Shackles Gauntlets Pattern

These gauntlets were designed to compliment my Shackles Socks pattern. The cabled cuff is knitted flat, then seamed. Stitches are picked up along one edge to knit in the round.

Warning: My hands are large, and my thumbs are very fleshy/muscular. These thumb gussets increase a bit more rapidly and often than many other patterns.

PDF Available: download now

Materials
Size 2 (2.75mm) DPNs
App. 25g of Berroco Comfort Sock (200-300 yds)

Gauge:
8 stitches per inch in stockinet

Optional
Cable needle (since the cuff is knitted flat, you can just use one of the spare DPNs)


Chain Link Cuff
CO 24 using Long Tail Cast On, leave a 10”-12” tail for seaming later.

Row 1: K 10, p 2, K 8, p 4
Row 2: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K2, p10
Row 3: p 12, cblf 8, p 4
Row 4: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, p 2, K 10
Row 5: K 10, p 2, K 8, p 4
Row 6: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 2, p10
Row 7: p 12, K8, p4
Row 8: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12
Row 9: K 10, p 2, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 10: Sl 1, K 3, p 2, K 4, p2, K 2, p10
Row 11: p 12, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 12: Sl 1, K 3, p 2, K 4, p 2, K 12
Row 13: K 10, p 2, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 14: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12
Row 15: p 12, K8, p4
Row 16: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12

Work 6 repeats, BO loosely. Leave yarn live, use the tail from CO to seam the cuff.

Pick up and K 52 stitches along the slipped stitches edge. Beginning of round is seam/ center palm side.

K 5 rnds

LEFT Gauntlet (Make 1)

Thumb Gusset
Increase Round: K 12 st, place marker, inc, k2, inc, place marker, k to end (54 st)
K 2 rounds.
Increase: K to marker, slip marker, inc, K4, inc, slip marker, k to end (56 st)
Continue increasing inside markers every 3th row 2 more times (60 st), every 4th row 2 times (64 st)
Proceed to "Divide for Thumb"


RIGHT Gauntlet (Make 1)

Thumb Gusset
Increase Round: K 40 st, place marker, inc, k2, inc, place marker, k to end (54 st)
K 2 rounds.
Increase: K to marker, slip marker, inc, K4, inc, slip marker, k to end (56 st)
Continue increasing inside markers every 3th row 2 more times (60 st), every 4th row 2 times (64 st)

Proceed to "Divide for Thumb".

Divide for Thumb

Knit to 1 stitch after second marker (remove marker), CO 4 (backward loop method).
(beginning of round is in the middle of newly cast on stitches)
Join to one stitch before first marker. 20 sts


Thumb:

K 5 rnds
P 1 rnd
Work 1x1 rib for 5 rnds
BO loosely

Body:

Join new yarn at original beginning of rnd (Center palm side)
K 11, Pick Up 6 sts along CO edge (1 in the bar before and after CO stitches to eliminate holes), K to end (54 sts).

K 5 rnds or to ½” less than desired length.
P 1 rnd.
Work 1x1 rib for 5 rnds
BO loosely.





Glossary:

K: Knit
P: Purl
Sl: Slip (all stitches slipped purlwise unless noted)
CBL8F: slip 4 stitches knitwise to cable needle and hold to front of work, knit next 4 stitches, k stitches from needle
SSK: Slip Slip Knit, slip 2 stitches knitwise to right needle, insert left needle and knit the 2 stitches together
K2tog: Knit 2 stitches together

Shackles Socks Pattern

Shackles Socks
By Kirstan Banfield

Who knows why we create the silly things we do. I had just finished my first sock design for my partner and was thinking about what else I could make for him. For some reason the idea of chains jumped into my head and thus- Shackles Socks were born. I heavily modified a cable pattern, added some ribbing and this is what came to be (gauntlets using the same cuff are currently on my needles and will be written up soon).


These socks have a chain link band that is worked in a strip and seamed in the back. Stitches are picked up along one side of the band, then the sock is worked down towards the heel and toe. The cuff has a garter rib border

PDF available: download now
Materials
Size 2 (2.75mm) DPNs
440 yds Berroco Comfort Sock

Gauge:
8 stitches per inch in stockinette

Optional
Cable needle (since the cuff is knitted flat, you can just use one of the spare DPNs)



Chain Link Cuff
CO 24 using Long Tail Cast On, leave a 10”-12” tail for seaming later.

Row 1: K 10, p 2, K 8, p 4
Row 2: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K2, p10
Row 3: p 12, cblf 8, p 4
Row 4: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, p 2, K 10
Row 5: K 10, p 2, K 8, p 4
Row 6: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 2, p10
Row 7: p 12, K8, p4
Row 8: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12
Row 9: K 10, p 2, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 10: Sl 1, K 3, p 2, K 4, p2, K 2, p10
Row 11: p 12, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 12: Sl 1, K 3, p 2, K 4, p 2, K 12
Row 13: K 10, p 2, K 2, p 4, K 2, p 4
Row 14: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12
Row 15: p 12, K8, p4
Row 16: Sl 1, K 3, p 8, K 12

Work 7 repeats, BO loosely. Leave yarn live, use the tail from CO to seam the cuff.

Pick up and K 60 stitches along the slipped stitches edge.

K 7 rounds (any number of rounds between 5-10 would be appropriate, these are just short ankle socks)

Heel is worked on 30 stitches:
Center heel: K 15, turn Sl 1, p 29 (this will center the seam at the back of the heel)

Heel Flap
Row 1: Sl 1, K to end of needle
Row 2: Sl 1, p across

Repeat 2 rows 15 times, about 2 ½”

End with Right Side Row

HEEL TURN

Row 1: Sl1 p16 p2tog p1

Row 2: Sl1 k5 k2tog k1

Row 3: Sl1 p6 p2tog p1

Repeat Rows 2-3 working one more st before decrease until all have been worked.

Pick-up Instep Stitches

With right side still facing, pick up sts in along left edge of heel flap (my happy number is 16 picked up sts). K across instep sts (top of foot) and combine needles 2 & 3 (new needle #2). Pick up same number of sts along right edge of heel as on left edge.

Knit even 1 round.

GUSSET

Round 1:

First needle: k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1

Second needle: work even across

Third needle: k1 ssk, k to end of rnd.

Round 2: k

Repeat rnds 1 and 2 til st count is 60, 15 on needle 1, 30 on needle 2, 15 on needle 3.

After the heel is worked, make sure the center of the heel is the beginning of the round. I like to have the first quarter of my stitches on one needle (#1), my instep (top half of the foot) stitches all on a second needle ( #2), and remaining quarter on a third needle (#3). It’s just my way of keeping track of where I am and where I need to decrease.

Foot:
Work in stockinette stitch until sock is 2 inches less than desired length (I’ve found 7” fits most female feet)

Toe:
Toe Decrease
Round 1:
First needle: k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1
Second needle: k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1
Third needle: k1 ssk, k to end of rnd.

Round 2: k

Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 til 32 sts remain.

Work Round 1 until 12 sts remain.

Break yarn and turn sock inside out to work 3 needle Bind Off.


Glossary:

K Knit
P Purl
Sl Slip (all stitches slipped purlwise unless noted)
CBL8F slip 4 stitches knitwise to cable needle and hold to front of work, knit next 4 stitches, k stitches from needle
SSK Slip Slip Knit, slip 2 stitches knitwise to right needle, insert left needle and knit the 2 stitches together
K2tog Knit 2 stitches together

It's my birthday!

So far I've spent the day knitting with my new yarn. I got a birthday coupon for Large Marge's and bought so much fun yarn! I have to take pictures of all of it- and will describe what each bit will become once I do. The first thing I started working on though is another version of the La Mer wrap. I'm knitting it using Universal's Flax yarn- which is linen. This is my first time working with linen- it's fuzzy! I'm amazed at pink glow that is on my shorts from working with this yarn. It's a lovely shade that's a cross between raspberry and watermelon- perfect for summer over my new black dress!

I've also warped 2 things for the loom: new brushed suri alpaca (feels like a cloud) and my leftover Elsebeth Lavold silky wool. I'm making an effort to go through all my leftover yarn and decide what to do with it. Not my stash- but all the extra skeins I have from my first few projects when I was given such wonderful advice at the first yarn shop I tried to make my home. At least I've given all this yarn enough time and I think it's pretty again :P

In the world of patterns, I've finished the pattern for my hunny's socks and am almost finished the next pattern. I have to work up the second sock for it before I post the pattern- or at least make a gauntlet instead.

Apologies to anyone reading this who has no idea what I'm talking about. It's all about yarn today because I don't feel like thinking about anything serious. It is my birthday after all!

Aftermath

This will be mostly pictures and little substance :)Got these on clearance at Michael's. A replacement for my flashy light up flip flops- they make me happy!

Also got some charms on clearance and wired them together to make bold pendants. I have a few more to work on- but these are good for now.


So this is my current stash of Shelby B's yarn. All but 2 were purchased last night (Charms and Snape). From Left to Right: Charms, Rita Skeeter, Fawkes, Department of Mysteries v2, Dumbledore, Snape. The 2 balls at the bottom are Dumbledore's Robes and Headmaster's office. I'll be weaving those together.


I'm reveling in fiber goodness and all the color is just fantastic. I plan on putting the Rita Skeeter with some Malabrigo I got from MS&W in pine colorway. I want to make a top down raglan with the varigated as the yoke and body solid. I've seen several of these made up at my LYS and they're simply lovely!

So that's it. More pictures as the yarn becomes other stuff :)

Concrete

It's about time for some solid plans I think. I've certainly been floating for long enough. Right now as of this moment I have a definite idea of what I'll be doing over the next year. First, I'm working through summer school with the teacher I was assigned to during the year, and whom I love. She's just a fantastic person and I've really enjoyed knowing her and learning from her. Second, I'm going back to school. It's really the last thing I want to do, but in 10 short months, I'll be certified to teach elementary and special education with an endorsement in early childhood education. Coupled with my masters from Gallaudet in Deaf Ed, I'll finally be qualified on paper and marketable! I'll also be starting in the Masters + 30 credits, which puts me in the highest scale without getting my doctorate. I can't see myself getting that without intending to teach at a university (which is in the plans far, Far in the future).

All the other things going on are knitting related. I finished the tank that I started last year, am making solid progress on the lace cardigan to match my other tank, made it through the second fair isle pattern on the second sock and getting ready to work the heel, and have cast on for 2 more tanks- one of which I'm designing myself. Very, very busy. But this is my last bit of vacation. The regular school year ended June 12, ESY starts July 7 and runs through August 7, then I go back to school August 10. So these weeks now are very precious since I don't know exactly what my schedule will be like when this program starts this fall.

I'm sad to think that there will be very little to post about over the next year. I mean I've done the school thing before, and it's not that exciting. My program will be a little different than the other people in my cohort, since I've already taken so many of the core courses. How that will play out, I'm not quite sure. I will be very surprised if I don't have to take psych 101 again though. When I was at Bloom, it was a mass lecture, MWF at 9am with 600 students and 3 teachers- one for each day of the week. Our grades were based on 4 multiple choice exams and it was a whole letter system, so my 78 was a C. The reason that sucks is under the "No Child Left Behind" law- I need at least a C+. I wish we had a +/- for that course. Oh well...

Tonight at my LYS, we're having a party with a local dyer, ShelbyB. Most of her colors are inspired by the Harry Potter series. I'm very much looking forward to it. I already have a skein of Snape and Charms. I plan on getting some Fawkes tonight, and probably at least one more. My sister owes me a skein anyways :P

Well, I should get going with the day, even though all I have on my to-do list is knitting :) and taking pictures of all my knitting!

Wow...

So it turns out that having a job keeps me from doing a lot of stuff that I had been filling my time with. For starters- I just do not have the desire to sit down and jot a few words about what I've been up to. There have even been days where I haven't wanted to knit! This is just not acceptable. I'm sure a lot of it is because I've been doing more than just "my job"- lots of substitute work- and that stretches me to my limit. I like growing, but it's been hard and fast lately.

Everyday I work, I sign. It's so wonderful to need to sign again. And I love my kids. I've only been with them 2 months, but I have let the little buggers get under my skin. I hate the idea of not being with them next year. This temporary position was nice, but now I'm in a bit of a state because I want to start planning the future, and it's very uncertain right now. I'm looking into a certification program that will only take me 10 months. It would start this August and finish next May. I like this idea a lot, it'd be another Masters degree too. That would automatically start me at another higher pay scale, which is never a bad thing.

I don't want to spend too much time writing out all the things that are in the works because I think it might jinx them. But in other news- I had a ton of hair chopped off yesterday. I looooove it! It's perfect for summer!
I've also been pretty busy knitting. I test-knit a pattern for a friend, it's almost done. All I have left is to finish working on a 46" I-cord- boring but needs to be done. I finished a tank for myself, haven't taken any pictures of it yet though. I'm starting a cardigan to match- but need to get the right size needles. I'm also in the process of designing some really fun socks. I can't post any of my pictures or directions yet since they will be a gift for my sweetheart, but I will be making them available on Ravelry soon.

That's about all for now. I wish I was constantly moving forward, but I feel like once again my future is so very uncertain. I'm very ready for a bit of stability- maybe soon...

Definitely a variable interval schedule...

I really want to get better about updating this silly thing. I think I wait too long between posts because somewhere in the back of my head I feel like I need to have things to write about. Anyways...

I've been feeling a bit off the past few days. I'm sure most of it is coming from waiting. I finally broke down and coughed up the money to get fingerprinted March 19th. Since then, I have been contacted about a position as a personal assistant for a child with a hearing loss. I'm very excited about it- but I can't start until I get this card from the county vouching that I have had my fingerprints done. The whole thing is a load of crap. I called the fingerprint office last Friday, and they swore that my card was mailed out Thursday (April 2nd). The office is less than a mile from my house- in the same zip code. Supposedly, I was to receive the card Saturday at the latest. I called yesterday since it's still not here. The worst part is that the office is closed for spring break. I wasn't aware that fingerprinting and investigations got spring break. Must be great to work for the school system. At this point I'm just praying that this silly card shows up before next Tuesday so I can work. *sigh* I know I'm all worked up about it. It really bothers me that I can't do anything about this because there's nobody to talk to and fix it. Oh well...

In fiber news- I'm working on a really wonderful shawl. It's lovely :) I gave up my other excursions into lace to work on this. This is much easier to work on. I've actually got about 10" finished. I think I'm going to see if I can't get my hunny to take me out to a nice dinner to celebrate finishing it.