• Monday, January 04th, 2010
I knit a pair of Fetching fingerless mitts about two years ago, and I wear them a lot. However, on cold days, I’ve found myself longing for something a bit warmer that covered my whole hand.
Tada… mittens with a clever owl cable in a screamingly bright blue. I love them. :)
Although I have small hands, I had to make a few modifications to the pattern so the mittens would fit me.
- I added 4 extra stitches overall.
- Cast on 36.
- Cuff: 30 rounds of k2p1 ribbing (personal preference).
- When I began knitting the body of the mitten, I put the 4 extra stitches on the palm.
- Knit row 30 a total of 5 times to lengthen fingers.
- 14 stitches for thumb; 15 rounds before decreasing.
Each mitten took about ~2-3 hours to knit. Nice and fast!
I like the thumb given in the pattern quite a bit. I may try to incorporate it on future mitt projects. :)
I can’t even tell you how many times I restarted the first mitten. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and while I try not to give in to that trait very often, I let myself redo my knitting until it makes me happy.
Now I just need to find some buttons or beads for the eyes!
If I made these over again, I would use a smaller needle for the body of the mitten. The wind goes right through them… brrrr. Maybe I’ll try to lightly felt them? Or give in to my product knitter tendencies again and redo them completely?
Pattern: Give a Hoot mittens
Yarn: Cascade 220, ~0.75 of a skein
Needles: US size 6 and 7
Ravelry page
• Saturday, January 02nd, 2010
I’m so excited for 2010. :)
2008 was pretty horrible. 2009 was far better. I have high hopes for 2010, and I feel pretty good about it.
I’m making a few resolutions this year:
I want to stop drinking soda. In November and December, I noticed that I was drinking one or two sodas every day. I don’t drink diet soda because the artificial sweeteners taste absolutely awful, so I was taking in a lot of empty calories. I want to lose some weight and be healthier, so the soda has to go. I may have one every now and then because I love Dr. Pepper, but for the most part, I want it out of my diet.
I also want to be more active. I have a great workout game for the Wii that really gets my heart rate going, and I need to start using it regularly. I’d like to do this three times per week.
I want to update this blog more often. I’ve been struggling with what to write here. I don’t want to make it too personal, but I also don’t want to only talk about the pretty string I play with. If I post more, I think I’ll be able to find that balance.
Most importantly, I want to be better about keeping in touch with my friends, both online and off. I don’t call people as often as I should, and I also don’t keep up with my email very well (although this has been a constant problem for me throughout my entire online life). I’m going to try calling at least one friend each week. I’ve got to get over this phone phobia, and the people I call won’t care if I ramble like a dork, so I shouldn’t be worried that they’ll think I’m stupid.
As far as crafts go, I want to finish a project in laceweight yarn to see if it’s something I enjoy, or if I should go back to using heavier yarn. I enjoy knitting lace, but using such tiny yarn has been a challenge and I usually end up with a big tangle of dropped stitches, so I give up. I want to stick with it!
• Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Yesterday it snowed. In Colorado, this is not a big deal. In Portland, Oregon, it is!
It seems strange to describe snow as “dry,” but that’s how it is in Colorado. Pacific Northwest snow is thick and wet. And nobody seems to know how to drive in it! Last night while waiting for the bus, I saw lots of people speeding through intersections, including somebody in a Hummer. Vehicles were spinning out and sliding through stoplights. It was kind of scary.
My bus was 90 minutes late, and it took me about two and a half hours total to get home. Usually it takes me about 30 minutes. Woo! :)
This morning most of the snow had melted into a slushy, somewhat icy goo. We’re supposed to get some rain today that will wash it all away. It’s crazy to think that yesterday the roads were completely blocked up and people were abandoning their cars, yet today everything’s pretty much back to normal!
Note to self: finish the owl mittens this weekend. I’ve knit everything except the thumbs. I definitely want something adorable to keep my hands warm if we get another surprise snowstorm. :)
• Monday, December 21st, 2009
Every few years, my husband and I spend Christmas with his extended family in the midwest. They live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, so there’s not a whole lot to do. Each time we’ve visited, I’ve brought my knitting along — I’m so glad I have crafty things to keep myself entertained. :)
It’s kind of cool to see how my knitting skills have progressed through the years.
On our first visit, I was working on this Slytherin scarf for my Slytherin sister. It was very simple… endless stockinette in the round. However, since I was still getting the hang of circular needles, I did a lot of ripping and starting over. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I bought the yarn for this with Aubrey!
The next time we visited, I brought along sock yarn and DPNs. For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to cast on this sock in the middle of a crowded airplane when I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I did a lot of ripping back on this project, too, and when we got home I shoved that sock into the back of my knitting basket in frustration. I finished it several years later, haha.
This year, I think I’m going to bring along a shawl and socks. I’m really enjoying the On-Hold Socks, but just haven’t been knitting them; they should be good for the airplane. This shawl has been a challenge for me, but I am determined to bend it to my will. :)
• Friday, December 04th, 2009
I have not been doing so well with my plan to knit or spin a little bit every day. Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I was very productive and finished spinning this roving:
Then I started spinning this and… stopped. I’m just so worn out by the time I get home in the evenings, and since it’s pretty much always dark by the time I arrive at my apartment, I just want to go to bed.
This is unfortunate, because my favorite Lisa gave me a really amazing birthday gift last month:
And I want to use it very badly. The DVD is so informative and helpful, and I’m itching to try some of the things it shows, but I just haven’t been spinning. And the idea of making a 3 ply yarn… with a tensioned industrious kate keeping the bobbins under control… mmmm. (I just realized how dorky I sound. Forgive me.)
So! I need to strengthen my resolve and make the effort, even if I just sit and spin one arm’s length of roving. It will be worth it.
I also want to start knitting these mittens, either with my own handspun alpaca or this obnoxiously blue yarn. It’s getting cold outside! Maybe this weekend…
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