Finished: Bella’s Mittens

December 9, 2009February 1, 20152 Comments

I extend my apologies to the two potential recipients of these mittens, but I’ve decided to keep them for myself.

Pattern: Bella’s Mittens by Marielle Henault
Yarn: Peruvia Quick by Berroco, Color #9125 “Sea Turtle,” 2 Skeins
Purchased at: Kamille’s
Needles: #10 DPN & #8 DPN
Started: September 2009
Finished: December 8, 2009

I love bulky yarn. It makes you feel like you’re a superspeed knitter. I love cables. There’s something about manipulating stitches to become cables that I happen to find very exciting. This pattern offered both good things. It’s a good pattern and I recommend it to everyone, especially since it’s free!

Yes, the mittens were originally slated to go to one of two Twilighters whom I figured would appreciate them immensely, but then the past two days’ worth of snow alerted me to the fact that I own ONE glove. I’ve owned this ONE glove for about three years now and I keep it because I like it and I maintain a hope that its mate will magically reappear.

A person can only hold onto hope for so long; especially when it encompasses dried, frozen skin that starts to crack and bleed. It would be absolutely ludicrous to give away a newly finished pair of mittens when I so desperately need a pair of mittens for myself.

Another perk to these little lovelies is that they’re loooong. My maternity winter coat only reaches about halfway down my forearm. (Actually, every coat I’ve ever owned has only reached halfway down my forearm. Why is that?) Another problem solved. The wonderful bell-shaped cuff fits OVER my coat sleeve. No gaps!

*blissful sigh* They went out for their inaugural use last night as I carried things in and out to my Relief Society’s Christmas dinner and they passed with flying colors. It’s so nice to be warm again.

And the Knitting Mojo Returns!

December 2, 2009February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Let me tell you, I have missed my quality time spent with yarn and sticks. Now that I’m over my nausea (for the most part), I can once again stand to look at a project for more than two minutes without wanting to throw up! Yay!

This is mitten #1 of the pair of “Bella’s Mittens” that I started back in September. It had been left abandoned on the shelf until a few days ago. I know of a few young ladies who would probably like it very much if they became the owners of such a pair of mittens.

The idea that they might be done in time for Christmas gifting has been hampered by occurences such this:This is commonly referred to as “pride goeth before the fall.” I got cocky about doing the cables and stopped looking at the directions and then did them backwards and didn’t realize it until about ten rows later. But the mistakes have been corrected and I have moved on.

Oh knitting, I have missed our daily chats. Let’s not ever stray from each other ever again.

Peacock Feathers Stole Swatch

September 9, 2009February 1, 20151 Comment

I was browsing through knitting patterns while I was staying at my granny’s house in Seattle and she really liked the Peacock Feathers Stole. So I offered to make it for her. (Ignore all the weird mistakes in the swatch–I do it on purpose, to make sure I understand the stitch pattern and to see if I could feasibly fix mistakes without having to rip back to them. Obviously, that will not work with this one.)

The swatch blocked perfectly to the preferred 5 1/2 by 5 1/4 inches. Excellent.

I’m using JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk #036 Juniper. I bumped up my needle size to US4 instead of the recommended US3 because I tend to knit tight.

I was going to try to be a super knitter and have it done for Christmas because, seriously, how awesome would I be if that happened? (And hey, Eunny Jang finished her Peacock Feathers Shawl in nine DAYS.) But after trying to stick to “the schedule” of completing eight rows a day for that to happen, I developed a perma-headache and a slightly nauseated feeling whenever I thought about picking up the thing again. In my book, that points to TOO MUCH. So, much to my knitting pride’s disappointment, I am mandating that this project be downgraded to “slow-and-steady.” It will be ready when it is time for it be ready. No more than 2-4 rows a day, with the occasional day off. Not as much bang for your buck, but it will still get done. Eventually. (Boring.)

Also, in beginning to knit this little darling I have come face-to-face with my worst fear: What if this truly is above my skill level? My knitting skills are definitely being stretched with Lil’ Ole Mr. Peacock here. It’s 109 stitches across, NINE DIFFERENT charts to follow, 304 rows…and that’s just half of it, you get to knit the other half when you get to that point.

Why keep on with the crazines and the mental exhaustion? Because it’s for my granny, whom I adore immensely and would do almost anything for. I have wanted to make something “big” for her for forever, and she has finally given me my head to do so and darn it, I’m going to do a spectacular job with it. I have created the odd knitted article here and there for her, but nothing that I would actually want her to confess to having been created by me. I made her a scarf when I was first learning to knit and I really wish I could somehow locate it and burn it–Fun Fur was involved. And then I made her a very nice Lopi Earflap hat–that was two sizes too big. This stole needs to be drop-dead gorgeous and as near perfect as possible.

I did have a great idea last night that kept me from sleep for many hours: BEADS. How gorgeous would this be if I incorporated beading into it?

So much potential for such unproven hands…

Cable-y Goodness

May 10, 2008February 1, 20153 Comments

Indeedidly doo, el Aran Scarf es finito. I love this scarf. Hopefully my pal does as well. It won’t be going out in the mail for a while yet, as this weekend is Birthday Weekend for me and I’m thinking that I’ll have to wait for our next paycheck to pay for the regional goodies and shipping. Or not. And then I’ll be completely done.

I’m going to take a break from knitting for a while.

And I have a hungry baby crying for her dinner. (Or eightsies after dinner.)

Slow and Steady…

April 10, 2008February 1, 20155 Comments

Can I just say that I totally love this scarf?

Seriously, this has been a great knit. I love cables…it’s so fun to watch them appear as you knit.

For those of you who are interested, you can find the pattern online for free! (Thus proving that this scarf is even cooler…free patterns are so nice to come by.)

We’re at forty percent completion. It would be fifty percent if I had been able to find time to knit on it in the past two days. (That’s why I aimed to finish this a month early; I knew there would be days where I could not knit.)

I might knit another one of these. That’s saying a lot because I’ve never knitted the same thing twice. Ever.

Aran Scarf, you rock!

(Even if I’m kicking myself for signing up for ISE6. Really? A scarf exchange? With a newborn and two other little ones? While making three baby quilts? And after my husband has been newly diagnosed with kidney disease? I’m a flippin’ moron!)

(But then I look at this beautiful concoction of yarn and think that it’s worth it to have had the opportunity to discover this pattern and work with it.)

Aran Scarf

March 27, 2008February 1, 20152 Comments

This is the scarf I’m making for my International Scarf Exchange 6 (ISE6) pal. I’m rather surprised that I ended up going with something as involved as this is going to be, given the time frame and my obvious time shortages for anything extracurricular. My pal mentioned that they liked cables and hadn’t yet tried the technique themselves…so I figured that since I like knitting cables so much, why not spread the love a little bit? Anything worth doing is worth doing well, right?

This is a shot of half a repeat. I plan to do about ten repeats and am aiming for half a repeat a day. I never have time for knitting on the weekends, so I’m looking at 2.5 full repeats a week, which should take me about a month to get this done. It absolutely must be finished by May 26th, so my proposed stitching schedule will definitely keep me ahead of the game, which is good.

The Little Lamb Scarf

March 27, 2008February 1, 2015Leave a comment

I’m going to estimate this as being about 40% done. There’s nothing special about the patterns, just a 2×2 ribbing; but I love the yarn and just wanted to show it off in something simple. The scarf is going on hiatus for a while as I channel all available spare nano-seconds into the Aran Scarf for my ISE6 pal, so I thought I’d post a little picture…because it’s pretty.

WIP Wednesday

February 6, 2008February 1, 20156 Comments

I’ve been spending time with the Backyard Leaves scarf lately. It’s made in two halves; I finished the first half before Christmas and then just kind of lost my enthusiasm for it until now. So far, I’ve gotten through four repeats of the pattern, which leaves only eight more to go. (It takes me a little over an hour to get through a repeat…I’m either the slowest knitter alive or the pattern is just hard to get through…you cannot memorize this thing!)

Can you see the leaves? I worry that I made a very bad choice in yarn for this and that it will be hard to decipher the pattern when it’s done. I’m crossing my fingers that blocking will really make this scarf bloom into something pretty.

I know who this is for…and I’m aiming to have this done by the end of March, but I’m wondering if I should send it when it’s done or just put it in the gift pile and wait until next winter/Christmas to send it? I also have a scarf picked out to make for the significant other of the gift recipient, so I think I’d like to wait until I at least have both done before sending them on their way. I have this grand vision of a “Scarf-filled Christmas,” in which all my family receives a scarf for the holiday…wouldn’t that be cool? But then I force myself to remember that I’m about to have another child and I have no clue how that is going to affect things. And then my pre-existing children are moving into the world of extracurricular activities, which really sucks up your time. So I’m not committing to the Scarf Christmas idea…but it sure would be neat. One of these years…very far into the future.

Speaking of the impending third child:
Thar she is. (Just in case you’re wondering what the fraggly-looking thing at the bottom is–that’s Rabbit’s head…she’s clingy while she gets over being sick…) We’re at 36.5 weeks, people. 3.5 weeks to go, but I’ve been known to deliver in as little as 1.5 weeks from now. The anticipation is heightening, mostly because I am getting so uncomfortable. I feel like a manatee. I don’t do much moving at all because the ligaments and tendons that connect my legs to my torso just feel so incredibly over-burdened with this extra weight and walking just plain hurts sometimes. She is head down, though; she had been breech for a while, but has finally turned. *sigh of relief* She kicks me in the kidneys and it makes me cry. (Oh, the inhumanity of having to experience internal kidney blows!) She rests her heels on my ribs and it hurts. I have non-stop heartburn and only eat two times a day because there is just no room to put more food into me than that. (I think God does this to us on purpose so that we will happily trade it all in for sleepless nights and breastfeeding…right now, those things sound deliriously easy and far more comfortable.) *weak woo-hoo* Almost done…and then we’ll get to embark on the wonderful world of post-partum weight loss!!! Can you feel the excitement?!?!

Finished: Ewe Beanie

January 13, 2008February 1, 20154 Comments

I think it’s adorable!

Yarn: Bernat CottonTots in Strawberry. I’ve had it forever and finally used it up with this.
Pattern: Rolled Brim Baby Hat with a Top Knot, minus the hearts.
Needles: US 6 DPN

I knit this up in the car when we were at Mr. Broke’s mother’s house for Christmas. It’s a three hour ride up, and then we spend lots of time in the car because she lives a long way away from anything, so it takes at least thirty minutes to get to a restaurant or store…lots of free time that needs something to keep my hands busy. I actually started another hat on the way home, but don’t know if I’ll finish it ever. I get tired of a pattern rather quickly, even one as cute as this.

Everything is sheep-themed for my little lamb. I knit up this beanie and felt it needed something more to make it cute. I originally thought I’d weave some pink and brown grosgrain ribbon around the brim, but I was admiring a sleeper I’d bought for her one evening and realized that I could duplicate the super cute appliqued sheep. I stink at applique, so it’s not the best job–but I can live with it.