It's once again time to announce the next square for The Great American Aran Afghan Knit A Long!!!

So far we've learned how to do a basic twist and a basic cable and I sneakily made it a reversible cable with completely reversible square #1!  In Square #2 we learned traveling stitches and that some charts are purposely written opposite of standard charts.  For square #3 we learned how to make bobbles and add some texture fill while practicing our new cabling skills.
For square #4 we are going to do more traveling stitches, learn the trinity stitch and learn how a plait works.  We will learn all of this with the square on page 32 designed by Hanna Burns!  This square features "DNA" strands spiraling away from each other with a beautifully plaited cable up the center framed by elongated twists.  Two side panels of trinity stitch really help to accentuate the purl background making the DNA strands really pop!

For the most part I think most of you will do well with this block, it's still in the easier category.  My first suggestion to help you is to be sure to copy the charts, enlarging them if needed, and using highlighter tape, sticky notes or magnets to block off all the lines except the one you're working.  I say this because I find the traveling stitch symbols difficult to distinguish one from another.  They kind of visually run together.  All become very clear when the rows above and below are blocked off.  Do note that chart B on the left sides of the square begins with row 17 so that it spirals opposite of chart B on the right side.

(And yes for you science nerds like me, this DNA spiral is only a 2 dimensional, artistic representation and is not a true double helix but it's still very pretty! Here is a link with other DNA helix patterns on ChemKnit's blog if you wish to make a true double helix.)

The trinity stitch, aka blackberry stitch, is a pretty texture stitch that makes three stitches out of one and one out of three.  This is done by knitting the next stitch on the left hand needle but don't drop the stitch off the left needle. Instead, yarn forward and purl into the same stitch and still leave it on the needle.  Then yarn back and knit into this same stitch again. This time dropping the stitch off the left needle to complete the three stitches out of one.

The trinity stitch increases your stitch count by two each time you work it. These extra stitches must then be balanced by decreases to keep your stitch count the same. This decrease is done with a purl 3 together (p3tog). This is done just like purling 2 together except you catch 3 stitches instead of 2. A double decrease is the result, turning three stitches into 1. If you have trouble getting your needle through all three stitches try a needle with a sharper point or slipping all three stitches onto a crochet hook purlwise then pulling the yarn through and returning the single remaining stitch back to the right hand needle, being careful not to twist it.

You'll notice that the trinity stitch creates offset rows with diagonal lines. Whereas the moss stitch which looks somewhat similar, is all horizontal and vertical lines.

I hope you enjoy this square! If you have any questions or comment please don't hesitate to send me an email or ask in our Ravelry group thread. I've created a special thread just for asking questions so they don't get lost in the general chat. If you don't already belong to Ravelry I urge you to sign up. It's free and you don't get any unwanted email. It's a wonderful resource for finding patterns, connecting with other knitters & crocheters and keeping track of your projects, needles and stash!

We're seeing some lovely squares completed! Here are those that have been post during the last two weeks.(Sorry for the funky placement, it's not terribly easy to arrange photos in blogger.)

Angela's Square 1

Anna's square 1

Donna's Square 1

Lovely first squares everyone! I love the colors each person is choosing! Many people are using Cascade 220 superwash with great results.

Katy is doing an ombre and chose MadelineTosh Denim for her first square, shown below.

Katy's Square 1

Steph's Square 1

Sandee's Square 2

Anna's Square 2

Angela's square 2

Anna's Square 3

Tanya's Square 3

As for me, I'm only about 2 inches into square 2. I've been working on some other projects that have deadlines. I hope to be back to making some progress on my square after this weekend.

Happy Knitting!
Terry

First let me say Welcome! to all those who have joined in since we've started this knit-a-long!  We're so pleased that you could join us!

Everyday someone posts a photo of a finished square over in our Raverly group! These Square 1's were finished and photo posted since last weeks blog!

Square #1 by Carol Adams on page 22 of The Great American Aran Afghan book. In this square we learned a basic cable but with a little twist, it's a reversible cable! So the square looks pretty much the same on both sides. Not all of our squares will.
 

Carol's Square 1

Sherri's Square 1

Terry's Square 1

Gwen's Square 1

So it seems that my choice for Square 2 contradicted everything I said about chart reading in my hints for Square 1, week before last! Square 2 (Barbara Selesnick's design on page 16) is a perfect example of a pattern that specifically states that you are to read the charts the opposite of the norm. Despite that, several people have already completed their squares.

Square #2 by Barbara Selesnick on page 16. In this square we are learning twists and traveling stitches, stitches that move across the work instead of staying in vertical columns.

Tanya's Square 2

Carol's Square 2

  

Karen's Square 2

I'm only about 4 rows into the charted patterns, and I do have to say that it took me a while to get the row layout fastened in my head in the proper order. What has really helped is to remember that most of the time cables are only done on the right side rows.  In this pattern, row 19 is the exception with a cross on the wrong side. It has to be this way to close up the top of the lobes of the heart.

One question that has come up repeatedly is how to work the M1s.  M1 stands for Make One which is a nearly invisible increase. There are two kinds of M1s; make 1 left (M1L) and make 1 right (M1R). In many patterns the designer will not specify which one to use because unless they are repeated row upon row, the way the stitch twists makes little difference in the way the finished fabric looks and performs. When it does matter the designer will specify.

Make One Left (M1L)

• To do a M1L increase you will need to have at least one stitch on your right hand needle.
• Look at your knitting between the two needles. See the little bar between the two stitches? With your left needle pick up this bar going from front to back.
• Next, knit the loop you now have on your left needle through the back loop just as you would a normal knit through the back loop.
• By knitting through the back loop you are adding a left twist to the increase, making it invisible. Without the twist you will get an eyelet much like a small yarnover instead of an invisible increase.

Make One Right (M1R)
This increase is the same as a M1L except:

• with your left needle you will pick up the bar between the stitches from back to front
• knit it through the front loop, adding a right twist.

Perhaps an easy way to remember this is:

• M1L - pick up front to back, knit in the back - front, back, back
• M1R - pick up back to front, knit in the front - back, front, front

I usually find that M1L is easier to do, so I tend to work my M1 this way most of the time. When the instructions indicate a M1P follow these same instruction and instead of knitting into the back or front loop, purl instead. Make sure to maintain the twist or you will have a hole slightly smaller than a yarn over.

Here's a video I did last winter on how to do M1s.



Please let me know if there are other issues with Square 2 you need help with!

Now on to Square #3 by Julie Levy on page 4 of the book.

In this square we will practice our cables, add some fill stitches and learn how to make bobbles!  Bobbles aren't hard. There are many variations of to work bobbles so be sure to check the patterns instructions on what this designer wants in a bobble. Basically, to create a bobble you will be working all in one stitch:

Step 1: increase a few stitches
Step 2: work back and forth over these stitches for as many rows as indicated
Step 3: decrease back to one stitch
Step 4: resume working your row as directed

These steps create a excess fabric that will stick out 3-dimensionally from your fabric. Sometimes, you have to make the bobble lay on the correct side of the fabric by poking it into place. Knit the stitch immediately after the bobble very tightly. Yes, there will be a bit of a hole on the side of the bobble. This is normal, don't worry.

Have fun, and if you haven't already, I hope you join us for this low stress, work at your own pace project!

Please send comments, feedback, questions to me at askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

Happy Bobbling!!!

Terry

We are in our third week of the Great American Aran Afghan KAL and more people have been finishing up their first squares while others are just getting started! We have new people joining in everyday and I am so pleased to be helping people get started or restarted making these lovely afghan squares.

Next week I'll reveal my choice for square #3 along with helpful hints for knitting square #2. In the meantime, should some of you finish with square #2 and wish to start on #3, scoot on over to our Ravelry group and I'll mention it in the thread there a little early!

Here are some of the squares that have been completed this week.

Karen's 1st square

Sylvie's Square 1

Sylvie's 2nd square

Great work everyone!!!

Do any of you smartphone and tablet users have favorite knitting apps you use regularly? I just recently became a smartphone owner and started using the BeeCount Knitting Counter free app for Android. I'm finding it very helpful to keep track of which row of each chart I'm on because it allows you to have multiple counts. I'm tracking only charts C & B/D by row and beginning again from zero when I start a new repeat. I haven't completely figured out all the functions of this app yet but this works for me so far. Please share your favorite knitting apps and how you use them! I'd love to hear!

Now onto today's feature fiber...

The hardest part of writing these posts is deciding which fiber to talk about at any given time. I've tried to put most things in some sort of logical order but, for protein fibers, other than keeping type/species of fibers together I haven't come up with a logical order. So today, on a whimsy, I'm going to talk about possum fiber!

Possum is one of the newest fibers available to handcrafters. When we say possum in the context of yarn we are talking about the undercoat from the Common Brushtail Possum, a cat sized marsupial native to Australia, Tasmania, a few offshore islands, and a human introduced species in New Zealand. 

Around the 1850s, European settlers introduced the Brushtail possum into New Zealand as a source of food and fiber.  Over the years, we've repeatedly learned that this casual introduction of non-native species into new environments has had devastating results, particularly in island eco-systems.  And this is just what has happened with the Brushtail possum in New Zealand. There are no native predators of the possum in New Zealand and excellent food sources as the native plants have not evolved any of the usual protections from mammals that eat plants. By the 1980s, it was estimated that there were 60-70 million possums in New Zealand. The exploding population of possums has caused serious damage to native forests. Because of competition for food and shelter in addition to predation on their eggs by possums, there has been great reductions in native bird populations as well, including some very endangered species. And if this weren't enough, the Brushtail possum is also a primary vector for bovine tuberculosis, a serious and costly disease of cattle and deer which threats the human food supply of the islands.

Zealana Rimu DK

Out of the unpleasant battle to humanely control the numbers of Brushtail possum a craft industry has arisen! Possum fiber yarns!!! The fur of the animals is dehaired to remove the bristly outer coat then the soft, short, luxurious under coat is blended with wool, silk, cashmere and other fibers to create lovely yarns.  The purchase of these yarns helps an industry help its country by creating beauty from tragedy.

We as handcrafters can now participate in the preservation of the wondrous beauty of New Zealand (that many of us have only glimpsed in our favorite Tolkien movies and nature documentaries and long to visit in person!) by purchasing this wonderful yarn!  Check out all of the awesome Zealana yarns we carry!
With all this in mind, should you make the choice to purchase yarns containing possum fiber you will be helping to bring some balance back to disrupted ecosystems and perhaps help to ensure the survival of some very intriguing creatures!

Save a Kiwi... Knit with Possum

 Please send you comments, questions, thoughts, suggestions and any photos of afghan squares (with permission to post them along with your first name) to me at askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

Terry

Haymarket in Whitewater

In last week's blog while telling you about the Lorna's Laces contest I talked a little about Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) wool as an introduction to protein fibers. Lorna's Laces Haymarket and 6 other yarns that we carry contain BFL specifically.

Yarns made from protein fibers are probably the most commonly used fibers by knitters in North America and Great Britain. Protein fibers are fibers harvested from animals, usually by shearing or plucking their coats. Sheep of course are what most people think of when they think of animals that give us fiber but there are many animals that humans have used for their fiber throughout the ages.

Most of the animals from which we obtain fiber have been domesticated for centuries and sometimes bred for certain characteristics. For instance; good muscling, wool/coat qualities, hardiness and docility. Many of the characteristics that we humans find desirable in a domestic animal are juvenile traits which tends to make an animal unsuited to life in the wild. Your typical sheep, for example, would not survive in the wild because it has been breed to continue to grow its softer undercoat and must be sheared periodically. Wild sheep shed this softer undercoat once or twice a year.  When left unshorn, a woolly, domestic sheep will eventually not be able to move and will eventually die.

Here are some of the animals from which fibers can be obtained:

Sheep:
There are hundreds of different sheep breeds the world over that produce all types of wool. Sheep are one of the oldest domesticated animals. I'll talk about specific breeds in various up coming posts but if you want to read about some you can at Sheep 101

Goats:
Just like sheep, goats have been domesticated for thousands of years and some are also dependent on humans because of the need to be sheared. The two main varieties of fiber goats are: Angora goats originated in the Ankara region of Turkey and yield mohair and Cashmere which yields cashmere fiber. Other common types of goats used for fiber are Cashgora (a cross of cashmere and angora) and Pashmina which is a breed of goat from high in the Himalayas of Nepal, Pakistan and Northern India from which a very fine fiber is harvested.

Rabbits:
Angora rabbits which been breed by humans for centuries are also from the Ankara region of Turkey and yield angora.
 
Camelids:
Camel
Llama
Alpaca (they come in two types)
     -huacaya (regular type of alpaca)
     -suri (these have long, silky coats that look a bit like dreadlocks)
Vicuna (likely wild ancestor of alpacas)
Guanaco (wild ancestor of llamas)

Various other animals:
Yak
Bison
Muskox - this is where Qiviut comes from
Brush tail possum
Mink
Cats
Dogs

Please let me know if I've missed an animal!  Fiber enthusiasts can be a creative lot, spinners in particular. I've known spinners to try to spin just about anything, including dryer lint!

Next week I'll spotlight one of these fibers.

Now to change gears a bit. It looks like we have quite a few people joining me to knit The Great American Aran Afghan! Anyone is welcome to join in, even if you've already started the afghan and just want a little company during your project. You can work at your own pace and knit as many or as few of the squares as you like. Beginners, don't be bashful, this is a great way to expand your skill without a big commitment.  Try the easier squares first, then try one that pushes you a little, you'll be surprised how much you improve.  Each square is knit one stitch at a time, one row at a time just like any other project.  Everything is composed of knits, purls, yarn overs, knitting 2 together, SSK, and some Make 1s, along with changing the order in which you knit stitches.  There is plenty of help if you join our Ravelry group thread. You can also come into the shop or email me your questions.

So far I've started with the square on page 22 of the book and I'll choose another square soon for September's choices.  So far, I've only had time to work a couple of inches of mine but the resulting fabirc is so soft and squooshy!  I'm using the new Cascade Longwood, in case you were wondering. :)

So come join us and we'll make this beautiful afghan together!


One little tidbit of good news if you're visiting us in Reno, the city has put up a new street sign at the intersection of McCarran and Capital Blvd!!!  This should make it easier to find the street where we are located. We love to meet our out-of-town customers and look forward to showing you around on your next visit!


Have fun, don't stress and enjoy!  I'm here to help as are many of our fellow knitters on Ravelry!

Please send your questions to askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

Happy knitting!
Terry

Hi everyone!

We are one week away from the start of our Royal Baby Blanket KAL/CAL and Heather and I are getting excited! We've been working away like crazy on the squares, and are really excited to reveal the first ones to you next week!




I thought I would use this week's blog post to give you some preparatory info and general FAQ's about the KAL/CAL in case you missed it on Ravelry. If you are just joining us, make sure to read through this post for all of the info so that you are prepared for next week! Also, it's not too late to join! Just in time to order your yarn so you'll receive it by next Monday (assuming you are in the US.) So welcome everyone to the Royal Baby KAL/CAL. Here are the FAQ's I've been getting on the Ravelry group:

1) How do I "join" the KAL/CAL?

There is no official "sign up" with our KAL/CAL's. We keep it pretty informal around here. We don't clog up your inbox with excessive e-mails or require you sign anything to say your are in. If you are knitting with us, you are in. Feel free to create a "project" on Ravelry and link it to the Royal Baby Blanket KAL pattern page. This will make it easy to share your progress updates with other in the JBW group. Feel free to save the yarn photo we've posted for the picture and use that for your "pre KAL/CAL" project photo. Be sure at least read through the KAL/CAL threads on the JBW Ravelry group. This is the community we use for the KAL/CAL and will help you feel like you are actively participating with the group, even if you don't chime in.

2) Do I have to use the Royal Baby yarn?

No, purchasing the Royal Baby yarn is not required for this project. However, now is the time to decide on the yarn you will use so that you can order it in time if needed. Whether or not you are using the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Royal Baby yarn, you'll still need a worsted weight for this project and about 1,350 yards just for the squares. That equals 6 skeins of the Lorna's Laces or 7 skeins if you'd like to add a border. That part is optional.

3) What is the gauge for this project?

The gauge for this project may vary from square to square, but the gauge we are aiming for to start is as follows:

-Knitted gauge: 20 sts = 4" in stockinette stitch on US 7 needles.

-Crocheted gauge is 16 sts = 4" in half-double crochet on a US H-8 crochet hook.

You'll want to count on using the gauge swatch yarn for the blanket so don't bother with blocking your swatch too much. Just make sure to have some other sizes of hooks and needles on hand in case your gauge varies with each different stitch type. I would say as long as you have a size smaller and a size larger, you should be fine. The gauge for each swatch will be provided with each week's directions.

4) When and where will the instructions be posted each week?

The instructions for both the knit and crochet squares will be posted each Monday morning, between 6am-8am PST, starting July 1st (that's next week!) right here on the Jimmy Beans Wool Blog.

5) How will I know what the square is supposed to look like when I'm done knitting/crocheting it?

This KAL/CAL is not set up as a complete mystery KAL/CAL like most where you have no idea what you are making. We will post a picture of each square with the directions for each one so that you can see what that set of directions are supposed to look when you are finished. I think this will help to quell any confusion that often comes with Mystery KALs and CALs.

6) Do I have to be able to knit AND Crochet to participate?

No, if you prefer to knit the whole thing or crochet the whole thing, that is totally fine. Each week we will release one crochet square and one knit square pattern. If you prefer one craft over the other, simply make two of the square of your choice. You'll still have the 12 squares needed in the end to make your blanket.

7) How can I get help with my project if I have questions?

If you haven't already, be sure to join the Jimmy Beans Wool Ravelry Group. In the group, there will be a new thread for each clue where you can ask questions. If you are too shy to post in the group or are worried your question will be missed, you can e-mail Heather and I directly depending on which square you are referring to. For knitting square questions, e-mail Kristen (at) jimmybeanswool.com and for crochet square questions, e-mail Heather (at) jimmybeanswool.com. Be sure to remove the "(at)" and put in the @ symbol. I change it for blog posts to keep spambots away. :)

You can also send a private message to JimmyBeansWool on Ravelry and the correct person will answer you, or leave a comment on the blog post itself. Either way, we are available to answer any and all questions. If your question comes to us over the weekend, you'll receive a response the following Monday since Heather and I both work Mon-Fri during JBW's business hours.

Even if you don't plan on commenting on Ravelry, I encourage all of you to at least read through the posts in the JBW Group on Ravelry before asking your questions as a lot of people do post the same questions and often the answer is already on there. If you aren't a member of Ravelry--it's free to join and even if you only use it for this KAL, it's worth it. It's definitely not required though, so no pressure. :)

8) If I plan on doing a contrasting border with my Royal Baby Yarn, what colors should I pick and how much extra yarn do I need?

This is entirely up to you depending on what yarn you choose. If you are knitting with the Royal Baby colors, here is a key of all of the colors in the two Royal Baby yarns:

Hi everyone!

Hope you have all had a great week! I know the short rows were confusing for some of you, so I hope everyone made it through mostly unscathed. :)

Ok, so you are probably tired of Game of Thrones memes by now but I saw this one this week and I loved it so I had to share:

From www.quickmeme.com

Heehee. Makes things seem a bit more innocent, eh? Also, in case you were wondering what the GoT characters would look like if they were cats, I have the answer for you:

From www.cheezburger.com

Is the cat they found for Jorah not the perfect match?!?! I love it!

Ok, back to business. In case you are just joining us for the MKAL. Here are some quick links to the previous posts:

-Gauge and Swatching
-Clue #1
-Clue #2

Alright, now on to clue #3! By this time you should have finished three sections of short rows and your last round was a purl round. Next we will knit three more sections just like the first three sections we knit before the short rows. Knit as follows:

Rows 1-8: Knit
Row 9: Purl

*Repeat twice more for a total of three times.

And that is it for clue #3. I know it's super simple, but we'll kick it up a notch next week with a little lace. :)

Hope you all have a great rest of your weekend and enjoy GoT tonight!

Happy knitting!
Kristen

PS. Don't forget to check in on the JBW Ravelry Group and join in the conversation!

Hello and welcome everyone to the preliminary kick off of the Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-a-long! I am so excited to have you all here and I can't wait to see what everyone's projects look like! As promised, today I will go over some of the specifics of the MKAL (ie. how to participate, gauge, etc) and next week I will release the official first "clue" or piece of the pattern.



For those of you who are new to Mystery Knit-a-longs, we refer to each part of the pattern as a "clue" because the project itself is a mystery. You probably won't know exactly what we are knitting until about half of the way through and the design elements are definitely a mystery throughout until each clue reveals what comes next. For this KAL, I will release each clue on Sunday morning, starting on March 31st. Now, I know that the 31st is Easter and I apologize for the timing, but that is when the first episode of Season 3 of Game of Thrones actually starts. Hopefully this won't deter anyone from participating. You'll have an entire week to knit Clue 1 before Clue 2 comes out.

Here is some of the important, need-to-know info for the MKAL:

-Yarn: We are using 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Haymarket yarn in the "Winter is Coming" color or another color of your choice. If you would prefer to stash bust or use something different, you'll need about 430 yds of a worsted weight yarn.

-Needle Size & Gauge: US Size 8- 24" or shorter circular needle to acquire a gauge of 20 sts and 24 rows = 4" in Stockinette St. This gauge was unblocked and taken from my piece knit in the round.

*to knit a gauge swatch, cast on 24 sts or more and create a border around your 20 stitch stockinette section. This will help you get a more accurate gauge. Please adjust needle size if needed to get gauge. Feel free to swatch in the round if you find your gauge to vary significantly in the round vs flat.

-Skills needed: knitting, purling, knitting in the round, basic increases and decreases (yo, ssk, k2tog, k1f&b, etc.), simple lace using either written directions or a chart, and an understanding of short rows. If any of these skills are new to you, you might want to practice them a bit before we kick off next week.

-Ravelry: Be sure to check out the Jimmy Beans Wool Ravelry Group. For each blog post, we will create a new thread in the group specifically for help on that piece of the pattern. I'll also create a "spoilers" thread so that GoT fans can talk about the show or books freely without risk of spoiling the story for anyone. If you haven't read all of the books or aren't planning on watching the new season right away, be sure not to venture into Spoiler territory if you don't want to know what happens. I'll be staying out of that thread myself as I've only gotten through book 3. :)

-Remember that the Ravelry Groups are an intrinsic part of the KAL. Be sure to head there to ask for help from your fellow KAL participants. The group is the "community" aspect of the KAL and only works if we all participate.

-About a month after the GOTMKAL (short for Game of Thrones Mystery KAL) is over, I will release the full version of the pattern as a Free PDF on the Jimmy Beans Wool website on the Free Patterns page. It will be re-formatted and re-edited, much like Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets from the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL. It takes me that amount of time to properly re-edit the pattern, have professional photography done, and what not.

I am really truly excited for this KAL! I can't wait for the season to start and for you all to knit this little project I've cooked up for you. I think it's going to be a blast! Of course, if at any time you have a question for me directly, please feel free to e-mail me on Ravelry. I answer e-mails at the JimmyBeansWool account and also my personal account, Marinade, and I am always happy to help!

Lastly, I couldn't help but search around for a fun quiz we could all take to get a little more excited for season 3 (as if we really need it). I found two different quizzes for "What Game of Thrones Character Are You?" so I will share them both with you:

http://www.buddytv.com/personalityquiz/game-of-thrones-personalityquiz.aspx?quiz=500000095

http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/quiz/Churchill14/which-game-of-thrones-character-are-you/

I found the second one to be a bit more in depth. On the first one I was as Arya Stark and on the second I was Eddard Stark. I guess it's pretty safe to say I'm a Stark of Winterfell which is perfect because Winter is Coming, and I am ready. :)

Happy knitting

Wow, what a week! It sounds like most of you got off to a good start with your gauntlets which is so awesome to hear! Episode one of Season 3 of DA was equally awesome but I won't talk shop here in case some of you haven't watched yet. I will say, that The Secrets of Highclere Castle special on PBS (about the castle where Downton is filmed) was also really cool. If you haven't watched that yet, I highly encourage you to do so. The history geek in me really enjoyed it.

Ok, so on to the reason you are all here--Clue # 2 of Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets! This week's clue should prove to be much easier than last week's since you are already familiar with the lace and eyelet patterns. I have absolutely loved seeing all of the WIPs on Ravelry in the Downton KAL Photo Gallery Thread by the way! It's amazing how differently the Sportmate in the Downton color can knit up depending on gauge and where you begin your skein. So many cool versions of the pattern! Not only that, but I love seeing how these gauntlets are shaping up in different yarns too!

Clue #2:

*If you are just getting started, please see my blog post for Clue #1 before reading this post.

By now, you should have knit four rounds in stockinette and then two full repeats of the lace panel and you should have eight sets of eyelets on needle 1. This is a total of 36 rounds.

Here is what you do next:

**Remember, you are working all needles' directions in the round at the same time. The directions are broken down by needle.

Needle 1: Continue working eyelet pattern for 24 more rows ending with a total of 14 eyelets. (If you have one more or one less, don't fret. Just go with it. The number of eyelets isn't super important as long as it's close.)

Needle 2: Work one more repeat of the lace section and then work rounds 1-8 of the lace section again.

Needle 3: K every round

Once you've completed this portion, congrats! You are done with the arm of the gauntlet. Next we will begin the thumb gusset. For those who aren't familiar with this term or have never knit fingerless gloves before, a thumb gusset is the part where you increase the number of stitches on your needles where the thumb will be. It's a method of shaping.

Thumb Gusset:

Needle 1: For this section, you will no longer knit eyelets. At this point you should have a total of 14 eyelets. You will now just knit regular stockinette stitch on needle 1 until the directions say otherwise.

Needle 2: Continue working in Rosebud Lace pattern picking up where you left off, starting with round 9. While you are knitting the thumb gusset, you will continue working this pattern for 12 more rounds ending on row 4 of the pattern.

Needle 3: Knit as follows-

• Round 1: k1f&b, k3, k1f&b, place marker, k to end of round.
• Round 2: k
• Round 3: k1f&b, k to last st before marker, k1f&b, slip marker, k to end of round.
• Round 4: k