Mismatched Mitts

My friend Mary in North Carolina works in a very cold office in a UU church. She asked if I could make her a pair of mitts after she saw the pair I made Leigh for Christmas. She said it could be wild colors, since UUs love her tie dye. So, I found the balls of Poems yarn I had been trying to make a vest out of (it was coming out way to small BEFORE I gained my recent pounds). Since this yarn changes colors, I figured I better not use cables, so I made the trusty pattern linked right here in this blog. The first one came out quite nice, as this blurry photo taken in the RV shows.

First Mitt

As I made the second one, I realized it was going to bear very little resemblance to the first one, in color. I seriously considered making another mitt from a second ball of yarn, but then I asked people on Facebook, and they began to say not to worry--mismatched is cool now.

I asked Mary, and her daughter seconded that opinion. So, here's the second one.

Second Mitt

They came out quite warm, though I think they'd have been warmer if I put in a gusset. Maybe next time I make this pattern I will  do that.

I sent the finished ones off to her a couple of days ago. I sure hope she likes the sophisticated mismatched effect!

Both mitts, in focus, and a view of the wine fridge

I decided I liked the self striping stuff again, so I got two balls of yarn at Hill Country Weavers when my old knitting friend Jody came to visit, one a semi-solid and one really nice stripes in the colors of rocks. This yarn is from Knitwhits, called Freia sport. I love it--single ply, hand-dyed wool.

I started one of those easy K1P1 scarves with this yarn, since I need something very easy to knit during 6 weeks of choral rehearsals coming up. So far it is red and gray, but the gray will be changing!

Very simple scarf in very  nice yarn

It was really fun to go shopping with Jody again. She is quite the enabler. She was intent on getting Jared Flood yarn, while I wandered around trying to not buy stuff. However, when I saw this one ball of yarn, it just had to go home with me. It looks like it is liquid metal--a very cool roving surrounded by a mesh. I believe the shade I got is silver with red mesh, but it looks purple. This stuff is absolutely amazing. It weighs practically nothing. It's Sublime Yarns Lustrous Extra Fine Merino Wool DK and wow, it is most unique.

I had just gotten the Vampire Knits book by Kathy Pendry on my Kindle and remembered there were cabled mitts in there. I wanted a pair after making Leigh's. In between the vampire trivia and famous vampire quizzes (quite the snooze for me), there are some rather nice patterns. My only complaint about these "pulse warmers" is not in the actual product, but that there are no charts for the cable pattern. It would have been easier to knit fast with a chart. Also, it was knitted flat. Ick.I did a fine job mattress stitching the first one together, but I sure would rather make them in the round.

Here are a couple of photos of the yarn and the finished first mitt. Still working on the second one.

Yarn and project. You can't see how slinky and shiny this stuff is

This is a little overly flashed, but you can see it looks a little metallic. 

The yarn looks somewhat between these two images.I have some yarn and another knitted item I did not make to show you, so I will try to blog again tomorrow. Oh sure, two posts in two days???

Louisa Harding and Suna

Louisa Harding and Suna
Originally uploaded by sunasak

So, finally here's a photo of my brush with fame at the LYS. This is me and Louisa Harding, from when she visited here and did a little workshop last month (and I carry my sock in progress in the bag I made there, every day). I am wearing my Shiny Green Sweater.

I am so glad that Sarah, the LYS owner's daughter, finally got around to sending me these photos, because I was woefully disappointed in how the sweater looked in the earlier pictures I posted. It's not THAT ugly, honest! I still haven't re-blocked it, but I will one of these days, now that the frenzy of home improvement projects has ended. I hope you enjoy these slightly better pix!

I even managed to sort all my loose knitting instructions, Internet printouts and small project booklets by topic and filed them neatly into binders, all set in a lovely basket in our new media room. I had to use the biggest binder for the sock patterns. It's obvious where my love lies. Lace items came in second (I have more books of that, I think).

My next project will be to find all the patterns I have written up, make them PDF and post them here on the blog. I have sold some copies on the Internet and at the LYS, but none of them are so fancy that I feel the need to make a profit from them. They are just fun things I made and want to share. So, look for them in a sidebar near you, and soon!

In knitting progress, I started Glacier Lake sock #2 and am almost to the start of the gusset. I figure I will get a bit of that done at Chicks with Sticks tonight, and be ready for the next sock...I mean, ready to get back to other projects this weekend!

Shiny Green Sweater, Slightly Better

Shiny Green Sweater
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I'd been promising a better photo of the Shiny Green Sweater I finished a few weeks ago, but the one that a friend took last week still hasn't been sent to me. So, I took one for myself, in the bathroom mirror. I'd hoped the "special undergarment" I bought would look nice, but nope. I think I will get either a solid black or solid white 3/4 sleeve shirt to wear under it.

It's all wrinkled because I hadn't folded it well. I think when I am all settled from home improvements and travel in a week or two, I will reblock this, and see if I can get it to be more the size it was when it came off the needles--the sleeves hugged my arm, and the bottom hugged my hips. I think in trying to make sure the lace was well blocked, the rest stretched out.

Live and learn, only this is live and learn on expensive yarn!

In other progress, I began a cable rib top to my sock, only to find that the cable I was using made the sock not put-on-able. So, 2x2 rib it is. A nice, wearable sock. And this way I can zoom through sock #2 in planes, cars and airports, and try something fun for the next pair. One of the new ones in Knitty maybe.

As for my hair. Well, I got it re-colored yesterday and allowed my new hairdresser to put me in rollers and "set" it. I ended up looking a bit like Tammy Wynette. This photo is after it calmed down considerably. I must say it is silky and smooth.

Starting Over--the Knitter's Nemesis

blossom3
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Even though this is a small image, I'm posting this picture of a very funky Fiber Trends Bathtime Blossom washcloth pattern, because I was happy to see it came in at the LYS finally (I got this in the not-as-LYS down south). I think it's called Katia? Anyway, it's fairly thick, very soft yet sturdy cotton that comes in some really interesting colors, including one that looks somewhat like the color scheme to the room I am redecorating right now. So, if you live north of Austin, Texas, drop by to see this yarn!

I got about three inches into my Juliet sweater yesterday, when I saw a flaw in my garter stitching and began to unravel one stitch down to fix it. At that point I LOOKED at my garter stitching. Hmm. Then I measured it. Everyone at my house got a real chuckle when I came up with 47 inches around. It was supposed to be 40 (second smallest size in the pattern). I swear, I did get gauge on my swatch!

So, I got one size smaller needles (down to us 4 now I think) and cast on the number of stitches for the small size. That got me a 40" rectangle. Hmph. I sure do init nice-n-loose in garter stitch. So I guess I'll knit the stitch count of the small size, but make the height a little taller if there are any differences in that are. I want this thing to not be a beach towel when I am done.

So, even an experienced knitter doing plain garter stitch can end up having to start over! But, it's all in the process.

My beloved did take a photo of Slimy Green Sweater with his phone. But it's a new phone and it took a long time to figure out how to get the photo off the phone. Sigh. If I hadn't spent so much on home improvement supplies this weekend, I'd just have gone and gotten a medium-quality digital camera this weekend! (We let the kids take the old and a little klunky one on their trip to Ireland with their dad.) Anyway, this picture is AWFUL! I look tired (I am) and my hair is wet, plus the sweater looks lumpy. We'll try again. And when I get home I will at least edit the eerie blue light out of this one.

Quick Completion Alert!

Woo hoo, I finished Slimy Green Sweater yesterday and tried it on at the yarn store to universal praise. At home I neatly mattress stitched the armholes and got the loose ends taken care of, then blocked it. I didn't use pins, just arranged it on the handy new sweater dryer we discovered (AKA a baby gate we are not using to block dogs any more). I think that will really cut the drying time, because the sweater was pretty damp when I laid it out. Of course it looks really BIG while blocking, but the part I blocked before went down to normal size once I picked it up, so I assume this will too.

I can't wait to show you what it looks like! It is so shiny, green and lacy! And flattering!

I started on Juliet from the Debby Bliss Rialto book. What do I do first on it? Knit a beginning knitter rectangle: a big old hunk of garter stitch. I must admit it feels soothing to knit plain on lovely off-white yarn that is soft merino wool that does not split, slip around, bunch up or otherwise cause challenges. It just knits. This is a very simple short-sleeve sweater that has one button in the front. I think it will be great for wear at work, where it's very chilly, with a nice colorful tank or tee under it. And of course, I will be back to the Rosebud shawl now, too!

Still Here, Still Knitting

redsweater
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I didn't post much this week because I have been feeling sick and didn't have much energy to do much other than sit and...knit (of course!). I only have ten more lace rounds on the Slimy...er...Shiny Green Sweater, then a ribbed edge and that one will be done! So, look for a photo this weekend, I hope (we ARE doing a lot of home improvements to our "new" media room this weekend, so I may not knit much, but I will finally have a knitting corner again, so my stash will look pretty). I have enjoyed doing the lace section of this sweater immensely--it has completely made up for the less-than-fun boring stockinette sleeves and body.

PHOTO: Ooh, I found the Rebecca Magazine site and here is a link to the page with a photo of Slimy Green Sweater. It is the first one on the left. Imagine it in grass green.

Today's photo is the sweater I am wearing today, only it looks a lot better on me today, with reddish hair and about 15 fewer pounds. Thank goodness for all that exercise and dieting of the past year and a half!

The sweater is one we had a sample of in the LYS, but in a black cotton. I made it in March 2006 with Gedifra TopSoft, which is a microfiber blend that feels really nice and soft, but, sigh, snags if you look at it funny (like Slimy Green will). It's a Berocco pattern and I have to say is a WEIRD one. The decorative eyelet and cable edgings to the neck, side vents and sleeve (insertion) were really not fun to knit--very counter-intuitive, but they look neat and interesting on the finished product.

Another not -fun aspect was way too much boring plain knitting than I like, plus not being circular (I must note that my seams are beautiful, though I did a couple of them more than once to get them perfect.) I made the arms a little longer than the ones in the instructions. Note to self: don't do that again. The arms hit an inch below my elbow, which makes the sleeves curl up.

Nonetheless, I enjoy wearing this one a lot. Today I have a black tank top under it, and my strapless bra so I won't be so concerned about it sliding off my shoulders. I need to get little snaps or something to keep it up. But, I won't.

Another thing about this one is that, at list price, it would have cost over $100 to make! I am thankful for a discount AND the generosity of the people who gave me a gift certificate for my birthday that allowed me to get it as a gift! The moment I got the certificate, I ran over and grabbed my balls of yarn--I knew what I wanted!

Shiny Top in Progress

Shiny Top in Progress
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

Here's the other thing I am currently working on. When this extremly "grass green" yarn came in, I just had to get it, and that same day I saw a top in a Rebecca magazine with a round lace yoke in it, which I really loved. It looked like I could wear such a thing a lot. So, rather than the silk called for in the pattern, I am using this nylon/cotton blend, whose name escapes me, but I will add later.

The yarn is a bit "snaggy," and it is very hard to knit evenly on it, but that adds to the "handmade" look I guess. I am getting close to the intreesting part on this. I stopped it to work on the Fiesta Sweater, but will re-embark this week, alternating with the Myrtle Shawl.