Mitten Knittin'

The sun is shining today, but it's been cold and rainy here ever since Thanksgiving. The perfect weather to stay inside and Knit Unto Others.

Last post, I was looking for yarn in the stash to knit mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project. Since the yarn should be washer and dryer friendly, I ended up in the acrylic bin. What I have in there is mostly pastel colored yarn for preemie hats, but I found some colors suitable for elementary aged children.



I started with a pattern called Child's Mitten. It's based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's adult mittens. I had so much fun with the first pair, that I immediately knitted a second pair.



Next, I tried 45-Minute Mittens (link on the side bar) by Susan B. Anderson, using Lion Brand Homespun and US 10.5 needles. I like the nubby texture of these mittens.



And then, I tried the pattern for Tweedy Mittens, though the yarn I used is not tweedy at all.



Mittens are very satisfying to knit. I could have kept going, but I decided to move on to another charity project for this week. I might squeeze in another pair though. We'll see.

The Finish Line

I finally finished up the skein of *TLC Baby in New Mint Sparkle!

Preemie Diamond Lace Hat



I made this one smaller than the pattern. It's worked on 48 stitches using US 5 and is size 1-3 pounds.



Preemie Rolled-Brim Hat



I cheated on this one. It's knitted with two strands of yarn held together just so I could use up the yarn faster and move on to something else. And wouldn't you know it? I ran out of yarn on the last couple of decrease rows. I substituted a solid green in the same shade to finish and added a solid green pom-pom.

I felt somewhat relieved when I used up all of this skein of yarn. It's nice yarn, a good color, very soft and works well for preemie hats, but sometimes enough is enough. Ready for a change, I went to the stash right away to look for yarn suitable for mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project and guess what I found?



Another full skein of yarn that looks very familiar. This one is Red Heart Soft Baby in New Mint Twinkle. The label may be different, but believe me, it's the exact same yarn. I think I'll try to forget I saw it.

*TLC Baby is manufactured by Red Heart

The Never-Ending Skein

You may remember a while back that I decided to use one skein of yarn and see how many different preemie hats I could come up with. Well, I'm back at it and for the rest of the month I'll be focusing my knitting efforts on Knit Unto Others. I have three hats to show that will be going to TPP Michigan.

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Preemie Twinkle Hat

This time I made sure to use garter stitch as is pictured in the pattern. Last time I used stockinette stitch (click here and scroll to last picture for comparison). Either way makes a cute hat. I like both. I'm not sure I have a favorite, though I will probably make the stockinette one more often, because it went faster. Both were knitted in the round.

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Shadow Stripes Hat

This was a fun one to knit. The design is by Patti Pearce Stone. If you've ever used any of her patterns before, you know she pays special attention to little details. For instance, she could have easily gone with a 2x2 rib for the band of this hat, but instead she came up with a slip stitch combination that is very interesting. It's not hard to execute, but takes a little more effort. When I first began knitting preemie hats I passed over many of her patterns, because slip stitches and yarn-overs were still kind of new to me. I think it's time to go back and see what I've been missing.

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I don't have a name for this hat. It started out to be a preemie version of My Hat of Choice, but I changed my mind after the first repeat of the stitch pattern. I've made a grown-up size hat from this pattern that I'll show you some day, so I know the preemie version would have turned out really cute. It just would have taken longer to knit than I had for one sitting.

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Believe it or not I still have some yarn left from the one skein of TLC Baby--enough for three more hats maybe. So far I've knitted six size 1-3 pound hats and one size 3-5 pound hat from a single skein of yarn that cost only $2.99. Knitting for others costs very little in money and only slightly more in time. Besides, it's fun!

John's Socks

As soon as I finish a pair of socks, I cast on another pair. I'm not superstitious, but I hear it's bad luck to leave your sock needles empty for very long. This pair was started on November 1st and they are for John.


Mountain Colors Bearfoot
60% Superwash Wool, 25% Mohair, 15% Nylon
Red Tail Hawk

It took a few times of casting on before I found the right combination of needles and stitches. This yarn is a slightly heavier weight than I've used for John before, so I was hopeful I could get away with larger needles and fewer stitches. I did, but not by much. I'm using US 1.5 (2.5 mm) and 68 stitches. This is still more stitches than I use for socks I knit for myself.



I decided a plain stockinette pair would work best. Not only is the knitting mindless and speedy, but the stitch doesn't use up a lot of yarn. I have one skein which is 350 yards and I don't want to run out.

I bought this yarn at Black Sheep Wool Co. in Salt Lake City. John was with me and helped pick out the color. At the time, I didn't know I would be using it for him, but when I was going through the sock yarn stash it became evident this yarn had his name written all over it.



I knew he would love it!

November

007 Snap a Dozen Days


In the Hill Country
Cypress Creek, Texas

I like the way trees look this time of year, especially after they drop their leaves (see photo below). The exposed branches against the sky are interesting to me. It won't be long before the pecan trees will be bare. They are my favorite. Right now pecans are dropping and the harvest is predicted to be a good one because of all the rain we had this summer.

I always think of November as birthday month. Three out of four of our family were born in this month--John, me and Robyn. I used to worry that Matt felt left out this time of year when he was little, but he says he never thought about it. It's a month of cake and candles.

Then of course, it is the month of Thanksgiving. This year our gathering will be small--just John, Matt and me. We'll still have turkey and the works, but I'll try to remember I'm not cooking for a crowd so we don't have tons of leftovers.

Enchanted Rock

Just outside of Fredericksburg, Texas is Enchanted Rock, a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome that rises 425 feet above ground. It's one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.



John and I went there to hike to the top and to take pictures of my newly finished scarf.



My So Called Scarf
Yarn: One skein of Brooks Farm Yarn Four Play (50% Fine Wool, 50% Silk)
Color: Boots
Needles: US 10.5 (6.5 mm)
Size: 5" wide by 48" long
Worked on 34 stitches

My plan was to knit this scarf until I used up a full skein of yarn, but when I ran into a knot near the end, I called it finished. It is still long enough to wear doubled and works well for me since I'm not very tall. The leftover yarn from the skein would have added a couple of inches to the length. I still have one more skein to do something else with...maybe a hat and mittens.



It's a bit windy near the top of the Rock, but the view is great! I kept a tight grip on the scarf and we made it to the summit in fine shape. John and I sat up there for a while, took in the scenery and reminisced about other trips to Enchanted Rock that we took with the kids when they were little.



On the way down we had someone take our picture.



I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

If you are planning a trip to Enchanted Rock, I recommend checking out E-Rock before you go. Take the virtual field trip and learn about the geology of the area. The site includes lots of pictures and links.

Kid 'N Ewe 2007

I was the shopper and John was the photographer. I didn't pass up the Brooks Farm Yarn booth. How could I? Look at all the sock yarn!



I finally got to meet Amy and Laurie in person. They were taking a yarn dyeing class which I crashed to say hello.



John was a good photographer.

Spinning







Weaving



Rug Hooking



Lace Making



Animals



Wool



Yarn



And I was a good shopper.

Wool and Handmade Spindle from Les Trois Amies





Brooks Farm Yarn Acero and 1" Set Gauge (Les Trois Amies)



Kid 'n Ewe wasn't the only thing we did while we were in the Texas Hill Country, but that's another post.