merletto mitts

...are ready for my hands, just in the nick of time, as the weather has definitely turned cold this week. of course, next week is another story. this is california, after all.

i enjoyed the pattern; enough going on to be interesting, but simple enough not to boggle the mind. i did frog the first mitt back to the cuff after knitting the second one. first, i was hoping that i could knit both mitts with one skein of yarn (didn't quite make it) and secondly because i wanted to move the thumbs in from the edge.

merletto mitts
finished size: palm circumference - 6 1/2" relaxed
wrist circumference- 5 1/4 " relaxed

panda wool in lacquer red
us size 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge in stockinette: 8.5 sts/inch
used slightly over one skein
i managed to knit both mitts minus the thumbs with one skein
but this is the original put-up for the yarn so you might be ok with the newer skeins.

i made quite a few modifications so they would fit my almost 6" wrist. i am showing the palm side of the mitt so you can see that the thumb placement is more anatomically correct.

• used smaller needle for smaller gauge. i knew the pattern as written would not fit my hand.
• did 14 rounds of ribbing instead of 10.
  
• continued the ribbing on the palm side of the mitt for 3 repeats of the lace so mitt would fit snugger around my wrist.
• knit 4 pattern repeats instead of 5 before starting thumb gusset.
• for right mitt: k6, pm, then started thumb per pattern. mirrored on left mitt. this helped keep the lace pattern centered over the hand. i knit the first mitt per pattern but found the thumb pulled the pattern sideways. increased every 3rd round instead of every other to compensate for tighter gauge.
• didn't like that the top ribbing did not match the bottom ribbing but could not find another way so finally just followed the pattern for the top. i did mirror the bottom ribbing on the palm side. also started ribbing on palm on round 7 of final pattern repeat.
• errata-there is a mistake in the first decrease/set-up round; the pattern assumes 29 sts on the palm side but there are only 27 sts.

i don't know how to photograph my own hand so that it is in a graceful position. this is about as good as it gets. it's kind of like trying to photograph your socks on your feet without making your leg look like an elephants.

the winner is

...picked. but first, i want to share some stuff i have been working on.

i finally finished the hermione cable and eyelet hat for my niece. i did a cast-on of 132 sts for 12 repeats of the cable pattern; worked a total of 4 repeats of the pattern; and followed the decreases for the crown per the pattern-ending with 6 sts instead of the 5. i hope i didn't make the hat too big. she does have a lot of hair so this might work. the closest thing i had to a model was our ice bucket!

hermione cable and eyelet hat
woolease (for the college student) 70 gms
us 5 needles

i finally got bored of miters after almost finishing the leg of the second windowpane sock. so what's a person to do? start another project! i've been wanting a pair of fingerless mitts to wear when our weather starts to get a bit chilly (soon). i wanted to use a fingering weight yarn so decided to go with these. i love cables and lace.

merletto mitts (ravelry link)

panda wool (lacquer red)
will use slightly over a skein or i could frog back one repeat on the arm
us 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i made a bunch of modifications. i am not happy with the top ribbing yet. i have done 3 different ones so far. i didn't like the pattern because it does not mirror the bottom ribbing. i may end up with a plain 1x1 ribbing which will at least match the thumb. i will post my mods when i finish the second mitt. (and no comments from the peanut gallery. yes, i am talking to you, ms d!!!)

ah, contest. i found this lovely skein of socks that rock in lightweight for the winner. isn't it purdy?! the colorway is turquoise.

before i announce the winner, i want to thank all of you for playing along. i have put some of your suggestions in my never-ending queue. thankyouverymuch!!!!

THE WINNER OF
KNITTING IN THE BELLYBUTTON OF CALIFORNIA'S
100th + POSTS CONTEST
is........

congratulations, gigi! please email me through my profile with your snail mail addy and i will get this out to you!

sos!

"summer of socks" is almost over. i have two more pairs finished but cannot show you the entire socks as these are destined for blue moon fiber arts. but i can show you the colors this time.

pair #3 is socks that rock lightweight in the "24 karat" colorway. the colors are pretty true to life in the photo.

pair #4 is knit with "backstabber." the colors are lighter than the actual yarn. i had a hard time getting these to show in true color. there are beautiful variations of magenta that you really cannot see here. i loved the colors but my conservative son thought these socks were a bit "bright."

the only problem with this summer is that i finished 5 pairs of socks but will only end up with 2 pairs in my possession! i guess i didn't achieve my goal of knitting up socks for me! i still do not own a pair of socks that rock. i am sad.

i started playing with the panda wool that susan sent a few weeks ago. i am working on a uni-sex pattern because there is a major lack of interesting "guy" patterns. my men don't seem to get too excited with my lace socks. don't know why!

color my world

i know my last entry was definitely lacking in the "color" department (though rich in "tease"), so i thought i would show you what's new in my yarn collection. yes, yarn collection, as i am a connoisseur of fine yarns! hahahaha!

TOFUtsies from the second collection
much brighter!
do you notice a color preference going here?

TOFUtsies #791, #789, #787, #790
limited edition #2

and then susan at cpy sent me these new fall colors of panda wool for inspiration! they are even more gorgeous in person. the colors are very rich and i like that they are more subdued for people who don't want bright, happy feet. i really like the blue/green one on the left!

panda wool in new longer yardage balls (186 yds/50gm-yay!)
l to r: neptune, chocolates (browns, gold, royal purple), menswear, nightshade

meanwhile, i am trying to finish up that third design for bmfa. then i need to knit ME some str! i keep knitting them and sending them to bmfa. i don't have any for ME! ME! ME!

sos: well, i sent in my entry for the design contest. now to wait and see.