry board where we can post out finished mittens too.
Before you give them to your charity, please share a photo of your mittens using the hashtags #warmerhands100 #knitcrochetcreate #lynnerowedesigns and I will add them to my total. I will also create a new post on my Ravelry board where we can post out finished mittens too.
So here's to using up our yarns for a good cause, and helping people in the UK to stay a little warmer.
Have a great week, and see you soon.
Happy crafting,
Lynne
Links
Knits for peace
