Sucess! Glorious Success!

I will dispense with the niceties and get right to the meat of this post.  I HAVE SO MANY FINISHED THINGS TO SHOW YOU!  O. M. G.!!

(*as always, you can click on the Ravelry page to see more photos... you just need to be a member)

Thing 1: Diamond Cable Blanket

Pattern: Diamond Cable Blanket by Nancy Hearne
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Greenland Colorway 3501
Needles: US 8
Notes: There is absolutely nothing wrong with this pattern- just for whatever reason, (blanket ennui?) I just found this painfully dull to knit.  Lovely results- BORED. CITY.  I may have cast on less stitches and increased on row 1 of the pattern in order to have a less ruffly border- but otherwise everything turned out exactly as I expected it to.

This lovely specimen is off to my husband's best friend from high school, who welcomed a little boy named Elias, a few weeks earlier than expected.  The day I cast off this blanket, Elias was born- so I say that was some pretty swell timing!  (Thanks also to the MiL who helped with the whole blocking thing!)

Thing 2: Victory Mittens

Pattern: Fightin' Words by Annie Watts
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino in Yellow (125122) and Blue (232950)
Needles: US 2.5
Notes: These were really cute and knit up REALLY fast.  I need to remember to "relax" when I knit mittens.  I knit these quite tight and even after a good blocking, they're "snug" to a hand.  Also I didn't love the different cuff she had me knit.  If I were to knit these again, I'd stick to good 'ole 2x2 ribbing.

These were intended for a friend of mine running a 10K... or was it half marathon?  I can't remember.  The point is, they were intended for her and the run, which are long past.  I'm not sure they'll fit her hands though- or if she would even like finger-less mittens.  So, I might sort of offer them to her, with the promise of attempting to knit a bigger size if they don't fit.  I guess we'll see.

Thing 3: Smitten Mittens Part 2 (THREE THINGS!  Can you believe it?  I hardly can!)

Pattern: Emma's Mittens by Minh Hoang (Ravelry download only)
Yarn: Jubilee Alpaca (remember when I bought this so long ago?)
Needles: Cuff- US 5, Mitten- US 6
Notes: I knit these for my sister who lost the original pair.  I made some changes to include a gusset- I've made that link available here.  I have told sister that there are replacing these.  These are pure and precious alpaca.  Blood or no blood- I will make her suffer should she lose these.  (I'm mostly joking... I'd be serious if this was cashmere!

So what am I doing with my unfinished object free time?  Mittens.  I am obsessed.  OBSESSED with mittens.  I want to knit ALL THE MITTENS. (From a blanket obsession to a mitten obsession... it's a good thing KNITTING is my choice drug!)  There was a scene from "That 70's Show" that basically sums up my mitten obsession.  I found it for you:

(Context: Donna suspects Eric of cheating when she finds panties in his car... this is a fantasy she has about confronting him about it.)

People- I am Eric... except replace PANTIES... with MITTENS.  GLORIOUS MITTENS!  I want to roll around in my sock yarn and make mittens.

And so... without a guilty conscience I cast on a lovely "wedding mitten" for a friend of mine getting married in January.  I thought she should have some lovely mittens and I've been wanting to knit this pattern for awhile.  I bought yarn... I cast on... and three days later I had this...

... a nearly finished mitten.  That is when I stopped LYING to myself and admitted that once again, I have pulled the tension tighter than a lady's face in Los Angeles (did you see what I did there?)- and there was NO WAY this mitten would fit a hand.  No matter how much I kept telling myself that my friend had "slender" hands.  Slender hands yes.... hands the size of toothpicks NO.  So a frogging I did go.

I've cast on again with bigger needles and have already admitted to myself that I need the smaller needles back and just need to repeat to myself OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN- R E L A X.  So yes- more mittens are on the horizon.

(I also knit on the sock one morning this last week and made a hat- but this post is already epic in length, so I will save boasting on that for another time.)

Also- today is my baby's birthday.  He is the BIG ONE YEAR.  I'm not really sure where the time went, but OMG, I can't believe how fast it went.  

But now I must get back to my mittens (and to my child... haha).  It feels so good to have the freedom to knit what I want again.