Where the skies are blue
Pattern: Humanity by Denise Lotter (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Berroco Blackstone Tweed (65% wool, 25% superkid mohair, 10% angora), colorway Wintry Mix
Needles: U.S. 6 Harmony wood Options 24″ circular needles (one-at-a-time Magic Loop)
When you knit something you really love — something in a truly extraordinary yarn, something that conveys elegance and sophistication — the tough part is figuring out who deserves it.
I knit these from two precious balls of Blackstone Tweed that I bought during a Dizzy Sheep Spin-Off on Labor Day weekend. I had seen some beautiful projects made from this yarn, and I wanted to try it. At first I thought I would make a male-appropriate scarf, but the yarn was not making a good-looking fabric at the kind of needle size I wanted to use for an aran weight (10′s first, then 8′s). So after seeing on Ravelry that most projects used sizes 5 to 7, I reconsidered my scarf idea (not really enough yardage for a scarf knit at that gauge).
The mitts that emerged when I began knitting the Humanity pattern were a revelation. The fabric was soft and foggy, the stitch definition obscured not by the fuzz or halo of the fiber, but by the almost mini-chenille texture of the felted-feeling yarn. The big cables don’t pop, but I really love the way they rise out of the fabric’s misty background.
Ultimately we decided that Noel’s nephew Daniel, a college student and political activist, would be the likeliest to appreciate this fine and subtle creation. And although his reaction when he first unwrapped and slipped them on was appreciative, it was half an hour later that our confidence was shown to be well placed. While we all opened presents and conveyed appreciation, Daniel wore the gloves. He came up to me after it was all over. “You know what? These are legit,” he said.
Exactly the word I was searching for. Daniel, you have proved yourself knit-worthy.
Tags: Christmas, fo's, gifts, mitts
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January 4, 2012 at 8:38 am
[...] blocking are all the finishing that’s required. I’ve used this yarn before to make fingerless mitts, and the cables don’t pop like they would in a smooth, tightly twisted wool or plant fiber; [...]