A week in knitting | Alpaca Fingerless Mittens
Like everyone else in #needleworkmonday this week, I've been knitting fingerless mittens. I'm using a kit from Knit One our local knitting shop. It's very crafty - they have these little packs of cute, quick and easy things to make, complete with the yarn and a pattern, all for a price you can't really say no to.
Source Credit: Andrew Fox. So cute :), aren't they?
You can have them as pets and they make excellent guards against foxes.
This pack has alpaca yarn, beautifully soft and wonderfuly light and warm. Apparently, there are 50,000 alpacas in the UK, although only about 10,000 of them are used for wool production, as the fleece coarsens as the animal ages. I was surprised to discover there are two farms within 30 miles of me. If you want, you can take an alpaca for a walk.
Source Credit: Andrew Fox
Alpacas at Toft Alpaca Farm at Dunchurch near Rugby.
Pine Tree Alpacas were at the Big Stitching and Textile Show held recently in Leicester. The friend who came with me became very excited about making a padded jacket using alpaca as the wadding. The fibre is hollow, making it very lightweight and very warm.
This is the first mitten finished and ready to sew together.
I really like the stitch definition with this yarn. The ribbing was a new version to me - knit three, purl one - and I like it. The thumb is formed by making one stitch either side of the thumb, which gives the pretty lacy pattern between the hand and the thumb. The back has a pretty and very easy knit one purl one heart motif - I'll show you that when the gloves are finished.
These have taken a while to knit, mainly because I have been so busy with other things, including several other knitting projects. The little pack came with me to Poland, but didn't see the light of day!
I have an order now for some ribbed fingerless gloves from a friend who was complaining that it has suddenly got frosty and her house is cold. I have bags of yarn that needs using - perhaps everyone could get a set of gloves for Christmas? I'm planning to use an Erika Knight pattern I bought from John Lewis a year or two ago. There's also a pretty Erika Knight pattern for crochet gloves at Ravelry - also designed for alpaca double knitting yarn.
It feels like I am trying to convince @cryptocariad for ages to finally give in and grow Alpacas ...But now, a new option... perhaps in your new garden? You already listed so many advantages and I would volunteer to cuddle them and take them for a walk. I know I am super selfless 😅😅😅😅😅😅
And your mitts with the heart detail look lovely.
The crocheted mittens are also beautiful and a nice gift for someone who uses them. I had a stage where I kind of mass-produced fingerless mitts and pulse warmers, partly as gifts and partly for me. But I noticed I never use them, because if something gets cold, then my fingertips 😆
Alpacas need an acre of land, and I have ... not that much 😊
I might go to Dunchurch and take one for a walk, but as for stroking, I prefer the skeins 😂
Fingerless mittens are nice when you are knitting or driving, but I agree - for ice skating you need the whole mitten 😎
I love the finger-less gloves and mittens. I haven't made any yet though. I really would like to knit a pair of socks, but I don't know if I am skilled enough to make them look good. I am much more skillful with my crochet hooks.
The gloves are faster than socks, but both are good for honing your knitting skills. Handknitted socks are wonderfully warm ... and you can always hide them inside your boots 😊
Alpacas are so soft when little! There is a farm about 30 miles south of us and they bring their yarn to local craft shows. I've wanted some of the yarn for a while... an Alpaca would be too much work to maintain!
The rib pattern is nice, I like how it turns out and I am looking forward to seeing the finished pieces with the heart! ❣❣❣
I agree on the maintenance side, especially with all this walking that's being mentioned! It's been a nice little project, sufficiently interesting without being too complicated or going on too long. Perhaps I will never knit another cardigan again! The yarn is worth having, just for stroking 😊
As @neumannsalva knows I'm keen on having alpacas ( a couple will do ), @shanibeer...
That first mitten looks lovely and soft :D... I usually go for k1, p1, or k2, p2 for ribbin... I wonder how 'elastic' it feels.
They are very cute, but I thought animals were banished from your homestead now?
The ribbing was new to me. You also increase and decrease as the ribbing changes to stocking stitch, so the ribbing has less stitches (also knitted on smaller needles) than the main body of the glove.
The process of winding down should take a while, @shanibeer, so that doesn't stop me from being 'keen on having alpacas'. Although it's more like a dream as I'd be completely incapable of dealing with trimming their nails... I just want to pet them :D
Oh, I've got the dream of having alpacas, they look so friendly. But I couldn't always remember to buy cat food when I had a cat, so I wouldn't be able to handle anything more complicated 😂
That made me laugh, @shanibeer... at least llamas are more self-sufficient as they leave outside... they're also very tidy apparently.
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The world of Alpacas is wonderful, my passion for alpacas, it led me to write a book about these camelids, you can buy the adorable book here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpacas-3-0-Informaci%C3%B3n-Avanzada/dp/1718020619/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564185316&sr=8-1
thanks very much