knitted :: Child’s Chevron Love

knitted :: Child’s Chevron Love, originally uploaded by earthchick.

After the boys saw my Chevron Love Mittens, they asked me to make them each a pair. Nevermind that they will outgrow them in a flash, how could a mama say no to that?
Both boys wanted red-white-and-blue. Tiny Dancer asked for chevrons just like mine. Little Buddha has something else entirely in mind, but he has allowed me to wait until late summer to make his, since we are almost past mitten-wearing season (she says hopefully).

Mods for fit:
CO 48
Knit three chevrons before starting thumb gusset
Knit 23 sts, work thumb gusset chart, knit 22 sts

I also blunted the end of the mitten by stopping the chart decreases when there are 16 sts total left, then kitchenering together. I somehow ended up with one mitten ending in red and the other in white. But TD doesn’t mind. In fact, he says he loves them.

raveled

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knitted :: Chevron Mittens

knitted :: Chevron Mittens, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Can I tell you how much I love these?

A lot. A LOT. I LOVE THEM A LOT. I love them so much I can’t even say how much I love them. But it’s a lot. More than a lot, actually.

Seriously, I adore them.

The stupid thing is, I started them three years ago. Julia Vesper of Knitterly Things had published her Chevron Love Mittens pattern in the spring of 2009, and then she began putting together mitten kits. I fell in love with her “Tiny Dancer” kit – not only because of the slammin’ colors but because “Tiny Dancer” has been the blog name for one of my sons since he was a toddler. I snagged a kit, cast on in January 2010, and knit to the start of the thumb before getting distracted by something else (as is my habit – it does not remotely reflect on the quality of the pattern or my love for it).

No idea what was going on with my Latvian braid in this first mitten (my first Latvian braid ever), but suffice it to say I have learned a lot since then.

The sweet mitten languished for all these years until, at the beginning of the year, I was seized with a desire to finish them. I packed them up to take with me on a trip, and I finally got started on them again in late January. By the end of the month, they were done!

That’s right, I let them sit around for 3 years, but in the end they took maybe two weeks to actually make (and those were 2 weeks that also included a whole lot of spinning and not a ton of knitting).

I love everything about these mittens. The fit is perfect – cozy without being too tight. A much better fit than my regular handknit mittens which are far too loose. The colorwork means that there is extra thickness on the inside to keep my hands toasty. Best of all, the colors are just so bright and cheerful! They make me happy every time I put them on.

Love the shot of bright against my dark grey coat.

I can’t recommend this pattern enough!!

(Did I mention that I love it?)

raveled

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knitted :: handspun Dad Socks

knitted :: handspun Dad Socks, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Once upon a time, seven years ago to be exact, when I was still a fairly new knitter, I knit my dad a pair of socks. It was only my second pair of socks ever, and though they were fairly boring, basic socks, I was very proud of them.

Apparently, he loved them. In fact, he loved them so much that he has been wearing them to bed nearly every night for the past seven years. He says they are perfect sleeping socks.

In December, he asked if I would mind making him another pair of socks. He wanted them to fit exactly the same as the old ones do now – loose and slouchy, perfect for sleeping. I was so pleased that the socks I made him all those year ago were so well-loved, and even more pleased that he wanted more. I decided to make him a new pair in handspun.

First I spun up one of my most precious fibers, Hello Yarn Superwash Merino in “Peat,” the March 2009 Fiber Club fiber.

LOVE those colors.

Then, using my favorite toe-up pattern – David’s Toe-Up Socks Cookbook , I cast on, using a contrast color – Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in “Charcoal.” But I switched things up a little bit – instead of a standard heel, I just made a tube, using Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in “Charcoal” for a contrast toe and ending with a contrast ribbed cuff. Then I measured the sock against my dad’s old pair, and cut a place for the heel:

Eep!!

Then I picked up the stitches:

And knit another “toe,” i.e., an “afterthought heel” in contrast yarn.
I am very happy with the results, and with the process, and I see more of this method in my future (this was my first time trying it). It was great because I was traveling a lot at the time I was making these, as well as taking a doctoral class that required most of my brain cells, and it was great to just knit a tube without worrying about when and where to put the heel.

I asked my husband to try them on for modeled shots. The shots turned out kind of ridiculous, because my husband’s shoe size is two sizes smaller than my dad’s, plus the socks are intentionally loose and slouchy.

But you get the idea.

I was very, very pleased with this whole project – from spin to finished result – and my dad says they fit perfectly. So, yay! I have a wee bit of the handspun left (I spun 280 yards light worsted, and I have maybe 40-50 yards left) and a lot of the contrast yarn left, so I’m pondering a few potential projects with those.

 

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2012 :: the year in knits

2012 :: the year in knits, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Shameless Cowl, 2 pairs of Warmest Mittens, Liquid Amber Cowl, Color Affection, Big Bay
Child’s Placket-Neck Pullover, Baby Granny, Striped Child’s Placket-Neck Pullover, Nefertem, Zelkova
Aranami, Perry Street Rugby, Mukluks, Camp Out Fingerless Mitts, Cladonia
Child’s Mukluks, Child’s Mukluks, Smitten Garland, Mukluks, Irving Cowl

I made fewer items overall than in years past (21), unless you count each Smitten mitten (24!) individually (heh). I also did a lot less spinning in 2012, until the end of the year (finishing only 9 yarns total), but almost a third of what I knit was from handspun.

By the numbers:
cowls: 3
mitts/mittens: 3+24 (for the Smitten Garland)
shawls: 5
baby sweaters: 2
adult sweaters: 2
blanket/afghan: 1
slippers: 4
handspun: 7

I made a pile of mittens, obviously, since I was creating my Advent garland. Apart from the mitts and mittens, I made more shawls than anything else, with the Mukluks coming in a close second. There were actually two more pairs of slippers I made earlier in the year, one of which I tossed after a felting mishap and one of which I never assembled (bunny slippers for one of my kids, which are now too small). So if you count those, I made more slippers than anything else except mittens. I didn’t make any socks at all, nor any hats.

I was pretty pleased with everything I made this year (except for the felting mishap), which hasn’t always been the case in the past. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite knit this year; there are actually several that I love a lot. I wear my handspun Mukluks more frequently than anything else, just because I happen to kick around in slippers a lot; the Camp Out Mitts have also seen a lot of play this fall/winter. I don’t wear my Liquid Amber as much as I should, because I like it *too* much – it feels delicate and special. Same goes for my handspun Cladonia, which honestly is probably the prettiest thing I’ve made this year. I adore my Aranami, which is one of the cleverest patterns out there, and I super-love the colors of mine (and the yarn – BrooklynTweed Shelter). This shawl gets a lot of action (I wear it as a scarf).

The Perry Street Rugby has turned out to be one of my very favorite thing to wear, which is funny since at first I thought it wasn’t very flattering on me. I have totally changed my mind. I love the shape of it – it’s loose and long without being a tent. I love the cable detail, the stripes, those long ribbed sleeves, I love the colors and the feel of the yarn. I love the wide neckline. Every time I wear it, My Old Man comments on how much he loves it. He is not one to enthuse about anything, so for him to compliment something multiple times is high praise indeed. In fact, every time I wear it I get compliments, and not just from him. I think everyone needs to make a Perry Street Rugby, a Zelkova, and an Aranami.

I published two designs this year, which is exciting, but I’ve had another five in my head that I’ve not yet managed to get knit, written up, and released. My hope for 2013 is that I get at least two of them out there. I also hope for more sweater-knitting, more spinning, and more handspun-knitting. It would be nice if I could finish up some old WIPs, too. If 2013 is anything like 2012, I will have more plans than I can execute, but I’ve always found that to be a pretty good recipe for getting a lot done.

Wishing you and yours a very happy (and very knitty) 2013!

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knitted, sold, bought, gifted :: Irving (Cowl)

knitted :: Irving Cowl, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Recently, my gal Heather turned me on to the Irving Hat pattern, which is to say, she mentioned it and I got obsessed. So when I needed a quick knit for the school craft/bake sale, I knew I wanted to bang out this hat, and I had the perfect yarn – Plucky Rustic in “Chino,” left over from my Zelkova cardigan. LOVE that yarn.

Only it turned out I didn’t actually have enough. I knit as fast I could, but I couldn’t outknit the skein. So, I converted it into a cowl.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The Plucky Rustic is such a delightfully crunchy yarn – soft and crisp, in the gorgeous layered color you would expect from The Plucky Knitter.

I got the cowl finished in plenty of time, and dropped it off for the sale when I dropped my kids off at school. Within 10 minutes of dropping it off, I realized I didn’t yet have a teacher gift for the boys’ piano teacher; their lesson was that afternoon. I briefly wondered if I could find something at the craft sale for her. Then I realized what would be the perfect thing – a cute chunky lace cowl! Bah!

I thought about it all day. When I went to pick the boys up from school for their piano lesson, the sale had just started. My cowl was priced for $12 – less than the price of the yarn! So I bought it. $12 for a sweet handknit cowl? That’s a bargain!

One of these days, I’ll make the actual hat – such a fun, fast pattern. But it’s a great pattern for a cowl, too!

raveled

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knitted :: for a friend (more handspun Mukluks!)

knitted :: Handspun Mukluks, originally uploaded by earthchick.

I’m not sure what there is to say about these that I haven’t already said. They’re fast! They’re fun! They’re cozy!

They’re such a great use of handspun. I find that my own pair of Mukluks get a lot of action, so it’s great to get to look down and see handspun on my feet so often.

These are made from delicious Southern Cross Fibre.

4 oz. Polwarth in “Claudia”

Spun up into 180 yards very lofty bulky 2-ply (actually this is 3.5 oz or so – I still haven’t plied that last half ounce). The slippers didn’t even use all of this – maybe 150 yards? Maybe less.

This pair was for a friend.

As much as I love this pattern, I think after four pairs I’m done with it for awhile (I never made a pair for My Old Man, but he is not a slippers kind of guy). I’m sure I will come back to the pattern again some time, though. As I’ve said before, I’ve knit a lot of slippers and this is the easiest and fastest pattern I’ve done so far.

raveled

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Shameless :: Self-promotion (design sale)

Shameless :: pattern sale, originally uploaded by earthchick.

A year ago, I released my first set of patterns for sale (having released a few free patterns previously). At the time, it was just a pair of mitts and a hat; a month later, I added a cowl to the collection.

Now that winter is almost here again, I thought it would be fun to promote this pattern with a little sale. It’s not too late to whip up a pair of mitts, a cowl, or a hat for the holidays – for yourself or to give away!

Let me shamelessly say that I actually adore these mitts. I usually wear them as pictured above, with the cuffs rolled back (the pattern also offers an option for finishing them at this length with ribbing). When I’m driving and my fingers are cold, I unroll them and tuck my fingers inside, all nice and cozy-like.

Yes, I do sometimes match my nail polish to them.

(And yes, the Shepherd’s Wool does pill over time, but that’s to be expected with such a soft yarn. Totally worth it.)

Mmmm, seed stitch!

Here’s the deal. I’ve decided it’s time for me to purchase a new spinning wheel. For one thing, I’m ready to take a step up from my first wheel, a Schacht Ladybug. Don’t get me wrong – I still ADORE this wheel. I just feel like I’m ready for a little more.

Another reason I want a new wheel is this:

That’s Little Buddha, having received his first fiber, which he picked out himself and I bought for him (Spunky Eclectic Shetland, “En Fuego”). He wants to be on my wheel all the time now, and his brother wants to learn, too. With three of us wanting to spin, we really should become a two-wheel household, shouldn’t we?

I have my eye on a very special wheel, and I’m ready to start some creative fundraising for it. This little pattern promotion is the first small step in that.

If you’ve already bought the pattern in the past, thank you! If you haven’t, now’s your chance to get 20% off – that applies to each pattern individually as well as to the whole set.

The redemption code is “shameless” and this promotion will run through the rest of the month. The redemption link is here .

the collection on ravelry

Thanks for considering this, and stay tuned for more opportunities to send your money my way!

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knitted :: Advent Calendar! (Smitten Advent Garland)

knitted :: Smitten Advent Garland, originally uploaded by earthchick.

After years of wanting to knit an Advent calendar of little mittens or socks, but always resorting instead to paper crafts, I finally managed to pull it off! And I even got it done and up in time for Advent (well, sort of. I finished the last mitten on Saturday afternoon, crocheted the garland on Saturday night, and got the whole thing hung on Sunday afternoon).

I had originally envisioned doing the whole thing in handspun, but I’m so glad I went with these basic colors in Patons Classic – I love the simplicity of it.

I’ve hung it in front of our bay window but couldn’t get a good picture of the whole thing yet due to lighting issues. I’ll try again today.

I would love to make a few more for our Christmas tree, but I’m pretty tired of knitting these. They are fun, quick, and easy (otherwise I don’t think would’ve banged out 24 of them in 18 days), but I’m ready to move on to other projects now.

raveled

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knitted :: more slippers! {handspun children’s mukluks)

knitted :: handspun children’s mukluks, originally uploaded by earthchick.

I just can’t seem to stop with this pattern. It’s so quick and gratifying.
Early last year, Tiny Dancer saw me spinning the first batch of this Hello Yarn fiber early and immediately asked if I would make him something out of it sometime – he loves blue and purple – so I set aside the second 4 oz. bump for another time. And that time was now!

Hello Yarn Shetland, “Minerals”

spun up:

2-ply worsted (the pattern calls for bulky but I made do)

I paired it with a wee bit of Southern Cross Fiber Polwarth in “Deep Blue Sea,” a colorway I adore and wish I had more of (once upon a time I did, but I destashed it). I had plenty of the Shetland and could have made the whole slipper out of it, but I thought the combo would be cute.

And it is, right? Tiny Dancer is thrilled with them.

I’ve got more Polwarth fresh off the wheel for another cozy pair, for a friend. I might give the pattern a rest for a bit after that. Or I might not. Who knows!

raveled

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worn :: Sweetgum

worn :: Sweetgum, originally uploaded by earthchick.

When I first designed this cowl 2 years ago, it was to wear over the shoulders, more like a cape.

But lately, I’ve been wearing it just loose around my neck, and I love it.

raveled

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