A Little Quiet

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted.  That seems to be a theme - when I finally think I'm catching up, something else catches me by surprise.

So for those of you who are kind enough to keep stopping by to see what is new, I appreciate it!  I would say I promise to be better, but I think we're past that point now, don't you?  I just promise to post as often as possible and I'll try to be better. :)

So what's next to share with you?  Since my last post, a lot has happened.  I've knit a bit, I've traveled a bit, and I've celebrated Lovebug's first birthday.  All these things keep me going, busy and happy.  Shall we get in to the knitting?

In October Mr. Man and I took a wonderful trip out to New York to meet and spend time with some of my friends from Ravelry.  With 21 knitters, 2 husbands and a daughter, we had a blast!  (More on that trip another time...)  Part of our meet-up included a Mitt Swap.  Everyone made a pair of gloves/mittens/mitts to swap.  We wrapped them up all pretty-like and placed them in a pile.  Then, using the same idea as a White Elephant Christmas, we each picked a pair of mitts.  Some people did some trading and re-picking, and in the end, I believe everyone was very happy with what they went home with.

Here are the mitts I completed.  I opted for fingerless mitts (big surprise, right?).  The pattern is October Leaves Fingerless Mitts by Abbie Tilden.

The really neat thing about this mitts isn't visible right away.  There's a simple cable that runs up each side of the mitt (which I did without a cable needle, love this method) and on the inside of the mitt, when it hits the thumb gusset, turns in to a very pretty lacey leaf pattern.  The cables and lace are simple but stunning.

If I remember correctly, I didn't make any modifications to the pattern because they were for the swap.  If I were to knit them again for myself, I'd add 2-3 stitches on the thumb as I have big thumbs and large palms.  When I knit mitts, I end up feeling as though the thumbs are always too tight and constrict my thumbs a bit too much.

I used Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in Kenai, which is the same yarn I used for the Be.Leaf shawl.  It's very soft and pleasant after blocking, although a bit splitty when knitting with it.

I really enjoyed these mitts and I'm glad that Denise loves them as much as I enjoyed knitting them!  Hopefully they'll keep her toasty warm! :)