River's Gloves - Knitting Pattern

I made these as an accompaniment to the River's Diary pattern I posted not long ago. Subtle Doctor Who references are embroidered on the back of the hand. The cuff is modeled on River's Diary, with sixteen panels encircling the wrist. This is meant to be the first in a slate of Doctor Who inspired glove patterns, so stay tuned for more.

Instructions

CO 30 sts and arrange evenly onto 3 needles. Join in the round, being careful not to twist. Now, follow either the chart or the written instructions.

Chart

Cuff

Round 1-2: k all

Round 3: [k2, p13] twice

Round 4: [k2, p1, k11, p1] twice

Round 5: [k2, p1, k1, p9, k1, p1] twice

Round 6: [k2, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1] twice

Round 7-9: As round 6 (3 rounds)

Repeat rounds 5-9 three more times, until you have sixteen panels.

Round 25: [k2, p1, k1, p9, k1, p1] twice

Round 26: [k2, p1, k11, p1] twice

Round 27: [k2, p13] twice

Glove

Round 1-2: K all

Round 3: k15, place marker, m1, k2, m1, place marker, k to end (32)

Round 4-6: k all (3 rounds)

Round 7: k15, slip marker, m1, k to marker, m1, slip marker, k to end (34)

Repeat rounds 4-7 twice more, until you have 38 stitches on your needles.

Round 16-23: k all (8 rounds)

Round 24: k to first marker, remove marker, k1, place next 8 sts on holder, k1, remove marker, k to end.

Round 25-35: k all (10 rounds)

Round 36: p all

BO loosely

Thumb

Pick up the stitches on your holder and join in the yarn.

Round 1: k8, pick up and k 2 sts.

Round 2-7: k all (6 rounds)

Round 8: p all

BO loosely

Finishing

Weave in the ends, making sure to close up any holes around the thumb. Take a length of white yarn and a tapestry needle and embroider words on the back of the glove. On one glove, put the words ‘Hello sweetie XO’. On the other, put ‘Spoilers’. Weave in these ends to the white yarn on the inside of the glove. Voila, you’re done!

As always, I do have a PDF version of the pattern. Happy knitting!

The Master Writing Tip

There was something I forgot to tell you guys two posts ago. It's something I forgot that I needed to follow, but has been driven home by last night spent procrastinating. It's something I don't really have trouble with, but others of you might not like. It's the perfect way to find some time in the evenings to put fingers to keyboards or pens to paper. It's simple. Three words.

Stop watching TV.

Now, I don't mean stop watching TV period. You can still turn it on once a week to watch your favourite show. But turning the box on every single night leaves you zero hours to do work on your novel. This is something I learned by accident when I participated in NaNoWriMo and very quickly gave up on this pastime. It's possible, trust me, and you don't really lose anything.

Anyway, TV is for unimaginative people. What's wrong with sitting down and reading a book. Do you need to watch reruns of QI? Is it imperative that you see this cooking show, though you may never look at or think about the recipes ever again? I think not. So put some time aside, and leave the box in its corner. Your inner writer will thank you for it.

River's Diary Knitting Pattern

First off, a disclaimer. I do not own this pattern. It was thought up by hells456 and never charted, so I did in service to the Whovian community and so that I can knit it up myself. It hasn't been tested yet, because I have other projects to finish, but there shouldn't be too many bugs. It's a very simple pattern. A worsted weight yarn should do the trick (I'm really just guessing here. Take care to adjust your needle size and gauge for whatever you're making a cover for). Here's what I'm basing it off:

River Song's Diary by hells456

OK then, now that that's cleared up, on to the pattern itself. I have it in three versions. The first is a knitting chart for those who abhor written patterns. Then I have instructions for working a flat panel. Finally, I have written in-the-round instructions for a no-seaming version of the pattern. Here goes:

Chart:

Following the chart, knit first the first 6 rows, then rows 7-22 four times, and finally rows 23-30.

Grey: purl on RS, knit on WS

White: knit on RS, purl on WS

Written Instructions - flat panel:

CO 38 sts. Starting with a knit row, work 5 rows in stockinette stitch.

Row 6 (WS): [p2, k16] twice, p2.

Row 7 (RS): [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Row 8 (WS): [p2, k1, p14, k1] twice, p2.

Row 9: [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Row 10: [p2, k1, p2, k1, p8, k1, p2, k1] twice, p2.

Row 11: [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Repeat rows 10 and 11 five more times.

Row 22 (WS): [p2, k1, p2, k10, p2, k1] twice, p2.

Repeat rows 7-22 three more times, until you have eight panels.

Row 23 (RS): [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Row 24 (WS): [p2, k1, p14, k1] twice, p2.

Row 25: [k2, p16] twice, k2.

Row 26: k all.

Work the last four rows in stockinette stitch. BO all sts. Make two of these.

Seaming: place the right sides of the panels facing one another and sew the two long edges and one short edge together. Turn inside out and you’re done!

Written Instructions - in the round:

Using a sock cast on, CO 38 pairs of sts (76). Begin working in the round. Starting with a knit row, work 5 rounds in stockinette stitch.

Round 6: [k2, p16] twice, k4, [k2, p16] twice, k2.

Round 7: [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Round 8: Work as round 7.

Round 9: [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Round 10: [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Round 11: Work as round 10.

Repeat rounds 10 and 11 five more times.

Round 22: Work as round 9.

Repeat rounds 7-22 three more times, until you have sixteen panels.

Round 23-24: work as round 7.

Round 25: work as round 6.

Round 26-30: k all (5 rounds).

BO all sts.

Happy knitting, Whovians. I also have a PDF version of the pattern available, if you want to save it on your computer. May the Doctor some day fly you away.

Eight Writing Tips

I've been slack, I know. University and all that. When you are at uni, you quickly learn to prioritise things. I'm sad to say my priorities run this way: uni>novel>blog. Sorry. Anyways, here's another post so I don't feel like a total slacker. I've gotten to thinking about what makes people good writers, having recently entered a writing competition and reaching the end of my novel. So, here are my thoughts on the matter, in the form of writing tips.

1. Finish things. This is the first on the list because it also happens to be the most difficult to follow. Are you one of those people who has thousands of incomplete novels sitting on their hard drive? Pick one you like, and complete it.
2. No editing allowed. Yes, half of what you write will be rubbish the first time around, but write it anyway. As someone once said, 'you can't edit what you haven't written'.
3. Go with gut instinct. You may be the most meticulous planner in the universe, but if you come up with a plot twist while you're writing, implement it, for heaven's sake! Always be open to changes to your original plot. It can only be made better by your edits.
4. Develop your writing style. By this, I mean you shouldn't try to copy other people's writing. It will sound shallow. Write things; small things, silly things, stupid things, until you are comfortable with the way your words come out.
5. Set yourself a daily target. Writing a little every day can have a more positive impact on your quality of writing and your writing habits than anything else. Make yourself a spreadsheet if you like to track your progress. Remember, every little bit that you write contributes to your novel.
6. Be realistic. A novel is not written in one sitting. Hell, even a short story takes lots of editing. Keep in mind that it won't appear over night.
7. Read a lot. I'll tell you a little secret about inspiration. Inspiration comes from all of the little things you've read and done and experienced, mushed up in your brain and spat back out as original ideas.
8. Have fun! This is the most important thing. If you're not writing because you're enjoying it, your writing will have no soul.

This is all I can think of at the moment. I may update this list later when I have time. Until then, happy writing! May your fingers never falter.