Swatchless

No….I didn’t get death socks in the mail (thank goodness!)

Good Luck to the Mighty Flying Penguins!

Today I was thrilled to receive an envelope from the USA, with a cash donation for the Penguins Can Fly Swim Team.  Thanks to Raveller Oonagh who contacted me earlier this month with the following message:

“I found the money in a pair of pants at the Salvation Army where I work. So, it is only fair that I put the money to good use and send it back to the Mother Land ”

Thanks so much!!  This brings the red mitten cash total to…. $635

I also received confirmation today that the red mittens arrival in Kandahar!  I’m sure they will be waving with the rest of us over here during the Olympics.

The “Small Fox Socks” have also made their way to Ossama in Jordan, thanks in part to Jane.  Ossama let me know that he is wearing them in his hiking boots as he shows tourists all the beautiful sights in Jordan.

Whats on my needles now?  Here’s a hint…..

What do you think it is???

I have joined with many Ravelry knitwear designers to raise money for organizations helping in Haiti. Check out all the ravelry patterns available! Until the end of February, I am pledging 50% of the purchase price of my two hat patterns to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that is saving lives in Haiti and all over the world.

Micah

Knit in bright coloured acrylic yarn, this kid-friendly hat is a great stash-buster. Earflaps and ties keep the hat securely on the head of any little elf, no matter how mischievous they are!  This hat was designed for little Micah by his mommy and me, so he could be a Christmas elf all winter long.

$5.00 CAD

Those Could Be Mountains

A warm hat knit in the round from crown to brim.  You can make it long enough to cover your ears to ward off the winter chill.  Knits up quickly and looks stylish on both men and women.  I showed the finished hat to my brother, and his response was “Oh, Those Could Be Mountains!”  The name stuck.

$4.00 CAD

If you like these patterns, have a look at the others I’ve designed.

A few days ago, before the nonsense of sock wars took over my life (causing me to spend a weekend knitting a pair of death socks), I went to a wonderful evening of amateur musical theater.  As usual, I had several balls of yarn in my knitting bag purse, and I was planning to rid myself of knitting withdrawl.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE knitting with bulky yarn??  This project was almost done by the end of the evening!

These mittens came together really quickly.  But…they are more than just mittens…

They are also fingerless gloves!!

The mitten top folds back neatly so fingers can write, type, text, or play the piano.

I made up the pattern as I went along, following what the yarn seemed to want to become.  I need to make the other one soon before I forget what I did.  I will write up my pattern and post it shortly, so you can make your own cozy pair.

RED MITTEN NEWS:  Today the 120th red mitten pattern was sold bringing us to $600 raised for the Penguins Can Fly swim team for disabled children.  Thanks to everyone who has bought this pattern and supported these deserving athletes.

SOCKWARS NEWS:  My death socks have been mailed to Florida, and as of today I’ve received no death socks in the mail.  Fingers crossed!!

This weekend is pretty much summed up by these socks.

Pattern: Don’t Box Me In (for Sockwars V)

Yarn: unknown sock yarn from thrift store

Time:  48 hours start to finish

These socks will be in the mail tomorrow on their way to “kill” my target in St. Petersburg Florida. This game is so much fun!  I’ll be eagerly checking my mail in the next week to see if I’m still in the competition. I’ll keep you all posted.

Saturday 10AM.  Gusset done.  Now on the homestretch for sock #1.

Pattern: “Don’t Box Me In” for Sockwars V

Goal:  Finish sock #1 before bed tonight.

At 8pm this evening, I gathered up my sock needles and some lovely green yarn and prepared to start knitting a pair of death socks.  It’s not as morbid as it sounds.  What I’m knitting is actually a weapon of sorts.  When these socks reach their target (a knitter in Florida) that knitter will be “dead”–eliminated from the bloody competition that is Sock Wars.  They will then mail me their socks-in-progress and their dossier outlining their target.  I’ll work hard to finish those socks and mail them out before I receive a pair of death socks in the mail.

It’s going to be lots of fun I hope.  This is DEFINITELY a cure for knitting withdrawl!

My death socks are following the pattern “Dont Box Me In”.  I chose it because it is worked on 64 sts rather than 80 sts, and the leg length is 7 in rather than 8-10 in.  My sock will take less stitches, and therefore be completed earlier…that’s the plan at least!

So here I sit, and knit.  I’m well hydrated, fully caffeinated, and I had a good dinner.  My goal is to turn the heel before I sleep.  This might will be a long night.

Are you knitting death socks too?

My symptoms:

1. An enhanced awareness of all things textile related.  This may involve following people in the grocery store to sneak an extra look at the design on their hat, or examining friend’s mittens and making mental pattern notes.  I noticed this week a young man wearing a parka that had been painted to look like it was knit.  I had seen “faux-tartan” parkas, but this was a “faux-sweater”.  It was intriguing.  I hope these people don’t realize that I was following them.  I try to be stealthy.
2. Twitchy fingers.  I have been fidgeting with pens a lot lately, and tapping my fingers.  I think knitting helps me to focus; it keeps my fingers busy and my brain engaged.
3. Increased Tension.  Without my daily dose of knitting (aka. relaxation time, and creative time) I tend to get frustrated and overwhelmed earlier than normal.  I’ve been taking lots of deep breaths this week and counting to 10 many times over.
4. Generally feeling unproductive.  If I sit for an hour or two in a meeting I do lots of thinking, listening and talking, but I don’t see the results of that time.  If I sit for an hour or two in a meeting with my knitting, I do lots of thinking, listening, talking, AND I leave with half a mitten.  I don’t get distracted by my knitting, but others sometimes do.
5. Daydreaming….I find myself coming home and looking longingly at my yarn stash, thinking of the marvelous potential for warmth and creativity within that yarn.  By the time I get home though, I’m too tired to start anything, so I go to sleep–and I kid you not–I have dreamed up some interesting patterns.  I should write them down when I wake up.

I haven’t knit in 5 days.  I will knit tonight–I’m heading out for an evening of musical theatre with my 4.0mm DPNs and the left over Cascade Ecological Wool from my “Those Could Be Mountains” hat.  The yarn is already speaking to me….I think it wants to be a pair of fairly simple mittens–perhaps with some simple colourwork.  We’ll see what the wool decides tonight.

In Red Mitten news:  $550 has been raised through the sales of $5 Red Mitten Patterns.  Thanks to all who have purchased a pattern–The Penguins Can Fly swim team is so pleased!  Wool-Tyme in Kingston had run out of red Cascade 22o, but their new order has come in, so if you are local–go get your skein (or 3) and get knitting before the start of the games on Feb. 12th.  I’ve got to finish another pair or two!

How do you cope with knitting withdrawl?

My first pay it forward gift reached its destination, so now I can reveal what was in that envelope.

I designed this pair of mittens using a great book.  Folk Knitting in Estonia, by Nancy Bush.  It was fun to play with new design elements like braid and pattern.  They are made from 100% wool from Topsy Farm on Amherst Island, a short drive and ferry ride from my home.

I tried four different stitch patterns on the cuff, palm, thumb and back of the hand to come up with a unique pattern that I call “snowflake mittens”.

There are loops on the mittens, just in case you’d want to hang them up, or put them on strings.  There’s nothing worse than losing mittens–specially when they are one of a kind.

I hope that these mitts keep Lisa‘s hands nice and warm this winter.

These hands are the hands that taught me how to make mittens over 20 years ago.  Things have now come full circle, as I help my grandmother figure out my red mitten knitting pattern.  It was touch and go for a while….but she persevered!

At 94, she’s tackling chart reading, colourwork and new terminology (SSK vs. S1 K1 PSSO).  She finished a pair of adult mittens to mail to a friend in B.C. and has already cast on for a pair of children’s mitts with the left over wool.

May we all be so willing to try new things at age 94!!

I was wondering what I should do with the extra large pair of red mittens I made this fall…I certainly don’t have hands large enough to wear them.  I want them to go to someone who will appreciate them as a gift, as mittens, and as a show of patriotism and unity as a country.

Last week I got an idea….don’t you love it when inspiration hits suddenly, and you just know what to do…

care package

I’m in the middle of preparing a care package for a friend who is serving as a military chaplain in Kandahar.  Along with letters and snacks and silly toys and trinkets, I’ll include this pair of large red mittens.  I bet they don’t sell red mitts in Afghanistan!  My friend will be dressed in style to cheer for the Olympics.

Who are you knitting red mittens for?