Saturday, November 16, 2013

I Made Easy Fingerless Mitts and I Moved a Heavy Old Victrola

I have decided to participate in the National Blog Post Month for November.  That means I am going to be posting each day in November.

November 16, 2013 
A dreary rainy morning,  These photos were taken at around eight.



I'm getting an early start on today's post.  No late fees for me.

Since I've been feverishly and obsessively knitting lately, I have accumulated quite a number of  completed projects.  Last week I asked Dolores if she would take two shopping bags filled with scarves, hats, shawls and mittens to her church for a donation.   
When I saw her on Tuesday, she apologized to me.  She told me that she never got to take them to the church.  I told her it was okay, and that whenever she could get there would be fine.
But, then she told me that she had been showing her daughter,  who is my cousin, the stuff I had made.  Apparently my cousin and her children loved the items.  And they actually wanted to keep them and wear them.  Wow!
If you are not a crafter, you might not understand how thrilled we are when our work is desired and appreciated.  
Needless to say, it made me smile and brightened my day.  And that particular day, let me tell you, I needed a pick-me-up.

Recently, I have discovered how easy it is to make fingerless mittens.  They have become my newest obsession.  They require very little yarn and work up almost instantly.  And I don't even mind that once I have completed one, I have to make a matching one.

The pattern I found is from Staci at Very Pink.com.  Her website, her patterns and especially her video tutorials are exceptional.  Even though I have been knitting for a while now, I still consider myself a novice.  Staci has videos on a wide range of techniques which are geared to various expertise levels.  Her explanations and demonstrations are clear and easy to follow. 
Her pattern designs are available for download and she offers a number of freebies.  What I like about her patterns is that there is usually a video tutorial to go along with the pattern.

These are the two pair of fingerless mitts I made a couple of days ago.



The yarn is Cascade 220 DK weight 100% wool.  I had a small bit of left overs from other projects. 
Staci's pattern is called "Easy Fingerless Mitts".  The pattern with accompanying video can be found here.  Thanks Staci! 

After completing those, I decided to try a more challenging pattern, one with a thumb gusset. 




Gray yarn is Cascade 220.  The tan is Mission Falls Marino Superwash


The pattern is called "Old School Fingerless Mittens."  It was written by Cassie Clarke.  The pattern is a free download and can be found on Ravelry here or on her website here.  

NOTE: I did find an error right in the beginning.  
The ribbing directions read: 
Heavy Old Victrola
Row 1- k2 p2; Row- 2 p2 k2

It should read Row 1- k2 p2; Row - 2 k2 p2.

Right now I am at the thumb gusset part and after finishing this post I am going to find a quiet corner where I can concentrate.  

Yesterday, in the middle of my knitting, I had an overwhelming desire to re-arrange my living room.  And so I did.  I moved a sofa, a heavy old Victrola two chairs and a table.  
After I finished,  and quite out of breath, I sunk down in my newly positioned sofa, looked around and said Ahh.  




4 comments:

  1. It's always nice when our knitting is appreciated. (I won't knit for anyone who doesn't appreciate my work, though.)

    Speaking of fingerless gloves, I'm about to make a pair for my sister-in-law for Christmas. It's been a while since I made a pair (actually, the last pair I knit were more gauntlet length), so it'll be fun.

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    1. They are fun to make. I like to be able to complete a project within a few hours.

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  2. I've done at least two pairs of fingerless mitts and they're quite fabulous. We don't need full mittens here in San Francisco so these work out pretty well for me. I think my first pair was the Vancouver Fog Fingerless Mitts. They went pretty quickly, if I remember correctly...and they go almost up to my elbows.

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    1. I’ll have to check out the Vancouver Fog pattern. Maybe it will be my next project.

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