Buttoned Fingerless Mitts

Well, I cheated a little on these. Okay I cheated a lot. The buttons have been collecting dust for quite a while and using them to cover up a badly sewn seam seemed like a good idea. They have absolutely no function other than to clear out my sculpey stash.

These will be for my niece Mia for xmas this year. I can't wait to see them on her pretty little hands.

Thanks for the pattern, Cassandra!

Cutest Mittens EVER

OH MY GOD I fainted when I saw these!
Morehouse Farm Hedgehog Mitts!

Will knit a pair for Anton and maybe for Doug if he's been a really good boy for Santa.

Morehouse Farm has a section on their site dedicated to Critter Knit Kits. Creatures of all kinds, for lots of hands, heads and necks. Kids and adults and their prices are reasonable.

I recently knit these Kissing Fish Mittens for Anton and he LOVES them.



Tina knit him this Alligator Scarf and he loves that!


So much fun!

Ruffles!

Found this new well-designed knitting site, Bella Lana (Beautiful Yarn), and really want to knit this ruffle scarf pattern. So beautiful and simple. Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau would look lovely in any color and around my neck. Yours, too.

Tina's Scarf

My friend Tina knit me this scarf for my birthday this year. I nudged her months ago to buy the pattern. She whined. And then she bought the pattern. And then she gave me the scarf!

This Spring has been so crazy weather wise and so I've been able to wear it and use it.

Yesterday I went to a school picnic with Anton and wore my oven mitts I brought with the mac and cheese I made to share. Ridiculous.

Scallops

SO I've been pretty enchanted with scallop patterns for a while now. It wasn't until a couple days ago I actually sat down with my graph paper to plot one out. I'd love to knit a long, thin tubular scarf about 5 inches wide and really long. Maybe teal lines against a creme background and red dots now and then. I think it'd be yummy.

And by the way - this is the first pattern graph I've invented and it's tough! I redrew this a few times before I got the symmetry to work and for the scallops to look like scallops instead of diamonds. Well worth the effort for this little triumph. :)

Anne Hanson Orchid Lace Mitts

They are finished! I bought this pattern from Knitspot.com about 2.5 years ago and have JUST now completed the last mitt. These are lovely to wear - fit snugly and aren't bulky to wear. LOVE, love love them. Visit Anne Hanson's Knitspot.com to see all of her patterns for sale or to see ehis pattern: Orchid Lace Mitts. She's a bonified Knitted Laca Diva!

Tiny Beaded Bag

This little guy is from a series of tiny knitted bags I made a few years ago. Using a Bead Spinner, I took the spool of crochet cotton and strung it with tiny beads. Then you knit a few stitches without beads, then pull a few over and knit again, etc. A really fun way to knit. Makes a beautiful edging or fun accents that add weight and dimension to your piece.

This bag is about 2 inches square and hangs at about 18 inches tall. Wear it as a necklace and it's beautiful.

Flapper

This wool will soon be turned into a new scarf called Flapper. It opens like horizontal blinds do and is from my new book of knitting patterns called Knitting New Scarves. Very excited about this one.

The Purl Bee

Check out this darling knitting blog: The Purl Bee dot com.

Knitting New Scarves

This new book by Lynne Barr called Knitting New Scarves is AMAZING. What I love most is that the projects are so sculptural and use the most elemental stitches. They are a beautiful mixture of quirkiness and elegance and I'm really eager to begin one. I know this is an excellent book for me because I'm having trouble choosing my first project.

In my own work, when I "made a mistake" by over or under measuring for a book or box, there was always a way to work around the problem and solve it in a unique way. A way in which offered a new and distinctive innovation in my books, a different closing mechanism, a pocket to cover up bumps, a short sheet that became decorative on the spine, etc.

This knitter approaches her knitting classes the same way. Her students come with unique problems in their knitting and poof - she's got a solution for the problem which turns into a variation for another scarf pattern. I tell my students the same thing: "they weren't mistakes; they were opportunities."

And this new way of assessing mistakes, my friends, JUST happens to be part of the road to Enlightenment, too.

Harriet's Angel Scarf Completed

This beautiful scarf began early this summer as Debra announced a new presence in the room: a healing angel that I named Harriet. She and I knit together every morning at 5am after I'd brew a thick and foamy cup of coffee for myself and before the rest of the house woke up to take me. It was my time to heal. I'd knit in my cozy kitchen and every stitch was a gift. The yarn came from a generous gift certificate at Knitch that Tina (Anton's godmother and my close friend) gave to me after working on her daughter Sada's wedding calligraphy.

And it's AMAZING to wear. Feathery and lightweight but surprisingly warm.

Pattern details of Harriet's Angel scarf are:

• Cast on 100 - Knit in straight stitch with 6 balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in colorway Glacier, double stranded

• Needles: Lantern Moon US7 Rosweood Destiny Circulars (I use circulars just cause I like them, this scarf is not knit in the round, so you can knit in straight needles if you like) and (holy shit these are AMAZING to knit with and make my hands feel so good - even the sound of them sounds like a kiss. Goodbye RSI, I've found healing needles because they rotate at the needle join)

• Crochet an edging of Artyarns Beaded Mohair & Sequins in colorway 1626 all the way around

Chicks Scarf

Totally fun scarf pattern from Morehouse Farm. I swear, someone out there has such a great sense of humor!

SHAWL CLOSURES!

I'm now selling shawl closures at Knitch! Brought over a new line of buttons, too. Check them out! 

Harriet's Angel Scarf

On Friday last I had another deeply moving session with Debra. That's a little redundant because they are ALL deeply moving. Bopie was there and took a bit of a back seat to make room for a new presence - an angel, a feminine one, who is new to me. She's a healer. And she'll be with me as I transition into deeper selfhood this summer. 

Bopie did manage to squeeze in that he was proud of me. And that he recognizes who I really am. He sees me. And is there in the car when I get truly inspired and when laughing and singing along with Anton, who sits in the back seat, watching me being happy. This is such a good life. 

So back to the Angel. I'll call her Harriet. Harriet wants to sit with me in the early hours of every day. I used to get up at 5AM each morning when I worked for "the man" as a designer. I carved out this space for myself before anything got hold of me. I really needed it. To claim how I was going to begin my day. I'd shuffle downstairs in the dark, brew a pot of coffee, make a bowl of steaming oatmeal - two cats in my lap, my little dog at my feet and my knitting in my hands. I'd knit for 30 minutes every morning. It was delicious. 

But I stopped all that when Anton was born. My schedule got so crazy and unpredictable - there was no time for anything but teaching Anton how to thrive. Now that he's really GOT it, Harriet reminded me that I am missing that morning ritual. Knitting was like prayer to me. All needlework is. When I do it, I am bursting with joy. It just makes me so happy. And it's always hard to stop once you begin. 

So my very good friend Tina gave me a very healthy gift certificate to Knitch for all the work we did together to create her daughter Sada's wedding invitations, stationary, etc. I've been waiting for the right moment to drive over there and spend my gift. The moment came on Friday with Debra when Harriet told us she was all part of that process and that it was time for me to carve out my mornings again just for me. "Knit a scarf of luxurious materials, each stitch healing yourself, and when it's done and you wrap that beautiful fiber around your neck, you will remember this time in your life, of waking up and claiming your right to be here and to be magnificent." 

Thank you Harriet. Here we go.  

Pattern details of Harriet's Angel scarf are: 

• Cast on 100 - Knit in straight stitch with 6 balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in colorway Glacier, double stranded

• Needles: Lantern Moon US7 Rosweood Destiny Circulars (I use circulars just cause I like them, this scarf is not knit in the round, so you can knit in straight needles if you like) and (holy shit these are AMAZING to knit with and make my hands feel so good - even the sound of them sounds like a kiss. Goodbye RSI, I've found healing needles because they rotate at the needle join)

• Crochet an edging of Artyarns Beaded Mohair & Sequins in colorway 1626 all the way around

Mitered Hanging Towel

Another darling and functional knitting project. I just love these! Would change up the colors so they're zingier, though. 

Bird's Nest Pincushion

Another something little and sweet and useful I want to knit! This Bird's Nest Pincushion from Closely Knit. 

Worm Scarf

This is a free pattern! Check it out!