Mitten Month

“ ‘Would you tell me please which way I ought to walk from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.  ‘I don’t much care where—‘ said Alice.  ‘Then it doesn’t much matter which way to walk,’ said the Cat.” From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

I found myself extremely focused this weekend.  On to the finish line with many-a-project, I was.  My sweater is done and ready for steam blocking prior to wearing.   (Toshi loves it. . .or maybe she just wanted dinner?)

Joanie’s vest is as done as it’s going to be until she decides for sure on whether she wants a zipper or clasps as closures.   

I have two Little Coffee Bean sweaters awaiting new born children to warm,

and a cute bracelet from a kit I purchased last spring.

I frogged my Acorns sweater that I began last June, deciding my lack of serious progress on it meant it wasn’t going to be a joy to work on for me, and made good progress on a vest I’m knitting for a friend.  I have been FOCUSED.  And honestly?  I feel pretty darn good about it.

My juniors and seniors would say I was using Habit 2, Begin with the End in Mind, from Sean Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly EffectiveTeens.  (Guess what we’re reading in class right now?)  I have a goal.  Today begins October, and while the weather is somewhat fickle this time of year in these parts. . .cold weather is coming.  For my friends and family, this means mitten weather.  I’ve designated this October as “Mitten Month”.  Want to play along?

I’ve been so caught up in the excitement of other things that I’ve neglected some of the things I love.  I have a couple of new stitch dictionaries and technical knitting books that I’ve perused, but haven’t really put to good use.  I haven’t written up any new designs lately, and I’ve been feeling bad about it.  I’ve gotten bogged down by larger projects that I’ve neglected to finish.  To say my chi has been blocked might just about cover it.

How does this all connect to Mitten Month?  I can hear you asking. . .I’m committed to doing some design work this month, committed to completion, committed to getting some gifts in my gift basket ready for the holidays which are only eighty-some days away.  

Four Weeks + Four Designs = Eight Warm Hands

That’s it.  I’m going to knit four pair of mittens this month; designs that have been banging around in my head for a while will finally find their way out.  And just to keep my focused my intent is to write up the patterns and have them submitted or self-published by Thanksgiving.

I’m sure you’ve seen some cute mitten patterns along the way, check out your Ravelry queue, they might have made it there.  Or look through your library, I’m sure you’ll find a pair of fingerless mitts or two you’d like to cast on.  Or do a pattern search for a pair that gets you excited.  Pick a pair, knit along.  Just knit one pair.  For you, for someone you love, to donate to someone who doesn’t have a warm place to put their hands. 

No real rules, just knit mittens.  You know you want to. . .Mitten Month.  Everyone's doing it.

Hand Knit Socks and a Free Cowl Pattern

My Friend Sally is a fabulous knitter, and is great about keeping her Ravelry projects updated, and sending inspirational pictures of her knitting to her friends.  Recently, she sent out a picture of her socks hanging to dry, asking if she had knit enough socks yet. . .my answer was, "NO!'  I say, there is no such thing as too many hand knit socks.

Around here, we wear hand knit socks just about every day.  At the end of the day, we throw the socks into a wicker basket, and when the basket is full, we do a full load of socks.  And I mean, a FULL LOAD!  Our house is somewhat modest, and our utility area is small, so we've purchased hangers from IKEA to clip our socks to and hang them to dry.  This is what wash day looked like yesterday.

On the knitting front, I feel  like it's been two steps forward and three steps back.  I've been working on a couple of designs to submit to magazines, as well as swatching for my Sneaky Sheep exchange for our guild.  The design work seems to have stalled a bit while I do some math to calculate for shaping, and I just can't seem to find the right project for my secret pal.  I thought I had the perfect pattern, but my yarn was a bit too heavy, so I frogged it.  I began working on yet another, and didn't like the color combo, and the pattern was a bit annoying.  I started to work on a second color way of the un-named hat (still taking suggestions, if you're feeling clever!) and didn't like the way the colors at the top of the hat were working together.  My net knitting for the week is a very small amount.

In rooting around for interesting things in my sewing room/craft studio, I found a couple of cowls I made this winter and haven't put together "official" patterns for. . .I thought I'd send them out to you.  They were made with one skein of luxury yarn, and intended as a quick gift.  I had them at the ready, and then decided to keep them for another year.  Often we think of Valentine's Day as a time to give chocolate and red hearts to those we love, I'll encourage you to knit one of these up quickly for a good friend who warms your heart. . .wrap some luxury yarn around their neck, and they'll love you even more!

I love this stitch pattern and have used it on a number of socks that I've knit.  The ribbing makes for cozy, cushy socks, and a quick knit.  I think you'll like it for a cowl too.

Garter Rib Cowl Pattern:

Using a size 9 needle and heavy worsted weight to aran weight yarn, cast on 88 stitches and join to knit in the round, placing a marker at the beginning of the round.

Round 1: *K2, P2, Repeat from * around
Round 2: Knit

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until you are nearly out of yarn, bind off in pattern.

Weave in ends, block and give to someone you love.

Mine measured about 20 inches around and 9 inches tall.  If you have more yarn, make it longer and cozier. . .smaller gauge?  Use smaller needles and cast on a multiple of four by taking the circumference you're shooting for, and multiplying that times the stitches per inch you get in your gauge swatch, and adjusting up or down to get a multiple of four.

The Hat with No Name

I've just finished a proto type for my third fair isle hat pattern, and am in need of a name.  I've had a few suggestions, but still, am not sure what to call it.  The colors in this version are bright and summery, but I have a darker and more subdued hat planned prior to publishing.  Want to help name it?  Submit a name suggestion in the comments, and if your name is selected, you'll will a free copy of the pattern.

My hope is to have the pattern ready to go by Monday, so I'll announce the winner then.  If you become a follower prior to Sunday evening, I'll be happy to send you a discount code for a pattern purchase of your choice in my Ravelry shop.

I teach tonight at the Black Sheep Knitting Guild. . .are you joining us?  Here is a quick picture of still more Woden hats in progress that I'll be using tonight:

I still can't get over how different they look in different colors.  Seriously.  It's amazing to me.

PS. . .Thanks for the help naming "No Name"

Looking for Prizes?

Me too!  Today is Knit Michigan. . .and I'll be running the knitting contests at 11:00.  You'll be able to try your hand at speed knitting, knitting blindfolded, with a partner and all sorts of other silly things.  We have a couple of events cooked up for spinners and hookers too!  Prizes abound!  There a some really great knitting bags as well as lovely fiber and interesting books. . .all you need to do is compete!  I can't win, so I hope you show up and show everyone just how quickly you can knit with garden gloves on. . .

Have you been to Knit Michigan before?  Our guild sponsors the Learn to Knit area every year, and it's an event many of us look forward to.  This is the fourth year of Knit Michigan, and they've donated over $80,000 to local cancer charities.  I love the philanthropic part of it, knitters giving back to the community.  The vast majority of the food sold, classes taught and items auctioned are donated by local folks or solicited from vendors across the country, and last I knew, even the school we meet at cuts Knit Michigan a deal on using the space for the day.  The overhead for this fabulous event is next to nothing, so nearly ALL of our money heads right to the people who need it.  However, it's not without benefit to those of us who love fiber.  For me, my donations get me a full day of fiber fun with my friends.  The day is packed with classes for you to choose from, many vendors tempting you with samples, kits and new products (several vendors are from the opposite side of the state so we can see all sorts of things we rarely do), a silent auction, LOADS of hand knits, contests, meet-ups, and more!

An event that was new this year was a chemo cap design contest.  My friend Matlie and I designed two cute hats and are hoping you'll come and vote for us today!  She fell on Thursday and broke a leg. . .and could use some good news!  This will be her first year missing Knit Michigan and she's feeling a little blue! A fibery prize would be just the thing to perk up her spirits!  One more thing to put on your list for the day:  Vote for Matlie and Tanya. . .

The entire day filled with fun is yours for only the $10 it costs to get in the door.  If you're in southwest Michigan today, I'm not really sure why you're still reading this blog. . .get in the car and join us!   You'll find directions here.

Basement Update and More!

THIRTEEN weeks into the project, it's still not done.  Close, but not done yet.  We keep hearing it will be just another week. . .Here are some pictures to keep you entertained. (from our older camera, apparently my POS camera needs some TLC to upload pictures)

I now have more cabinets and storage in my basement and bar area than I do in any other room in our house.  Maybe more there than in any three rooms combined!  I LOVE it!

Notice the new sink?

Our fireplace was refaced, and a few tiles from Pewabic Pottery in Detroit were added as accent pieces.

It still needs a good cleaning, they just grouted yesterday, but here's a closer look at the Pewabic tiles:

 The tile in the shower is great--

And my favorite part?  The bathroom sink.  The sewing machine was Joanie's grandmothers, and we lucked upon finding a beautiful stone bowl for the sink.  When the faucet is on, it looks just like an old fashioned water pump!


On the crafting front, I've recovered a few chairs to place in the basement when it's finally finished.  LOVE the fabrics we used! And I've uploaded some patterns into Ravelry for simple bags and hats.  One pattern isn't an original design, but rather a modification of Danielle LaFramboise's Windmill Bag.  Check them out, you may find something fun to knit!

The yarn I had processed at Stonehedge arrived on Tuesday, well ahead of schedule, and I'll start swatching with it this week while my friend Linda begins to play with color and see how it takes dye.  We may have some fun kits ready before long!

So, what have YOU been up to?