This just in!

Ladies and gents, we interrupt this series of knitting flashbacks to bring you something current! Yep, hot off the needles, here is my most recent creation:

OOOooo...Ahhhh!

Pattern: Emerald Mitts
Designer: Lucy Sweetland
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette - Ash
Needles: US # 4
Time to Knit: 8 days here and there--a fun little project!
Made for: What's that you say? A supreeez??
Modifications: The most noticeable modification I made was knitting the rows following the bobbles tbl instead of through the front. Also, I decreased one stitch on row 16 of the chart by p2tog in the first stitch, then doing a P2K2 ribbing around the mitten except the design in the front. Lastly, I must have misread the directions for the thumb gusset on the left mitt, because it looks completely different than the right. Regardless of the change, they both fit perfectly.

How about a close-up obligatory "mitts holding tea" shot? Oh look, here it is:

Huzzah! It was a fun and speedy project--I'm pleased with the final result and excited to get them to their mystery owner. Muaha. I love knitting surprises!

Oh, and here it is Raveled!

I might have been hiding lately...

...But I'm still here!

Okay Okay...

I suppose I owe you an actual blog post hmm?

First of all, thank you so much for all of the kind birthday wishes!--it certainly made my day that much happier! (Those of you who are interested: yes I had a fantastic time that night and yes I remember every bit of it!)

Here's a random factoid I wasn't aware of until recently: Did you know that you can purchase online gift certificates for Ebay? I was not aware! I found out when my wonderful friend Kyle generously gave me one for my birthday! The one requirement? It was for yarn purchases only. Well if you're going to twist my arm Kyle...

and look what he ended up getting me!2 skeins of gorgeous Malabrigo Kyle? What fantastic taste you have! What am I making with this gorgeous color? Only time will tell...

Moving on in knitting news, I opted to make myself a new pair of mittens after I was dubbed "a bad little kitten who'd lost my mittens," earlier this month. After it randomly (and I mean randomly) snowed 4 inches in one afternoon about a week ago, I decided that this replacement needed to happen sooner rather than later. Enter Mitered Mitts:These mittens really need no introduction, but for those who are interested, it's EZ's Mitered Mitts from Knitter's Almanac. This probably has to be the easiest mitten pattern ever. Since these mittens are going to be used while I'm commuting via bike, I opted to do the standard side thumb shown a la Grace Schnebly. These are such a quick knit my only excuse for not having them finished is that I've had my mind blown by college this past week. Here's the progress on the second one...I've just cleared the thumb which means nothing but clear skies and smooth sailing here on out!

Lastly, I've decided to start a secret project which I'm incredibly excited to begin. (Observant readers will note that this yarn originally debuted here). What on earth could I be doing with 2 skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic and one GIANT crocheted chain?? (*hint* the chain will be for a gigantic provisional cast on). Yikes! You won't be kept in the dark too long, more updates to follow in a more reasonable fashion!

Absence Makes the Gauge Grow Smaller

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I leave my mittens alone for 2 weeks and what do they do? They changed gauge on me! (as if this is their fault...). Sometimes I forget that I'm controlling my knitting and not the other way around. It's almost as if I look down and smile sweetly (like one would do to a small child) and think "Ohhh, is that what we're doing now?". Sigh. Essentially my change in gauge means that my mittens actually started to fit rather than being fit for, say, a linebacker. Well, at least a linebacker with huge hands.This not only was my first experience with stranded knitting, but also my first run in with the Kitchener stitch. Now, after hearing horror stories about this part of the finishing process, I was a little tentative to sit down and do it. Who wants to ruin their weekend with that? However, being the "go-get-em" college student that I am, I decided to tackle this move in one play (yes, I am looking forward to the Superbowl).
Despite a minor error on my part (which was conveniently blurred in this photo), the grafting was completely seamless (ba da-bum *ching* hehe). But in all seriousness, it really was quite simple! Primarily because I was following Sandi Wiseheart (of Knitting Daily)'s guide to Grafting on the Needles. Now, I don't know if her tricks are any easier than a normal ones (since this is my first time) but this description was definitely easy to remember & execute! So there you have it. Updated photos + me well on my way to staying true to my promise! I consider that success.

I Seriously forgot?

How on earth could I forget to blog one of the most pivotal moments in a knitter's life? How could I? I mean, if making the analogy between knitting life and real life, what I forgot to blog was comparable to graduating from college, getting married, or maybe even having my first child! What was it I did you ask?

I turned my first heel!

Was it unbelievably difficult? Not exactly. Was it slightly more nerve wracking than knitting a hat or scarf? Yes. Luckily for me, I had my mom there to show me what that heck I was doing during the entire process (Thank you mom!). There were moments when I was spotted saying things like "I have to pick up stitches from where??" and "What do they mean cut yarn?!". Apparently I chose a sock pattern that wasn't exactly ideal for the first timer sock knitter, but with some creative reworking on my mom's part, I ended up not having to "cut yarn" and I did manage to successfully complete my first heel! HUZZAH!

Oh, and here is an updated shot of my mitten. Much love.

An Intentional Accident

Okay. I'll come right out and say it: I like the way dark purple looks with yellow.
Call me crazy (you're crazy!) but I just think that those two colors make an attractive pair. Why is this a problem? I'll tell you: last night I was reminded by my brother's fiance [Keri] that, as nice as purple and yellow are together, that they belong to a certain Minnesota football team that will go un-named. Okay, maybe they won't go un-named-- it's the Vikings. Am I a Vikings fan? No way. Do I love the Packers? Absolutely I do.
Now, that all being said, when I chose the colors for these mittens I was absolutely intentional about choosing my colors (as before mentioned, I think yellow+eggplant = fantastic)--my accident was not realizing I was inadvertently supporting the Vikings by doing this. None of this would really matter, but with my college being so close to Minnesota, I feel like I'm going to have to make a disclaimer every time I wear my new mittens! Uff da.

Now that THAT'S covered, I can talk about the mittens themselves and how much I love working on them! This is my first colorwork project and I must say it is not only addicting but is very enjoyable to work on! Here are the Stats:

Pattern: Bird-in-Hand mittens by Kate Gilbert
Made for: My Green Bay Packer loving hands
Yarn: 1 skein Cascade 220 Goldenrod & 1 skein Cascade 220 Royal Purple
Needles: US 2 Addi Turbo circs
Date Started: 1/18

I've always prefered chart reading so that's not really the obstacle here. The color work is going faster as I practice more, and I'm finding that I want to work on them more just to see the pattern developing. I suppose this is probably a common condition among knitters who stranded color projects. I will be posting updated progress of my identity confused mittens as they progress--in the mean time, GO PACK GO!