Miss Molly's mainchauffers

I've finally chosen a more imaginative name for the frilly wrist warmers I've been knitting over the past couple of weeks: Miss Molly's Mainchauffers (that's an approximately French translation of "handwarmers"). With their delicate lacy frills, they deserve a romantic epithet.

The good news is that the pattern to knit these gloves yourself is now available at my etsy store for just $5.00. If you'd like to find out more about my patterns and designs, please sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar. The newsletter goes out whenever a new pattern is available.

Blocking the lacy frill

When you've finished knitting the wrist warmers, you need to block them to even out the fabric. The easiest way is to dampen them with lukewarm water, then pull them onto your hands for a minute to stretch them (gently!) to the right shape. While they are still wet, carefully roll up the glove sections, then lay the frill out as flat as possible on a towel or other absorbent surface. Tease the edge of the frill flat with your fingers and leave it to dry completely.

Once the frill is dry, unroll the glove parts and lay the gloves out flat to ensure that the glove parts are completely dry too. The pattern will soon be available at my etsy store; sign up to the newsletter in the sidebar and I'll let you know when it's ready.

Knitting the wrist warmers

Here's the progress on my frilly wrist warmers. The wrist warmers are knitted all in one, including the lacy frill. After you've knitted the wrist part, you make extra stitches for the frill and place them on stitch holders until you've finished knitting the glove.

Keep knitting in the round, then turn the work at the end of a row and work flat in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row) to create the thumb hole.

The pattern for these wrist warmers is almost ready, and when it is I'll be selling it in my etsy store. Keep your eye on this blog to find out when it's available, or sign up to my newsletter using the form in the sidebar and I'll email you when it's ready. As a bonus, if you sign up to the newsletter I'll send you the pattern for the Urban Explorer's Kit Bag for free!

In the round

I'm knitting the second of the pair of frilly wrist warmers and checking the pattern I've written for them as I go. They are knitted all in one piece (yes, even the frill) so I'm using a set of four double-pointed needles. Remember, if you need to learn how to knit (or how to knit in the round like this), my book Knitting Basics is available to help.

Frills

My wrist warmers are coming along nicely, as you can see in the picture. I've almost completed the lacy frill! It won't be long now until I've finished writing and checking the pattern, so please keep coming back to this blog to see the progress I'm making, or sign up for the newsletter using the form at right and I'll let you know when the pattern is available.

Knitting basics

If you like the frilly wrist warmers I'm currently knitting, but you don't know how to knit, I have a solution. *Shameless self-promotion* My book, Knitting Basics, is designed for beginners and even pre-beginners and has all the information you need to start knitting, including step-by-step photographs showing how it's done. It's published by Murdoch Books in 2012, and is available in many bookstores or from your favourite online bookseller.

Visualising

The weather has turned colder here in Sydney, so I've been thinking about making a pair of fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while I type on my computer. I like the look of the wrist warmers in the two pictures I stuck into my visual journal (far left), but I want gloves that will cover my hands as well so I will add a thumbhole and a bit of extra length under the frill.

I've decided to knit the wrist warmers in 2 ply wool so they'll be light and lacy, and I knitted up a test swatch (above right) to see how many stitches I'll need to make each glove. Now I'm off to cast on, and take some photos as I go to share with my you. If you'd like to make a pair for yourself, I'll give you a link to buy the pattern from my Etsy store when I've finished writing it.