knitting school dropout

it has started to get cold 'round these parts, and as i piled on the wooly accessories the other morning, i discovered that my beloved stripe-y mittens had been viciously BORROWED. well, it happened a few more times since then, so i figured it was time to make a second pair.

the mittens on the right are the ones i knit back in june, using folktale fibers handspun patchwork yarn in "petal dance".

on the left, the pair i just finished. i used the same yarn in a colorway called "farmer's market".

i cannot say enough about how much i love this yarn. i want to try every color combination. it's the perfect compliment to simple knitting patterns.

i knit both mittens at the same time using magic loop and 5mm needles. i didn't use a pattern this time, i just tried them on as i knit. one skein was plenty for the pair, with just a little left over.

i'm going to spend the rest of this lazy sunday trying to finish up one of two sweaters that i have on the needles. i promised myself that i wouldn't cast on for another garment until i finish at least one, and i've been dying to make the asymmetrical cardigan from knitting nature for years now. boo.

Posted by melissa at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (59) | TrackBacks (1)

(deep breath) june is already an overwhelmingly busy month for me, but pretty soon, it'll be even more so. i'm doing my best to procrastinate as much as possible, though. here's some hand-knit proof:

pattern: warmest mittens, from the book knitting pretty. the pattern is also available for free, (ravelry link)
yarn: handspun patchwork yarn from folktale fibers, a little less than 1 skein.
needles: 4mm for ribbing, 4.5mm for the rest of mittens.
started: june 5, 2008
finished: june 7, 2008
modifications: a few. the pattern is written for dpns, but i knit them both at the same time on one 40" circular using magic loop. i've never knit 2 of anything at once before, and let me tell you, it was instant love. i think watching them grow simultaneously turned into a little obsession for me. i ended up with a completed pair in no time at all.
i knit these on larger than recommended needles because i'm a very tight knitter, and the fit is just right. i think i eliminated around 5 rows from the main portion if the mitten because i thought they might be long for me.

i really love how this yarn knit up into mismatched stripes. i'll be making more mittens in this yarn for sure.

next week, i'll be making my debut as a bridesmaid, for the first time ever. i know, right? my sweet brother is marrying a great gal (and knitter!). let's hope i can clean up real nice for them.

eta: for those who asked, the boots are made by camper, my favorite shoe brand ever. unfortunately, these are from a few seasons ago. the only place i was able to find them was here, and for quite a bit more than i paid "on sale".

Posted by melissa at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

in my last entry, i mentioned that i've been casting on like crazy for new projects. i'll spare you the teeny-tiny beginnings of sweaters. i've started 2 new ones, but 2 of the other projects were suitable for carrying around and knitting in meetings, so they've seen more progress.

i started and finished a pair of mitered mittens from elizabeth zimmermann's knitter's almanac

this is a great, and very simple, pattern. i made mine extra long to keep my wrists warm when the winter winds blow up my sleeves. i used 1.5 balls of noro silk garden, but probably would have only needed 1 for standard length mittens. i knit these using magic loop, on size us5 addi turbos. they took only a few days to make.

i also started the mate to my my first ever sock, which i made in april. i forgot how much i loved this pattern! i cannot wait to wear them.

one thing i'm finding out, is that my figure 8 cast on, which i use for most socks, is pretty inconsistent. they're tight, they're loose, the have a lump in the corner. i guess i don't care all that much, because they'll be hidden in a shoe, but i guess i'm just finding it tricky to get just right. practice will make perfect, i suppose.

Posted by melissa at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

i will be that much more ready.

pattern: norwegian mittens from EZ's knitter's almanac
needles: us5 40inch addi turbos for magic loop
yarn: dalegarn falk, 1 ball each of dark blue and red
mods: i reversed the colors on the second mitt, made the tips less pointy and used magic loop instead of dpns

these were my first mittens and my first stranded knitting. they are not perfect, by any means, but i love them. my tension was all over the place and using ml instead of dpns only seemed to make it worse.

i love how these mittens never once became boring. i'm already planning out another pair. i'm going to use the blank mitten charts from hello yarn and some of the designs from my most recent purchase: 1000 great knitting motifs.

here's exactly how much yarn was left over after i finished:

i've also been working on this new sweater while trying to get over a sore throat/cold. i'm only part way through the body, but i've already picked up the stitches and knit the collar. i also put the vintage buttons on, just to make sure they'd fit through the buttonholes and that i like them. now i have a better visual of how the sweater will actually look when it's finished and i'm more motivated to knit miles of stockinette. usually when i'm trying to knit something from my head, i end up being disappointed once it gets down to the final details. this sweater is so simple that i'm hoping that won't happen this time. i love the rowan scottish tweed aran. i picked a color that is totally out of my comfort zone, shade 013 and i'm loving it's tweedy beauty.

i hope everyone is having a great new year. i'm keeping the resolutions to a minimum, which will hopefully result in a higher success rate!

Posted by melissa at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)