Endpaper Mitts

I've had these mitts finished for a while but haven't gotten photos of them until today.

The pattern is Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang.

The yarn is a no longer available hand paint and cream baby ull.

I love the look and fit of this pattern and the directions are great.  The tubular cast on and cast off give a great finished edge. I know I'll be using both methods again in the future. Heck, I'll probably use this whole pattern again - It is THAT good. I don't usually knit the same pattern more than once.

The hand painted yarn lost a lot of color in the washing but I love the faded blue jeans look that they have now. The original color can be seen here.

In addition to this photography, we attended three music events this weekend. B and D also replumbed the house so that we have water up to the new bath! The room has no fixtures or walls yet, but the water is there!  They worked until 2:30 this morning so that we could have hot water in the rest of the house today. Someone even washed all the dinner dishes before going to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Thanks D.

Nine-to-Five

Also finished this week was the mate to Adele's Nine to Five sock.
Pattern: Nine-to-Five by Nicole Hindes

Yarn: Supersock Select by Cherry Tree Hill 100% Superwash Merino
Color: Moody BluesNeedles: 2.5 mm

The pattern was easy to follow and fits great. I like cable detail that flows down the heel flap.

And look, those are grape hyacinths in the background. Spring is springing!!

Hooked

I got hooked on a new project. I was looking for something in the sewing room last week and found a basket of cotton yarn.

I had been planning to make some potholders, so, I started and then couldn't stop until I had used up the whole basket of yarn.  A couple of these will be going to the kindergarten wing of P's school. When I was there making Little Red Hen Bread with them I noticed that they didn't have any pot holders and I had to use my sweatshirt to carry the hot pan from the oven all way back the to the classroom. Luckily I had another shirt on under it!

Cleaning up the slow way.

Now, if I could just remember what I was looking for when I found that basket of yarn... 

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.

Wordless Wednesday

The Little Deer

I'm just about to sit at the sewing machine and quilt the zinnia quilt. I am so happy with it so far that I want to keep going. First, I thought I'd take a minute and show you the tiny deer ornament that is being mailed with Tia's blocks today. 

Now I am officially caught up on my bee blocks.I'm off to the sewing machine. 

Wordless Wednesday

Quick Knit Boot Socks

Last weekend we went walking in the woods. It was warmish and sunny but there was still a lot of snow on the ground. Miss P kept getting snow down in her boots. She was wearing thin nylon socks that did  not keep her feet warm after they got wet.

I decided that she needed some wool socks that would keep her feet warm even when wet.  She requested socks with cables.

I modified Cable Rib Sock pattern by Erica Alexander found in Favorite Socks 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. The yarn is a hand painted yarn from Briar Rose Fibers that was left over from a baby dress/jumper that I knit for P before she was born.

Miss P enjoyed standing on the table for the photo shoot. 

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. 

Paper Doll Mittens

Last night I finally finished the second of the Paper Doll Mittens. I started the first one on New Years Day and finished it in two days. The second one was a bit more of a chore.I was ALMOST finished when it was time for P's bedtime story. P suggested that she could read a story to me while I finished knitting the tip of the mitten.  I happily agreed.

It wasn't until she got to the chapter introducing the kitten, Mitten, that I realized how fitting her book choice was.

I love the pattern of these mittens but they are a little large for me.

They are the first pair of "Men's Mittens" in the book Selbustrikk. I am a little disappointed that none of the men in my family seem very excited about wearing these. Maybe I shouldn't have named them Paper Doll Mittens...P wishes they fit her. She loves the little paper dolls.

The mittens are knit with baby ull. 

Ladybug Picnic Mittens

Look what I won!! Elinor'sLadybug Picnic Mittens pattern and the yarn to make them from Brown Sheep.

The National Knit Mittens Month group on Ravelry held a random drawing and I won this mitten kit. I am thrilled that my flurry of mitten knitting last month brought me more yarn and a super cute mitten pattern!  I think mittens just may be the new socks.

It seems that stashpact 2011 is working out pretty well for me so far.

Almost Summer Sox

If you are looking for some quick knit socks this pattern is for you.

I really zipped along with this sock. The only problem is that A didn't send me quite enough yarn. She assures me that she has more at her house and can finish the toe.

These are Cookie A's Summer Sox knit with Sockotta by Plymouth yarns. We used size 1.5 needles.  

Sweetheart Socks

I am so happy that A and I have started back with our Two Make a Pair project. Here's the latest pair!

The pattern is Sweetheart Socks by Chrissy Gardener in Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007. We knit them on size 0 needles with Knit Picks Stroll Tweed.

I love all of the different cable designs around the socks.

They were not a quick knit. It was a little tedius to follow the charts and work in a darkish color yarn. Also, this yarn tended to split while knitting the cables. I do love the resulting socks but I'm also glad that I only knit one of them!

And look what I get to knit next, Cookie A's Summer Sox in a fun bright yarn.

Periodic Orbits

I have to tell you that our super cold weather over the weekend did not make me want to sit at my sewing machine which happens to be in the chilliest corner of the house. Instead I wanted to snuggle under a blanket and knit. After finishing several colorwork projects in fingering weight yarn I wanted to knit something quick. So, here you have Karin wristwarmers, knit from a free pattern on ravelry.

The yarn is Q.E.D. from Sanguine Gryphon in the color Periodic Orbits. I had been eyeing the Sanguine Gryphon site for a while. I loved the look of bugga! yarns and that they are named for bugs. Go look at the bugga! page on their website. If you click to see a particular color you will also see a photograph of the bug that inspired the colorway - very fun.

After seeing many beautiful projects knit with Sanguine Gryphon's hand painted yarns on Ravelry I caved and placed an order for some "mutant" yarns back in the fall. It was a grab bag of four different yarn bases that have some sort of flaw. (the flaw in this skein must have been the knot because I found nothing else wrong with it.) The Q.E.D. is super squishy and soft!

My grab bag of yarn also had skeins of bugga!, skinny bugga!, and edios which are all now jumping up and down wanting to be knit. I'll knit up a little more of my "aged" yarn before using another of this new yarn. Remember, if I stick to my stashpact it will be 2012 before I get any NEW yarn. That is unless I knit ALL that I have.

I don't think that will happen.

I also made myself a pair of slippers that are ready to felt. Man, knitting with size 13 needles goes really fast. I sort of had the feeling I was knitting with handles of a couple of garden rakes.

The slipper yarn is Cascade 220 Quatro.

Next up is the second mitten of this mustard and cream pair. Then I'll have made THREE pair of mittens for National Knit Mittens Month!

After that will be another pair of slippers for B. I plan to use up leftover bits of worsted wool on those as part of the stash busting plan. I hope it works out without too many yarn ends to work in.

I hope you are all staying warm (or cool if it's hot where you are) and busy doing things that make you happy.  

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day!I finished my squirrel mittens!How are you celebrating the day?

The Edith Hat

Yay! I am thrilled that I finished the hat for M's girlfriend.

With single digit temperatures predicted for this week I wanted her to be able to wear it.

Knitting the lining out of Misti Alpaca Lace took a little longer than I expected. It is like knitting with a cloud and is so super soft. The extra layer should make for a warmer hat.

M laughed last night when I mentioned that I was knitting with my turbo needles. He has no idea of the technology available to knitters and quilters.

I love the star pattern at the top of the hat! The picot hem edge is pretty nice too.

Yep. I pretty much love this pattern, the Edith Hat. My notes can be found here on Ravelry.

I had mentioned earlier that M was going to design the hat but we tried a few things and the original yarn was too thick for a colorwork pattern that had very much detail. The two of them spent a few hours looking at patterns and projects on Ravelry and decided on this one. The yarns, Knit Picks stroll (lavender), Zitron Trekking (cream), and Misti Alpaca lace (lining) were in my stash.  

Knitting Guts

I understand some of you want to see the recent hat pictures.

The outer hat is knit and blocked.

I will knit a lining out of Misty Alpaca lace.

Needlemania

As much as I enjoy the holiday decorations and glitz there is a certain satisfaction of regaining order to the house when it is all packed away. Yesterday afternoon we packed up the decorations, tossed the tree out the door, and shoveled up the mountains of dropped needles. Even after vacuuming twice there are STILL needles stuck between the floorboards. Maybe 700 lights was a bit much for that tree. We did notice that the needles were still holding on where there were no lights. Hmmm.

Today I have been tidying in the sewing room in an effort to get back to my sewing machine which I am sure has felt neglected for the last month.Oh, and of course I am still knitting. I started a hat!

When I finish the hat I'll go back and knit the right mittens to match the completed lefts.

Stranded colorwork seems to be the theme of the month.

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.