Pat's Knitting and Quilting
December 29 , 2006 It is SO easy to decide when to stop....just try it on and see !
I think I'll stop right here and add an inch or 2 of garter ridges for the bottom edge. Beautiful Tahki Donegal Tweed in the Knitting Pure and Simple Neck Down V-Neck Cardigan.
December 26 , 2006 Ahhh - back to normal life (whatever that is). Christmas knitting was appreciated by all....my family will have warm hands and feet this winter.
These are the Dec/Jan KOTR along socks and also get me in just under the wire for my December socks for SAM2....phew! I am a little fanatical about these KALs - can you tell? I started this hat last night as a reward to myself after finishing the socks. (I have many knitting rules for myself to keep it from all getting out of control!) It is the Lusekofte Cap from Hat's On by Charlene Schurch - a GREAT book with so many hats that I want to make....I didn't know which to start first. Another project for the Stranded Colorwork KAL.
And lastly.....I thought I would get away without getting caught for the "Weird" meme, but Rebecca tagged me. So for anyone interested.....(not required reading!) December 21 , 2006 Now here is some real last minute gift knitting. These mittens took just one day to knit and I really like them. I actually jotted down what I did as I went along, because I knew I was liking them and thought I might make them again for Dulaan. At 3 stitches/inch and only 26 stitches around they sure went FAST! They are soft, warm, thick and pretty too. This is what they looked like an hour or two before.
Pattern: My own (made up as I knit them using a combo of several mitten patterns) Tiny Winter Quilt
December 17, 2006 I need to get these done by the end of the month because I want to do the "January 2007 Challenge" in the Vintage Sock KAL!
I'm sneaking sock time in between mittens (I believe I am in mitten burnout). Only 2 more simple quick mittens to go and then I'm on to some scarves, shawls, sweaters and hats! I have a skein of Mountain Colors Weavers Wool burning a hole in my stash that wants to be a Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl . Some Noro Silk that I think wants to be Argosy and some kid mohair that may want to be Lucy Neatby's Cloud Scarf . Also need to finish my neck down cardigan and plan my next project for the Stranded Colorwork KAL - probably from Hats On by Charlene Schurch.. Oh and I'm making a tiny Christmas quilt that should be ready for a picture by next post. *** I realize after reading the comments to this post that it has been a long time since I first posted the specifics to the Austrian Diamond Socks.They were designed by Candace Eisner Strick and can be found in Knitters Fall 2006 issue - it is a beautiful and well written/charted pattern. Here is that original post with a picture of the chart. December 13 , 2006 I'm in love with these mittens....it's going to be difficult to give them away! As I said earlier, I did not follow the traditional Turkish colors (red, blue or gold on cream), but instead picked colors from my stash of Baby Cashmere and I am pleased with the outcome. They are oh so soft and the pattern (originally a traditional men's stocking pattern) shows up beautifully! I was never able to memorize this pattern so had to make these only when I could concentrate a bit. Look how that thumb blends right in!
Can you find the mistake on the palm side?? oops
Pattern: Anatolian Mittens from Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski There were a few chart errors in the book so if you make these look carefully. Rows 4, 8 and 14 in the thumb pattern have 4 white squares that should be red and 4 rows before the thumb placement row on the palm are 2 white squares that should be red.
December 10 , 2006 For all those getting sick of mittens ....here are my current socks in progress.They are the Spey Valley socks from Knitting on the Road ( the Dec/Jan sock for the KOTR along). I am using Patons Kroy sock yarn in a lovely heathered blue....very wearable with jeans! The cuff is complete and is quite pretty with the vikkel braid outlining the pattern. This is a sock I probably would have overlooked if it were not for the KAL - I'm glad I didn't miss it!
Lastly, does anyone want this yarn??? Warning it is quite an unusual color. A wonderful fiber...laceweight merino from Morehouse Farm, but man is the color just awful....nothing like the color I thought I ordered! I immediately knew I didn't want to make a scarf from it so I thought I would double it and make socks or quadruple it and make mittens, but I just don't want to knit with it at all....it must be an actual aversion to the color. I wound it into a ball hoping I would like it better than the skein, but NO! So if you want it just leave me a comment and I will send it to you for a Christmas present! I won't be offended if no one wants it....but maybe, just maybe there is someone out there who would just love this color. 12/11......The yarn is Aimee's - Merry Christmas!!! December 6 , 2006 The Aran Island Mittens were a very different knit for me. I've made Aran sweaters, but never mittens. I am not a bobble lover and usually eliminate them from sweaters, but for some reason, I thought they fit these elegant Aran mitts. The doubled fingering weight yarn gave me perfect gauge on 3mm needles. I knit them together on 1 circular There is a lovely cable cuff with a tree of life on reverse stockinette on the palm and a beautiful cable and honeycomb pattern on the back. The only thing I don't love is the reverse stockinette thumb - for some reason it looks a bit ugly to me.
Pattern: Aran Island Mittens from Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski My daughter Kate, who turned 22 on Sunday, was enamored by these mittens as I knit them and has asked that these please be her Christmas present. Merry Christmas, Kate! A few more outside pictures for anyone really interested and a last picture with the mittens on - taken by my 8 year old photographer.
December 2, 2006 I can't stop - here are the 3 new mittens that I have going.... I have joined the Stranded Colorwork Challenge KAL and my first project is the Anatolian Mittens from Folk Mittens. Traditionally Anatolian knitting is worked in shades of red, blue or gold on cream, but I have ventured away to the colors of my yarn on hand "Peacock and Morning Mist". So the pattern is Anatolian, but the colors are not! Again, these are in doubled Baby Cashmere on 3mm circulars. There is a different pattern on the palm that is very pretty too.
Next, again from Folk Mittens, are the Aran Island Mittens. I am making these with double stranded KnitPicks "Gloss" Merino/Silk in "Serengeti" on 3mm circulars. The cuffs are done and I am trying to figure out the chart for the rest of the mitten. The palm has a tree of life pattern, while the back has beautiful cables, bobbles, moss stitch, honeycomb all on reverse stockinette.
Of course I also need a "mindless" mitten and for that I have started the Troubador Mittens from Morehouse Farm. I am using Morehouse Merino 3 strand in "brown heather" -( oh so soft) and 4mm circulars. This mitten has flared cuffs and is to be slightly felted when done.
I also just cast on for the Knitting on the Road KAL Dec/Jan sock which is Spey Valley....trying to keep up with all my KALs! And I haven't forgotten the Austrian Diamond Socks or the Neck Down Cardigan....just putting them on hold until January. |
