Soft Washed Herringbone Mitts

Pattern/Technique: Soft Washed Herringbone Mitts by Churchmouse Yarns

Modifications: n/a

Materials: 1 skein of Isager Spinni in color 10s held double

US 4 & US 6 knitting needles

New skills: n/a

Lessons/Notes: The herringbone stitch was really fun and straightforward which made it really easy to get into a rhythm without needing to reference the pattern. I think that my gauge was a little off the pattern, so my herringbone isn’t as balanced as in the sample pictures, but I still really like the look.

Followed instructions for washing (warm wash / cold rinse). The fabric got quite a bit softer after washing, though I still don’t think I’d use this yarn for a sweater.

While seaming (used this tutorial), I tried out 2 different approaches:

  • On the RH glove I seamed the edge of each purl bump (ignoring if it was the top/bottom) which gave me a very flat graft. I think I prefer this method in this particular application.

  • On the LH glove I seamed so that I was stitching into the bottom purl bump on the left side of the graft and the top purl bump on the right side of the graft. While the join is technically more in pattern, this did create a slight ridge on the inside of the mitt and a slightly visible indent on the outer side. I also made a slight mistake on this side where I think I skipped the first row of garter stitch so I have an extra ridge of stitches at the top.

What I'd do differently: Knit a gauge swatch so that my herringbone is more balanced.

Care: Hand wash, dry flat.

Red Habitat Hat

Pattern/Technique: Habitat Hat by Brooklyn Tweed + folded band from Skiff Hat (watchcap version) by Brooklyn Tweed

Modifications: Knit tubular cast on from Skiff Watchcap. Knit lower brim 2.75”. Knit remainder of brim until piece measured 5.5”.

Switched to Habitat pattern for cablework. Knit chart A (shorter beginning section) then chart C (main hat body)

Materials: Held 2 strands of Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Amaranth, used 2 skeins total. I lost yarn chicken on the last round (40) of the cablework but luckily had a scrap ball left over from the last Skipp hat, so I spit grafted it and used about a half yard to knit the last SSK round and weave in ends.

New skills: n/a

Lessons: Knitting cables while holding 2 strands together seems to be trickier than knitting cables with a single strand of yarn. I think it might be because there’s less tension and more bulk?

What I'd do differently: if I'm knitting this again for myself I can definitely get away with only knitting 5” (or even 4.75”) on the brim length. There's a little bit of room at the crown but it doesn't look/feel weird at all.

Care: Hand wash, dry flat