Help me, knitting, you're my only hope

[onlysmallwings]

Well, maybe not my only hope, but you're my first and best shot.

A friend of mine went to Dublin for work recently and brought home a present of ~250 yards (3 50g balls) of yarn for me! :D It's Studio Donegal Aran Tweed in the Olive colorway.

I have no idea what to make of this. I've never actually made something for myself. And I have two scarves on needles at the moment that are presents. (Only one has a deadline. The other is for a very patient friend.)

I was considering fingerless gloves, but the yarn is wool. I'm not sure how itchy that's going to be. So, suggestions?

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

What about a hat? Hurricane hat (free on Rav) is pretty awesome and very easy. Won't use all your wool, but neither would gloves (I have a pair of woollen gloves and find them very cosy, but it depends on your personal preference, I suppose).

[onlysmallwings]

I've been looking at that. :)

[rhianoran]

Maybe make a bag? You could use up all the yarn that way easy, and then you wouldn't have to worry about it being scratchy on your skin like gloves would probably be, plus it's going to be summer soon. I think there are ways to treat wool to make it softer, but I don't use wool very often.

[onlysmallwings]

I hadn't actually thought about a bag. /o\ Thanks!

[hellkitty]

The lazy person's answer is: swatch. Knit a small square. Tuck it inside your bra or under a bra strap and find out how itchy it is.

If it is itchy, I second a nice bag or a nice cowl? I wear cowls over shirts so they don't actually contact my skin but are oh so warm and awesome!

[onlysmallwings]

I think I'll have to knit a swatch. I really want fingerless gloves, but I also really want this yarn to be something I actually use. :)

[indeliblesasha]

I also recommend a hat! But my favorite is Kami. I made one out of Knitpicks City Tweed Aran for my brother, on US8 needles. It was so divine. It probably won't use all your yarn either, because I didn't use even a whole ball of the City Tweed. (And then you can use the leftovers for Just Enough mitts to match.)

Also I just used another ball of the City Tweed in blue to make myself a Better Bucket hat. I used US5 needles and used exactly the entire ball, I had just enough to weave in my ends. (But I cut it really close and got creative in the decreases when I realized I was running out.) If you scroll through the projects you'll find some modifications that will require more yarn, and might be perfect for the amount you have. (I am planning to use the rest of the ball from my brother's hat to make an icord to add to my hat. His was done in brown, and I think it's going to look super cute.)

You can also make a bag, or a purse, or some slippers, or some leg warmers, or some lacy cuffs, or a different kind of hat. (not all of those patterns are free, but I figured the inspiration might help. :)

This is one of my favorite patterns, Abalone. It's free and super easy to customize. Without knowing your size I don't know if you have enough, but I do know that the garter edging winds up using more than the body in many cases, so you could do the body in your tweed, and then edge it in something complimentary. (Or do stripes, which is what I did.)

Hope that gives you some ideas!

[onlysmallwings]

Holy crap, that's a lot of links! :D Thanks!

I never even thought about slippers. Perhaps if the gloves don't work out. (I'm really hopeful for the gloves, can you tell?)

Thanks again!

[eruanna]

Yay, making something nice for yourself! :) Happy knitting and, um, may the force be with you! ;)

I've made both fingerless mitts and mittens from 100% wool and love them. I don't find them itchy, and they are so much warmer than those I've made with synthetic blends. But if you have a sensitivity or allergy to wool, you could pick something that won't be worn directly in contact with your skin.

You could check Ravelry for what projects others have made from that yarn, and their comments. There are quite a few lovely mittens and gloves on the projects tab for that yarn. Maybe you'll find a few ideas there to inspire you. :)

[onlysmallwings]

We'll see how the swatch goes, but I really want gloves. Let's hope I'm not itchy! :D

As for Ravelry, it's great, but sometimes it's like drinking from a fire hose. I needed to narrow things down from 'knit All The Things!' to 'perhaps this or that.' I love Ravelry, but I was overwhelmed by too many options.

[inoru_no_hoshi]

Icon love! :D

[eruanna]

Thank you! :)

[inoru_no_hoshi]

In my experience, the itchiness of the wool really depends on what type of wool it is. For instance, merino and cashmere wools are both gloriously soft and warm, probably because they tend towards longer, finer fibers than most sheep. Things that are just labeled as "wool" tend to be from coarser-haired wools, which are more likely to be itchy. But, there is some leeway! *g* (Helpful, I know. :P)

I second the knit-a-swatch-and-see approach, although if it's coarse to, say, just petting or skooshing slightly, I wouldn't want gloves made out of it. *shrug*

You seem to have plenty of links to be getting on with, so I'll just wander off instead of going to frolic on Ravelry... :D

[racerxmachina]

The itchiest wools can sometimes be tamed by hand washing them with a wool wash, or, ghetto style, baby shampoo and conditioner. Wash the wool in the skein before you knit your main project, and it won't thrash your hands as much, too.

There's about 300 projects on Ravelry in this yarn. I'm pretty sure they'll describe how it feels to work with:
http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/studio-donegal-donegal-aran-tweed/projects