purl bump

Today is the penultimate design reveal from Warm Hands – a collection of original patterns for mitts, mittens and gloves co-edited by Jeanette Sloan and myself. If you are interested in knitting any of the glorious designs the book contains, I should also mention that it’s the last day to pre-order your copy from the KDD shop at a special shipping-inclusive price. Our book launch is tomorrow (hurrah!), and from then you’ll also be able to purchase the collection as a standalone e-book on Ravelry (those who have preordered will be able to download their complimentary copy of the e-book directly from their Ravelry libraries). Digital is great for knitting from and annotating, but a book is SO much better in the hand, and I can’t overemphasise how much that is the case with this book. All of us who have been involved in this project are completely thrilled with the way Warm Hands looks in print – it really is stunning, with so many bold colours – just what one needs at this time of year.

We’ve more colourful images for you today as we introduce Simone Urban’s wonderful Purl Bump Mitts – which are knitted in a classic navy and neutral combination (Milarrochy Tweed shades hirst and lochan) that really springs to life when styled against an orange smock. I’m a big fan of combining stranded colourwork with texture, and in these fingerless mitts, Simone has accomplished that technique brilliantly. Every purl stitch has its place, every design element has been carefully thought out. Simone’s a mitt-loving knitter from Augsburg, Germany, and here she is to tell you more about herself.

“I manage and coordinate a team of software developers and spend my days in front of my PC or in meetings. I’m one of those people who are very good in ignoring their alarm clock and very talented in forgetting where they parked their car the evening before (never in front of the house). I’m a passionate knitter, and am especially fond of music. I started to play the piano again some years ago after a longer break and I don’t want to miss it any more. Maybe sometime I’ll find a way to combine my two passions – knitting and music – in a creative way. I have no idea what a sonata or cantata might appear when translated into a knitted garment . . . maybe JS Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze would be a good place to start?”

“I knit things because I want to wear them, and a good pair of fingerless gloves is by far my favourite accessory in winter. They keep my hands warm and leave my fingers free to do whatever I want.”

“The roots of my purl bump design lie in a different project in which I’d mixed up different colours with some purl stitches in a rather playful way using no pattern at all. When I took a closer look at what I’d made, I was very pleased by the effect of the purl bumps. I swatched again, and worked things out, and ended up with a very simple and clear geometric pattern which allowed the purl bumps to pop up in an almost three dimensional way.”

“Maybe I was influenced by the potato prints I pinned on the wall above my sofa a few years ago?”

“Or perhaps my colour choice had something to do with this pillow?”

“Who knows?”

“When I learned that my design was chosen for the book (hurrah!) I took the opportunity to improve some details of the original sample. For instance, I changed the thumb placement for a better fit, and I skipped a row in blue between the purl bump pattern and the start of the fingers. I love the end result and hope other knitters feel the same!”

Thankyou, Simone, for your great design – both playful and precise.

Links
Warm Hands book (preorder)
Purl Bump Pattern on Ravelry
Purl Bump yarn pack (another design that can be knitted with just 2 balls of Milarrochy Tweed!)
Join the Warm Hands: New To You knitalong in our Ravelry group.