Last week, when the temperatures dropped, our boiler could not keep up and the indoor temperature dropped too. My hands got quite cold as I was knitting M's mittens.As soon as I finished M's project I cast on a pair of fingerless mitts for myself. I am hoping that I'll be able to wear them while working in the sewing room this winter.
These were a really fast knit with only 36 stitches per round. I used two strands of Misty Alpaca sport on size 6 needles.
I like the way the thumb gusset increases branch from a single line on the side of the thumb.
The pattern is, Karin, a free download on Ravelry. This is actually my second pair of mitts from this pattern, the first can be seen here.I mentioned yesterday that I'm challenging myself to use my stash this year. I started a flickr album for my 100 projects so it will be easy for me to see my progress. Already there are 8 finished projects!Next up, basic crew socks for B, stash busting project 9.If you want to join in on Instagram we are using the hashtag #stash100.
Super Soft Alpaca
I have really been enjoying knitting the last couple of weeks. First I was in a frantic flurry knitting Christmas gifts for the kids. Then there was the after Christmas knitting added to that. Then came the envy knitting for the family members who wanted something like I had made for other members in the family.This week was mostly spent working on finishing the lined, felted mittens for M.
The outer mittens were knit with one strand of Misti Alpaca lace weight and one strand of an alpaca yarn for which I no longer had the label. I had the yarn in two colorways, a brown and a grey and had used it for sweaters for the boys more than 10 years ago. Miss P is almost big enough to wear the smaller of the sweaters.
But, oh my, this yarn is SO soft. When I first gave the boys their sweaters, Mr M wore his EVERY DAY of winter break that year.
If these mittens were mine, they'd double as mittens and scarf because I don't think I'd be able to keep them away from my face.
They are THAT soft.
The linings are knit from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino on size 4 needles. Since they will be inside the felted mittens I was able to use up some odd leftovers of this yarn. The cuffs are both knit with black but after the cuffs I used up whatever small bits of baby cashmerino were left from other projects.It always feels good to use up leftover bits of yarn.Actually, I've been having a conversation on Instagram with a few others about a yarn/fabric stash busting project. It's been ages since I've actually bought any yarn but mostly that's because I have been too focused on quilting projects. This week, in trying to find the outgrown alpaca sweaters, which I actually had stored in the deep freezer in the basement, I dug out most of my yarn stash and now it's in a big pile in the living room. Some of it has been out of sight for so long it's as if it's new to me again. I've taken a quick inventory and will challenge myself to make 100 projects without purchasing any more yarn/fabric. I will allow myself to purchase items needed to complete a project but want to work mainly from my stash. I'm going to count my recent knits in December which makes this pair of mittens Stash Project 7.And here is a start on Stash Project 8, alpaca fingerless mitts for myself.
A Few of My Favorite Things - Warm Woolen Mittens
Ladybug Picnic Mittens
You may remember this project from last winter...
I won the pattern and yarn in a mitten group on Ravelry last year. Adele and I knit them for our two make a pair project.With most of our projects our guages have turned out to be the same. With these mittens, one came out tall and thin and the other shorter and wide. Hmmmm.
Not sure what happened there but we decided to go ahead and each make mates for the first that we knit. So, this time two make TWO pair.The pattern is Ladybug Picnic Mittens by Elinor Brown. The yarn is Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport.I love the little braid around the cuff.
After knitting so many mittens in 2011 I have learned a bit more about what I like and don't like in a mitten.I like thumbs with a gusset and long cuffs that are snug to the wrist like these two. But these are probably not as warm as needed in our cold winters. (even if they weren't fingerless)I like fun colorwork designs like the ladybugs, and these two pair. The stranded work mittens are a little warmer with the extra yarn carried on the back.The warmest mittens I have made are these double layer felted mittens.The knitting continues. If I find the perfect balance of thumb and cuff design, fun pattern, and warmth I'll let you know.Here's one last photo of the ladybugs. My little photo assistant said I needed a butterfly hand shot. So here ya go.
Warming Gifts
Here's the hat I knit for M for Christmas! He chose the pattern, Northern Lights, and blue and yellow (U of M colors) wool from my stash for the main colors. He told me to surprise him with the other colors. I ended up starting this about four times before getting it right. I cursed it for a while but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I'll also have to check what happened there where it looks like there is an orange stitch that should be green.... I didn't notice that until I was just looking at the picture on the screen. I'll have to duplicate stitch over it in green. I must have been half asleep while knitting that part. Heck, I think I was half asleep while knitting the whole thing.The rest of my holiday gift making was rather mundane like crew socks for the members of the family who wear sandals all winter. Other gifts were knit and shared earlier in the year - potholders, mitts, and mittens. Oh, and I did photo calendars for the family again this year too.
Paris in Fall
I've been waiting to share these mittens with you! I made them for my sister for her birthday. She has them now so I can share.
When I first saw this pattern, Paris Mittens by Andrea Arbour, on Ravelry I thought it would be perfect for her. I like that the two mittens are a little different.
I mostly followed the pattern but changed the closure at the fingertip. The pattern had the black garter stitch strip going across the tip of the mitten. I tried that but the black and white pulled apart where the two colors joined. I went with a grafted close and was a bit happier with the result.I knit these with baby ull on size 0 needles.
I'm working on another stranded project now, a pair of socks also using a fine black yarn. My plan is to knit up all of my black yarn before my eyesight gets any worse. It is so hard to see the stitches in black yarn. Oh, to be young with excellent eyesight...
Lavender Quinault
This week I got a package from A that had the second of these fingerless mitts.The pattern for these is Quinault by Marjorie Walter. It was an easy to memorize pattern for elegant looking mitts. I love the braided look to the ribbing and plan to make a pair of socks with the same rib pattern.The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll in color Twinkle Heather. It is really soft after blocking. I think these mitts turned out really great. Thanks A.I've started on the second of a pair of socks for her. I'll let you know when that is finished.
Little Things
I seem to make more knitting progress on little things. I finished one of the ladybug picnic mittens.
And I'm more than halfway through a new pair of socks for B. With my new nine inch circular needles I can knit MUCH faster. I knit the entire foot of this sock during the high school orchestra concert last night! I also didn't have to worry about dropping a needle in the dark.
Socks and mittens are easy, comfortable knitting projects for me these days. I know what to expect and I like knowing that the finished project will fit and be worn.Sweater knitting is another story. I am afraid this sweater is in danger of entering the black hole of unfinished sweaters. I love the yarn; I love knitting with the yarn.
I don't love the uncertainty.Will it fit?Will I have enough yarn?Should I order more and start alternating skeins so the join will not be obvious?If I order more then I will have lots left over and what will I do with that?Should I go ahead with what I have and frog it if I run out?I want to make different style sleeves than in the pattern but what style do I make?So, there it sits, taunting me while I work on smaller more predictable projects.
Movie Night
Movie night means more than just watching a movie. To me it means popcorn, knitting AND a movie!Some of us here really like our popcorn. I have been loyal to one national brand for a really long time. A few weeks ago, however, I saw some RED popcorn in our store. In addition to being red it was also locally grown so I had to give it a try. Am I glad I did? You bet! It has a much better taste; it actually tastes like CORN!Yesterday we tried their white popcorn. This popped even better and had a great corny taste.
There's another reason to support local - it might even be better. This is!Oh, and the knitting.I finished some socks for B. They are basic men's crew socks made from Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn.
I also started some fingerless mitts. I love this pattern. It is an easy to memorize rib pattern that I can even manage during an action/suspense film!
The mitts are from the leftover yarn from this hat.
National Knit Mittens Month
For those of you who are not aware - January is National Knit Mittens Month. I have gotten off to a good start. I love the little people on the cuff and thumb of this one.
I knit furiously this weekend and finished the left mitten Sunday afternoon. The pattern book only had a chart for the left mitten, and not wanting to suffer the confusion of knitting the pattern backwards I quickly started another project that has been on my knit list, the squirrel sampler mittens.
Again I am using yarn from my stash. The black yarn is Garnstudio's Baby-Ull and the tan is a vintage baby wool by Bear Brand.B was able to make a reverse copy of the "paper doll" mitten chart so now I'll be able to more easily make the right mitten of the first pair. I'll have to wait until I finish the squirrels though because they use the the same needles.It is fun to get some of the smaller projects on my knit list made. Sometimes I wish I had more arms so that I could work on more projects.
Super Warm Pink Mittens - the experiment
Two years ago I made P matching mittens, hat, and a scarf. They are getting a bit small but she has been wearing them this winter. The mittens never were very warm for her so I have been thinking about how to make warmer mittens that will be good for playing in the snow.My plan was to make lined mittens but to make the outer mitten felted. I used Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino for the inner mitten and made it to fit her hand first. I started with a provisional cast on so that I could start knitting the outer mitten from there.
I knit the outer mitten larger, about the size of my hand, on larger needles but with the same number of stitches using Jaeger spiral spun frogged from a project my neighbor started years ago and said she would never finish. The preknit yarn that I didn't take the time to steam before using gives the knitting a bit of a textured look but I didn't worry about it because I knew it would look completely different after the felting anyway.The inner mitten yarn is 30 percent microfiber and will not felt.
P wants to make sure you see the Christmas tree made by the space between her hands in the picture below.
After a bit of squishing them around in hot water in the sink we have finished mittens! The end result is a more weather proof outer mitten with a soft inner mitten next to the skin.
I hear they kept her hands warm on the playground at preschool today.
I just love when this kind of experiment works out.Now B says he wants a pair...A crafter's work is never done.
