I knit a pair of gloves that don’t match and I’m not sure what to do. They’re made from a yarn with a slow color change, one I tried to counteract by using two balls and alternating every row, but they still came out completely different colors. They’re clearly from the same pattern, but do not look like a pair at all.
Now what?
Unravelling them is out of the question. The fuzzy yarn that I recovered by pulling apart a pair of socks I never wore sticks to itself, making it a pain to unravel. The stickiness also makes it annoying to knit with which is why I’m not excited by the idea of making one more glove in hopes of getting something that is a closer match.
Normally, I don’t worry about having things match exactly. In fact, in all my years of knitting socks, I’ve only made one pair where the stripes are identical, and only because someone else prepared the yarn to make that possible. (Thanks, Sarah!) All the rest of my striped socks go together, but they do not match. Even so, this glove mismatch feels extreme.
Will I wear them anyway? Probably. But I can’t help thinking there must be some way to make it clear that they’re a pair. Perhaps I should add something to them, like a duplicate stitch design on the back, or charms, or buttons. Something.
What will I actually do? I haven’t decided. I’ll probably wear them a few times to see how I like them. Either the fact that they don’t match will grow on me or I’ll find a way to make them look like a set.
But whatever happens, I will not be unraveling them again. I’d felt them and use them as Christmas tree ornaments first.
Do you like your gloves and socks to match? What would you do in my shoes?
Who says they have to be the same colour? There are no rules. Wear them as they are. They’re treasures! So are the socks. What lucky person to have socks knitted for them!
My artistic side totally agrees with you — matching is overrated and unnecessary. But my “I’d-rather-not-be-noticed” self, who tends to dress quite blandly most of the time, is really struggling with the strong contrast between the two gloves. I was convinced that I don’t care about matching, because I have so many handknit socks with stripes that don’t line up across the pair. But in fact, I am apparently more conservative than I realized. Two different colors entirely doesn’t feel quite right for me.
I’m not a matcher when it comes to socks. But I like mitts to at least look like siblings. Is probably drop then in a dye bath.
I hadn’t thought about dyeing them… I’m more inclined to add details that tie them together. Currently leaning towards using what’s left of the yarn to add decorative edges in the opposite colors to get them to go together. (Plus one of the gloves is a little short… if I’m clever, I can get them the same size, too.)
I like them. The colors coordinate and the differences from one glove to the next make for a very eye-catching set. 🙂 Earlier this morning we turned our furnace on. It’s down to the 40’s, and my husband commented that it was time to start getting out the scarves and gloves. I’ve knitted him a lot of scarves and will probably do more this year, so my thought was “Hmmm… about time to go through that yarn stash.”
I think your gloves are gorgeous. I love the colors.
Thank you! We just turned on the heat, too. I’m also feeling the need to make some gear for cold weather. It’s time for hats and gloves… Stay warm and happy knitting.