How The West Was Spun

Thanks, Mia!

Y'all may remember I was participating in the No-More-Humdrum-Mittens swap.  Although my swap partner (due to some homefront stuff that would sap the knitting strength out of anyone) hasn't quite finished my mittens, she DID send me a box of goodies last week!

Here's the list of goodies:

• A set of cute kitchen towels embroidered with the days of the week.  Sunday's on the top, but there are 6 other days in the set!  How fun are those? And very retro!
• Three bags of various chocolates.  There may be a few less in the bags than are shown in the pictures.  Maybe.  Just sayin'.
• A skein of one of my favorite yarns - Harrisville Highland - for me to play with.
• And not shown, but already in the kitchen - a tin of Old Bay seasoning.  (If you are from the tidewater area, you'll know this stuff makes the absolutely BEST Bloody Mary drinks.)

Thanks Mia!  (And if you get a chance to visit her blog, be sure to take a look at all of her Earth Day pictures - they are incredible.)

All for now.....

Mittens!

I sent off my swap-mate's package late last week and she let me know today she already received it!  Woot!  So, I can now reveal the mitten FO details that I sent to her.  Irene doesn't have a blog, but if you have a Ravelry account, you can check out all her lovely knitted work at user name Reanbean.  Kind of a high standard to be held to for your swap partner with all her wonderful stranded work.

For her gift pair, I picked the Bosnian Mittens from Blackberry Ridge Mill.  The colors were perfect for Irene - green and brown with a hint of rusty orange.

Project Specs:

• Yarn:  75% wool, 25% mohair from Blackberry Ridge Mill.  I am not usually a fan of mohair, but this yarn is absolutely wonderful.  The mohair gives it a wonderful sheen without being prickly or fuzzy, and super-saturates the colors.  The brown is actually a natural brown-sheep wool.  I predict these will wear like iron and they are VERY warm, perfect for New England. This is a worsted weight yarn, so it knits up quickly.
• Pattern:  Bosnian Mittens by Beth Morimoto.  Available through Blackberry Ridge as either a stand-alone pattern or in a kit.  Some basic colorwork skills are needed.  It would have been nice if they had included a photo of the palm, as you sort of had to wing what the thumb looked like.  The pattern also assumes you have some knowledge of mitten construction as well.
• Needles:  US size 2 and 4.
• Summary:  I was happy with these.  I was a little concerned if I picked itsy-bitsy yarn and needles (which tends to be my penchant), I wouldn't have them done in time, so I am glad I went with a heavier yarn.  I enjoyed working with this yarn so much, I did a little stash enhancement and went back and got yarn for 2 more (different) pairs. 

Enjoy them, Irene! 

All for now....

No-More-Humdrum Mittens

There's a great new swap for patterned mittens out and about: No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap!  Signups are open through January 12, 2008, if you think you might be interested.

Since I already had several patterns for different pairs of mittens on deck, this was serendipitous - and sounds like a whole lotta fun to boot. I can't remember the last time I participated in a swap, but a pair of mittens and some fun goodies - I couldn't resist.

So here's my questionnaire for whoever gets me in the swap:

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?  Since I was 6, and then off and on into high school with a long hiatus until after college.  My dad's mom taught me, and then, after she died, I had help from my great-aunt Iris.

Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Advanced?  I suppose that's where I am these days - I can do colorwork and lace, and do some dabbling in designing my own.

What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?  Anything in the purple/blue/gray family.  I tend toward cool colors.  Yellow is generally not good for me and I don't like any of the acid/psychedelic colors.

Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?  I adore any kind of colorwork/stranded fair isle patterning, so Latvian mittens are in that category.  No particular favorite patterns - I really tend to like them all.

Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?  Oh it's all about me - always. :)

What is the measurement from your wrist to the tip of your longest finger?  7-1/2 inches from the bony prominence on the outside of my wrist to the tip of my middle finger.

What is the circumference of your hand at it's widest point? 7-3/4 inches around my knuckles

What other things do you enjoy knitting?  Socks are probably my number-one project, but I like almost all kinds of knitting - sweaters, vests, shawls, hats, mittens.  I can't really think of anything I don't like, except maybe fun-fur scarves.

What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum) Bamboo or wood are my preference.  I like circulars for large projects and DPNs for smaller things.

What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make? Heh - I think my Ravelry queue would indicate there are LOTS.  I have several Alice/Jade Stamore projects in my "wish I had more time" list.

What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?  The new Noro sock yarn.

What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?  I horseback ride a lot.  I spin, but don't have time for a lot of it; i have a loom, but am in the process of selling it due to absolutely no time to weave!

Besides yarn, do you collect anything? Nothing specific, but I do have a lot of horse-oriented things in the house.

What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?  Sweets more than salty.  Good chocolate is always nice.  Gourmet tea is a favorite too.  I'm not allergic to anything, but I really don't like things that are spicy - like cayenne pepper or too much ginger.

Do you have any kids? Pets?  No kids, except for the 4-legged ones:  1 cat, 2 dogs, 4 bunnies (3 are angoras) and 3 horses.

What is your favorite part of Winter?  The cold and the snow - I love fresh snow.  And lots of warm woolen clothing. :)

What is your least favorite part of Winter? It really cuts into my horse-riding time.

I think that'll sum it up.  Swap pal - if you need more info, please ask!

All for now......