My Mailman thinks I'm crazy

Shovelling snow once again. 

Talking to myself as usual. 

I turn around to see my mailman standing right behind me.  Now that I wasn't expecting.  He was holding my mail, a little package, and a delivery confirmation to sign.  I had almost forgotten about it, but here it was!  I ripped open the package and twirled the contents around my neck with glee.

One thing I know for sure, my mailman obviously doesn't know anyone who knits.

This lovely new addition to my wardrobe is Isobel.  Made by a Raveler who just couldn't stand the curling.  I happen to love the curling so I offered to swap her for it.  It's hard to describe the color.  Is it avocado, moss, olive, lettuce, or kiwi?  Frankly I don't care.  They are all my favorite colors!

Are you sensing a theme here?

My friend (husband's cousin's wife...yeah, easier to say friend) and I got our boys together last week.  We were getting ready to leave when she saw the bee mittens and went crazy.  If you're new to my backyard then you may not know that I made them two years ago.  They were originally made for Kidster #1 and have since been very happily inherited and now loved even more by Kidster #2. They've been shaved more times than my legs (Ha! Just kidding, I wanted to see if you were paying attention!) and the eyes have been replaced but they are a getting dressed for outside staple.

Nov 2008, Kidster #1 and his new bees

Anyway, I noticed that my friend's DD had the cutest little black coat with a gray checkered lining and little red turn back cuffs. The idea for these came to mind almost immediately.  I think she'll like them. We're getting together next week. 

Now as much as I love people fawning all over my kids' knits, I hope they don't bother me for a while.  I am trying to work on some selfish knitting. 

It could be a mitten?

iPod mitten.

Or iPod Sweater (kidster #1 giggles at this).

Or iPod Cozy for you more conventional types.

(Friday night post-beer prose deleted. Post is self explanatory, no?)

More mittens...

This week I finished a pair of super cute mittens, if I do say so myself!

A friend asked me to make mittens for her 5 year old son, a friend and classmate of kidster #2. She wanted something that could go with his two winter coats, one blue and one brown. He asked for either Santa, reindeer, or a snowman. At first I thought about making these Cabled Snowman Mittens which I think are adorable (and will make for someone in the future!). While searching the Ravelry project pages, I came across these made by fellow raveler ironknitter and then I had my aha moment.

I am pretty proud of them and they even turned out just like I had imagined. They got thumbs up approval from both of my boys, and the look on Sam's face when he put them on was totally worth it. His mom approved too!

Retrofit knit

Do you remember these mittens from last January?

Well I liked the idea of them well enough but I didn't really wear them too often. So I retro-knit them and now they are great!

Problem #1: Mittens are not supposed to be drafty!

I picked up stitches along the bottom opening and knit about another inch. I sewed the sides of the new flap to the inside. No more drafts, and the opening is still very accessible.

Problem #2: Sock top.

The original mittens had sock type decreases. I'm sure there's some technical knitting name for it, but I don't know what that is. Anyway, I much prefer the new rounded top.

Problem #3: Try to do anything with only your fingers.

I took out the bind off of the thumbs and added about an inch, then ribbing for an inch. Because they are longer than my thumbs they are perfectly warm. But when I need my thumbs, they are super easy to scrunch down or they can be turned down like a cuff for extended periods. Now I can tie skate laces and snap coats without taking off my mittens.

Ok, I'll be honest, I really needed my thumbs for texting and playing on our new iPod!

6 Months of Optimism

I am so happy now that winter has finally started! Not because of the unending cold, and not because I can again wear some of my knittables, but because the days are now getting longer!

One painful minute at a time.

Is it funny that a knitter loves the summer so much?

The Good, the Bad, and the Party...in reverse

The Party:
We had a family party to go to and my friend is one of those people who prefers that people remove their shoes when inside the house. I don't mind doing that but her floors are all tile or hardwood and my feet are always freezing there. I started thinking about making slippers. If you've been with me for a while, you might remember that last year I made two pairs of French Press Slippers for Christmas presents. I thought about making another pair for a few days, but by the time I was ready to knit them I knew I wouldn't have enough time to knit all the pieces, sew them together, felt them, wait for them to dry, sew them again...ugh. I think Freud may have been working in the back of my mind.

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Then I stumbled upon the pattern for Duffers (non-Ravelry link here). Can I tell you how much I love this pattern? It is so easy. The fit is fantastic and there is only one seam to sew up. Can you say 5 minutes? Seriously! And it's free, too. While I still like the French Press pattern, now that I have tried this new pattern I will not turn back.

The Bad:
I had the strange notion that making them with some of the half-boatload of Lopi I have in my stash would be a good idea. Um, no. I feel like I need to drag my vacuum around behind me when I wear them.
The Good:
Luckily I still had one more day before the party. I made these in three hours. That's like instant knitting for some of you high speed knitters out there (and you know who you are)!
The pattern is so addictive I want to make these for everyone!

So about the Lopi, you ask? Before you get all defensive on me, I know that every knitter has their own feelings about certain kinds of yarns. I get that. I have discovered that I dislike Lopi. Very much.

But if you like it and you want my Lopi slippers, or my Lopi stash, just let me know. Merry Christmas, it's yours. Seriously.