Week 3 = Project 3

This week's object was alot of fun! I decided I needed a pair of mittens and it was about time I used up some of those random skeins of Paton's Classic merino I had lying about. The Deep Olive is a color I really like, particularly for something that could get pretty grubby, like mittens. I looked at some mitten patterns, but nothing was what I wanted. So I went out on a limb, and designed my own!

Now, a mitten is basically a tube with a thumb stuck on. So I cast on 42 stitches on US4s and did some 2x1 rib, about 2.5 inches worth. Then I switched to US6 and decided to go with the Reverse Staghorn Cable from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker. I love that book. So many patterns, so little time.

I knit that for a little while until I thought I was about where my thumb should be - say, 5" from the cast on. Standard seemed to be about 8 stitches for a thumb hole, so I used some waste yarn and knit 8 stitches, then put those back on the left needle and knit them again with the working yarn. I learned this trick doing Knitty's Fetching, and I think it's brilliant. Then I just kept knitting until I felt like it was long enough for my hand. I stopped on the last row of the pattern so that I could sort of follow the general shape of the staghorn with the decreases. I did paired decreases every other row until I had 16 stitches left. Then I Kitchenered. Went back and picked up those thumb stitches, plus one in each corner for good measure, and knit a thumb. Did paired decreases at the top of that and Kitchenered.

And I ended up with these...






















Aren't they cute?!?! I just love them. The Paton's gets so soft and fluffy with washing and they fit nice and tight, just the way I like it. I did kitchener the top of one of them a little tightly, but they'll do. I still have the worst time Kitchenering - I feel like I do it differently each time. But, I suppose as long as it doesn't fall apart, I must be doing it right no matter what it looks like!

At knitting circle this week Kathy kindly delivered my latest order from Sereknity: a second skein of the lavendar silk/wool I bought before Christmas, and two skeins of the most yummy-licious alpaca/wool/silk yarn I have ever drooled over, and it's in my newest favorite colorway... Rock Lobster! Officially, I placed the order for a friend of mine, but I didn't want to deny you the awesomeness that is this yarn...



















The color is even better in person. I'm never happy with the way my camera shoots anything red. But it's awesome. And soft, warm, fuzzy, luscious.... you know, all that good stuff. Thanks Heather - you totally ROCK! And if I'm lucky, she'll even let me keep it! Heh!

For next week's FO I'm going to try to get a couple of panels for my Lizard Ridge done. Give my brain a rest while I try to figure out what to knit for Kyle... I have an idea... I just need to decide on colors...

How's that Kyle? Teaser enough for ya'? ;-)