Snawpaws - snowflakes and an afterthought thumb

We're having a knit along for Kate Davies' Snawpaws.

(Fiona)  After a distracted start the stranded colourwork was relatively straightforward.  This is my fourth stranded piece (including my sample for our First Steps in Fair Isle workshop) but my first using double pointed needles.

This made it a little bit trickier when holding a colour in each hand.  So I switched between working both continental (picking) and English (throwing) and working both colours with one hand.  This is a bit of a no no as it can change your tension but I didn't think it mattered that much...

For tips on working stranded colours (carrying the unused colour along the back of your work) you can find an excellent video here from Knit Picks which shows this two hand technique as well as how to deal with your floats.  Like the Sheep Carousel I did not weave/wrap my floats.  They are only about 7 stitches at the longest.

After 1 repeat of the chart I had to work the thumb stitches.  This is the first time I've done an afterthought thumb.

An afterthought thumb is great for colourwork as you can carry on your colour pattern on the hand safe in the knowledge you have allocated some stitches for a thumb onto another separate piece of yarn.  These stitches can be turned into a thumb when you've finished the hand bit.

Thus you're not having to create a thumb gusset as well as trying to fit your colour work in too.

stitches knitted on to a piece of waste yarn

then slipped back onto the left hand needle to be knitted again

After marking the thumb stitches I then carried on with the pattern, finishing with some beaded rib.

Now to make a thumb hole!

Kate's pattern is quite clear but I also used Mary Jane Mucklestone's photo tutorial on picking up the stitches.

looking abit tight?

scary looking floats!

thumb hole!

Now to finish with some more beaded rib for the thumb.

Mary Jane Mucklestone also has some tips on closing thumb holes too!