A Knitter's Dream

Last night I dreamed I cut my hair, dyed it bright red, spiked it, moved to Dallas, and made a living selling hand-knit socks to all the rich and famous of the area.

None of that is likely and most of it isn't particularly desirable, so I found it pretty durn funny.

Not even gonna try to interpret that dream! :)

And hey, at least I didn't tattoo myself in my dream...

Puttin' on the Mitts

Puttin' on the Mitts

Pattern: Bainbridge Mitts
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light
Color: 4204, taupe
Amount: less than one skein, maybe 1/4 left.
Needles: US3 (3.25 mm)
Size: small women's

This yarn started life as Ritzy Mitts, a pattern I like very much.

But somewhere well into the first mitt, I made an error, and when I attempted to fix it I just messed it up worse. And worse.

So out of frustration I finally frogged what I could and threw out the rest. I wanted to get this project done so I'd have them for fall but I didn't feel like tackling the Ritzy pattern again (not that it was hard... I was just frustrated, mostly with myself). So I relied on a pattern I've made before: Bainbridge Mitts. My previous versions are here and here.

The only change was to CO 34. I could have CO more (maybe 38) as this is a finer yarn than the others mitts I've made in this pattern, but it all worked out.

Knocked these babies out in two days in early July. Finally got to wear them in October.

I love them! The yarn is soft and shows the stitch definition well. May not be the pattern I started working on, but I couldn't be happier with them!

(See these also on Ravelry)

Misty Garden

Another finished object! Hurrah! I'm knockin' 'em out like crazy lately!

This one, however, is a gift, and I don't want to give it away... although I think the person I made this for doesn't look here. But you'll have to come back in January to see the whole thing! Here's a bit of a tease:


Tells you next to nothing, eh? :)

On to my next UFO... debating between my Ritzy Mitts, which would be a quick finish, or my Bohemian Shawl, which will take quite a bit longer.

Stay tuned!

Short Row Brights

I love it when a pattern and a yarn come together in the perfect combination. I think this is one of those times.

Short Row Ribs Scarf

Pattern: Short Row Rib*
also see others on Ravelry and my Ravelry post
Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Color: 166
Amount: 3 skeins, about 330 yards, a few yards leftover.
Needles: US 8 (5 mm)
Size: 7" x 72"

I know a lot of people have complaints against Noro yarns, and to some extent I understand: it's not always the softest yarn in the world (but soaking and blocking does wonders!), sometimes it comes with knots and "twigs," (although I personally haven't seen much of this), and some of the color changes can result in a muddy stretch of yarn.

But I still love Noro, love their colors, and I love the yarn and the effects I get with it.

Here's a perfect example.



I loved the brights in this yarn but wasn't sure what would be the best way to use them and not have them get lost. Then I stumbled on this pattern -- and I couldn't be happier with the combination.

It's a relatively quick and easy knit. It says it's for "intermediate" knitters but I think if you're brave and have done some simple work, you won't find this hard at all. You have to pay attention in a few places and then it takes off.

The pattern I used is basically the same as the one I linked to but the link isn't the original (which has apparently been removed from the internet) -- so there may be slight differences. Let me know if you run into any problems or questions. I've already walked a few people through this pattern.

A blurry but good depiction of the short rows.

The pattern uses a technique called (in case you haven't figured it out) "short rows." On initial reading, the directions may not necessarily make sense, but if you just plunge in and go, it works. And look at the wonderful color banding you get!

The technique is the same as I used in a scarf I made for a friend although the pattern is a little different. Both were fun knits.



Happy knitting!