We're green for GO!

(insert a chorus of exuberant cheering here)

I finished my knitted fingerless mitts yesterday! I've been wearing them since, & I have to say, they are the best things around. I'm sitting here typing & my hands are actually too warm, when does that happen?

Thanks to sitting down and talking out how to insert the thumb with the General's Wife, it went rather smoothly. I did end up frogging down on the 2nd thumb about 2 rows thanks to an accidental yarn over but that was really all. I was determined to have at least 1 mitt that didn't have a huge visible error. Of course in both you can still see the line where I change from 1 needle to the next. It's not terribly obtrusive, but it's still there if you look. I'm not sure what to do about that. Is that just part of knitting in the round?I thought I was doing pretty well with keeping the first stitch tight in the transition.

Unlike the first mitt! That was the learner right? Because it certainly looks it! Can you tell in the pictures which is which? I am actually toying with either frogging all the way down to the first YO error or starting a third mitt just to have a "perfect" pair. By the time I got to the palm on the 1st, I had to do no less than 6 K2tog to get it back to the proper stitch count. Oi!

Still, I'm going to wear these for the Historic Holiday event this weekend. They are perfect for playing the mandolin without freezing my hands off. Plenty of space for my fingers to move, not to bulky in the palm, well fitted but flexible in the thumb and best of all, they are long enough (elbow length) to keep my bare forearms covered and warm!

I did learn something during this project. I prefer knitting in the round. I don't purl so well & like the look of a stockinette stitch best. The natural solution, knit in the round. No purl and yet you get a stockinette stitched item.

Next up on the needles, 18th century mittens from the Mara Riley pattern. Should they be in the yellow that the Generals Wife gave me, or the left over green? Should they be for myself or for L? Should I start them today or save them for this weekend? Should I contact the CDC about this infectious knitting disease?

A visit with my crafty friend

Yesterday, in between performances of "Mother Goose Lost her Marbles", we had the good fortune of hanging out with a wonderful crafty reenactor friend of mine & her DD. Sadly her hubby, also a crafty reenactor friend, had to work late so we didn't get to see him. I guess that just means we'll have to all get together again another time.

L was really looking forward to giving her friend a gift but I just didn't have the time. It will have to go out in the mail, which gives me a little while to make my friends something fabulous for them as well.

Anyway, she gave L & I the most wonderful little collection of goodies for the holiday. I felt bad that we haven't gotten much progress on the box as well. And considering how super generous they have always been both with opening their home to us and making things for us, it's going to have to be something truely fantastic!

Just look at the wonderful things she gave us! Both of Mara Riely's 18th century knitting patterns (although I need a lot more practice before tackling size 1 needles!), a wool monmouth cap, beautifully bright yellow yarn, the most wonderful smelling soap that is already making my sewing studio smell fantastic and a really huge half of an oyster shell they found in the river behind their house. L got the tiny knitted kitty, whom she has been carrying around since of course! Oh no, looks like Knitty Kitty ate my Pocky! (actually I did, but it made a cute prop).

I have to say, while the holidays totally stress me out, having creative & generous friends like these to spend the time with is really a pleasure. I can only hope to have more get togethers like this in the future.

Knit Wit

Today is a day dedicated to my 18th century fingerless mitts.

I learned to knit in September. So far I've made 3 bias knit washcloths and 1 flat knit fingerless glove. This is a huge undertaking for someone with as little knitting experience as I have but I have always been a fast learner, more prone to jumping off the deep end than wading in slowly.

I've gotten to the point where I have to knit in a scrap of yarn for the thumb hole and to be honest, I'm a little nervous.

However, I came up with a genius idea. Why am I knitting 1 mitt at a time? That's what I did with the flat knit gloves that I've never finished. By the time I got to the end of the first one, I couldn't remember what I'd done in order to duplicate it. So today I am going to start on the second mitt, knit it to the same point that the first mitt is and finish them together. That way, I won't have to remember how to do the thumb opening, I won't have to wonder what cast off method I used at the palm, and most importantly, I'll have two finished mitts instead of just one (which does make a great oven/fire cooking mitt incidentally).

For those interested in the particulars: Knitted in the round on size 5 needles with worsted weight Patons wool in some shade of green that I liked. Most of the instructions (which I'm only half following) is from Interweave Press' Progressive Gloves pattern. While this isn't exactly an 18th century pattern, it was a good, free compromise for someone with less than 6 months of knitting under their belt.

Hello

You've found my newest blog, dedicated to my crafting adventures. Daily sewing, knitting, Waldorf inspired crafting, toy making, and any other creative endeavor that strikes my fancy. This blog is run in conjunciton with my Etsy shop, The Green Cottage so many of the items and projects featured here will be available on the shop.