I'll Be Back

Hey, in case you were wondering where the heck I've been- I've been here, but just busy.  Husband and I (along with Mr. P) just came back from 8 days in California.  Today, we packed up our house and tomorrow we officially move.  So the blog is not forgotten, just not high on the priority list at the moment.

Knitting (and blogging) will hopefully return to a more normal pace next week when we're a little more settled in (and my internet is back up).  Until then- enjoy a photo of me and my "little" guy from our vacation.

(My husband would want you to know that he took this brilliant photo and I want you to know that he's a photo rock star.  :-D)

Golden Moment

It's another GOLD MEDAL (our second) for CANADA!  My Ravellenic project is complete!

Pattern: Paris Mittens by Andrea Arbour
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Superwash (cream) and Regia Classic 4 Ply (beige)
Needles: US 2.5 (3.00 mm)
FINISHED: Aug 10, 5:30 pm!
Notes: FAB pattern.  I tend to knit stranded mittens tightly.  (I'm working on this...) So a needle size up (or 2) is usually the right call for me.  I knit the "large" version" and would do that again- fits lovely in the hands.  I will admit the thumbs are a little longer than I'd like, but in general they fit pretty well.  I adapted the cast off differently and will at some point make those notes on the Ravelry page.

I've noticed a lot of improvement in my stranded knitting (despite still knitting too tightly)- and the stitches, especially after blocking, evened out beautifully.  I can't wait to wear these in the winter.  (BUT I CAN, wait for winter... :-D)

If you missed any updates, or want to see my daily progress on this project you can click here and see my re-live my Olympic glory.

Oddly enough, finishing these mittens, I immediately cast on another pair.  I was SO satisfied with my results I wanted MORE.  Plus, I'm sort of going through a "MUST KNIT ALL THE MITTENS IN THE WORLD" thing right now... so I couldn't resist.  Brace yourselves, because I am possessed by a mitten demon at the moment.

Say hello to my "victory lap" fingerless mitts, "Fightin' Words".  I have a friend who I think will get a kick out of these.

ALSO- before I forget and never post about it- prior to the Olympics I finished the Cupcake set!

Patterns: All Buttoned Up No Sew Raglan Cardigan (Sharon Mooney), Saartje's Booties (Saartje de Bruijn), Teensie Weensie Mittens (Sarah Abbot), Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat, (Keri McKiernan)
Yarn: Shepherd Baby Wool 4 Ply colorway 4504  (2 balls)
Needles: Sweater US 3, Booties US 1.5, Mittens US 1, Hat US 2.5
Thoughts: I love all of these patterns!  Combining them together makes SUCH a cute little baby set for a little girl.  This is all "newborn size" so the next person to tell me they're having a little girl, I shall foist this on them!

And now I must walk in the Olympic stadium one last time, wave to the other Ravathletes and cherish my gold Parisian Triumph!

All Thumbs...

... LEFT!

Today's blog entry will be brief because I'm on a roll!  (And hopefully by the end of this blog the baby will decide to nap instead of complain loudly about needing a nap.)

When I last posted, things were looking dire- the gauge swatch lied to me.  LIED and the mittens were knitting too tight and looking wonky.  I was seriously concerned about being able to finish.  A half size needle later and here we are- looking simply smashing.

The cast off on these is actually quite brilliant, but I couldn't make it look the way I wanted it to, so, instead, I kind of fudged the end, added four rows and am VERY pleased with how these cast off- thanks to a little thought on my part.  I will post my instructions for the changes on my Ravelry page once this project is done.

I will note that the left hand is a little tighter than the right- thanks to my tight knitting (am I stressed?)- but I'm hoping we can even that out in the blocking process.

To watch the day by day progress you can click here to see my daily iphone photo.  (Or you can click on the link on the sidebar ---->.)

I'd love to have these blocking by Friday!

GO CANADA!

*Yes, the baby just fell asleep while I was reading the preview of this.  It also just started to rain- PRAY there's no thunder in there to wake him up!!