Happy!

September 29, 2010

Spunky Eclectic fiber is awesome. Amy's colorways always make me happy. I especially fell in love with Twenty-Ten. I bought 4 ounces in superwash BFL. When I got it in the mail I couldn't help but smoosh it.


It wanted to be a chunky, chain-plied yarn. I obliged.

And that soft, warm and bright yarn wanted to be fingerless mitts. Again, I obliged. I mean really, how could I not?


I call them Happy, as in 'They make me'. I designed them with the new spinner in mind. The yarn required is chunky; a much easier yarn for a new spinner to produce. Because it's plied the flaws in the singles don't show up as readily. And it's quick. And fun. And Happy.

I spun the yarn on the very first spindle I ever owned; a bottom whorl, 2.5 ounces. I call her Old Faithful, my workhorse. She is the spindle I pick up when I've got a fiber I've never tried before. I pick her up when I'm frustrated with one of my other spindles. I can ply up to 4 ounces on her. She has been dropped many times and doesn't mind it. A little bit of fluff shimmed in between the shaft and the whorl and she is as good as new.

Fiber used: "Twenty-Ten" on Super Wash BFL by Spunky Eclectic
Yarn details: Singles spin direction-Z, 22 wpi, Chain plied, spin direction-S, 8 wpi,
Method of finishing: Warm soak in a wool wash, warm rinse and light 'thwacking'
Fiber prep: Started with combed top, split down the middle to preserve color progression, enough pre-drafting to loosen fibers
Drafting method: Short forward draw
Spindle used: 2.5 ounce, bottom whorl
Yarn classification: Bulky
Suggested commercial substitutes: Mirasol Yarn Sulky, Plymouth Encore Chunky, Rowan Purelife Brittish Sheep Breeds Chunky, Noro Iro

Yardages: I spun 4 ounces in two skeins of about 46 yards each. I used 3.8 ounces for the mitts and had about 12 yards left.

Happy Fingerless Mitts
Women's Medium
Gauge-4 stitches and 6 rows=1 inch
Needles-US 8-5mm, or size required for correct gauge
90-120 yards Aran or Bulky weight yarn
Notions-stitch markers, tapestry needle
Approximate finished circumference, measured around palm, just above thumb-8 inches
Both mitts are made exactly the same and each mitt can be worn on either hand.

Stitch definitions and techniques
M1F: Pick up bar between stitches and place on left hand needle so the 'short' leg is in the front, knit the short leg, this makes a left leaning increase, also called M1L.
M1B: Pick up bar between stitches and place on left hand needle so the 'short' leg is in the back, knit this from the back, this will twist the stitch and make a right leaning increase, also called M1R.
Visual tutorial here


Cuff:

CO 32 sts, join for working in the round.
PM at beginning of round and work K2, P2 rib for 3 inches.
Change to St st and increase 1 st in next row, 33 sts.
Work 2 more rows in St st.

Thumb gusset:

R1. K16, pm, M1F, K1, M1B, pm, K to end of row.
R2. K 1 row plain.
R3. K16, sm, M1F, K3, M1B, sm, K to end of row.
R4. K 1 row plain.
R5. K16, sm, M1F, K5, M1B, sm, K to end of row.
R6. K 1 row plain.

Continue alternating increase rows with plain rows until there are 15 stitches between markers. Last row should be a plain row.

Usually at this point, when making mittens or gloves, you put the thumb stitches on waste yarn and work the rest of the hand. I wanted to preserve the colorway progression of my yarn as best as possible; I didn't want to come back to make the thumb in a totally different color.

Next row: K16, slip these 16 sts onto waste yarn, K across thumb gusset (15 sts), slip rest of hand sts onto waste yarn, they will not have been knit this row. They will be the first sts you knit when starting the hand.

Thumb:

Join 15 thumb sts for working in the round.
K 4 rows even.
Work 2 rows in K2, P2 rib.
BO in pattern.

Hand:

Starting at thumb, return stitches from waste yarn to needles. Beginning of row will now be where the thumb is, pm. Join for working in the round.
Join yarn and K 1 row.
At end of row, PU and K 1 st to close gap between thumb and hand, 33 sts.
At end of next row, K2tog, 32 st.
Continue in St st for about 1.5 inches or until mitt is 1 inch shorter than your preference.
Work 4 rows in K2, P2 rib.
BO in pattern.

Weave in ends with tapestry needle. All they need is a damp blocking to look awesome! Rinse and repeat for second mitt.

Don't they make you Happy too?

Flight of Fancy

I mean to write last night. By the time I remembered Larry told me to go to bed, it was late. He was right, as usual.

The flight to Chicago was fine. Everything went smoothly from packing,

to the airport taxi, to check-in, (I love love love curbside luggage check, I love printing my own boarding pass.) to a quick line through security. Even Larry didn't seem to suffer too much anxiety, though I know he had a few rough patches.

I started a project in the terminal while waiting for our boarding call, this is how much I got done during our travels:

It's a pair of socks for dad. I'm using KnitPicks 4" sock needles. Aren't they cute?? The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy. It's just like the name says, smooshy. It's a superwash merino and is knitting up nicely on US#2's.

We landed on time, baggage came down the chute in one piece, the shuttle to the train arrived not three minutes from stepping outside the terminal, we waited about an hour for the train which was on time and Larry's folks were waiting for us with smiles on their faces. We had a lovely evening and dinner and relaxed and caught up with family news.

Tuesday we hijacked Larry's mom, Tanya, and took the car into Wisconsin to that cheese place we had visited when I visited last spring. Yay Mars Cheese Castle!

They had EVERYTHING Wisconsin.


They're calling me to dinner. More later.

Yakira

Chicago Blogging Take Two

That is a picture of an incredible package I won from posting a comment on another blog. Larkin of The Lady Knits held a contest last month and I won! Unfortunately I did not get a picture of everything in the package before my heathen children got hold of it. Aside from the three magazines and the orange Blue Sky Alpaca Melange and the cranberry Malabrigo Merino Lace, there were some candies and cookies, and a small candy corn candle and a pencil with an orange troll like thing at the top, some orange bath salts and some amazing orange stitch markers. The contest's theme was 'Orange and Other Fall Colors,' can you tell? Thank you Larkin!!

Tomorrow we fly out to Chicago for a whole week. I'm really excited. Larry is a nervous wreck. He doesn't fly well. It's endearing in an anxious kind of way. If that makes sense. Me, I like adventure, I like to travel, see new things and meet new people. Larry is a self proclaimed cave dweller. I think the only thing making this trip possible is the fact that we'll be staying with his folks where he already has built his pseudo cave. Meanwhile I'm doing my best to curb my enthusiasm and just do what he says and avoid conflict. The man does not need any more stress.

So we had already decided not to take Rachel with us, a week with absolutely no kids, bliss. Late last week he told me how worried he was about me being away from Rachel for 8 days, the longest I've ever been away from her. He was really concerned about how I would handle it. We both know that Rachel won't even know I'm gone, she'll be having way too much fun with Bubby and Zaidy. He was worried enough to actually check flight prices for her. You didn't hear it from me but I'm thinkin' it's he who is going to miss Rachel more.

We haven't hammered out our visiting agenda yet, we figure we'll play it by ear. But I have planned my own personal down time agenda, knitting and more knitting. I'm going to make Ysolda's Peaks Island Hood for Chana. She will love it and it is knit up in heavy worsted weight on fairly large needles so it should be a pretty quick knit. I'm also taking along yarn for a hat and mittens for Nachman. For the plane I'm taking another pair of socks. Why? Because I finished my Monkey Socks!

They're mine, all mine. And soooo comfey.

So what's left for holiday knitting? I have to finish Miriam's Snapdragon Mitts, the Tam is done. Chana gets the hood/scarf thing. Nachman gets a hat and mittens from yarn he picked out. Rachel has the Cupcake Purse filled with knitted foods that I have to work on when we get back. Nosson wants an earflap hat. I have some really nice charcoal gray yarn I just haven't found a pattern I like yet. I'll take ideas, I'm open to color work but he's a teenage boy and doesn't want anything 'fussy.' I was going to try this skull pattern that I thought was really cool. He looked at it and said no way. I may make it for myself. I'd use only one row of skulls though.

I'm not knitting for Larry. The man hates socks, doesn't wear hats or scarves and only sometimes wears a sweater. Forget about it.

I'm already planning knitting and crafts for after the holidays. I'm insane. Here's a hint at what I've got in store:

Can you guess??

Tomorrow I'll blog from Chicago!

Yakira

Time

I have to tell you this whole time changing thing knocked me flat on my arse. It's been about three weeks and I still can't fathom why it's dark at supper time. Okay, I KNOW why, I just can't convince my brain to process it. Whatever, I'll get over it, or not.

Holiday knitting is taking over my world right now. I've got something for each of the kids with two mostly finished and one going on the needles to knit while in Chicago. You've all seen the Snapdragon Tam and the Mitts to go with it. I just have to knit up the second mitt and get the finger flaps on both of them. There's also the Cupcake Purse which I'm filling with knitted and crocheted foods.

One mini cupcake down.

Meanwhile in a fit of whimsy I made this:

No, it's not a salad, it's a scarf.Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time so stop asking. I'll sell it to the highest bidder. It's 100% wool, hand wash, hand knit/crocheted, about 5' long and 6" wide and some of the yarns I dyed myself. Bidding ends December 15.

On another note, I've got three close friends who have been trying to conceive for a while now. One has had two misses. I would like to make them a 'Mommy Blanket.' I am collecting 8"x8" knit or crocheted squares from mommys and grandmothers to seam together to send to my friends. Hopefully the love and prayers from other mothers all knit into a blanket will bring them comfort and, G-d, willing their own little soul to take care of and love. If you would like to participate please email me.

We're off to Chicago next week!

Yakira