Knit Fingerless Arm warmers

So you may have noticed a slow down in the posting schedule.  Work has gotten super busy recently and it's going to stay super busy for at least a month. Then we're packing up the lab to move, which should be it's own special hell.  It doesn't help that I also had a piece of equipment decide to commit suicide;  I needed that thermalcycler.  And then my other toys started breaking.  I've not been having a good few weeks.  Anyway, the new workload is leaving me drained enough that I pretty much get home and collapse.  Plus my lunch breaks have gotten really irregular.  As I do a fair amount of crafting over lunch breaks and in the evenings having that time compromised is really slowing me down. I also have a number of non yarn projects going which aren't going to help the knitting/crocheting scene.  I'll do my best to keep things going as normally as I ever do, but I'm making no promises.

Today I have a knitting pattern for you.  It's super simple, just a swath of ribbing sewn into a tube, but since I've not really done much with making my own knitting patterns I think it's doing pretty well.  I do knit quite frequently but the projects tend to be from other people's patterns.  I'd like to start making proper knitting patterns at some point.  The main problem I have doing that is sizing.  I make things to fit me and things that fit me are not scaled to fit the "average" body form.  Plus I have no idea how to go about writing instructions for multiple sizes.  I suppose I'll have to hunt around and find what the average size measurements are and then see about extrapolating my instructions from there. 

For now, I'm sticking with simple and it doesn't get much simpler than this.  Originally I had intended these to be for the yearly medieval faire.  I had gotten both of them made, if not sewn together, and then found out we were supposed to have a nice warm faire for once (which we did, it was delightful).  Since it was no longer pressing that I have something to keep my arms warm the almost done warmers got set aside so that I could play with other things.  Unfortunate, but not terribly surprising.  I get distracted from oooo, shiny!  About like that.

Unlike my usual yarn working, where I just go grab a ball of something and see what it turns in to, I did specifically search out a wool yarn from my stash.  Wool is the only fiber that will keep you warm even if it's soaked through.  Since these will at some point become faire wear (aka garb) I need them to keep me warm no matter what the weather pitches at us.  The pattern is just a simple ribbing.  I like the way ribbing prevents you from having to do any serious shaping.  I've also made arm warmers before and they, while pretty and bright green, have an incredibly obnoxious tendency to slowly slide down, and off, my arms.  Hence the ribbing.  I love ribbing for shaping without having to do math and figure out decreases.  I've only worn them once so far and it worked out pretty well.  I didn't wear them while dancing though so that remains to be tested.


Fingerless Arm Warmers

80 grams (about 160 yards) Patons classic merino wool
size 6 needles

Gauge:  6 sts in 2/2 ribbing is 1 inch

Finished measurements:  Each arm warmer is 13 inches long and about 6 inches wide before being sewn together.  When stretched, they are 9 inches wide.

Fits small to medium sized arms.

Make 2
CO 44
K1, (p2, k2) ribbing 10 times then p2, k1

Work as established until 13 inches long
bind off.

Sew the side seam with mattress stitch, leaving a space for the thumb.  The pair I made have a 2 inch space for the thumb which is about 1 1/2 inches down from the edge.  You will probably want to adjust the thumb hole for your own comfort.  I tend to make thumb holes a little differently from most people.  I make them larger and in a slightly different position from what would be considered normal.  This is because I have what is known as a 'hitchhikers' thumb, which means my thumb bends at more than a 90 degree angle from my palm so anything with thumb openings fits me a little differently.