Pip mittens

Mittens from Halland. Design by Marcia Lewandowski, published in her book Folk Mittens.
Knitted in Berroco Ultra Alpacca in 62173 (Forest Mix) and 6211 (Duncan).
Ravelry link

Ta-daaa! I slogged through the second mitten and in the end it turned out perhaps even nicer than the first one. I like the two-coloured rib a lot, and I slanted the decreases at the top towards the outside rather than the inside which looks a lot better.

They still need a wash, but the knitting is done, so I can turn to my tangle of tweed without any guilt.

The Second Mitten

Poor second mittens. They are definitely the poor relative of the knitting world. The first one goes so quickly, you’re caught up in the excitement of a new pattern, you want to see how it’ll turn out… but when you get to mitten #2 it’s old hat.

I’m still enjoying the pattern and the yarn (so soffffft) but it’s certainly less exciting now.

Also, I’ve got this beautiful stuff to tempt me:

but I will resist!

Work in Progress: Pip mittens

These are a re-do. I made Pip a pair of awesome “Mittens from Halland” a few years back from the pattern in Marcia Lewandowski’s excellent book Folk Mittens. They stuck around for an impressively long time and were then lost.

I’m making them out of a different yarn this time. Last time it was a random 100% sheep wool I picked up at the Needlecraft Expo. This time it’s Berrocco Ultra Alpaca. I’ve got one mitt done, and am working on the cuff of the other. I’m doing the entire left cuff in the 2-colour rib this time. Switchin’ it up a bit.

I recently ordered some of Jared‘s Shelter as well as the pattern for Terra. I have a little shudder of delight every time I think of it.

Babouches

Babouches. Design by Sylvie Lamie, available at Chez Plum.
Knitted in Berroco Vintage in 5104 (Mushroom) and 5105 (Oats).
Ravelry link

What a practical little project this was. I’m going to Japan in a month and a half and the guest house I’ll be staying at for part of the time has a strict “change into slippers at the front door” policy. I’d been thinking of getting a pair of suede babouches, or maybe moccasins, but I’d also been thinking I should save some cash for when I’m over there.  The compromise: $16 of yarn rather than whatever the real thing would have cost, plus some extra experience in crocheting.

I usually go for natural fibres but I’m glad I’ll be able to machine wash these. The yarn was a little prone to splitting, but not too bad and felt very nice in my hands. They look weirdly hilarious on my feet, but not a photogenic kind of weirdly hilarious. But overall, I’m quite pleased with them.  Yay!

Aran Island Mittens

Aran Island Mittens. Design by Marcia Lewandowski, published in Folk Mittens.
Knitted in Vermont Organic Fiber Company O-Wool Classic Worsted in oatmeal.
Ravelry link

Another project that’s been waiting to be finished for a while, these mittens have been in a drawer of our card catalogue for the past 8 months, waiting for some colder weather to motivate me.

The O-Wool has a lovely feel to it, but it’s not very elastic. That, combined with working on 4 needles made this a little hard on my hands but I’m happy with the product. I might give them 10 minutes in the dryer with my towels to fluff them up a bit.

It’s a very aran-ey fall so far here.

The most exciting knitting news I’ve heard all year: Jared of Brooklyn Tweed has released a new yarn. Read more about it here.