Pinks

by Kelly

One set complete! One pair of mittens and one headband/earwarmer, sized for kids 6-12.  The mittens are from the book Patons Next Step Seven.

The headband is from DROPS design and is also available as a free pattern, either on Raverly or here. I adapted it slightly to fit a smaller head by dropping the last increase. And while I was looking for a page to link to, I found this page of other DROPS designs for headbands, so I can make more in different styles. I think these would be a great alternative to winter hats, especially for girls with long hair or ornate hair styles.

I love the fact that I can learn new things and at the same time help others stay warm this winter. I feel much better about knitting lots of colourful mittens if I'm not just tossing them in a bin to store in my closet. And speaking of learning new things, I'm working on an interesting hat project:

The idea here is that you knit it flat and then fold it into a hat shape and seam it up. I have my doubts, but the end result is so cute that I have to give it a try. Stay tuned for the results.

Now if only I could find a way to knit with all these beautiful autumn leaves that are lying all over the place. That would be recycling that I could get excited about.

Mittens on Three Needles

by Kelly

Come for a walk through the autumn landscape with me:

Meanwhile, I'm knitting mittens in the round this time. Yay, no seaming! Of course, this type of knitting does come with other challenges. For example, the thumb is knitted last. Which makes me wonder about gloves. If you have to knit each finger individually, no wonder fingerless gloves are so popular.

But I will persevere. I definitely aim to achieve gloves this year, because I remember refusing to wear mittens after a certain age and I want to knit something that older kids will be happy to wear.

After all, cold weather is coming, and everyone deserves warm hands. 

Crafty Gadget Mystery and Work In Progress

by Kelly

I bought a box of crafting stuff at a 'hoarders sale' and have a mystery on my hands. What do you think these gadgets are?

They are obviously used to wind something up, but what? Are they for thread, floss, crochet cotton, yarn or ribbon? Do they wind into a ball, a bobbin, a spool? The lady who previously owned these sewed and crocheted, but apparently didn't knit or embroider.

They're also stamped "Beachwood Ltd, Made in China", if that helps. Any ideas?

Meanwhile, also in the box was an unfinished project that I helped out a little:

The pattern (which is to be found in the March/April issue of Needlecraft For Today) showed a little embroidery on the 'bodice'...

so I dug out my embroidery box and got to work, using some of the crochet cotton that was with the project:

By the way, I should mention that this issue of Needlework For Today is from 1986, so the name of the magazine is more ironic than factual. The pattern was created by Jean Carpenter and is called a 'Ring-around-the-Posies Dress'.

Unfortunately, the dress is still not finished - there is quite a bit more crochet work still to be done, and I really have many other projects that I'm much more interested in starting...or completing, since to tell the truth I now have my own small stack of WIP. Still, it's a little sad to think that it will be another 26 years before someone else works on it. I'm thinking of putting it in the shop under the title 'Adopt a project'.

Have any of you adopted a project that someone else never finished? If so, how did it go?

More Mittens

by Kelly

Autumn color:

Meanwhile, the mitten work continues...

I think I may have the hang of mittens now. Gloves would be better, but that means more calculator work to figure out the gauge for a different pattern. Sigh.

How to Graph Chicken Scratch

by Kelly

I found this great online resource that I thought I would share. Free gingham printables! And in multiple colors, so not only can you more easily visualize the lacy pattern you're trying to create, but you can play around with colors as well.

I found this at Activity Village. The printables are totally free, provided you only use them for personal use.

These patterns would be fantastic for anyone who's trying to graph out a chicken scratch pattern. And if you're tired of the subdued colours of ordinary gingham, check out their supercharged bright colour version.

Activity Village is a wonderful place to find free printables, ranging from scrapbook paper to colouring pages for kids. If you have a few moments, take a look around their site. Especially here, here, and here.

I can't wait to get started with this. The ideas are just bubbling away. Oh, but I should really finish the mitten I have on my knitting needles, shouldn't I? Sigh.

Mittens and Kittens

by Kelly

Crafting for The Mitten Tree, a local charity that supplies cold weather accessories to needy kids, has begun! I've been attempting mittens again, with mixed results.

The right hand glove (actually on the left of the photo) went really well, even if it did turn out just a wee bit too large. But what went wrong with the second mitten, which is obviously smaller than the first? Did I cast on too few stitches? Did I knit more tightly the second time around?

While I puzzle over the possible problems here, at least I can enjoy the antics of my cat, who has some new toys provided by Dawn at our last Stitch and Bitch session:

 

How cute is that little octopus? I wouldn't have thought to combine pink and green in one yarn, but some genius yarn maker did, and it works really well. And as you can see from the slightly tattered condition of the fish, these toys are very popular with our 'tiger in residence'. He was actually a little miffed with me that I picked them up to take pictures.

Patons Next Steps Seven

by Kelly

Time to push the envelope again...this time the challenge is mittens.

Sorry for the poor lighting in that picture - it's awfully early here, because kitty has to go to the vet today and I won't be home at my normal posting time.

At any rate. last time I made mittens, there was a hole near the thumb that I couldn't close up to my satisfaction. So when I was buying the Mary Maxim Kimono kit for my aunt, I also got the book above, Paton's Next Steps Seven, firstly because I needed to bump my total purchase over $35 to get free shipping, and secondly because I wanted to be able to knit mittens and gloves, darn it.

This book is really amazing - it walks the beginner knitter through many styles of mittens and gloves, on two needles, double pointed needles, and circular, and all in only 98 pages.

So I'm past the thumb and starting the main body of the mitten. Can't wait for the seaming ahead! So far, though, it's been quite fun.

And now I'm really interested in the other Paton's Next Step books. They have quite a variety. including a whole series of crochet books. My next step will probably be this one on cardigans. I have quite a selection of gray hoodies, but only one cardigan, which I never wear because the zipper doesn't work and replacing a zipper is way out of my comfort zone. But if I make my own cardigan, rest assured, no zippers will be involved. Of course, there may be buttons,and that means knitted button holes, which are also out of my comfort zone. (*Sigh*)

And by the way, that picture above reminds me of a television interview I saw with a magazine model, who related some of the strange instructions that were written into her scripts, which included 'laughing at fruit'. Google that phrase and you'll see what I mean. Modelling seems to be a very odd business.