Saturday, September 18, 2010

Wonderful Link

I found a wonderful link today. Free vintage knitting patterns. Downloaded several patterns but the real winner is the pattern for a pair of Rifleman Gloves.

I'd love mittens, but when you're constantly whipping out your bus pass or using your smart card, mittens don't give you the dexterity required. The flip gloves are cute and I may still make a pair, but again it's the fiddly bit when it's cold and you have to focus on getting on the bus and doing your thing that makes me bulk.

The Rifleman gloves are a combination of mitten and glove. You knit a thumb and forefinger and the other three fingers are enclosed in a mitten. Volia dexterity and warmth.

I think I've also solved my sock knitting failures on this site as well. Heeless socks...like duh! I've bought commerically made heeless socks before. I wasn't wild about them because I could never tell which side was up, but if I knit them, I can put a design on the upside and knit the downside in either ribbing or stocking knit. Woo Hoo!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Labor Day

The first fingerless are finally finished. And yes, there is a ribbing issue on both mits, but they are my first and they are for me and I'm not bothered. The thumb for the left hand went much easier. I plan to make a few more pairs and to make them longer.










The yarn is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool from Knit Picks. The colourway is Pumpkin. KP received batches that were over-spun meaning the yarn is sport weight instead of worsted and came with a warning that it might knit up with a bias slant. The yarn was sold in lots of bags of 10 at $1 a skein. I had enough wool left over from the skein I used for the gloves to make a sizeable swatch for my next project: Lion Brand Glitter Shrug. So far no biasing issues.

It has taken me all afternoon staring at the picture and the diagram to figure out how the Glitter Shrug will be worn once it's made. It's basically a rectangle folded and seamed leaving armholes. I think I've sorted how the garment is to be worn. My first choice was a shrug from Creative Knitting. I kneel at the altar of Ravelry and prostrate myself in gratitude for its existence. Reading the reviews and the knitting issues the four or five people who tried it had (only one person finished it after emailing the company) saved my buns.

What a difference a year makes. This time last year I spent the entire weekend working 10-14 hours each day arranging a trip for visitors from Bhutan who were arriving on Labor Day. It was in the midst of that marathon that I recognized the years of experience which gave me the ability to move 8 people from city to city with less than six days notice of the details. It's odd how we don't often give ourselves credit for the things we know how to do.

This weekend has, by contrast, been an orgy of knitting, tidying, a few errands and chores (washed the blinds in the living room yesterday--give me strength) playing with Toupie and watching a few films on Netflix. That combined with the gorgeous, humidity-free weather--the only thing missing today was yesterday's breeze--has made yesterday and today so relaxing and tension free.

I saw an add on television for Gummy Vitamins for adults. Like finally!!! Horsepills are for horses. These are great tasting but they are totally bearable and doable. My pill chopper thanks you.

I took these snaps of Toupie, who napped on my unmade bed most of yesterday afternoon.








Thursday, September 2, 2010

Is it a Bird, Is it a Plane....

No, it's my first fingerless mitt with a gusset thumb.

Here is a link to some dead cute buttons.

My current bus knit is a shawl:

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