Schnecken = Snail Mittens!

Some people despise snails in their gardens, but I just love the little guys! It turns out that a having a pretty shell is all it takes to improve one's PR.

I give you Schnecken -- mittens with snails on:These mittens feature six of my favourite gastropods snailin’ it up in the garden. Perfect for those winter days when the garden is just a fond memory and the snails are snuggled down under their leaf-litter duvets, waiting for spring. Grab the pattern here, on Ravelry.
Now I find I'm feeling a distinct sense of freedom, which couldn't be further from the truth (at least as far as my knitting is concerned.) I have some gnomes to see to...and a few other tricks as well.

Flamingo Mittens

You may have heard this already, but if not......here it is: the Flamingo Mittens' pattern is now available. Please note that the pattern also includes instructions on how to make fingerless Flamingo mitts as well.

The yarns I used here are from Sunday Knits. The Main Colour is the 3-ply Eden in Pickle and the Contrast Colour is the 3-ply Angelic in Peach. Believe me when I say that the colours are even more delicious in person.

You can pick it up here on Ravelry, and (eventually) in my Etsy shop (soon.)Yes, these mittens feature everyone's favourite long-legged, lawn-dwelling, plastic-feathered friend, the ornamental flamingo. Fun, kitschy, vintage-inspired handwear for the upcoming winter (seriously, the whole time I was reminded of my grandmother's Corelle dishes.)

Gnome Mittens are live

I released the Gnome Mittens last night!As is (mostly) usual, the pattern also includes instructions to make Gnome Fingerless Mittens as well. There are full-colour charts, large pictures and detailed instructions, all wrapped up in a nice 5-page .pdf (also as usual.) Grab your copy here, on Ravelry. Give it a day or two to appear in my Etsy shop.

Decadence mittens are now live!

I know -- I can hardly believe it either -- but the Decadence mittens are finished and the pattern is now live.Indulge some of your favourite 19th century vices with these lushly ornate mittens. Hidden among the Art Nouveau-inspired swirls of foliage (or are those curls of smoke?) are instruments of delicious deviant delights – poppy pods and absinthe spoons.

Get the pattern here on Ravelry. Give it a day or so to appear in my Etsy shop.Now I'm off to go locate my copy of Birch and to wrangle some Kidsilk Night, all because I was lenient enough to get sucked into the whole Knitting Olympics thing. Yep.

If you're looking for me, I'll be the one crying beneath the pile of tangled sparkly mohair.

For a good cause

January rolls on here at Pittsworth Manor -- miserably dark and, while not as cold as it has been lately, still fairly chill. It's great weather for knitting, but not so much for much of anything else.The astute among you will note that that's a sock in the picture, not a mitten. I'm trying to keep up with NaKniMitMo 2010, really I am, but duty calls, and at present I'm one mere pair of L'Amour et la Morte socks (Ravelled) away from being able to send another parcel off to the Antique Beat Boutique.

I should also mention that from now until 31 January 2010, 50% of the proceeds of select SpillyJane Knits patterns will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières to support their work in Haiti. You can see (and pick up) the patterns on Ravelry here.

Feathered Friends + Etsy update

A wee taste of what I'm up to now:The Feathered Friends Mittens. More details soon, as they become available.

Oh, and the Cupcake Mittens and the Pear Mittens are now up in my Etsy shop. Other patterns will be turning up there shortly.

Pizzelle socks are now live

Pizzelle is live, just in time for the holidays:Whimsical socks with a large floral motif, reminiscent of the floral/snowflake patterns seen on Pizzelle cookies. For added interest they have striped soles and contrasting cuffs and heels.

Don’t care for sportweight socks? Substitute a comparable amount of fingering weight yarn and use US 3 (3.25 mm) needles to produce lighter footwear.

Pick the pattern up on Ravelry or in my Etsy shop.

The pattern is a clear, concise, 4-page .pdf file with large charts and images, as usual.

And the rest:

Size: Women’s Medium (or any foot/leg that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 7 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: 2 skeins each of Knit Picks Telemark (103yd / 50 g) in Chestnut (Main Colour – MC) and Passion Heather
(Contrast Colour – CC,) or any other comparable sport weight yarns that complement each other.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 2 (2.75 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Snowbunnies mittens are live!

The Snowbunnies mittens are out now! Pick up the pattern here, on Ravelry.Row upon row of adorable bunnies (in two flavours!) parade across these cute mittens.

Instructions are provided in the 4-page .pdf to make these as fingerless mittens as well.

Pear Mittens!

These had been hanging about since October -- I couldn't believe that it had been so long! It was high time that they were completed, so here they are.

Meet the Pear Mittens:Rows upon rows of cute pears (D’Anjou, Bartlett and Bosc!) adorn these cute mittens. This pattern is ideal for those new to colourwork. The striped thumb adds interest (I'm a great fan of the striped thumb.)

Instructions are included (as usual) detailing how to make these up as fingerless mittens as well.

Grab the lovely 4-page .pdf here on Ravelry. A massive Etsy shop update is due to occur any day now (but if you'd like to see it sooner, let me know.)

And all the usual info-stuffs:

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball each of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in Wallaby (Main Colour – MC,) Green Tea Heather (Contrast Colour A– CCA,) Cornmeal (Contrast Colour B – CCB,) Brindle Heather (Contrast Colour D – CCD) and Bark (Contrast Colour E – CCE.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches and chart reading.

I'm off to start another new mitten. It never ends (at least, I hope it doesn't.)

Fruition

The Thistle Mittens (Ravelry link) are finished:
I'll be working closely with MacKintosh Yarns to ensure that the pattern is available sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check out their yarns. I, personally, can't say enough about the Iona Sportweight.

In other news, I am pleased to report that my L'Amour et la Morte (another Ravelry link) socks have happily taken up residence at Antique Beat. Two more pairs of Men's socks are slated to join them there this month.
And for my final news of the day, the Pear Mittens (again with the Ravelry linkage) are currently getting a thumb. Shortly thereafter they'll be having their picture taken, and then? Expect the pattern to be released this evening. I'll update with the link when they're out.

ETA: They're live! The Pear Mittens are available NOW, on Ravelry!

Hedgehog Mittens are out!

The Hedgehog Mittens went live last evening!

The backs:Get the pattern here on Ravelry, and soon in my Etsy shop (which I am going to update one night this week, I swear.)

And the palms:Mittens with amorous hedgehogs on, inspired in no small amount by Nanny Ogg. I’d like to think that she’d wear a pair.

These are available in both finger-having and fingerless varieties. Instructions are included in the 4-page .pdf for both.

____________________
Granny navigated through the press of bodies by the sound of a cracked voice explaining to the world at large that, compared to an unbelievable variety of other animals, the hedgehog was quite fortunate. Nanny Ogg was sitting in a chair by the fire with a quart mug in one hand, and was conducting the reprise with a cigar.

– Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
____________________

Other things that you might like to know about The Hedgehog Mittens:

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball each of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in Celadon Heather (Main Colour -- MC) and Bison (Contrast Colour A – CCA) and approximately 10 yards of Knit Picks Palette in Oyster (Contrast Colour B – CCB.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, duplicate stitch OR intarsia and chart reading.

And now I'm off to work on those Thistle Mittens.

Encore (et encore)

L'Amour et La Morte (on Ravelry) sock production continues.

I still love this pattern (to death.) And, happily, two more pairs took wing for the UK yesterday morning (may their recipient love them.) That's four pairs (three of them sized Men's Large) finished in less than a month! Here they are, all trussed up:Two pairs (for the Antique Beat Boutique) to go. That's (practically) nothing at this point.

And then there's this, as seen on my Ravelry projects page, which I find particularly apt:

Socks in Transit

Freshly shipped to the U.K. this morning:The first two (of four) pairs of L'Amour et La Morte (on Ravelry) socks destined to take up residence in the Antique Beat Boutique. As always, I am unnaturally taken with the packaging and tags (velvet ribbon has this effect on me.)If only I could travel in the envelope with them.

Carrots and Beets Mittens

Yes, I come bearing more new mittens! This time around it's the Carrots and Beets Mittens, a lovely little pair that I don't think I've blogged about before now. Just call them stealth mittens.Winter is long, but these veggies are sweet! Keep your hands warm this season with these mittens adorned with bands of cute carrots and beets.

As has been the case with the last handful of new mittens lately, this motif is also available in sock form. You may recall the Carrots and Beets socks, yes? Also as usual, you can pick up the Carrots and Beets mittens right over here on Ravelry, and the socks are available there as well. My poor, long suffering Etsy shop will be receiving its long-overdue update tonight (hopefully,) at which point the pattern (as well as the others that are not yet in there) will be added. Yep.And now for the rest:

The 4-page Carrots and Beets Mittens .pdf includes addtional instructions for making them as fingerless mittens. There are many ways to consume these veggies!

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Bittersweet Heather (Main Colour -- MC,) and the following Contrast Colours: Clover (Contrast Colour A – CCA,) Sweet Potato (Contrast Colour B -- CCB,) Ivy (Contrast Colour D - CCD) and Fairy Tale (Contrast Colour E -- CCE.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Enjoy the Veggies!

Take me to your ROBOMITTS

Attention, humans: ROBOMITTS have been spotted in the area. Take cover (or don't!)Perhaps you are already familiar with the ROBOSOCKS? Maybe you'd like to side with the ROBOMITTS? If so, the pattern is waiting for you here, on Ravelry and will shortly be available in my Etsy shop.Here's what you'll need to know:

The 5-page ROBOMITTS .pdf includes addtional instructions for making them as fingerless mittens. The robots just keep going and going...

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Ash (Main Colour -- MC,) and Raspberry Heather (Contrast Colour – CC.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Enjoy the robots! I'm off to go put the finishing touches on the Winter Veggies mitten pattern.

Owlmittens came out last night!

They're out! The Owlmittens are out! Yes, these are the mitteny equivalents of my Owlsocks -- remember those?Your copy of the 5-page .pdf is waiting for you right over here on Ravelry! Watch for the pattern to turn up in my Esty shop later this afternoon.The best part? The pattern comes with instructions and charts to make the Owlmittens as fingerless Owlmittens -- these are owls for all seasons!

And now for all that Owly info:

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Camel Heather (Main Colour -- MC,) and Autumn Heather (Contrast Colour – CC.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

That's it! Enjoy the owls...the ROBOTS are next!

Owlmittens (and Quo Vadis)

The Quo Vadis mittens are done:Yep, all done. And the pattern will be out any day now (tomorrow? There's a good chance!) The best part? Quo Vadis is my gift to all you lovely knitters for the upcoming holiday season, so it's going to be a freebie. Everybody loves a freebie!

And the Owlmittens aren't that far behind:I'll be polishing these off tomorrow. The pattern shouldn't be too much longer, either, and it will also include instructions for making them as fingerless mittens.

It never ends -- no, really, it doesn't.

Ribbon Mittens are out!

As hinted at in yeserday's post, the Ribbon mitten pattern is now available!Simple mittens made very fancy by using the Estonian Roositud inlay technique -– a quick method that is the simplest colourwork technique that you’ll ever learn. If you can knit Stockinette in the round and wrap stitches, you can make these mittens!

Copies are available right over here on Ravelry. They'll also be turning up in my Etsy shop later on today. You say you're not familiar with this Estonian Roositud inlay thing? Not a problem! Check out the tutorial that I've prepared right over here.Now for the usual suspects:

Size: Women’s medium (or any hand that is 7.5” in circumference.)

Gauge: 6 stitches/8 rows = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: 1 skein of Patons Classic Wool (223 yd/100 g) in Leaf Green (MC) and partial skeins (15 yds of each,) of three different contrasting yarns of a similar weight. The contrasting yarns used here are Patons Classic Wool (223 yd/100 g) in Aran (CC1) and Knit Picks Merino Style (123 yd/50 g) in Strawberry (CC2) and Rhubarb (CC3.)
**NOTE: Knit Picks Merino Style is no longer available in the Strawberry and Rhubarb colourways. The following substitutions can be made: partial skeins (15 yds of each) of Patons Classic Wool (223 yd/100 g) in Bright Red (CC2) and That’s Pink (CC3.)

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 3 (3.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A 10” length of yarn in a comparable weight (but contrasting colour) to hold thumb stitches, a stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Knitting in the round, decreasing, Roositud inlay, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

I should also mention that these mittens work up fairly quickly, too. They might be the solution to your holiday knitting problems!

Knit your veggies!

As promised, the Carrots and Beets socks are ready for mass consumption! You can pick (hee) your own copy up either here on Ravelry or here in my Etsy shop.Who wants to wear their veggies? These socks feature a cute carrot and beet motif and would be a great addition to any vegetable lover’s (or chef's or vegan's or botanist's or vegetable gardener’s or taproot enthusiast's, etc...) sock collection!

Size: Women’s Medium (or any foot/leg that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 8 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: 2 skeins of Knit Picks Gloss (220 yd / 50 g) in Porcini (Main Colour – MC) and 1 skein each of the following Contrast Colours: 1 skein of Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed (231yd / 50g) in Grasshopper Kettle (Contrast Colour A – CA,) 1 skein of Knit Picks Essential (231 yd / 50) in Pumpkin (Contrast Colour B– CB,) 1 skein of Knit Picks Gloss (220 yd / 50 g) in Parsley (Contrast Colour D – CD,) and 1 skein of Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed (220 yd / 50g) in Bourdeaux Kettle (Contrast Colour E – CE) or any other comparable fingering weight yarns in colours that complement each other.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 2 (2.75 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, stranded knitting, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Have fun with the veggies!

Carrots and Beets socks

Look what got finished today:...and just in time, too! The deluge of new mittens is on the way! When I was adding the new pictures to my Ravelry projects' page, I was fairly horrified to notice that I had started these socks in March. MARCH. It's nearly the end of August! Well, considering that I planted my own carrots and beets in March and am currently pulling them up just now...well, maybe it's fitting after all.

Watch for the pattern to come out either tommorow (21 August) or Saturday (22 August.) I'm off to go work on another New Something.