Piano Hands

So recently I devised a pattern from Anne Neumann's beautiful Fingerless Gloves "Musica", as seen on Ravelry.

The goal was to create a full mitten out of it and take away the busyness of the pattern to make it look a little more simple. They ended up being so cozy that I've decided to share the pattern that I worked with.

Since I already gave the mittens to my friend, I don't have them to work with so I'm doing this mostly from memory. That said if there is something that doesn't make sense PLEASE contact me by posting here or on my Ravelry so I can fix it up!

Materials:
1 skein each (black and white) of Bernat Satins - I used acrylic so they could be washed easily.
DPN 3mm (US 2.5)

Using black yarn, cast on 48 stitches. Work in [K1,P1] ribbing for 12 rounds.

Next Rnd: Knit 6 *make 1, knit 12. Repeat from * twice, m1, K6.

Work Bass Clef Chart (Left): See below for chart
Rnds 1-21 of Chart: Work left to right and repeat so the eight note pattern appears all around the wrist of the mitten. Start Thumb increases at rnd 6
THUMB
Rnd 6: K26, place marker, m1, place marker, K26
Rnd 7: K26, sm, k all stitches in between, sm, k26 (same for all odd number rnds)
Rnd 8: K26, sm, m1, k1, m1, sm, K26
Rnd 10: K26, sm, m1, k3, m1, K26
Rnd 12: K26, sm, m1, K5, m1, sm, K26
Rnd 14: K26, sm, m1, K7, m1, sm, K26Rnd 16: K26, sm, m1, K9, m1, sm, K26
Rnd 18: K26, sm, m1, K11, m1, sm, K26
Rnd 20: K26, sm, m1, K13, m1, sm, K26
Rnd 21: K26, sm, knit all in between, sm, K26Rnd 22: K26, slip all stitches onto scrap yarn or a stitch holder, K26

Rnds 22-23: knit with white only
Rnds 23-finish: for the first 26 stitches, work in a checkerboard pattern, alternating between black and white stitches. Then start the face of the chart. (Note: Because I used a lining, I didn't have to worry about the yarn that was being carried over. However, it may be a good idea to find a way to get rid of the "stringies")
Work the chart until the top measures 2cm from the top of the hand. Start decreases
rnd 1: K1, k2tog, K20, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k20, k2tog, K1
rnd 2: knit (same for all even decrease rounds)
rnd 3: K1, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k1rnd 5: K1, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k16, k2tog, k1
rnd 6: knit

**If necessary, add another decrease set:rnd 7: k1, k2tog, k14, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k14, k2tog, k1
rnd 8: knit


Repeat the same process for the Treble Clef chart (right hand), only when including the checkerboard pattern, start with the chart for 26 stitches and then work the checkerboard for the last 26 stitches.

Charts:

Bass Clef Chart

Treble Clef Chart

Snow is falling, thus Christmas Knitting has begun

So here in Newfoundland, we've already seen our specs of snow and this makes me really excited because it justifies my excitement for Christmas. Everything about Christmas makes me absolutely giddy; snow, stockings, mittens, hot chocolate, baking (OMGBAKING) and snowmen.

Recently I've been approached to make some Christmas presents for people, which is fine and dandy, except I may have said yes to a few too many people. I think it's a general quality in knitters to just say "ok" to things, even though they probably don't have the time A: because they're nice people and B: because the idea of starting a new project is only equivalent to the excitement a child feels on Dec.25 at 4am.

In the next few days I plan on posting a bunch of pictures of things I'm ready to sell. I'm running out of space! There are only so many shoe boxes that a girl can fit in one closet!

I'm also going to quickly plug the movie "Hereafter". I watched it last night and I could not have been more impressed. It's been a really long time since I've seen a character driven movie like that and it really stood out as being one of the best. It also didn't help that it contained the most beautiful movement from any concerto ever written, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto movement II. This piece makes me cry on the best of days, let alone when attached to the saddest story containing a little boy. Here it is: (I also suggest taking a listen to the rest of the piece for some awesome Russian music. in Soviet Russia, music plays you)

Favorite Fall Knits!

So where I live, we are now deep into the fall season, which is my favorite season. Why, you may ask? Well, I love wearing sweaters and scarves and you can't really do that in the summer. Also, in Newfoundland our Winters are a mess, with more slush than snow and spring doesn't really exist in the same way it does across the country, with beautiful blooming flowers and the smell of fresh air. In the spring here, we end up with mud and everything that was buried by the snow is now half rotten and needs to be cleaned up. Overall, Newfoundland is best in the fall. The trees are orange and the air has this crispyness to it that makes every breath feel like a cold glass of water.

So, for the fall I love using the browns and oranges that identify the season.

This cowl was a pattern I found in the Knit Simple Fall 2009 Magazine. Though originally knit in a chunky wool, I used Sean Sheep yarn from walmart and came out with a lighter version of it.




Unfortunately, because this is published in a magazine, it's not public domain. HOWEVER! There are some beautiful patterns for cowls and scarves on Ravelry.com, which is a free site for knitters and crocheters and it's loaded with amazing patterns, many of which are free!


Also, it's starting to get cold enough that you want something to keep your hands warm, but full-on mittens aren't exactly acceptable. So I personally love fingerless mittens for the fall!




This pattern is available for free at www.dancingewe-yarns.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?display=action&emptyoverride=yes&template=PDGCommTemplates/DE/freepatterns.html"


The title is "Susie's Reading Mitts"


Lastly, while you enjoy your fall knitting, I am going to start you off on your fall knitting soundtrack. This is the third movement from one of my favorite symphonies. It's from Dvorak Symphony no.8 and whenever I listen to this movement, all I can hear is the movement of wind between the trees and the leaves dancing in it. This man was a genius and his music is beautiful for performers and audiences alike.




Enjoy making some cozy fall knits!

-KT

Welcome to Dolce Knitting!

First off, lets explain the title. Dolce is a musical term meaning "gently" and "sweetly". As I am not only a knitter but a classical music student and enthusiast, I thought it was appropriate. Though I had to fight the urge to name this "Virtuoso Knitting", as it may have seemed a little self-assured!

What should you expect to see here?
Patterns and techniques I've found
Finished projects
Rants about current projects (expect these to be plentiful)
YouTube videos of my favorite pieces
Things that make me laugh a lot
Baking adventures
and of course, enthusiasm about Christmas :)

After spending months trying to figure out a name for my knitted goods as well as building up some creations to be sold, I'm very pleased to finally have something dedicated to my personal updates of my crafts!

-KT