Can Cans or Reading Gloves

I'm currently working on these great fingerless gloves. I had always mocked these gloves, but suddenly I needed to knit these. When I realized I could text and read with them- I was sold. I'm using the same wool I used for my boot toppers. They are knitting up really quickly!

Boot Toppers

Over Christmas I went to Shall We Knit to do some stocking up on my wool stash. I love heading to Shall we Knit because it means my mom has the kids and I can spend a little time browsing wool and patterns instead of feeling rushed to get home. Janice had sent me a pattern for these boot toppers and I knew I had to make them. I wear lots of skirts and in the winter my legs can get cold on yard duty.

I used 3.75 mm needles and Ultra Alpaca Fine wool- lovely slippery wool. I found it a bit frustrating to work with at first. I found myself dropping stitches which I don't do a lot, but with this wool I seemed to do it a lot. The wool was so slippery that it would unravel a few stitches down. I realized after that I should have bought sports weight not fine- however- I'm loving these toppers. Here they are on my own two legs (photo taken by Alec)

Thrum Mittens

 
 

I saw these mittens this summer and knew right away I wanted to make them. Needles in the Hay had a kit to make them so I picked them up. I started them on December 12, 2010 and finished them (yes, both of them) on December 19th. Alec was home sick for three days, so I had a bit of extra knitting time.

I used 3.5 mm needles and cast on 40 stitches. The thrumming was easy once I got the hang of it, although I made a mistake following the pattern. I was suppose to offset the thrums, but I didn't. It doesn't matter- I still love them. These mitts are so nice and warm. I ended up having to put a bit of extra thrum into the top of the mittens and the thumb. I just used a needle and sewed it in.

Alec really seems to like these, I think I'm going to make him a pair and a pair for my mom too. The only problem is I have to wait until they get more patterns.

Leg Warmers for Claire

Claire put in a request for leg warmers because she always wears skirts to school and her legs get cold. As a good aunt- I agreed of course!

On Dec. 29th I went to Shall We Knit in New Hamburg and picked up a set of 4.5mm double pointed needles and some Cascade 9487(blue) and 7803 (fuchsia). I cast on 56 stitches and followed this pattern here. I decided to do Knit 2 Purl 2 because I just couldn't stand the thought of knit 1 and Purl 1 for two whole leg warmers! I'm not really enjoying using the double pointed needles- I bought 8" ones for this project and I am not really thrilled with them. They seem very long and keep getting in my way. I'm going to switch over to circular needles and see if I like that better.

Started: Dec. 29th, 2010
Finished: Jan. 1st, 2011

A Pile of Hats for Christmas!

I wanted to make a bunch of hats for all the kids in Andy's family. There are 5 kids- Fiona, Lexi, Own, Ryan and Joseph. I used this hat for the boys and this hat for the girls.

These hats were really quick to make up. I used size 8 circular needles for all of them, although the girls I started with double pointed needles and made a band for them. I really like that pattern.
The kids seem to really like the hats- I hope they wear them.

Eric's Pokeball Hat

Eric saw this hat on Raverly. I started the hat on Sunday Dec. 19th and finished it on Thursday Dec. 23rd.

I cast on 100 stitches on size 8 circular needles. I used pretty yucky wool- Acrylic from Walmart. It wasn't much fun to start with, but I didn't figure that Eric would wear it that much. Apparently I was wrong- he slept with it last night and has worn it all day- with his bathrobe!

Vintage Velvet Scarf

Started: June 25, 2010
Finished: July 17, 2010

During the March Break I spent a blissful hour by myself at Shall We Knit in New Hamburg. Mom had the kids and I just wandered the knitting store trying to find a new project. I picked up the book Scarf Style- wouldn't you know it, Janice has the same book.
Flipping through the book at mom's I saw many projects I wanted to try- but first on my list was the Vintage Velvet on page 77. Finding the right yarn was a bit tricky- thank goodness for the internet. I had it all shipped to dad's - which saved me a pile of money. I used the yarn recommended in the book- Muench Yarn- Touch Me colour 3630 lot number 71. I love the colour- it is going to look so great with my black coat next winter.
After the first ball, I noticed an error I made at the bottom, but I figured it would just blend in. When I finished the second ball, the error was really bugging me- I showed it to Jean Ann- and she agreed with me, that once it was finished, I wouldn't notice it. After finishing 2 and a half balls, I couldn't stand it anymore and I ripped the whole thing out! When I told Jean Ann, she admitted that the mistake was bugging her too, but she didn't want to say anything. Next time, she promises to be more honest with me!
I had to keep track of my rows on sticky notes. The tricky row was always row 6- remembering to repeat row 2 after doing a cable. Once I got going on it, it was easy and fun to make. I love how it looks after felting it!