Irish hiking wristwarmers

Photos by Savannah.

As someone who grew up as a New Englander with more traditional, classic tastes, I just love cables and when I saw this pattern, I knew I had to knit it. The fact that the pattern is offered for free, was the icing on the cake. They are named the Irish Hiking Scarf Armwarmers, because there is a scarf and hat pattern that match, but I find they warm my wrists and hands better than my arms.

I used my new favorite yarn, Debbie Bliss Rialto DK. It is a machine washable, 100% merino wool yarn that is forgiving and has excellent stitch definition. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but knowing how well most cables with ribbing stretch, I was pretty sure I could get away with a DK weight yarn and size 5 needles. This time I was right, it stretches nicely but holds its shape and isn't too bulky.

The camel color is more me and looks nice under my more traditional styled sweaters. I like them enough that I'm considering knitting a pair in black too. I'm finding them useful for the seasons in which the weather is changing, fall and spring when the mornings and evenings are cool but the days are warm. No more ice cold steering wheel, what's not to love?