mittens

Mitts for Mad May

underdutchskies3 Comments

I finished my fingerless mittens yesterday.  Super quick and fun knit!  The pattern is Chasing Circles.  The instructions say to use size 6 US / 4mm needles, but I used a size smaller so the mittens fit my small hands.

The yarn is Madelinetosh DK, color Lettuce Leaf.  I had it leftover form another project.  They only took 46g of yarn!  Can’t beat that!  I absolutely adore this color, but it’s been discontinued!  Can you believe it?  What a disappointment.  I have 3 skeins of sock weight waiting for me at my mom’s house in California which I bought from a couple of people destashing.  I’m so lucky to have found it!  It will become a sweater at some point.

I modified the pattern a little.  You can see on the outer edges of the mittens, just below the top ribbing, I decreased two stitches on the front and back of the hand.  This is where my little finger begins and my hand gets smaller.  I want a good fit! 🙂

Only 5 people on Ravelry, including me and the designer, have made these mittens.  I for one will recommend them to others. They would make quick nice gifts too!

Mad May

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Mad May has sucked me in – again.

Today I cast on these fingerless mittens – a super simple and fast project which I should be able to finish before the end of May.  I’m using leftover Madelinetosh DK in color Lettuce Leaf.  This is a discontinued color and is almost worth its weight in gold.  You can’t find it in retail shops anymore and you’re lucky if anyone in the world wants to let go of it.  This is the last of my DK weight.  I adore this color and am very sad I won’t be able to get it any more.

So, what is this “Mad May” all about you ask?  Well, last year on Ravelry, the Madelinetosh Lovers group had this little fun thing going where you’d start and finish a project within the month of May and since we all knit with Madelinetosh yarn, the month was called Mad May.  I made this sweater for Mad May last year:

Last year the whole Mad May thing was pretty low key and was organized by fellow knitters and was a lot of fun sharing projects with others on the forum.  This year it’s suddenly become this big event with lots of prizes and organizers and organization and frankly it’s put me off a bit.  I also realize that I’m in the minority.  Most people are loving the whole Mad May event going on at Ravelry.  Here’s a link to all the hoopla.  I’m one of those people who pines for the days when Low Lands was smaller and had lots of unknown bands.  I hate to go to Yosemite in the summer because in my memory it is small and cozy and everyone knows everyone.  When something becomes popular, I’m outta there.

However.  Yes, I’m joining in again, but just in a small way.  Just because I need a small traveling project and I know I will use these mitts and I love the color.  And it’s Madelinetosh and I can never resist Madelinetosh.

Hands and Feet FOs

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I have some FOs (finished objects) to show you.  They aren’t ALL the FOs I have to show you, but this is what I can post before Christmas.

First, some mittens for the woman who has been giving both DB and I massages for the past 5 years.  It’s about time I knit her something for her hands.

These are snapdragon mittens from the lovely and talented Ysolda Teague.  They are knit with 8 play Supreme Possum Merino yarn so they will be super duper warm.  I had made a pair of these for my mom already, so the second time worked up pretty quickly.

Here they are buttoned with the flip top folded back.

Next, I have finished my November SKA socks, Magic Mirror, made with Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn.  I have to say, I don’t know if I’d make socks with this yarn again.  Actually I bought the yarn to make something complete different, but thought the’d look good for this sock pattern.  The sock pattern was on the list of possibility for the November SKA KAL, so I went for it.

This yarn is heavier than normal sock yarn so I ended up knitting them on 2.5mm needles and making the small size.  They fit my medium sized feet just perfectly.  They do feel nice and cozy!

I’m almost finished knitting a hat, in the same yarn I made Glittens out of last year.  I’ll post that up in a few days I think.

On the Amsterdam SnB group on Ravelry we are getting ready to start a Winter CKAL (Cardigan Knit A Along) and I’m so excited to start knitting a big winter sweater.  It’s been AGES since I knit something like that.  About time to do it again!  More on that coming up soon.