Another WIP, another stash busting project

Yes another stash busting project : Sourwood mitts to finish using the yarn I dig out of my stash while last test knitting for Lily my Kirstone. Not only it will goes beautifully with my brand new hat but it will be the perfect spring hat and mitts !

Pattern is really fun and it's knitting only when my daughter is sleeping,I don't know why, maybe because she want me to look at her which is very hard while doing this...

FO : Birds in hand

New FO to add in 2010...cast on April 17th and cast off May 1st : a pair of mitten ! Yes you read well, I did a pair of mitten at springtime, why ? Just because I wanted something to play with colors and also because I really wanted to try that pattern for a really long time.

Here are the spec :

Pattern : Bird in hand by Kate Gilbert
Needle : 3.5mm
Yarn : 0.25 skein of white Palette by Knit Picks and 0.75 skein of red Palette by Knit Picks

I am proud to knit those, colorwork is not really my thing usually... I did great when we think that I did not did any since the Endpaper mitts a few years ago. So not so bad and I'm pleased with the results. I need to improve my floating system and learn to keep more length for the contrast color in small section like the thumb. I had to cut some to leave me more space and I block the cut ends. Not the best solution but I will learn as I do more projects of the same type.

I also found that it's a quick project and fun to see it grow before my eyes. It was also fun to see my coworkers eyes growing too when I work on this project... They are used to see my knit before my work at my desk since I'm pregnant and they know what I knit. I got many many comments about those puppies.

I have to admit that the pattern is almost perfect but I have no idea how you can knit this type of pattern with a worsted weight and not ending with giant mittens... ok mine are on the thin side but I made them to walk outside in Spring and Fall time (I'm thinking about stroller ride already with my daughter!). I also needed to had 2 stitches on the inside of the thumb to have more ease and 2 more rows of plain red before diminutions for the same reason. I have pretty long fingers so it's not unusual.

Let just end saying, I love my new mittens and I hope to use them only in about 5 or 6 months...

Christmas gift number 2

Yes another Christmas gift is ready : fingerless mittens for my brother.

Here are the specs of my new creation :

Pattern : Dashing by Cheryl Niamath, Knitty Spring 2007

Needles : 4.5mm

Yarn : Wool of the Andes bulky by Knitpicks in color wine, about 1.2 skein

Cast on : November 7th
Cast off : November 14th

Size : medium

Mods : none but I wish I had made them a little bit shorter after the cables at the wrist but since he have bigger hands that me, it will be fine for him (I hope). Fun and quick pattern, even if it took me one week to finish them it was because I was sick with influenza but the knitting itself doesn't took too long and I am very happy to be done with them !!!

First Chritmas gift is done !

Hello !!!

i'm back with more knitting, I had a busy month in October and since I've been 2 weeks in Mexico, I did not had time to update here, I hope you still read me...

So, on a special request I knitted a second pair of Fetching, almost like the one I did in 2008 for my sister-in-law...but since my brother used them so much she really need another pair. I followed the instructions but I had a repeat of the cable on the wrist and also one more cable on fingers because I found them too short last time.


Don't worry about me spoiling the surprise...she doesn't read this anyway !!!

So here are the spec of my new pair of Fetching


Pattern : Fetching by Cheril Nyamath from Knitty summer 2006

Needle : 4mm DPN

Yarn : Michell and CIA Luxury fine merino superwash DK, about 1.2 ball


Cast on : November 7th
Cast off : November 8th

Was fun and I'm going back to knitting right away Christmas gift #2....stay tune... oh! and as soon as I have time I'll post pictures about my trip to Mexico and tell you how it was !

FO : Thrum mittens

Yes yes yes !!! My hands will be toasty this winter to play in the snow with the Man and throw snow balls in the back of his head when he's not looking at me.... ;) lol !

Specs :

Pattern : Thrum mittens kit by Fleece artist, color is Mineral I think... but not sure it wasn't written on the pattern.

Needles : 3.5mm

Size : adult medium

Cast on : September 12Th

Cast off : September 18Th

Mods : none

Notes to myself, don't be afraid about pulling on fleece and pay attention to my hands and wrists, I don't know if it's the thrumming but my hands were very painful at the end of this. But quick and fun pattern will certainly make more.

Tonight is Stitch and bitch with the group of Quebec city ! Yippee !! :) See you tonight girls :)

Thursday night knitting

Oh yes it's finally week end for me !!! I had a big week and a very great week end before but I am so glad that it's over and well behind me now... I recently booked my vacation for Riviera Maya and we are leaving in only 3 weeks from now.... I am so excited and I did not even start to think about knitting for the vacation... Really have to take note about that I can't go to a vacation resort for 2 weeks without yarn and needles ;)

Here is a little picture of me playing on the "Muse" statue in Carre D'Youville in Vieux Quebec...


On the knitting side I put the sock on the side for another project that I just bought at the new LYS next door to my place : Thrum mitten kit by Fleece Artist. I really enjoy the project and I knit the first mitten straight in one day and I had almost no time to knit on the second one this week and I am almost done now. That how quick those mittens are !

Here is how the kit look like when I first brought it home. I paid 29$ for the kit, including yarn, roving and the pattern. It's ok since I will use pattern again for sure.

Then I did not stop to take any picture until earlier today. You can see the first mitten all done in the back, the roving left to put in thrums in the second mitten and my wip on the second mitten.

You can see the needle holding live stitches for the thumb placement later but I kept on knitting before coming here to talk about it. I already told you but it's really addictive when you are knitting thrums !! :)

Winter be ready, 'coz I am now !

FO : Amidon mitten

Yes I finally kick myself over my procrastination on that project and I finish the cuff of the Amidon mittens I was test knitting for Becky Herrick on Ravelry. It was a very fun knit and so easy to try your hands on felting.

Spec :

Pattern : Amidon mittens by Becky Herrick

Yarn : Knit Picks Wool of the Ande in color wine, 2 skeins

Knit Picks Merino Style in color coal, 2 skeins

Needle : DPN 8mm and DPN 5mm

Mod : I made the the cuff with yarn holds only double for the Merino style and simple for WOTA instead of the double as the pattern called for, because I felt I was going to be too big and I wanted to be easy to hide the cuff inside of sleeve in a winter coat. And I reverse color for the cuff too because I was running out of red and I prefer coal anyway !

I wish had made the thumbs smaller, they look ginormous on my hand and I am unhappy with this part. If I do this pattern again, I will cast on only 12 of 14 sts instead of 16 and I'll made it shorter too, but overall the pattern is really good and if you want to try on colorwork/felting for the first time, this is the pattern you need !

About the yarn : it felt very well but be aware that KP WOTA bleed a LOT when you wash it for the first time, my kitchen sink was all red after the first soak in hot water !

My lazy method of felting in front load machine washing...

I begun with a try on hand felting and after 10 minutes I was unable to continue, it's really really hard to do ! So I decide to trow them in my washing machine at the hottest cycle for an hour and then I check after an hour to mesure and I was still too big, I continue the cycle for another 45 minutes, check again with mesurements and it was just perfect !

Hopes this help because I had question by Ravelry about that.

Happy bloganniversary to me

Hey it's already a year since I first post on my blog ! Wow this year have past so fast I can't imagine it's already the first round done on the blog...

Here some stats :

Today I'm posting my 90th message on the board.

I have now around 100 visits by week --- Thank you so much to all of you !

I do have visit from over 20 country around the globe (WOW!!)

Since the last few month I post around 3 times a week

knitting stats...

I produce ...(FO)

9 pairs socks - adult only

5 knitted accessories

4 baby related items - 2 pairs of socks, a hat and a pair of booties

3 pairs of fingerless gloves - none for me

2 sweaters

and 1 dishcloth

I have 9 WIP listed on my Ravelry account... but I think I have some non lited somewhere around my appartement. I do have to make a statement about some if I frog of not... I will post about my frogging experience soon since I decided to frog my 103-1 jacket...

I just hope that I can continue to interest all of you in reading my blog for another year !

And a little previex of what I'm doing right now... a pair of felted mitten for a test knitting...

My mom is modeling for me

Instant gratification

Yes a quick little project in between the Green Gable... yes I failed to be monogamous to a project for once, but it's for a good reason : I needed to have something handmade for my "favorite thing swap" so it doesn't really count.

Here the FO : Chlorofyll Mittens by Tarja (link on Ravelry)

I found the pattern on Ravelry and totally like it at first glance because there are bobbles and I rename my project "Bobbles mittens" and second because it seems to be quite underground so far and unnoticed. It's a free pattern release on March 2008 and including the designer there are only 4 projects on Ravelry about it. Pattern is ok, well written and clearly charted but if I had knows that I would use only about 5 yards of the second skein of Merino Style to finish it I would have shorten the ribbing at beginning by a few rows...

Here the Specs...

Yarn : 1.05 skein of Knitpick Merino Style in color Storm

Needles : 3.25 mm DPN because I don't have 3 mm

Cast on : evening of October 1st

Cast off : evening of October 2nd

Note : very quick and easy as said earlier I would prefer to shorten the ribbing by 2-3 rows to be able to use only a single ball of yarn.

I also have a note about the yarn : it's my first time working with it and it works beautifully BUT the skein had 6 knots !!! I guess I have reason to be a bit disapointed...

Now I'm waiting to have to have my partner name to send it with my package !!!

Back to regular scegule on Green Gable soon...

Magic on my hand !

Yes I am talking about my Druid mittens, I love them a lot ! Clever pattern, fun construction and even if the chart look like very impressive at first look, after a pattern repeat it's always the same till the decrease at the top. I worked almost a full pattern repeat longer to fit in my very long fingers ! I should have done a full pattern repeat, but I'm sure they will strech a bit after washing and light blocking. My only complain except the weird gauge...is that the palm is not strech enough in comparaison to the back of the mitten unfortunatly. As I said light blocking and will see after.

Here the first one :

I did made a mistake, I made the same row twice, but when I saw it I was almost at the end so I decide to live with it and keep it as is. I'm sure I will forget about it sometime and it won't bother me anymore ! hehe !

My mom thought I was kind of crazy doing mitten in the sunnier part of the summer...I agree with her ! But, since I begin on this project we had so much sun and warm weather than I only think that I must have done that before !!!

I am very happy with my gauge on the 2.25mm, if you ever attempt the pattern, really take time to swatch of check after a few row how it looks. When I first cast on with the 3.25mm it was so large it could have almost fit on my head... talking of my head...since I love so much this yarn/pattern combinaison, why not buying another skein to make a matching Druid-ish hat ? Umm, sounds good... I will hunt on Ravelry if I can find a skein cheaper than at the LYS.

Dream in color smooshy if a breeze to work with and the stitches definition is perfect, I rarely give a five a 5 stars rating to anything but this yarn deserved it truly.

And what to say about VK ... I love the magasine, I want it for my birthday !!! :) Anybody heard, if you need a birthday gift idea, VK subscription is the thing that I want...

Why not knit mitts

Don't you think august is the best month to knit mittens ? I do ! Weather is going to change fast I am kind of bored by socks for now... so why not switch to something funny and unusual to me. I choose the Druids Mittens from Fall Vogue Knitting 2008. This magazine is awesome, I will ask for a subscription as a present maybe... :)

Come to my mittens...

I had hard time on finding correct gauge, there is no way I was getting it on recommand 3.25 mm ... unless I wanted to put both hand in the same mitten ! I had to get down to 2.25mm, 2.5mm would have been better but they were busy at the moment. 2.25mm give me a snuggly fit that I appreciate on my hand to drive my car. I don't like to wear too big mittens I feel like having bags on my hand instead of mitts. So far it's a popular pattern on Ravelry and I know why, they look complicated but in fact if you know how to knit, purl and do cables, you can do them ! Try them by yourself and you will be surprise how fast they knit up. For exemple, I cast on for them in the evening yesterday and I am halfway of the left mitten. Not bad...

Yarn is my beloved Dream in color smooshy, color Happy Forest. I love love love the way it look so far !

I let you judges, mitts in august ?

Mods none so far but I think I will made them a repeat or two longuer to fit my long fingers and will probably do the same in the thunb section.

FO : Endpaper , that was the secret project

Yes finally Josie is back at home and she got her surprise present ! Look at the pretty ribbon...

There they are : Endpaper mitts by Eunny Jang pattern

Spec of the project : Endpaper mitts pattern is by Eunny Jang genious designer

Needles :
US 0 / 2.0 mm for the ribbing
US 3 / 3.25 mm for the colorwork

Yarn : Knit Picks Palette in color black and pool (about an half a skein for the black and a quarter for the blue)

Cast on April 10th and cast off April 19th (but I have to redone the first mitt completly...)

Notes : It's my very first colorwork and it was so fun that I am actually browsing to find me another pattern already ! It appears that I knit a little bit too tight because the size I made is too be compared as a medium by the pattern but with way larger needles. I will work on that for my next pattern in colors.

Fo : Fetching

Yesterday I was all alone for the whole afternoon and evening, I made myself a little treat: watch Bee Movie from Dreamwork ! That was so fun I did love it a lot, and later on the evening The last samurai played on TV and I also enjoyed it. I used to saw it when it first came out in cinema, but I did not remember a lot and yes I cried at end like the first time! Finally being alone sometime is good! Hehe, sorry darling but I prefer to watch these instead of a hockey game when they lose 3-0 (Montreal Canadians vs Colombus Blue Jackets).

I also managed to keep my hand busy as well; I made a quick and fun pair of Fetching (knitty.com , summer 2006) for a belated birthday gift for the GF of my brother: Marie-Ève. It took me about 4h30 to made them both and I’m happy with the way they turned out.

Spec of them:

Yarn : Michell & CIA Luxury Collection Fine Merino Superwash DK

Needles : 4mm

Notes : next time I will made the thumb longer and also 2 more repeat on the top because I think they are a bit short on hand.

Umm, also I begun Anemoi Mitten from Eunny Yang… but look how the trimmed turn out… it’s way too small !!! I will rip it and redo it with larger needles. But they are very fun to knit as least…