NaKniMitMo, pt. 12: The wrap-up

What a month for mittens -- and what a great KAL! I'm pleased to report that NaKniMitMo was my first true (and successfully completed) KAL, and I had a great time participating. I finished my Bloom mittens this morning:They took me one week exactly, from start to finish...and I had more than enough yarn. I'm always worried that I'm going to run out and I never do (this is a very good thing!)

Those of you who keep track of such things will note that I've bottomed out at 3 1/2 pairs of mittens this month:Of course, that's a family portrait of Bloom, Give A Hoot, Wurst and Bavarois, all together at last.

So that's it for me for NaKniMitMo 2009 -- somehow I think seven mittens is plenty. Plus, I'm almost out of January! This is not an entirely bad thing as 30 January is my birthday.

Don't be fooled just because I cast on for a tam today -- there are more mittens on the way. You're shocked, I know.

NaKniMitMo, pt. 10: The home stretch

NaKniMitMO may be almost over, but there's still time for one more pair of mittens!I finished the first of the Bloom mittens the other day while reading and listening yet again.

Here's the palm:I tweaked several elements of these mittens, but I won't bore you with the list here (unless, of course, you'd like to be bored by the list, in which case I will be more than happy to oblige.) The important thing is that I've already cast on for Bloom mitten no. 2, and that if all goes well it will be finished long before the 31st.

In other mitten news, I am going to attempt to release Wurst today. Fingers crossed!

NaKniMitMo, pt. 8: Wurst mittens ever, among other things

Wurst is history:Look at all those happy little sausages dangling down the mitten! If you're hungry for your own pair, watch for the pattern's release the week of Sunday, 25 January 2009.

Of course, there's another pattern in the works, and this one is coming out this week:Yes, it's Bavarois (which hasn't been officially added to the Ravelry pattern library yet,) which might be my most-photographed pair of mittens ever. I just can't get enough of that colour! Here they are next to my current favourite beverage (Perrier with lime) served in my current favourite glass (from Ikea's Busig series) sitting on one of Heather's quilted coasters (I told you I used them, lady!) I can not wait to get this pattern out there -- I am still in love with these mittens!

All Bavarois aside, I don't think I could have picked a better day to finish off Wurst because look what arrived here today:It's Riihivilla's Aarni Bloom Selection -- a sort-of mitten kit meant to be combined with the Bloom Mittens. Of course, a big selling point of the yarn (for me) is that the purpley reds you see above have been dyed with cochineal. I've been mad for cochineal ever since I read Colour by Victoria Finlay, so you can imagine how excited I am to have the chance to work with this yarn. I can see this stuff becoming a...habit.

NaKniMitMo, pt. 7: The slow process of sausage-making

Wurst mitten no. 1 plods on:As you can see, I'm well past the thumb (that's that red/green stripe on the left-hand side of the mitt) and I'm closing in fast on those finger decreases. So why does it feel like this mitten is taking forever?

I know that colourwork actually seems faster than plain knitting, and it's true -- it seems that every time I stop and glance down at my work there's a whole new row of happy little sausages smiling back up at me. It just feels slow for some reason.

As far as I can recall, I have experienced this effect once before -- with Swedish Fish, of all things. Now, I suspect that that's because both mittens feature a simple, very short (row-wise) motif that's easily memorized and quickly worked. As such, I suppose that the problem is with me expecting the mitten to grow at a crazy-fast rate (as opposed to the normal rate, at which it is currently growing.) Combine the two together and there you have it -- one slow seeming mitten. At least, that's how I see it.

Do you think the KAL would let me weasel out of knitting Wurst no. 2 immediately after no. 1? Or should I just force myself to get it out of the way while I have the chance (and no excuse?)

I have ideas for other mittens! Let's see if something comes of them!

NaKniMitMo, pt. 6: Everything is orange

I finished my Bavarois mittens last night! KALs are good for me, see?It feels so good to have knit both of them right in a row. Half the time when knitting mittens I knit the first one and then just make up excuses about why it doesn't need a mate. But since I plan on wearing these (and yes, because it's NaKniMitMo,) I'm feeling particularly efficient (or masochistic, take your pick,) so full pairs are the order of the day.

The pattern for Bavarois should be available in the next couple of days, for those of you who are waiting for such things. You will be notified!

Has anyone noticed that practically everything I've knit lately has been orange or gold or at least a warm shade of beige? This is easily spotted if you take a peek at my Ravelry projects page. I have no idea where this sudden orange obsession is coming from or how long it's going to last, but I suspect it's far from over just yet. Unsurprisingly, there is much orange yet lurking in my stash (I looked.)

Which leads me to my next NaKniMitMo mittens:Meet the new mittens (working title: "Wurst.") Because I just can't bear to live in a world where stylized sausage links have yet to appear on colourwork winter wear, and I know that some of you just might feel the same way, too.

NaKniMitMo, pt. 5: first one done

The first Bavarois mitten is history!This means it's time to start the second one, a prospect that is not seeming all that bad. Usually I run from second mittens, having (most likely) burnt myself out on the first one, but these ones are different. The nice stretch of plain Stockinette on the palms takes the edge off all that twisting.

Here it is flat:I was going to go with a gusset thumb but I bailed at the last minute. Going with a peasant thumb is another one of the small mercies that these mittens have to offer. They're not so bad!

If you're eyeing these hungrily, I am happy to report that I'm in the process of writing up the pattern. I mean, if anyone wants it.

NaKniMitMo, pt. 4: Bavarois!

The new mittens grew a bit today -- look!They've also acquired a name: Bavarois. Yes, that's a a dessert -- here's a recipe. Yes, I would like to try some.

Back to the mitten. I am in serious danger of actually finishing this mitten tonight! At the very least, I will polish it off tomorrow. And then...the second mitten. Wow, if there's one thing that this NaKniMitMo KAL is good for, it's getting me to actually knit the mates to my mitts. This is not a bad thing! It's nice to put a project "to bed" every once in a while!

NaKniMitMo, part 2

It turns out that I wasn't just playing the wishful thinking card after all, because finished my Give A Hoot mittens today:And, since I finished the second mitten (incredibly) in one sitting I now actually know how long it took me, from cast on edge to tip of thumb! The grand total is four hours -- while reading (and listening; yes, I am a Jane of many talents.) The point is that the first pair of NaKniMitMo mittens is done and now I can move onto one of my own (new!) mitten patterns.
The question now is "big needles or little needles?", as I have a pair of each in the works, but have yet to start either. "Big needles" will go up faster, but "little needles" is colourwork and that just flies off the needles once I get started. I'll have to see what I'm in the mood for.

ETA: Ah, but are the Owl mittens only truly complete when they have button eyes? This is the question!

NaKniMitMo, part 1

Never let it be said that I'm not up for a good ol' KAL from time to time, especially when that KAL involves mittens. Ok, those of you who know me well know that there's no better way to turn me off a pattern than a KAL, replete with deadlines and stress and other fun things like that (why does the Mystery Stole 3 KAL of a couple of summers ago come to mind?) This one, however, is different, mainly because nearly every month is NaKniMitMo around here. A whole month devoted to the celebration of the mitten? I didn't have to be asked twice!

I have a wealth of mitten projects lined up for this month (yes, including TWO NEW SpillyJane patterns,) and so far I'm moving along at a good clip. Let's see how many I can bang out in a month!

Just last night I started Give A Hoot and this afternoon I polished off the first mitten:I suspect that this is a new personal best for me: a mitten in less than 24 hours, with eight of those taken up by sleeping? Amazing! Oh, the things that are possible when one is using 5 mm needles and not teeny 2 mm ones. But a mitten in less than a day? I can get used to this.

With any luck, the mitten's mate should be turning up in some form (hopefully completed) tomorrow. Watch, now that I've said this, I won't even make it past the cuff. We'll see!

Also: check the new user pic! Check it!!