Iona Mittens

When I found the name "Iona" (from Greek meaning purple-colored jewel) I knew it would be perfect! I had chosen this special yarn (Berroco Cuzco) for a "skating hat" I had found the pattern for. Although it is truly a chunky weight yarn it wasn't quite the right yarn for the hat. So...I needed something to use it for. 

This pattern is found on Ravelry under "Marlene's Mittens by Alaina Privette". It is a free PDF download. I found it fairly easy to knit up, memorize and finish rather quickly. I typically like to use the Magic Loop technique for anything knitted in the round, but these called for a size 8 needle and I didn't have a circular needle that big. So out came the dreaded DPN's (double pointed needles). 

I really do not like knitting with DPN's because I always and I mean ALWAYS have "laddering"!

The Enemy - Courtesy of Knitty.com

Those darn open spaces that occur along the sides of the piece where the two needles intersect each other. Grrrrrrr! It looks as if you have a "run in your pantyhose" all the way down your knitting. I have never been able to NOT have them happen! Until...

Blessed Purl Bee! They have a wonderful tutorial on DPN's. Nestled near the bottom, in "Tips and Details" was the secret to my success with DPN's. A technique to end "laddering". To put it simply, keep the new needle under the previous needle when knitting, over the new needle when purling. Voila! I can knit with DPN's with no "laddering"! These lovely purple mittens were knitted completely on DPN's!

Such a success for me. It feels like I've jumped another hurdle in the knitting race. I do still prefer the Magic Loop, but it's nice to be able to confidently switch between the two. So I killed two birds with one stone. Learned to knit more confidently with DPN's and created a wonderful, warm mitten for our cold winter days/nights. 

One more thing: In the pattern, the tops of the mittens and thumb are 'gathered'. Like this. I don't particularly like the way this looks on my knitted things so I finished everything off with the Kitchener Stitch. It completes with smoothness instead of a gathered, rumpled look. 

Next on the list:

Gorgeous Fair Isle (gulp)

Courtesy of Land's End.com

~ Amimommy