Milestones

Today was a big day for the minions; the hubby took them to get their first ball gloves and bat. During a break from the many thunderstorms that have been rolling through Central Iowa lately, they were able to go outside and start breaking in their new equipment. Little man was really trying hard to impress Daddy. Little miss could not be left out. We have a ways to go technique-wise but the kids had fun and so far, no injuries!

I don't really have much to add in terms of fiber-related things. I'm currently working through some roving from 1000 Petals and am liking how the singles are turning out. I've filled this bobbin since this photo was taken and am moving onto the second. And this is what you get when you have the urge to do some crochet without a definite color plan. I call it, the fugtional hot pad. It's not very pretty, but I'm fine with it as long as it protects my table :)

Here's a little photo of the current storm front moving across our neighborhood. We've gone through the still before the storm and the temperature has dropped about 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 5 minutes or so I think I'll wrap this up, tell the hubby to bring the minions in (they seem to have inherited his desire to be outside when the rain/storm hits) and head downstairs. Just in case :)

Forward March

The Weatherman says it's going to be near 80 degrees Fahrenheit today. Perhaps that means Springtime is officially upon us. One can hope. As usual, it's been a little while since my previous post, so lets do some catching up shall we? I've been knitting and crocheting away, though most of it is still under wraps for the time being. I can show you a few photos though :) I finished up the giant granny square blanket I started for Little miss last year and here are a few close-up pictures of the socks mentioned in the last post. These little bitty socks were knit with leftovers of my Sunshine Yarns Soft Sock in the Another Weasley colorway coupled with chocolate heels and toes. And this is the first sock in my Strut colorway. It ended up doing a little pool/spiral thing which is weird since the yarn was kettle dyed but it's fine by me. This pair will probably be gifted once its mate is completed. Not having a regular paycheck is a tad unnerving, so I've been trying to beef up the Dreams in Fiber business. Here's a little sampling of some recent skeins. Little man was a bit irritated that little miss got a new pair of socks and I was informed that he needed another pair. A simple 2x2 rib cuff plain vanilla sock with my normal garter stitch edged slip stitch heel. I know his feet will be larger come next Fall so I made them a bit long. He insisted on a "proper photo shoot". Sock 2 is on the needles. The yarn is Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in the Edward Colorway which I received through a trade via Ravelry. It's my first time working with this base and I rather enjoy it! I cannot thank S (fabulous woman who graciously gifted me a new-to-me spinning wheel, see previous non-mitten pattern post) enough. Spinning is such a joy and I feel like I could spin and spin and spin.... Housework isn't really all that important is it? I am still starting out but I've noticed improvement in my singles - they're getting thinner and more consistent and I am also working on the Navajo ply technique which is very fun. I am working my way through another 4 oz of roving and am very curious to see how this one plies up. Photos of that one should be coming!

The minions and I, and the hubby, have been enjoying the warmer weather. We went down to my In-law's lake house last weekend to get in a bit of fresh air and some fishing. The hubby caught some fish. My FIL caught some fish. I did not. I think it's being rigged somehow and rest assured, I will be looking into this odd occurrence. Little man has entered into the Dinosaur phase, I don't remember if I have mentioned that or not. Check out the super cool dino galoshes! What can be better than the wind in your face as you gently swing back and forth, higher and higher into the sky? Going higher of course! Such an angelic face really. Who would've guessed that that little minion of mine could be responsible for such a grievous, heinous, outrageous act against my fiber????????? Enter exhibit A. What you see here are the remnants of the skein I am using to create another pattern for my friend J's Oz club starting next month. Little miss was knitting me a sweater - which translates to clicking the needles together - and little man thought the yarn was getting a bit too tangled and decided to help me out by taking a pair of scissors to it. Not happy. It's salvageable though. Just awfully painful to look at!

When Spring comes around the showers aren't far behind!

Mitten Pattern

Mittens for the Fishermen

By Erica Lueder

Materials

Yarn: Worsted Weight – approx 200yds. Samples knit with Malabrigo Worsted.

Needles: US 5 (3.75mm) – set of 2 Circular Needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 24 sts per 4 inches (10cm)

Textured Pattern

Row 1: k1, p2, (k4, p1) x4, k1

Row 2: k1, p3, (k3, p2) x3, k3, p1, k1

Row 3: k1, p4, (k2, p3) x3, k2, p1, k1

Row 4: k1, p5, (k1, p4) x3, k1, p1, k1

Row 5: k1, p22, k1

Row 6: k1, p1, k20, p1, k1

Cuff

CO 44 sts (22 sts per ndl)

*k2p2* (or *k1p1 if one prefers) x 25 rows

Knit 1 row while increasing (kfbl) twice – evenly spaced – on each ndl (see chart).

** there should be 48 total sts at this point, 24 sts per ndl**

Mitten Body

Knit one pattern repeat (see chart)

**NOTE: The chart shows the sts across each ndl; the pattern is repeated from right to left except when dealing with the thumb gusset. While knitting the thumb gusset, on ndl 2, knit the thumb gusset sts first (in place of first knit st in the row), then follow along in pattern.**

Mitten Chart:

Thumb Top:


Thumb Gusset:
Legend:

Thumb Gusset

Knit 2 rows in pattern (see chart)

Next row:

Ndl 1: k in pattern to last st on ndl, pm, M1L, k1

Ndl 2: k1, M1R, pm, knit to end in pattern

**4 thumb gusset sts**

Increase rows are now knit as follows:

Ndl 1: k in pattern to marker, sm, M1L, k to end

Ndl 2: k to marker, M1R, sm, k in pattern to end

Continue knitting mitten body in pattern while at same time, increasing thumb gusset every 4 rows x 3, then every 3^rd row x 3.

**16 total thumb gusset sts**

Knit 1 row according to pattern (see chart)

Next row:

Ndl 1: knit to 1 st before marker in pattern, kfbl. Remove marker. Place remaining thumb gusset sts on spare piece of yarn and remove from ndl.

Ndl 2: Place remaining thumb gusset sts on spare piece of yarn and remove from ndl. Remove marker. Kfbl, knit to end in pattern.

**48 total sts, 24 sts per ndl**

Mitten Body

Continue knitting in pattern until desired length is reached leaving approximately 2.5 inches for mitten top.

Mitten Top

Decrease top of mitten according to chart.

Cut yarn leaving a 10 inch tail and weave through remaining sts using the Kitchener technique.

Thumb

Place thumb sts back on circular ndls while picking up 2 sts where the thumb meets the mitten body to close the gap.

**There should be 18 total thumb gusset sts, 9 sts per ndl**

Knit 15 rows in St st or until desired length is reached, leaving approx ¾ inch for thumb decreases.

Decrease across each ndl as follows:

Row 1: k1, k2tog, k6

Row 2: k5, k2tog, k1

Row 3: k2, k2tog, k3

Row 4: k2tog, k4

Row 5: k3, k2tog

Row 6: k1, k2tog, k1

Cut yarn leaving 6 inch tail and weave through remaining sts, pulling to close.

Finishing

Weave in all ends.

Abbreviations:

CO: cast on

k: knit

k2tog: knit 2 stitches together

kfbl: knit into front and back of same stitch (increase)

M1R: make one right (increase)

M1L: make one left (increase)

ndl: needle

p: purl

pm: place marker

sm: slip marker

ssk: slip 1 st as if to knit, slip1 st as if to knit, knit (decrease)

St St: Stockinette Stitch

sts: stitches