Something for Sue

I couldn't send Mark hand-knit mittens without making something for Sue, also.

Free Pattern: Keyhole Scarf
Yarn: Ballybrae Knitting Worsted by Brunswick (discontinued)
Color: Sky Blue Tweed
Needles: US 10

I'm modeling the scarf before it was washed. After washing it, the stitches straightened out nicely, which was good. But as I was laying it out to dry, I noticed a big mistake. It seems when making the keyhole, I bound off 12 stitches, but only cast on 10 on the next row. I was two ribs short of the right number on the bottom six inches of the scarf.

I don't know if Sue would have ever noticed this mistake, but I couldn't live with it. After the scarf was dry, I ripped back to the keyhole and fixed it.


This rustic tweed yarn is some I inherited from my mother-in-law. I think she would like the fact that one daughter-in-law knit with her yarn for another daughter-in-law.


It's almost like she's giving this gift too and that makes it extra special.

PS. Received word from Mark that the mittens fit.

The Mitten Contract

Brother-in-law Mark needed a pair of wool mittens to wear under his chopper mitts. He asked if I could knit him a pair. I said, "Sure, send me a tracing of your hands." And with that, the mitten contract began.

I was warned in advance that his hands were "strong, but delicate with long graceful fingers often associated with concert pianists." When I got the tracing, I knew I should order two skeins of yarn!


I decided to go with Wonderfully Woolly Worsted Weight from Green Mountain Spinnery in natural grey. It seemed appropriate to use 100% New England Wool since Mark lives in Vermont and besides, I've always wanted to try this yarn. When it arrived, I knew I had made the right choice.


Using Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and advice from John, I knit a pair of mittens that John says are "just right." If it weren't for the fact that they are a little too big for him, I'm not sure he'd let me send them to his brother.


Knit at 6 stitches per inch, these mittens should be hard-wearing and warm. The 1x1 ribbed cuff is longer than typical for regular mittens, so that it will extend beyond the chopper mitts.


Extra length was added to the hand and thumb to accommodate Mark's extra large hands.


I mailing them off today.

I sure hope they fit.

Westminster Vest

My vest is finished and it's actually cold enough to wear it. Yippee!


Westminster Vest
Designed by Betsy Campbell for the Wooly West
Pattern Purchased at Black Sheep Wool Co. in Salt Lake City, Utah
More project details and pictures here.

Fisherman's Neck Gaiter

For my favorite fisherman.



Fisherman's Rib Stitch in the Round
Free Pattern with Photo Tutorial
Project Details

New for 2009

The back and two fronts of my vest are finished and have been joined by three-needle bind off at the shoulders. Today I will sew the side seams and begin knitting the band along the armhole edges. The job of seaming will be all the more fun using my new Gingher scissors adorned with cross-stitch fob. My neighbor gave these to me for Christmas and I love them!

The photo above is being featured today on my photo journal, One Snap. It's a blog based on Project 365. The idea is to take and post one photo, every day, for a year. One Snap will be my primary place to blog in 2009.

Posting here at Wool Windings will be sporadic and will most likely be about knitting only, perhaps only photos of finished objects with details posted on Ravelry. I'm still debating what I want to do.

I've considered using Ravelry exclusively as my knitting journal, but there is a part of me that's not ready to give up this blog entirely and that's because of all the friendships I've made here. So, I'll experiment with a couple of ideas until I find out which works best for using my time wisely--one of my goals for 2009.