Cabled baby mitts

A good friend of mine told me she was looking for some homemade baby mitts to give to her SIL for a baby shower. It's been so long since I've knit anything, that I jumped at the chance at making an easy/quick project like baby mitts.

Also, her nephew was born 2 days before Jackson, and it turned out that we were neighbours at the hospital (right beside each other!). So even though I never see them, I feel a little connection to the cute little guy :)


I used the Cabled baby hat and mittens pattern from Paulina's Blog. The patterns was well written, easy to follow, and resulted in a darling little mitty (if I do say so myself).

I also used a new technique - and was quite pleased with the end result. As with most of my knitting education, it came from a wonderful tutorial on YouTube. It's like watching a silent picture show, but this video of the Kitchener stitch (for closing the end) is fantastic! Who needs words when you have such a clean demonstration?

I made a boo-boo at one point on the first mitt that I was too lazy to go back and fix, but I it didn't show (instead of switching to the larger needles at the beginning of the mitt, I switched at the end of the increases). So, I just made the same mistake on mitt #2.



Materials:
Needles: Estelle bamboo DPNs - size 3mm and 3.75mm
Yarn: Lang Merino superwash in "oatmeal"
Tools: Tapestry needle, scissors

Now I need to make some for my little boys! Off to find a good pattern for a 3 year old :)

-tb:oxo

Uptown Cowl

A friend of mine, while waiting ever so patiently for a doctor's appointment, was flipping through Canadian Living. She came across this adorably awesome cowl, and thought to herself "I would be so hip 'n happenin' if just had that cowl! But alas, I do not knit...".

Upon returning to work, she dreamily described her experience, her special find, and her ultimate disappointment. To which I replied, "cowl? seriously? I could knit a cowl!"



Turns out, I can knit a cowl! Super easy, super quick, super uptown!

Materials:
- Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool (colorway 8063)
- Size US8 (5mm) and US10 (6mm) double pointed needles

-tb:xox

Meme: What Have You Knit

I don't normally do this sort of thing. Mainly because it reminds me how much I have yet to try that I want to try. But, what better way to get started than to make a list, and have it here.

Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.
—————————
Afghan
Cable cast on
Shawl
Mittens: Tip-down
Hats: Top-down
Hats: Cuff-up
Knitting with silk
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Twisted stitch patterns

Knitting with bamboo yarn
I-cord
Garter stitch
Stockinette stitch
Mittens: Cuff-up
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns


I-cord cast on
Knitting with metal wire
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Moebius band knitting
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting

wo end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Combination knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing spinning fiber
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Tassels
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

At Last!

I have FINALLY started knitting the Endpaper Mitts.

I've had these suckers in queue on Ravelry for 2 years.

The time has come, my friends, to twist and loop these two gorgeous colours into works of magic.

Materials:
- S.R Kertzer On Your Toes 4-Ply (with Aloe Vera): 1 ball of "Carnation", 1 call of Sage Heather.
- Needles US1 (2.25mm) and US2.5 (3mm)

Can't wait for these to be on my hands.

-tb:xox

Updates

Our camera has quit working! I brought it to a birthday party that Hunter was invited to, and when I got home and took it out of my purse, it wouldn't turn on. Luckily, the memory card is still in tact, because I have some awesome photos of my mom's visit with Hunter - and they need to be scrapbooked ASAP!

So, since the camera is broken, I bring you a verbal updated:

Yarn:
1. I finished the Mellow Yellow Mittens and love them more than anything I've ever made. It was my first attempt at mittens, and I had a blast. I used Istek Lett-Lopi, and they are so warm.

2. Still working on the Radiating Star Blanket... Though I made a mistake a few rows back and am unmotivated to rip it out and fix it.

3. I've started a pair of legwarmers for my friend, Jodie. It's my own pattern, using cables. I had always wanted to try cables, and here I am trying them! They are progressing rather quickly.
- Bernat Satin (black)
- US5 Bamboo needles

Fabric:
I have finished going through some older fabric my mom gave me from her time quilting (she made some amazing quilts, I wish she never stopped). I've ironed it all, folded it, coordinated it all, and stacked it downstairs on my shelf. It's beautiful :)

I'm planning on making a pillow for Hunter's room, as well as some napkins (maybe) for my sister-in-law (and her boyfriend) for their new home - which they move into on March 7th.

Paper:
Valentine's Day is fast approaching. With my newly organized fabric, my ever-growing yarn stash, and some scrap papers of every sort, I'm ready to start making the love cards.

Also, my mom has requested that I make her a scrapbook page for Hunter's first Christmas that she can frame. I have all the supplies, and just need to get going on it! :)

**Pictures of all this will eventually appear. Until then, I cross my fingers that the camera problem isn't as serious as I'm thinking.

Slow Going

Things have been progressing slowly these days. I'm getting daunted by the big projects, and keep casting on new small ones.

NEW:
Bath Puff: I really had fun with this, it was so quick and fun to do. I've read a few reviews that says it doesn't lather and it difficult to use, but I wanted to knit it for the sake of knitting it. We'll see how it goes when I try and use it.

January Fingerless Gloves:
These fingerless mitts are done in Lett-Lopi wool. I can't help but love it - the whole time I'm knitting I am thinking of those awesome pure Icelandic sheep. I would give almost anything to go to Iceland! Anyway... The colour is called "Garnet" and Garnet is the birthday stone for January (and happens to be MY birth stone). It was a simple cast-on-40-stitches kind of thing, no pattern. Unfortunately, they are a little baggy, which is not the way I like my mitts.

Still On the Needles:
Radiating Star Blanket: I'd say this is about 60% done now. It's going alright, and I really enjoy how it's an easy knit, but it's SO long... it feels like I'm never going to finish it. I think I've come to the conclusion that I like doing the "big" part first... Starting with 8 stitches and ended with 300 or whatever seems like it's getting harder as you go (like a hill getting steeper as you climb it). I like working the other way. From 300 to 8!

Hunter's Snuggle Sack: This is going ever slower than the blanket. My mom is coming for two nights, and I'm really hoping that I can bribe her to help me plow through. Maybe I'll hand her the Snuggle Sack, and I'll grab the Radiating Star Blanket, and we can sit and drink tea until they are done. Maybe. :)

Mellow Mittens: I cast these on last night, and have since almost finished one of them. I LOVE stripes, I love yellow, and I love this wool. I've never knit a mitt before, and am slightly concerned about the thumb.... but I'm going to give it a go.

Card, Knitting

I've finished a hat for my sister-in-law - and it came out pretty well. It is a basic beanie with a *fancy* trim on it, and took no time at all (these are the projects I like - limited amount of time to create them and nice end result!)















I'll be giving it to her tonight, and am crossing my fingers that she'll like it, and that it'll fit.

My birthday came and went, and it was an awesome day. My mom sent me some money, which I spent almost immediately on some nicer yarn that I might not have purchased on my own.


Purchases:
- Madil Eden 100% Bamboo in black
- Misti Alpalca 100% Baby Alpalca (hand dyed lace) in sugar sand
- Tahki Cotton Classic in dark teal


I came home and made myself a pair of fingerless mitts out of the bamboo. They were based on the Greenaway Fingerless Glove pattern that I did previously, however... I did a small rib cuff and then strait stockinette stitch instead of a 1x1 rib pattern throughout. I love the feel of them and how the yarn falls, but they turned out a bit big in the wrist (this is probably where the 1x1 ribbing would have helped).


And last but not least -- Thursday was my mother-in-laws 50th birthday, so I made her this card. I've just started making cards, and I'm having a lot of fun with it!

The New Year

Happy 2009!

Although I don't have any new finished projects to show - I do have a little bit of a Work In Progress.

I started knitting this on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) for my son. He loves to be swaddled, but tends to pull the blankets up over his face - not good! - so, I'm making him this little sleep sack. The hood will be left off, and it will be made a bit longer than is should be (he's so big!).

Here is an 'in the works' shot. It is my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting, and although I was warned that it would be really difficult, I LOVE it. I had so much fun doing it, and after looking back through all the stitches, it appears as if I only fudged up a bit once. Woohoo!.

Pattern is from the Purl Bee which is where I seem to get most of the patterns I work on. The inside shot is crazy! Now I can truly appreciate all the work that went into those Nordic sweaters my mom used to make for me.

Fingerless Gloves

This is my first pattern I ever tried to follow. It is a Christmas gift for my fiance's niece - She's 10 years old, loves the colour purple, and is so sweet you can't even describe her. I am planning on making a hat to match, but as it's only 10 (!!!) days until Christmas, it may not happen!

Unless I can get my fingers to move quicker!

What I used:
- Pattern: Greenaway Fingerless Gloves
- Cotton Classic yarn
- Size US5 Bamboo double pointed needles
- stitch markers



I was mostly happy with the way they turned out. Somehow I made in increase that I shouldn't have made after I close off the thumb gusset, so the eyelet trim around the top kind of flares out compared to the body of the glove. Live and learn, I suppose.



Work in Progress:
I started a little crochet caterpillar for my son - it's not near done, but I had to put a stop to it until I finished my Christmas stuffs. It is made using three different colours of BabyBamboo, and it's absolutely fantastic. Love love love!