conserving CC yarn on mittens?

hwn222 · 01-19-2009, 06:10 PM

Hi all,
I'm making a solid-color variation of the Tweedy Mittens on Ravelry! I have lots of the MC but want to add a CC in a rectangle or two stripes on the back of the mitten. I want to do this only on the back of the mitten (instead of circling all the way around the hand) because I'm using yarn from a previous project so the mittens match. I only have a little bit of CC left and I'm trying to conserve it! What is the best way to make two stripes or a patch using the least amount of yarn? I know I could just buy another skein but $$ is tight and then I'll have leftovers again. The only colorwork (if you can call it that) that I've done is knitty's Tychus hat, but it doesn't scare me to try new things!

Thanks so much for any suggestions.

MerigoldinWA · 01-20-2009, 12:28 AM

If it was me I'd use a duplicate stitch. That is a sort of embroidery technique that you do when you are all finished that exactly duplicates the knit stitches on the mittens. If they are done in St st.

You could usually do a patch or partial band with intarsia but it is easier to do intarsia in flat work. I'm assuming you are working in the round. It can be done in the round but it trickier. If you happen to be making flat mittens intarsia would work fine, otherwise I would go with the duplicate stitch.

Duplicate stitch is especially easy to do in straight lines but the triangle would work too. If you do stripes do duplicate stitch across one row of stitches and then either break the yarn and go back to where you started and duplicate stitch over another row as many times as you want. Or I think you can do one row and then turn the work upside down and do another row working back that way. Experiment on a swatch before you begin.

Added: I was looking at a look about duplicate stitch the other day and it didn't say anything about turning the work upside down to do another row, but said just to work that row backwards. Like usually you do the first row right to left (if you are right handed), do the second row from left to right.