Mittens for Mom

New mittens! Of course they have a story:

Pink yarn is merino from KnitPicks bought who knows how long ago to make girl a pair of lacy socks.

Daycare complains that girl's mittens aren't warm enough--they aren't very thick. Never mind they are 100% merino that has been felted from playing in sandbox. Mom gets mad, decides to make felted pink mittens for daughter. Mom has never made felted mittens before. Won't shrink enough to fit toddler hands, but will fit Mom's hands. Mom feels strangely attracted to pink color and pairs a handspun/dyed blue-faced leicester yarn for ribbing. Mom wears mitten after major blizzard. Mom likes mittens, thinks pink snow boots and a new pink scarf might be the thing. Mom has NOTHING else that is pink.

Oh yes, Mom gave in and bought daughter thick store-bought nylon mittens. She knows hers are warmer, but she has learned that you never piss off your daycare providers. Mom makes mental note to make mittens for daycare providers.....

What a tangled mess we weave

Well, it doesn't look tangled, but I completed my first weaving project. For warp I used some thick crochet thread and the weft is a 50/50 alpaca-wool blend from Louet. I wove the singles right off the bobbin and then threw the scarf in the washer when finished weaving. This fiber has a lot of the outer hairs of the alpaca and is pretty scratchy, the fulling seemed to help that. I am especially pleased with the look of the fabric.

It is a short scarf, one that you can tuck in a man's jacket. It is for my dad--I guess if he doesn't like it, it will make a nice runner.

Box O Sox

Look what was on my doorstep on Thursday! A box full of treats from KnitPicks! I had been trying to decide what socks I wanted to try next and then they came out with a sampler pack of all the Simple Stripes colors and it was cheaper than buying them seperately! Woosh, out came my credit card! The colors are much prettier than in the catalog. I am especially fond of the one at the upper right--the wine colored ones. I showed my hubby with much enthusiasm and he just nodded. Perhaps the couple of balls of Essentials in grey that I was going to make a pair of socks for him should go somewhere else.......

November Nittings

I have been finishing up a few projects, trying to get Christmas knitting started. I discovered that I like making socks and other things--for me.

Here are some pics of some finished objects:

Here is a scarf for a lady in our study group at church who is ill. She has been wanting a fuzzy scarf for about a year, and I didn't know how to tell her that I was so sick of making them. I was really happy with it when it was done, I like the colors.

Here is one of a pair of Simple Stripes socks from Knit Picks. I think the color is Storm. I like it, it can be either purple or blue depending on what color you are wearing with it. I do have the other sock done, but we are in the middle of laundry at the moment.

Perhaps I should ask for a new digital camera for Christmas. This is a drop-stitch shawl that is made from a two-ply handspun yarn. One ply is a solid burgandy and the other is a multicolored, green, purple and a red. This is the largest project I have ever made from my handspun. My husband said he didn't think it would be very warm with the dropped stitches, but I had to take it off at church--it was warm. I wish I could get a close-up of the yarn.