Done In a Day

Was I knitting obsessively all day, or were these just an ultra quick knit?

Probably a bit of both! I cast on for the first fingerless mitt at about 2 pm yesterday and sewed in the last end of the second mitt at the stroke of midnight. Somewhere in there I did make supper and clean up afterward, but yeah, I knit most of the afternoon and evening.

Still, that seemed a very quick project.

I knit these up in my own chain plyed handspun. The halfbred top in the "black allsorts" colourway was purchased from Aurelia Wool and Weaving. The fingerless mitt pattern is "Suzie's Reading Mitts".

Cuter Than He Looks

Unfortunately I'm having trouble getting a good picture of the Gnome. He's really quite a charmer in person!

Perhaps he's camera shy?

The pattern is Yuletide Gnomes (Jultomtar & Teeny Tomte) by Alan Dart, and I made this one up in my own handspun, except for the beard of course, which is fun fur.

The pattern requires a lot of tedious sewing up which initially peeved me, but who knows, he's so cute perhaps I will make another one some day.

Packages In The Snow

Further work on my granddaughter's stocking. I love the little 3D bows on the packages tucked in the snow. Not much left to do now.

Spinning Batts

Still working toward having all the handspun to knit up a Gnome. I dug through the fibre stash and came up with this batt. It was originally a commercially dyed merino top that I found too compact. I ran it through my drum carder quite some time ago. Much of it was used in a blend with other fibres, but I had this bit left over.

I spun all 65g that remained into a 2ply. It might work for the gnome, but I won't know until I try a swatch. It looks a bit thinner than I had hoped for.


I also spun up all 65g of a batt of Lincoln that I received as a door prize at a spin-in. It too is a contender for the gnome, but looks about the same weight as the merino. Perhaps they will both end up being used, but in separate gnomes?

Spinning For A Gnome

200g of bright, Christmas red corriedale all spun, plyed and washed in preparation for knitting a Gnome.

Perseverance

I think I'll name this cardigan "Perseverance" because at this gauge I'll need a lot of that before I'm through.

This will be my version of 97-18 Tailored cardigan by DROPS design (which looks much better on the Raverly knitters who have made it than it does on the Drops model). I've had to rework all the numbers though, as I am getting a much finer gauge. I'm using 3.25 mm (US 3) needles and ColourMart's 2/28, merino/cashmere/silk blend (60%/20%/20%). It's ultra fine so I'm using it doubled and getting 28.5 stitches and 35 rows per 4" (10 cm).

Continuing the Legacy

Knitting is a skill that has been passed down through the generations in my family. My great grandmother was a knitter, as was my grandmother and my mother. I am a knitter, and I have taught both of my daughters to knit.

I am proud to show you the work of my youngest daughter, Kristy (Kristo on Ravelry). This is her first attempt at intricate lace with the dreaded "nupps". She did a wonderful job! This is "Swallowtail" knit in hand dyed silk and is destined to be a gift for a very special lady.

200g of Gnome Flesh

I've spun up all 200g of the flesh coloured corriedale in preparation for knitting handspun gnomes. That's way more than enough for one, but I may decide to make multiples. We'll see.

Now I'm on to spinning the bright, Christmas red.

An Arm And A Leg

I've been working on Kenzie's stocking quite a bit the last few days. Recent additions are Santa's right arm and Frosty's arm and leg.

It's unfortunate that my camera does not do a good job of picking up all the amazing details of these stockings. The arms and legs are attached only at the shoulder and hip ends so that they dangle free. They are stuffed for a 3 dimensional effect as well. They are also decorated with embroidery, sequins and beads. . . . . very dazzling in real life but barely visible in the photograph.

Santa's Frosty Friend

Slowly, slowly I'm making progress on Kenzie's stocking. The toboggan was completed today, and a lot of work has been done on both Frosty and Santa over the past couple of weeks.