I have never attempted a pattern with a chart and the gloves I am wanting to make are for the person I always go to with all my questions. It says: Using a stretchy cast-on, cast on 56 sts. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist stitches. Work 6 repeats of cuff chart. The chart is only the front (28 sts). For the rest of it says the first 28 are stockinette and the other 28 is the pattern from the chart but it doesn’t say about the cuff. Am I supposed to do it like the rest and do the first 28 in stockinette or repeat the chart twice??? Help!
I think it would help to see a link to this pattern.The directions seem to want 6 repeats of the cuff chart which is usually a rib pattern or some variation on rib. You’ll probably want the cuff directions repeated all the way around. Also seems like there is more than one chart, perhaps one for the cuff and one for the back of the gloves. Do post a link or the name of the pattern if you can .
Here’s the link:
Thanks very much for the link. I looked at the projects on Ravelry and it seems that people have done either of your suggestions for the cuff: repeat the cuff chart on the palm side or follow the chart on the back side of the cuff and use stockinette for the palm side. Following the chart on both sides will pull in the sts and make a snugger cuff or fit a narrower wrist.
That would be my proference but basically, it’s your choice. Either will work.
I had another question about the chart. In the key it says RS, WS. If I’m working in the round I don’t work on the WS do I?
That’s right. You’ll only be working RS rounds. (Apparantly, it’s a “feature” of the program used to generate the key that it automatically gives WS rows.) Just pay attention to the RS rows and make sure that your knitting looks like what you’re expecting i.e. your ribbing looks correct and the owl pattern is forming correctly. It’s a very cute pattern and should be lots of fun to do.
Next question: From my understanding of the pattern I’m supposed to work 17 rows of the owl chart. Then start increasing every other row starting on row 18. Then I increase on every even row until there is 21 sts between markers. After putting the 21 on waste yarn I continue in the pattern until there is a total of 56 rows of the owl chart. Except when I was working it out on my head and then paper it takes more than the 56 just to get the 21 sts? I’m confused.
Never mind. Reread the pattern for about the tenth time and figured out what I was reading wrong.
For the stretchy cast on for the cuff, you can use the German twisted cast on. KH has a video on this here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/cast-on
Next question: (About increasing for the thumb) It said to increase 21 sts and then on the next row slip the 21 sts onto waste yarn. Is that like slipping it onto a holder? The first set of gloves I made I knitted the waste yarn but I think that would give me too many sts?
The idea of waste yarn is the same as a stitch holder. The sts on waste yarn are more flexible however and especially with gloves or mittens, that can be a plus.
Well on the first glove pattern I did you knitted the waste yarn slipped the sts back to the left and then knited them again so you still had the same number of sts. In this pattern when you use the waste yarn are you putting them to the side so that you decrease back to the original number of sts?
Yes, knitting onto waste yarn and then continuing to knit with the main yarn is one way to hold sts for the thumb. Later you go back and undo the waste yarn, putting the live sts on either side onto needles.
This thumb doesn’t sound like that. It sounds like you put the sts on waste yarn (and yes, this would probably be the thumb gusset sts, so you’d be back to the original number of sts) and hold them out but check the following directions. What do the next steps in the pattern say? What are the instructions when you get back to the thumb? Are they telling you to move the sts from the waste yarn onto the needles or to unpick sts?
Next row: K5, remove marker, put next 21 stitches on waste yarn, remove marker, K23. Continue working in established pattern on remaining 28 stitches.
Continue knitting 28 palm stitches and working in established pattern on remaining 28 stitches until you have completed 2 full repeats of Owlie chart plus rows 1-8. (Total of 56 rows).
For thumb:
Transfer 21 thumb stitches to needle, then pick up 6 stitches along top of thumb (27 stitches).
Thanks for the pattern rows. In this pattern you put the thumb sts to the side and work with them after you’ve finished the main part of the mitten. It’s another way of doing a thumb that is different from the glove pattern you’ve knit.