Swatchless

It seems that these mittens are starting to come apart with a bit of wear.  I guess I have developed quite a reputation as a knitter, because people at work have started to bring me their mittens to fix.  Since I do have a soft spot for red mittens, even if they are machine knit from an inexpensive loosely spun acrylic fiber, I agreed to do what I could.  I fixed two different pairs of mittens today!

The most common issue seems to be stitches that are not knit into the next row, or stitches that break because the yarn has worn thin, or ends that were once woven in that are now coming loose.  To fix the problem of a loose stitch, sew a thread through the stitch, and tie a knot leaving a long tail at each end.

The thread will hold on to the stitch to make sure that it wont run.  Examine the stitches around the area.  Determine where the stitch “should” go, and insert the needle there.  Since the mitten is lined, the needle needs to stay between the knitted layer and the lining layer.  Bring the needle back up through the knitted layer a few inches away.  Pulling on the thread should tug on the loose stitch, which might need some gentle coaxing or directing with a knitting needle to fall into place.

Work in the ends of the thread as you’d usually work in the ends of your yarn when you knit.

You can hardly tell which mitten was fixed!

Are your red mittens falling apart?

thanks for the cupcakes mom!

The Olympics have started, and red mittens became the must-have of the season!  Orders have been rolling in and the dollars have been adding up for the Penguins Can Fly swim team.  We’re now at $1110, and that will only go up over the course of the next week.

Thank you to all the generous knitters who have purchased patterns, and spread the word about the mittens, and the Penguins.  So many children will benefit as a result of your purchases.

In Olympic Knitting News….

Today I was made aware (from an NBC Olympics news story) that German Olympic Gold Medalist in the Biathlon, Magdalena Neuner is a knitter.  Knitting and rifles and skis…sounds interesting!  She has a knitting blog which is in German….which I’ve had very little luck reading (since I know no German).

As for my own Olympic knitting…I carded and spun enough white yarn to knit the second mitten, and today I started the cuff of mitten #2.  It’s slow going as I’m writing out pattern notes as I go, just in case anyone wants to make their own pair to match!

What a day for Canada yesterday!  I watched while we won our first gold medal on home soil, and as I watched I knit, and knit and knit.  This morning I woke up and knit some more, enjoying the relaxing Family Day holiday.

I’m pleased with the results of this wool.  I think it is much happier as a mitten than it was as a sock.  I think I’d have to card it a lot more, and then spin it thinner and make 2-ply yarn for socks, or use this thicker weight and knit a nice slipper pattern.

close up of braid

I used my knitting journal and charted out this pattern in it as I went along.  It is great to have a paper trail now….so I can hopefully make a second one that matches.  I’m going to reverse the cables and the braid design on mitten #2.

Speaking of mitten #2….If I’m going to knit one, I better get to carding and spinning more white.  Thank goodness I dyed enough green to be used in both mittens, I don’t know that I could repeat that colourway.

My recipe for this lovely colour of green:

To dye 1 full bobbin of 3 ply handspun, I put it in a bowl full of water, added about 4 “glugs” of white vinegar, 1 full squeeze bottle of liquid green food colouring, and the left overs from another mostly empty bottle.  To that I added 3 packets of lime koolaid, and one packet of orange koolaid that I didn’t mix in thoroughly (this leads to uneven colouring which I think worked nicely).  I microwaved it for about 10 minutes total, and let it sit until the water in the bowl was clear.

I’ll write up this pattern and share it with everyone when I’m done.  I’m looking for a good name though…

What would you name this mitten pattern?

My grand plans of making a sock with my handspun fell through today.  I got part way into the foot (toe-up), and realized that it was going to be ridiculously thick and bulky so I ripped it out.

I have since cast on for a mitten.  “Thick” and “bulky” are words that seem to go with mittens, particularly in Canada!

I’m making it up as I go along.  So far I’ve incorporated interlocking cables in the white cuff, a chain design before the thumb division, and a colourwork braid in the middle of the hand.

I think these will be great for St. Patrick’s Day!

Meet little Laila, daughter of friends of mine.  At 2.5 weeks old she’s sporting her very own pair of Olympic Mittens, and the matching ensemble I knit over the last few weeks.  She’s such a cute girl, making all sorts of faces and noises as she gets used to the big bright world.

I hope everyone in Ontario has a Happy Family Day weekend!!  I know I’ll enjoy an extra day to relax, and catch up on my sleep (and knitting).

I’d like to thank all the fantastic, generous knitters out there who have purchased the pattern for 2010 mittens.

As of today, $800 has been raised for the Penguins Can Fly Swim Team at my local YMCA.  It is a swim team for disabled youth, and their siblings that encourages active participation, hard work, and personal growth.

There’s still time to cast on and knit yourself a pair during the Olympics!

100% of the purchase price ($5.00 CAD) is donated to the Penguins

As for my own Olympic knitting projects, this is the before picture…..

A bag of washed fleece (from Serbian sheep of unknown breed), and my trusted spinning wheel.

Statement of Goals

At 7:00PM on Feb.12th I will begin to card this fleece while watching the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics!

I’ll experiment with microwave kool-aid and food colouring as dyes on the weekend, and start spinning when the fleece is dry.

My goal is to knit a pair of socks from my handspun before the torch is extinguished.

I’m competing in several categories for the Ravelympics (team Canada of course), and also in the Knitting Olympics  hosted by our very famous Canadian Knitter, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee the Yarn Harlot.

I know that a pair of socks is not a “Epic” project, but because I’m starting from scratch, and that I am working full time and volunteering so much (helping kids build robots), I think it will be a challenge to complete this project in the 17 days allowed.

This whole process is bringing back memories of  the 2008 summer ravelympics when I started from fleece, and made a hat and mittens.  Back then I wasn’t working though, so I was fully devoted to my event.

You can bet that I’ll be blogging my progress this time round so check back frequently for updates!

What Knitting Olympic event are you participating in?  I’m eager to follow your blogs, leave info in the comments.

$3.00 CAD

Just in time for Valentines day, show your sweetie you care, by knitting them a pair of red and white striped mittens.  This pattern can be customized to fit any hand size.

Hold hands with your special someone, and keep your hands toasty warm at the same time.  This two person mitten is more than meets the eye.  Knit with a technique called illusion knitting, at first glance it is a simple striped pattern, but when viewed from a different angle, a heart appears.

Skills: cast on, knit in the round, purl, increase, decrease, chart reading.

Yarn: sport weight, red and white

Needles: 4.0mm

Download the .pdf pattern for the set of three mittens, including full colour charts for $3.00 CAD

About two years ago I knit these Magnificent Mittens (5-1 Mitten, by Anna Zilboorg) to be auctioned off to benefit the local school board’s “Food Sharing Project”.  I was able to borrow a copy of Anna Zilboorg’s book from our local library and had fun looking at the amazing and intricate patterns.  I knit these out of Brigg’s and Little Tuffy wool.  It made me feel good to be able to do something to support such an important local initiative.

The annual Talents & Treasures Auction goes a long way in supporting the Food Sharing Project. It raises much needed funds to provide approximately 3,500 students, daily, in about 80 sites in the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board with the nutrition they need to be successful students.

The 2010 Auction is taking place tonight.  It’s always a good show, with a great variety of items to bid on.  Bring your friends!

Auction Details:

The public is invited to attend the Talents & Treasures Live and Silent Auction Friday, January 29th at Bayridge Secondary School, 1059 Taylor Kidd Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the preview and to begin bidding on Silent Auction items. There will be raffles, silent auctions, and the live auction, with Gordon’s Estate Services, which starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $3 per person or $5 for two persons, with complimentary refreshments. VISA, Mastercard, Interac, cash and/or cheques will be accepted.

See what happens when you get going on an idea??  I’ve been playing with illusion knitting these days in preparation for the class I’m teaching at Wool-Tyme.

Here’s an idea I’ve been working on for Valentine’s day…

A lover’s mitten…perfect for hand holding.

more photos and pattern details will be released shortly.

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???