Soon time for handwarmers

My Aunt Dorothy from Inverness, Scotland came for a visit in late summer. She looked in Port Perry for a pair of handwarmers for her daughter Angie, but could not find them. I offered to make a pair from our Handwarmer Family pattern (available free on Ravelry). Angie prefers soft natural colours.

We made the original pattern in Regia DK. It is very simple to knit, with no shaping, often a stumbling block for new knitters. I use my pair to augment store bought stretch gloves. They are great for keeping your hands warm when on the bike.

After freshly knitting a project, I  block it. You can see in the first picture the stocking stitch is a bit curled. I have a favorite ball of fuschia pink cotton yarn - Pinguin Pecadille, from long ago that I use. I baste the two parts, right sides together around the edges with a tapestry needle.

I have a vintage linen tea towel I use for blocking. I wet it under the tap and lay it over the item to be steamed. Over the years, I have used different technologies, but always come back to this simple one. If I were to block a more complex shape like a shawl, I would still use this technique, but also use pins to define the edge shaping. Our well water is mineral rich here on the moraine, not metal pipe friendly, so by using the wet towel, I only need to swipe the bottom of the iron with vinegar to keep it shiny and smooth after the steaming. It is an especially good idea to use a cloth when steaming yarns which include nylon in their composition. Nylon has a very low melting point and will go crispy when it gets touched by a hot metal sole plate.

I gently, but thoroughly stroke the item under the cloth with the iron, no pressure, making steam and enjoying the sizzle sound. The purpose of the steam is to give the knitted yarn a fixed memory of the stitch shape you have made. Unless you cause the item to get hotter in the future, when you launder it for example, the memory you give it today will remain. Bonus for me is the scent of steamy wool and the soft wooly feel of the item after I remove the the cloth to check if each and every stitch is warm.

Here is the cloth away and the handwarmer resting until completely cool. Remove the basting and now it is ready to sew up, admire and put in the post for Angie.

How calm and and smooth the blocked pair look now.