I surprised myself. I love wearing them! There is something snug and cosy about wearing that piece of fabric at the end of your sleeves partly covering your hands. Like when you're wearing your oversized boyfriend's (or husband, or partner, or whoever else who may want to insert here) jumper and the sleeves fall down on your hands and it feels like a big, warm hug. Know what I mean?
I first fell in love with this pair from the Molly Makes magazine. In the magazine they are made in fine crochet cotton but I wanted warmth so I crocheted them in Debbie Bliss lace-weight Rialto 100% wool. Lovely stuff. Now I've made one, I wish I'd reversed the colours and had the dark colour for the allover and the pale for the underneath layer. I'm also finding when I wear it that the lace at the end tends to curl. I'm not completely satisfied but I'm still in the process of crocheting the second one because it seemed too much of a waste now I've made the first one.
Don't look too close, I've already worn it a few times and it's slightly misshapen and I think the lacy part at the end needs blocking for better looking stitches. I don't like the way the reductions are made (skipping a whole square) which I find too visible (this is not shown in the photo - I hid that part!). If I ever make another pair, I will use a larger crochet for the first part and then move to a smaller (or maybe even change twice) instead of reducing squares. Once I've made the second one, I will wash and block them and hopefully they'll look even better. We'll see.
The Molly Makes wrist warmers are made with lace-weight as I said before and a 1.25mm hook so it's not very quick crochet. Impatient as I am, I wanted a pair to wear TODAY! So last night, I started another pair (free pattern) with a 4.5mm hook and DK wool and this new pair was very quick to make. Just finished them this morning. They only take a couple of hours to make. They are obviously not as delicate looking but they still do the job and the blue goes really well with the dress I'm wearing today as you can see in the photos.
They'll keep my wrists nice and warm
for when I'm tatting too!
:-)
Best wishes,
Frivole
Both look fabulous. I do think looking pretty is sometimes quite important. Keeping warm and looks very practical too especially when you need all your fingers for delicate work. Pretty.
ReplyDeleteThese wrist warmers are so pretty! I often admire them but where I am located, there is simply no place for them. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! I love that shade of blue!
ReplyDeleteMakes me want to make some!
ReplyDeleteThet first one in the fine fibre is really pretty. Unfortunately, it is the nature of crochet to curl at the edge, but this should block nicely and you probably won't see the decreased bits. : )
ReplyDeleteSince you're a convert to wrist warmers, you might find it worth your while to make changes to the pattern. Both patterns are pretty though.
ReplyDeleteI like both but confess to liking the "dainty" ones a little bit more - well, they are lacy! As for the curl, this can be somewhat counteracted if you are will to turn at the end of each round so they are worked like linked rows that change direction. It isn't too difficult and has the added bonus of being reversible. If you did that with the lacy pair and made the lacy cuff the same length you could pick and choose which colour to "wear on top today". I think your solution of changing hook sizes to get the shaping will work very well too and would love to see the result of that experiment... Oh - and great idea to wear lacy wrist warmers while tatting. There's something else for my To Do List.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Megan. And yes, I prefer the fine lacy ones too, I'm about half-way up the second one now. So I'll finish them in the same way but will keep your idea in mind for the next pair! :-)
DeleteI like the sound if your wrist warmers, but I can't crochet so I will have a look for a knitting pattern.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
keeping your wrists and backs of hand warm does help with tatting comfort. I like your wrist warmers. I think I need to look into the pattern for the 2nd quick pair.
ReplyDeleteYes, if you crochet a bit, they are very quick to make. You'll have a pair done in no time!
DeleteOh, I get so cold when I tat, especially this winter-what a brilliant idea! They are gorgeous, I love the lacier top ones!
ReplyDeleteIt can get pretty cold here, and my favorite chair is right next to the front window, so I find my fingerless mitts are great for keeping me warm. I haven't tried wrist warmers yet, but you're tempting me!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit confused about something with the lacy pair. Is the lacy edge a cuff (as I initially thought) or is it worn around the hand? I rather like the idea of a slightly flouncy, ruffled lacy cuff but it's very nice to show off lace around the hand too. You know what I'm going to have to do on that To Do List now? Add an addendum to try making a pair with pretty lace at both ends. I tat outside in the Winter so two pairs might be in order - a woolly pair like yours for Winter and a cotton pair pair for Summer (our Sun is vicious down here, I smother myself in sunblock but it's never enough).
ReplyDeleteHi Megan, it's a cuff but the lacy part does fall over your hand somewhat - is that what you mean? Yes, a very lacy cotton pair would be lovely for summer.
DeleteI like both of these, although I think the 'lacy' one is my favourite. But, as you say, they take a while to make, and I am a bit impatient too. Perhaps I should work on a pair slowly ready for the summer?
ReplyDelete