Camp Out Races...

Camp Out Fingerless Mitts, [ jenleigh's ] version.

Camp Out Fingerless Mitts by Tante Ehm

Knit using both Noro Kureyon (colorway 217) and Silk Garden (colorway 337).

Knit on size US 7s.

Modifications below.

Baby Girl is due December 25th.  I. Kid. You. Not.  And I'm starting to panic a bit (a lot...) about having everything ready in time.  Furniture is due to arrive November 19th so we have a timeline for finishing up last minute touches to the nursery.  And I have a box full of layette and goodies waiting to be washed and put away.  (I'm stressing myself out thinking about it!)  But I still want to make sure I get Christmas knitting finished!  Handmade is just way better...

Because I'm limited for time this year, I decided to let Noro do the hard work for me, and I'll just take all the credit!  I love these Camp Out fingerless mitts by Tante Ehm.  The pattern is really simple and fast.  Not to mention the mitts turn out so lovely knit up in Noro, and are a knit that is sure to get lots of wear during the winter months.

The mitts shown Center are knit in Silk Garden, the outer mitts in Kureyon.

I still have a couple more pair to knit, and have been modifying the pattern slightly as I go along.  Here are my notes from my project page on Ravelry:

Believe it or not the pair of mitts shown in the browns and the pair shown in the yellow/turquoise mix come from the same colorway! I knit one pair from the center pull of 2 balls and the other from the outer of the same.

• I knit all 3 pair on size US 7s, but the Silk Garden came out quite a bit larger (shown center), which is GREAT because these mitts are really small. I personally like the Silk Garden version much better, and the color changes are much more dramatic. Not to mention the mitts are way softer.

• I also modified the sore thumb. There wasn’t much allowed for the thumb in the original pattern which made the mitts tight around my hand (I have really skinny hands). So I just added a second row of knitting between decrease rounds for the thumb and the size worked out much better, and there is more room for the hand.

• I still have a couple more pair of these to knit and I plan on either increasing 2 stitches either side of the wrist or finishing with 2 garter ridges because they are really tight.

Using a Basic Knit bind off makes these mitts nearly impossible to put on so instead I opted to: (k2tog, sl st back to left needle knitwise, k2tog) and repeating () to end of round. I’ll use this same bind off with extra wrist stitches or a garter ridge edge.

Even after blocking the Kureyon mitts are really small. If your want a little wiggle room I would recommend sizing up to a US 8.

I have some baby things finished and photos taken so I'll be posting them soon!  I hope everyone is well!

Happy Knitting!

Aspen

Aspen Mittens

Aspen Mittens by Jennifer Adams

Project Specs:
Knit in Knit Picks City Tweed, HW in Cottontail and Romance.

Knited on size US 7 circs in magic loop.

My family loves skiing... and thankfully all have taken to it fairly easily (we won't mention the school of kindergarteners I nearly took out last year).  And what we really enjoy most about it is our time spent together on the mountain.  Warm fires, hot chocolate, warm woolies, playing cards.  Honestly I think it's these things that keep us coming back! 

But one of the things I love the most about being in the mountains is the solitude, and stillness.  Even in a little ski village, with hundreds of skiers, I can step outside at night and it's quiet.  Just the mountain, covered in snow, and it's heavily laden Aspens towering over you.  It's magical.

Stranded colorwork adds a warm lining to the inside of the mitten.

This is where the inspiration came from for my Aspen Mittens.  I love vintage, rustic knits.  And these mittens fit the bill.  They are a simple ski mitten knit in a thick hearty tweed from Knit Picks called City Tweed.  With only a braid embellishment on the cuff, the mitten hugs your hand and wrist comfortably, easily slipping under a ski jacket.  And by working the mitten in two colors a warm lining is created for extra warmth.

Pattern gauge is given in three sizes, adult small, medium, and large.  And these sizes are achieved by simply changing needle sizes.  I also love the City Tweed used in this pattern too!  It's a heavy worsted/Aran weight yarn that smooths like a dream when blocked and softens even more.  I call this the "puffiness factor..."  You could use any worsted or Aran weight yarn you like though, just change needle size to obtain gauge. 

Aspen is a quick knit and there's still time before Christmas to knit up if you're looking for a quick Christmas gift!  I hope you enjoy this pattern...  I'm looking forward to wearing mine on the slopes in 2010!  And if I don't post again before Christmas, here's wishing you a happy holiday season! 

Happy Knitting!

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: amy  DATE: 12/21/2009 06:14:45 PM Outstanding Jen! they are on my wish list!!!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: BeccaDATE: 12/22/2009 11:39:54 AM Those are sharp!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Leslie  DATE: 01/02/2010 11:19:04 AM I'm so behind on my blog reading, but wanted to say these are gorgeous! I love the pattern and the color combo. Great job!

Autumn Knits

I promised more pix of the Lovikka mittens, and the weather has been so beautiful that getting outside to do so was a joy!  Not much to report here... just hoping you're enjoying the fall weather as well!

 

And a special thank you to Lu's BFF for graciously agreeing to being such a fantastic model.  =)

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Leslie  DATE: 11/07/2009 01:09:18 PM Such great mittens! I've never made any felted ones. And your little model is the cutest! 

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Julie  DATE: 12/07/2009 05:04:01 AM beautiful mittens and your pictures are gorgeous (helped by having a wonderful model)

Mittens!

Lovikka Mittens

Smitten with Mittens? We've Got a Pill for That.

It's that time again... last weekend, Andy and I were working in the yard when he stopped pulling weeds, stood up, and sniffed.  This is a yearly ritual with him.  And he then looks at me and says, "Ah, babe... can you smell it?"  It which case I am then required to stop, stand up, and sniff too.  "Um, hmm. Yep, I smell it."
 "You know what that is don't you, babe?  That's the smell of football."

Now, when I think of the smell of football, there are other things that come to mind.  All three of my brothers played it so I associate the smell of football with sweaty duffle bags, dirty shoulder pads, and nasty mud-caked cleats thrown by the backdoor.  But for a guy who played and loves the sport, there is something in the air right before the weather turns cool that signifies their beloved sport.

My guess is it's the leaf mold.

But in his defense I do know what he's talking about.  There is a crispness in the air just before Autumn sets in that makes you anxious for it to hurry up already.  But the smell for me is different, and is indicative of something else entirely.

It's the smell of mittens.

This year, just about all in my family will be receiving a pair for Christmas, including these.  These are the Cabley Mittens from Kelly Porpiglia of KelpKnits.  And these are also the first pair of mittens that we are knitting in our new Mitten of the Month Club at our local yarn shop, Twist. 
Shelly Stilger, Twist's owner, and I started brainstorming one day over the idea of having a sister club for our popular Sock of the Month Club.  Mittens were the perfect choice.  But to change things up a bit we decided to not only make it a "Brick and Mortar Club" i.e., Twist regulars, but we should also open up to the online knitting community as well, i.e. you!
S
o we are officially kicking it off with the September Mitten of the Month, Cabley Mittens knitted in Cloud 9 from Cascade.  Cloud 9 is a fabulous yarn using 50% merino and 50% angora.  And the halo effect is off the charts, not to mention the softness factor!  I blocked these a couple of days ago and when they were dry I combed the fibers gently and they plumped back up without loosing any of the cable texture pre-blocking.  They even gained some softness from being blocked, so you can't argue with that!

Overall this is a great classic pattern that gives you cables without going overboard.  I was a bit worried pre-blocking because the mitten and thumb were a bit short for my hand.  But it stretched considerably from blocking and now fits perfectly.  If you were concerned about it being short though, you could easily add another pattern repetition to both the cuff and mitten body.
 

Another modification I would consider when knitting this pattern is going down two needle sizes on the cuff.  The mitten itself is knit on US size 6 needles, but I would definitely go down to a US size 4 for the cuff.  Cables don't have the same memory as a ribbing, so a tighter stitch would ensure for a better fit.

The specifics and registration for of our Mitten of the Month Club are available here.  We will also have a group set up on Ravelry to make sure a forum is available for everyone to be able to pick up new techniques or share ideas on knitting mittens.  And of course there is the discount!  15% off on the designated yarn and pattern used for the project, and an addition 5% added on your next purchase for the upcoming month's mitten when you post a photo of your finished mittens.  So, grand total: 20% off yarn and pattern!  Membership is limited to the first 100 registrants, so head on over to reserve yours.  You'll be getting sneak peeks from me about each month's pattern and yarn in advance here at NuttyIrishmanKnits, so be looking for them!

So if you are smitten with mittens or wanting to be, join the club!  We're looking forward to seeing some great mittens out there.  Enjoy, and happy (mitten) knitting!

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Vanessa  DATE: 08/28/2008 11:14:30 AM I knew I recognized that pattern! But I've never seen that yarn before.... *drool* (And nachos remind my boyfriend of football... Just the other day I asked him if we could make some nachos and he said, "No! It's not football season yet!" But I guess now it is??)
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Alice DATE: 08/29/2008 08:36:54 PM I totally agree with you on the cuff. When I knit this one up again I'm switching up the needle sizes. I'm so pumped for the mitten club!!!!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Sue  DATE: 08/31/2008 03:26:08 AM It is the smell of rugby in our house but I know what you mean! Even though we have had a dire summer weather wise here in England the weather has changed, its misty and the first leaves have turned to russet shades but it gives reason to step up the knitting of mitts, socks, cowels, scarfs & shawls!
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Rhonda DATE: 09/18/2008 09:45:26 PM Hey Jen! I just finished my mittens from the class for the Cessna crafters at Twist. Gotta say : You wrote a great beginners pattern! Loved it! It was well written and my mittens turned out great! I'll post them on my blog this week. Also, thanks for the clear instructions on how to block them.
----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Dan DATE: 11/20/2008 06:18:23 PM Hey, great looking mittens! I hope I can get good enough to do that someday. Adorable little girl, btw, in the previous post.

Hey, could you happen to be the most beautiful yarn in the world?

I know. That's such a long title for a post, but it's how I feel about my new yarn purchase. I've been ogling and fondling (yeah, really) this yarn at my LYS, Twist, for weeks now. I think one skein actually had a hump in it from my petting it. I am in love with this yarn from Rowan. And knew that I would have to use it for my first pair of mittens, Elizabeth Zimmermann's Norwegian's from Knitter's Almanac. I'm starting this project today and am so pumped about it! I thought long and hard about a color combination, that would have a great rustic feel to it. And that would suit me! I finally decided on this...

This morning I also finished blocking the Fake Isle Hat by Amy King. What a fun and thrifty pattern! I think I still have enough left from two different Kureyon skeins to knit one more. Andy walked past it and asked who it was for, then he really looked at it and said, "Ah, for you. That just looks like you." I agree. I really love the shades of charcoal and blue. But, I've already got someone in mind for it, so now I really must knit another!

Fake Isle Hat by Amy King

knitted in Noro Kureyon, 195

Cascade 220 Heathers, 9452 

Ravelers see it here.

COMMENT: AUTHOR: Alice  DATE: 01/10/2008 01:02:11 PM Oooh, I can't wait to see these mittens! I love the colors you chose. The yarn looks awesome as well :)