Laume's Studio

I told someone a few weeks back that I felt like knitting something and they responded "Oh, so it's cold up there?" Meaning, they were someplace warm and they assumed that since I had the knitting urge, it must mean that cold weather was upon us up here in the mountains. If I recall it was still unseasonable warm and dry at the time and the question startled me, until I remembered how often I'd told people that cold weather always brought out the knitter in me.

That's not to say that I've had time to knit anything and I probably won't be able to until after the holidays are past. I have sewing projects planned and with the unexpected time spent with plumbing and shoveling tasks, it's beginning to look a bit iffy that I'll even get those accomplished. We'll see.

But I still have the urge to knit. I have the urge to knit something specific. Handwarmers. I want to knit some handwarmers. I'm wearing some big oversized handwarmers right now. I didn't knit them. I found them at the thrift store this summer. I think they might have been meant to be legwarmers but I've worn them several times as hand - well, ARM warmers and I really like how they warm me up without making me feel like I'm wrapped up in a bulky sweater. They're nice with just a scarf for running errands or for puttering around the house where I'm active enough not to be too cold but my hands, which are moving through the cold air, are chilly, or for tasks where I'm sitting down but need my hands free of a blanket, like right now when I'm typing on my laptop.



I've looked at patterns online a couple of times recently and tonight I found what I want to make. I've found not one but two patterns. There's lots of variations in size, length, where these things sit on one's sleeve. I've heard them called lots of names. Wrist warmers. Fingerless mittens. Gauntlets. Glovelets. Wristlets. Cuffs.

The first is what I'd call hand warmers but the pattern maker calls them Ravenclaw Wrist Warmers. (scroll down on her page to see more photos of them being worn) Since Ravenclaws would undoubtedly spend a lot of snowy winter nights up in their tower reading, these would be the perfect thing to keep warm when they're turning pages. I need some for my late night reading habits. She doesn't give a pattern but I think I could probably figure out how to make these from a similar pattern and my own experimenting. I've already got a Gryffindor scarf. Have you seen it? I'm wearing it in a photo I put up in a post on Beach Treasure today.

The other isn't exactly a handwarmer but would be warm, as it covers up a pulse spot, plus they are adorable! The pattern maker calls these Mrs. Beetons. Aren't they wonderful!? (did you go look? Go. Look. I'll wait.) I can picture wearing these with my jackets when I'm out and about town or on top of a long sleeved shirt or under a sweater sleeve. I think I need them in several different colors.

Only problem is that the pattern is a bit intimidating. I don't think it's probably terribly difficult to knit. It's just reading the pattern that is hard. Maybe, like other patterns I've tackled, once I start the project it will start to make more sense. The beading is another complication but I've seen the technique shown on Knitty Gritty and it didn't look too hard. Now, to remember how they did it. Maybe I can find an online how-to video.