Bird In Hand Mittens

I've been sewing lately - I promise - but I can't show any here because it's all been secret sewing. I'll reveal all when it's finished.

I have been knitting too. I finished these mitts for myself - Bird in Hand - and I love them. I love the colours and they'll look great with my white parka. I want to add a fleece lining so they'll be super warm, and I need to do a little embroidery on the thumb. (if you look closely at the thumb, there is a white blob near the tip - it's meant to be a bird, so I need to add eyes, wings, and legs)

I've had this pattern for years. I needed to learn to knit Continental style first, so that I could manage the two colour knitting.

Now, I'm hoping it isn't cold enough to wear them until next winter.

Q3 Finish

One of my 4 projects on the Q3 Finish Along is a pair of mitts for myself.  I finished them and I'm very happy with my results.

This is my first major foray into colourwork and these mitts had a lot of it. None of my stitches are too loose or too tight, which is good. I can definitely use more practice to improve. They fit perfectly, which is awesome (since most of the mitts I've knit to date don't quite fit the way I'd like). And the pattern was free so that's a bonus as well.

The pattern is on ravelry: bird mittens. I used Koigu wool, size 3.0mm needles. And the coral ran when I blocked them, but not into the white, which I can live with. I may add a bit of elastic to the bottoms to pull them in a bit. My knitting is looser where there is little or no colourwork, and that is giving these a bit of a gauntlet look.

Q3 Finish Along

I found this Finish Along in March and joined for Q2 - April to June. I only got one of my goals completed - and I'm good with that since there is no penalty for not meeting a goal (other than those we impose on ourselves). There are great prizes available for those who finish and are lucky enough to get chosen as a winner.

This quarter (July - September) I'm entering a few more things for finishes.

In no particular order:

Mittens for me - 1 is 3/4 finished

A cardigan for my oldest niece:

The dresden quilt I was supposed to do in Q2:

And Christmas pillowcases for my nieces (in this adorable Pixie Noel fabric):

I feel like I've given myself a good variety of projects to finish - the pillowcases will be quick - the rest will take more time. A deadline will help (I hope).

I'm linking to the Q3 Finish Along.

Mittens for Me

I finally knit myself a pair of mittens - after having it on my to do list for a while.

(The light is bad here too - same reason as here)

The red looks more red in person, and the white doesn't glow in person.

The grey yarn is by Berroco and is called Vintage - it's a combo of wool and acrylic so that I can wash them. The red and white is Vanna's Choice acrylic from Michaels.

The pattern is by the Yarn Harlot and is called Cloisonné (and it can be found on ravelry.com under Stephanie Pearl McPhee). If you knit or crochet, and you haven't checked out ravelry, you must. It's a perfect social media site made for knitters and crocheters. You can store your yarn stash there. I wish someone would make one for quilters.

These were a relatively quick knit, once I got the sizing right. I did pull them back several times until I got the width and length right. I had a little trouble in the cuff, but it worked out fine. These are knit from the cuff to the fingertip.

I've gotten several compliments on them and I love them so far!

I've started another pair, different pattern, in a much lighter weight yarn - for spring.

These aren't too far along, and they require a lot of concentration, since they are two colours. I'll keep you posted.