Moonlight Mittens

So I made these mittens last year by improvising a pattern. I wrote down what i did, and today Joelle asked me for the pattern. After a few hours worth of tweaking, I completed my very first original pattern! Exciting! If you don't remember these, I talked about them here and here.

Moonlight Mittens!

Pattern by Molly Wick

Yarn: Natuasha Handknits Creative Focus Worsted, 1 skein
Needles: size 6 double pointed needles

Ribbing:
CO 36 st on no. 6 dpns. Join for knitting in the round
*(K1, P1) Repeat until ribbing measures 7 cm.

Mitten Increases:

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Increase 1. Place marker. Knit to last st. Place marker before last stitch. Inc 1. The increase stitches between the two stitch markers will become the thumb for the mitten.
Rows 3: Inc 1. Knit cable chart* to last st. Inc 1.
Row 4-15: Inc 1. Knit as shown in cable chart. Inc 1.
Row 16: Put first 14 st on st holder. K37 (to st marker). Put remaining 13 st on st holder. The stitches on the stitch holder will form the thumb.

Mitten Body: 36 st on needles.
Row 17 and up: Knit cable repeat (in chart) until mitten measures 22cm from bottom of cuff. (cable on every fifth row)

Mitten Decreases:
Start these when mitten measures 22cm. Start with 36 st.
Row 1: k2tog, k15, ssk, k2tog, k15, ssk. This should finish round.
Row 2: k2tog, k13, ssk, k2tog, k13, ssk
Row 3: k2tog, k11, ssk, k2tog, k11, ssk
Row 4: k2tog, k9, ssk, k2tog, k9, ssk
Row 5: k2tog, k7, ssk, k2tog, k7, ssk
Row 6: k2tog, k5, ssk, k2tog, k5, ssk
Row 7: Put remaining st on two dpns, the front on one dpn and the back on another. Use third needle to knit into first two st on each needle, and bind off the two sides together to close the end.

Mitten Thumb:
Pick up 26 st on dpns from st holder.
Row 1: k12, inc, inc, k12. 28st.
Row 2: k2tog, k11, inc, inc, k11, ssk.
Row 3: k2tog, k24 ssk.
Row 4: k2tog, k8, sssk (slip 3 & knit), k3tog, k8, ssk.
Row 5: k2tog, k6, ssk, k2tog, k6, ssk.
Row 6: k2tog, k4, ssk, k2tog, k4, ssk.
Row 7: Cut working end and thread it through remaining st. Knot on inside of thumb.

Weave in all ends. Block if desired (suggested) and enjoy!

*To cable: place first 2 "x" stitches (from cable chart) on cable needle and place these behind or in front of knitting, according to chart. Knit next two stitches. Knit two stitches off of cable needle, and continue in pattern. The cable pattern calls for three cables across the back of the mitten, so you repeat the cable three times. The middle cable has a “worm” form, from alternating where the held cable stitches are placed ( in front or in back of work) while knitting other two stitches.

Cable Charts

If you'd like to make these mittens and what a better copy of the pattern & cable chart, just let me know and I can send it to you.

Pretty Fly

Skirt made with butterfly stitch and sweet thrifted yarn (for cheap)

Itty Bitty Sweater

Just completed baby sweater for my friend Jennifer who is having a baby at the end of October. The yarn is pompom from Filatura Di Crosa. Man, it's a huge pain to work with because all those little pompoms get stuck on the wrong side of the work. Quick knit otherwise.
Two of my other friends and I had a shower for the mom to be last weekend in WV. It was nice to visit with my girlfriends and my family. Only 2 more weeks until the road trip to come visit you girls. I'm very excited....but under no circumstance am I to buy anymore than $25 worth of yarn at the festival. I'm counting on the two of you....

Love.

Pattern: Lace Surplice Top by Gayle Bunn

Source: Nashua Handknits: North American Designer Collection #4

Yarn: Nashua Ecologie Cotton

Needle: US 3 & 4

Start: May 25, 2008

Finish: September 13, 2008

This turned out awesome. I had some problems along the way, but it turned out great. I love it. Its my new favorite knit. I had gauge issues in the beginning, but once I worked those out, it was pretty smooth sailing. Until I ran out of yarn. Because of the gauge issues, I ended up knitting this on size 4 needles instead of the reccommended size 6. And I added 3 pattern repeats in the body; both of those resulted in using more yarn than called for. I didn't have enough to make sleeves for the top, so I ended up making it a sleeveless top, which worked out just fine. I have worn this twice already and I LOVE it. It fits perfectly, is really flattering, and is comfortable! It is definatly a winner.

Molly and I are going to the local yarn store and to a knitting club tonight. I told her to recruit some people for a knitting club and she produced. All she had to do was wear her sweater to school one day. A girl in her office noticed, asked if she knitted it, and informed her of a new knitting club she was starting. So tonight is the first meeting and we're both pretty happy about it :)

distracted

Summer makes me distracted. I have started a number of things this summer only to get distracted away from them. For example, this gorgeous scarf that I started when I was out west and haven't picked up since:

Lace Ribbon Scarf
Knitty Spring 2008
southwest trading company's soysilk

Hopefully as fall rolls in I will pick this scarf back up, as well as the herringbone clutch that I started last spring.

And hopefully, as fall rolls in I will be wearing a cute skirt that I have been working on. It looks a little tight but I swear, I tried it on when it was only a few inches long and it fit. I swear. That's what I keep telling myself when I look at my butt compared to the area inside of this skirt's rounds. It is not from a pattern, but it is similar to a couple patterns, including the flirty skirt, and Tina's Skirt because the body of it is in the same butterfly stitch. The bottom of mine is going to be a band of green... can you imagine it?
Also-- I am using the yarn that I thrifted back in mpls for $2.50!!

Coreopsis

Pattern: Retro Rib

Source: Favorite Socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Fingering, dyed by me with coreopsis flowers

Needle: US 2

Start: July 4, 2008

Finish: August 30, 2008

I LOVE these socks. What can I say? They are perfect - love the color, love the pattern, love the contrasting trim. Love love love.

Winter sweater in the middle of summer

Pattern: Skating Sweater

Source: Twinkle's Big City Knits

Yarn: Rowan Big Wool

Needle: US 17

Start: February 2, 2008
Finish: August 24, 2008

I started this sweater way back in February, knit about two inches and put it aside. I picked it up again a few weeks ago and finished it in less than a week... Knitting on size 17s goes fast! I had originally made a different sweater (Venus) with this yarn, but I didn't like how that sweater fit and I never wore it because it was impracticle - 3/4 sleeves in heavy wool just doesn't work. So I ripped it and knit this with the yarn. Anyway, I like this sweater much better; it is really comfortable and soft. And its gonna be really warm! I think I will wear it quite a bit.

I pretty much knit it as in the pattern; however I lengthened it by about 3 inches and widened the sleeves by 6 stitches. Even with that modification, the sleeves are still pretty tight. And I have rather stick-like sleeves.

*****

Molly and I went with a couple friends to Chaco Culture National Historic Site yesterday. It was an amazing place to visit and we are excited to go back again this fall when it is a bit cooler and we can stay overnight. It is in the middle of nowhere (~75 miles from the nearest town), so the night sky is supposed to be amazing. There are more pictures on my Flickr, if you're interested.