Bernies mittens

 I have been seeing a word a lot recently on social media that I had not come across before but it is one I found out that does indeed relate to me and what I am able to do. The word in question is bistitchual. Using google to try and find out a bit more, urban dictionary stated that it meant someone who has the ability to create stitches in two crafts eg. knitting and crochet. I was taught to crochet and knit when I was a young child. In knitting I tried to make a scarf using garter stitch but it ended up getting wider and wider but I persevered with it and this passion carried on for many years to come. Crochet however I was taught to do a few basic stitches and the granny square. Despite knowing how I did give up crochet for many years apart from making a couple of baby blankets using a continuous granny square until more recently and knitting took a back seat as I was determined to progress those basic skills that were taught all those years ago.

I work part time in a wool and craft shop and last week we took delivery of a most beautiful soft wool by King Cole. The range in question is called Fjord and its feature is that it is self patterning, in particular fairisle. I wasn’t sure if it would work in crochet but I had seen some lovely examples of makes in the knitting pattern books and thought I would give it a go, after all I was intrigued to see if it would actually give a fairisle effect. 

With a mitten, scarf and hat pattern chosen as well as a couple of balls of wool I was ready to settle down and give it a go. First off was finding out my needles again after being relegated to the side line for so long. I have done many items using a traditional colour work pattern and part of the frustration is using more than one colour at the same time and making sure when switching between them that the yarns are twisted so that no holes appear. This would be different because I would only be using the one ball but unlike the traditional patterns that use a chart I would have no control over the pattern or how it would look beforehand apart from the image on the ball band and in the picture of the finished item. I was anxious that it may not come out exactly as I thought it might. 

Starting with the ball of browns and cream I made a start on the mittens. The pattern was very straightforward to use and you could see quickly how the pattern was starting to emerge the more knitting was done. It was completed using only a few basic skills, stocking stitch, rib, decreases (by knitting two stitches together as well as slipping one and passing the slip stitch over) and making a stitch by picking up the loop in between stitches so it was perfect for someone who was learning and wanted to put together some of these skills. With the first mitten completed it reminded me of the pictures of Bernie Sanders mittens that took the media by storm a few weeks ago. I knew I needed to make the second mitten to match as much as I could as the picture on the front of the pattern showed two different colours, one completely light coloured mitten and one much darker. Luckily I had started from the outside of the ball for the first and upon investigation of the centre I found it to use the same colour as that one I first used. I was really pleased that the second one pretty much matched the first and it looked like I still had half a ball left. Weighing the remaining yarn I found out that I had just over half left so I went on to make another pair. 

I really enjoyed working with this range of yarn from King Cole as it was very soft and didn’t split apart like some yarns can. It was nice to knit again as well although I don’t think that it will overtake my current love of all things crochet. It did also make me smile that this yarn along with the pattern could go a little way to replicate something without all the hassle of different colours and carrying threads behind the work. Oh, and they fit really well which is also a bonus. 

Things that I have learned: a new word that describes those of us that can create stitches using more than one craft; how to make a fairisle effect without using lots of different balls and a chart; that knitting and crochet use different muscles in my hands as some certainly let me know I hadn’t used them for a while due to lack of knitting!

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