The Circle Vest

I love to knit. I knit almost every day. I can see myself knitting for the rest of my life. But, it has become clear to me that writing about my knitting projects is not something I have a heart for anymore. From now on I'll be keeping project notes on Ravelry only and blogging about day-to-day happenings on my photo blog, One Snap. Thank you for following Wool Windings all these years. I'm a better knitter because of your encouragement.

The last project featured on this blog is a very cleverly designed vest called Circle Vest.


Yarn: Noro Silk Garden


Color: 267 Taupes/Blue


Modification: Added a button for a better fit in the front.


The armholes are finished with slip-stitch crochet.


The back is the star of the show.

More notes and pictures here.

Baby Blanket

Free Pattern: Sunny Baby Blanket
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 8
Notes on Ravelry

Take a Look

At first glance you might think these are regular mittens. But take a closer look and you'll notice the thumb is open.


Then look at the palm side and you will see that these are indeed fingerless mittens.


How cool is that!

Pattern: Negative Space
Source: Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson
Yarn: Reynold's Lopi
Needles: US 10 & 10.5 DPNs

The unique design of this "half-glove with a tongue," allows the back of the hand to be covered for warmth, while the fingers remain free.

There are many fun elements in the construction of these mittens, including provisional cast-on, I-cord bind-off and applied I-cord (the cuff is an I-cord coil).

Everything I needed to know about working a technique that was new to me was explained, so I didn't have to go to another source for help.

I look forward to knitting other mittens and gloves from this book. There are 28 designs to choose from...I like them all.

Not Just a Neck Warmer

The beauty of this neck gaiter is its simplicity and versatility.



Worn as designed, it's long enough to pull up over your mouth and nose if needed. You can, of course, knit it to any length you want. The pattern suggests 8". Mine is 8.5".



Fold it in half for an extra thick neck warmer. I wore it this way for fishing on Friday night and it kept me toasty warm.



Doubled up like this, it can also be a headband/ear warmer. Two layers of wool did a excellent job of blocking the cool breeze on Saturday.



If you want more coverage, wear it as an open-topped hat.


I may have to knit another one, so I can wear two at once.

Free Pattern: Ribbed Neck Gaiter
Yarn: Araucanaia Nature Wool
Color: Am 0320
Needles: US 7, 16" circular

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.