Staying warm

Aren't these pretty? They're knitting needles topped with beads - Beadles, they're called. I'm obsessed with beautiful handmade tools and would order these in several sizes if I thought I could be assured of getting some cool ones, but I have a personal ban on spending money on anything that says "let us choose a color for you." Nine times out of ten, I will be dissatisfied with their choice – and I can see a couple in this bucket of Beadles that I would not be pleased to own.

Cool idea, though – possibly something I could make for myself! Right now everything I'm knitting is in the round, though, so I'm sticking with plain old bamboo double-pointed needles – no colored beads, fancy carved ends or decoration of any kind, other than the number stamped on each one. I'm making arm-warmers and fingerless gloves, a couple of different kinds in a couple of different yarns, after trying on a pair belonging to a friend at work and finding them to be incredibly effective at, well, warming my arms. My whole body felt warmer while wearing them, in fact, and I've since discovered that this is an article of clothing that used to be part of every working person's winter wardrobe for this very reason. Unlike gloves, these leave your fingers free to work, work, work – work to the bone in the freezing cold – work until they bleed and fall off, leaving crimson splashes in the snow ....

Rather than knitting according to a pattern, I'm inventing my own on these, which I will post along with a picture as soon as I finish figuring out what I'm doing. The first pair was easy – just a couple of long tubes. Then I decided to do a pair with thumbs, and I've had to rip out my work three or four times and start over after realizing that the stripes were not going the way I wanted them to. I think I've finally got it together now, though. All that's left is to finish the first one, wash, block, measure and adjust, and then knit the second one in its exact mirror image. And then the magical finishing touch that makes all the difference when you're wearing something to keep warm and not just because it's pretty: I'm going to line them in minky fleece. I know it's all polyester, but I can't help loving that stuff! It's just so ... minky. Minky soft. And warm.

I found this page of links to free knitting patterns, including one for these ruffly Victorian style wrist warmers that I will be playing with after the holidays. Looking at the picture again, though, I can see already that I'm not going to be able to stick with the pattern – I think I will need to make them come down a little farther onto the hand, and add a lightweight tube inside with a hole to stick my thumb through, so that the palms and backs of my hands will be covered as well as my wrists. I'm not so sure I like the way the ribbing is finished on the wrist part, either ... looks like it would kind of bulk up under your sleeve.

Usually when I make things like this I end up doing at least two pairs – the first in which I make (and attempt to correct) all the mistakes but soldier on to completion just because I'm kind of stubborn that way, and the second, which is usually perfect. I'm not making any promises as to the timing of all this ... and it may be next winter or even later before I actually deliver ... but if anyone is interested in having the first pair of these after I finish them, just let me know how to reach you and they're yours. Of course, you'll have to let me choose the color for you.