Almeara Gloves
To say I found myself victim to a serious cable-hunger this Fall would be an understatement. My design work is kinda littered with them - these gloves being no exception. My head has been filled with root-wrapped accessories and knot-riddled sweaters (what's new, really?). When I think about it, I'm still kinda stunned by how amazing cables really are. I mean... who thought this up in the first place anyway? I don't think I'll ever get sick of playing with them.
[Oh, before I start talking shop about these and forget: this pattern can be found in Vogue Knitting Winter 2008/09, which I think hits the stands this week, if it hasn't already. Ravelry link here.]
When I got to thinking about super cabley gloves, visions of some root-like gauntlets came to mind - like some fancy armor cast-off from a lost and forgotten forest fantasy world. Leave it to my adolescent fantasy-novel-reading past. Again - cables just do that to me.
With the fear of cable seduction and going overboard, I opted for something simple on the palm: enter garter stitch, my longtime companion. This wonderful yarn (Rowan Scottish Tweed DK) was kinda begging for something textural on the palmside. A DK woolen-spun two ply - this stuff is light and oh-so-woolly, with a touch of irregularity that makes it so beautiful. I wouldn't at all mind knitting up a whole sweater out of this one. This is me making a mental note.
The motifs on the hands are mirrored - same cables, just raying out in opposing directions. The choice of individual unique cables along each finger (a decision I may have cursed myself for while charting the pattern...) make this one a bit more involved than say, mittens of the same flavor, but I hope it's worth the extra work, cause they are kinda fun in the end.
There's an I-cord cast-on for these which, if you haven't tried it, you're in or a treat! Definitely on my top 10 list of fun knitting tricks.
The pattern is accompanied with a fancy-pants article which always seems so very twilight zone, but is very flattering nonetheless and I'm absoluely grateful for it!
I hope you enjoy these! And I'm also hoping for the wintry, wool-wearing weather to stick around for a good while so the sweater (glove/mitten/hat/fill in your own blank) drawer can keep its regular rotation.
Are you getting sick of me constantly worshiping Winter yet?