I finally settled on the Maine Morning Mitts (my ravelry project page) pattern in Clara Parkes’  The Knitter’s Book of Wool. The pattern is actually available as a freebie right here and there are almost 2000 mitts (well, 4000 if you count 2 mitts per project) made with it on Ravelry as it’s an excellent way to show off one skein of pretty yarn. Side note: I don’t (yet) own the book, but I’ve been flipping through it a lot at work, and not only is it full of wonderful tidbits on wool (useful to knitters and crocheters alike), but there are so many classic, wearable patterns inside. It’s definitely work checking out.

Anyway, I decided to use this pattern to show off some of the Mountain Colors‘  Twizzle mill ends I collected when I was working at the Bozeman Yarn Shop. [Note: the pattern calls for a worsted yarn and this one is a DK, but hey, it worked for me and I love the snug fit!]. If you haven’t seen Mountain Colors yarn….well. Their hand-dyed colorways are simply gorgeous. And since we lived only a couple of hours from their headquarters in Montana, Barb (the LYS owner) stopped by occasionally and picked up mill ends for the store. I was there when she had a fresh batch –I’m talking bags full of mill ends–and so I had fun combing through all of the baskets trying to buy enough yardage for an undetermined project. Mill ends are perfect for me, since I often find it way too hard to decide on one color, and also, have a hard time justifying yarn purchases when I don’t know what they are for. Essentially, mill ends are to yarn as fat quarters are to sewing (only it’s harder to find mill ends! Especially ones you can dig through shamelessly).  To make these mitts,  I think I used 4 mini-skeins of Twizzle, max. The mitts are “fraternal twins” because I used two different–but very similar–colorways in one of the mitts.

I took this picture of Mitt 1 on Wednesday. They’re both done now, save for a few scraggly ends to weave in. I love these quick little knit projects, they take just the right amount of time, I learn a little something with each one, and they’re small enough that I can actually complete them between other projects (and big enough that I can use them as an excuse to avoid all of the housework that needs to be done…). And just in case you think I have forgotten about crochet– I’m working on a cardigan made from motifs right now (from this Portugese pattern). Hopefully I’ll share some progress pics with you next week!

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And a  little reminder in case any San Antonians are reading… My Intermediate Crochet: Creating Texture class begins this Sunday, and there are still spaces available. I have lots of fun swatches and examples from my book to show you along with the techniques. Call Yarnivore to sign up.

First are Chawne’s blocks from January. The task she gave us was seemingly simple- sew two checkerboard blocks from 36 squares each. I found it to be incredibly challenging to get my corners to meet, despite measuring, cutting with a fresh blade, pinning,  lining up my seams, using the seam guide and pressing. The corners…do not meet. I hope she can live with the wonkiness — I like it (prefer it even), but, I feel like I failed at these. It just isn’t in my blood to get things to match up perfectly, especially not 36 times each on 2 blocks. Sigh. I could probably use a course in “proper” quilting.  I sent these out yesterday, not too terribly past the deadline.

Next are November’s  Neighborhood blocks for Megan, which I sent out in December (late). These were fun to do and played to my improvisational quilting sensibilities. She sent us lots of different scraps to choose from, and requested teeny tiny houses (that part was the challenge– to do something interesting within a 3″ ish space). I wish I had had more time to do more blocks, but I was in the midst of a big deadline. At least I got a gnome in there!

And finally, here are October’s Sampler blocks for Melanie, who was kind enough to trade months with me. I didn’t realize October  was originally my month and we had just barely arrived in San Antonio. Actually, I kind of still feel like I’ve just arrived and it is four months later! Melanie said to do whatever we wanted, so I came up with these designs. These colors were a challenge to me, I really wanted to add a little something from my stash at first (the easy solution) but in the end I think these solutions work. I’m curious to see how this quilt comes together since everyone’s blocks are different.

Februrary is my month and shamefully, I nearly forgot again until I realized no one else was posting about it being their month. I’ve had a color scheme in mind for a while now so I gathered up everything from my stash and only went to purchase a few grey solids to fill in the blanks–yay for not going overboard with fabric buying.  I sent the fabric out yesterday along with some Bauhaust textile inspired guidelines–I’m excited to see what comes back!

I have to say, it’s been hard to keep up with sewing the blocks each month. I didn’t realized how hard it would be! But I do love getting to try new kinds of blocks and seeing other people’s color combinations. For my quilt, I picked a lot of grays, greens and yellows,  and posted some bauhaus textiles as inspiration (see my post for more info).

I haven’t sewn anything (other than the quilt blocks for the bee) in so long!! Well, I’ve sewn a few small things here and there, but it seems like a long long time since I sat at the machine. And I have another quilt I need to get to work on as well, so hopefully one of these days I’ll get my sewing mojo back. I have a feeling it may happen after I…unearth the machine from all of the STUFF that inevitably goes on any flat surface in my craft room. It’s funny, this room is much bigger than my last craft room, but it also has an extra bed in it, so it can feel pretty tiny at times. (However, the bed comes in handy for blocking things, and you know, as a flat surface to catch my STUFF). I really need to get organized again!

He’s sporting the cardigan I made him last Christmas (ravelry page –but note, I pretty much abandoned the pattern and just worked to the finished measurements). It’s getting a bit short on him, but is still plenty big around the middle,so the next time I go up to Austin I’ll bring some extra green yarn (you know I have it!) and add some more rows to the bottom. That is one of the cool things about crochet- you can just add things willy nilly. This cardigan was definitely the hit of the party–everyone kept asking if someone had made it for him. You know that made Aunt LaLa (that’s me) smile.

While I’m here, I wanted to share a few links with you, as my inbox overfloweth.

- Check out Diane’s review of the new E-book, “Crunchy Granola Charm” by Yvette Doss. It’s full of cute natural jewelry (I definitely have some necklaces that could use some reconfiguring) so if you are into that, check it out.  I’m with Diane- I’m curious to see where self publishing goes.

- Janome is having a sewing contest with the theme of Pass it On. The basic premise is to pass on your love of sewing to a new sewist, and you could both win new machines.

- Thanks to everyone who has purchased something from my Etsy or Ravelry Shops. So far, including my sales from the the Craft Hope Etsy Shop, I’ve been able to donate almost $125, hooray!  Through generous donors and sellers, Craft Hope has raised over $27,000 with their shop– and that is awesome!

- Have you seen these awesome hand-screened stickers by Patapri? I admit it, I’ve had a thing for stickers since I was a little girl, and I couldn’t help but order some. Perhaps I was inspired by the huge box of letters my mom gave me from middle, high school, and college. They made me want to write letters again. You know, letters are always better when there are stickers involved!

- If you’re seeking crochet inspiration and haven’t yet stumbled upon the wonderful blog of Dottie Angel, you’re missing out. I love her sense of style and the bits and pieces of crochet hanging around her place.

- And, the preview for the latest issue of Crochet Today is up, and it’s adorable. This is the first time (in a long time!) that I don’t have a project in the issue, I was too swamped to submit, but I love what I see! These birdies are chirping my name!

I’ve been a bit behind in mentioning some of my published projects, and here are two I’d like to share with you. First up is the Candy Cloche (Ravelry Link)  in Interweave Crochet’s Winter 2009 Issue. This hat makes  use of a star stitch (or marguerite stitch) on the brim, and a few readers have emailed me who are a bit confused on how to make the stitch. Since there are several variations online, I’d like to point you to this free  Star Stitch Tutorial on about.com, which makes the stitch in the same way that I did for this pattern. And fear not,  in order to keep you (and me) from going nuts, there are only a few rows of star stitches at the brim of the hat and from there you can just spirals on up to the top. This design works really well in one-ply wool (that is, yarn that’s really smooth) as it will show off your handiwork Personally, I’d stay away from variegated yarns (at least for the brim) because they will likely hide your stitches, whereas lighter solid colors will really hilight the star stich. I actually really liked the yarn they sent for this one: Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky (and, it’s very affordable!). I wish I had a reason to wear a hat like this, but I don’t as it’s 66 degrees outside today (and I’m not complaining!!). The rest of the issue is full of some great, gorgeous projects including a special emphasis on Tunisian Crochet. Can you believe I’ve actually never tried Tunisian? It’s something I’ll definitely have to try one day–the garments in this issue are so pretty.

Next is a quick and easy Giant Granny Square Afghan (ravelry link)  in Knit Simple (which hits newsstands tomorrow). If you are someone who dabbles in both knitting and crochet, Knit Simple is a great magazine that provides a little bit of each. Yes, it’s more heavy on knitted patterns, but, the designs in both crafts are truly simple, meaning that you can make them without too many tears. This issue has a few different patterns made using granny squares, just to show the different looks you can get with them, so if you’re interested in a quick blanket, check it out. I crocheted this blanket with 17 skeins of Manos del Uraguay Wool in 5 shades of blue. I worked on this during the heat of the summer, which meant I got some quizzical looks, but I love the results. I also enjoyed dropping off the humongous box at Fedex, because it really didn’t weigh much for its size. What I did not enjoy was sending back the extra yarrn,  Manos dyes their yarn beautifully and I wanted to make my own blankie too (but, that was when we still lived in Montana. See above note re: 66 degrees in January!).

I also wanted to mention that I started working at Yarnivore, my LYS, a few months ago. For those of you who don’t know, working in a Yarn Shop is my sanity check (although working at home might sound glamorous, it makes me downright nutty from lack of social interaction!) It’s a great shop–and we just expanded– so if you’re ever in the San Antonio area, be sure to pop in! I’m offering crochet classes, too–check the store calendar to see what’s next. In February, I am offering Beginning Crochet, Intermediate Crochet (Creating Texture) and a Broomstick Lace Workshop (which is the technique I used to make the scarf above). If there’s something else you want to learn, I also do private lessons, at very reasonable rates, so check it out or just come by to say hello.

Have a great weekend!

Here are the three yarns they sent me:

Full O’ Sheep: 100% wool. This (and all of the yarns) comes in great colorways and is perfect for felting. To see some felted results, check out this post on Ellen Gormley’s blog. I like that it’s a single ply yarn that’s kind of lofty (it makes me think of  Brown Sheep Wool)–this is rare for most craft yarns. Single plys give great stitch definition.

Alpaca Love: 20% Alpaca, 80% Wool. Naturally, what you feel the most of in this yarn is the wool, but it’s great that C&C blended in that 20 percent of luxury, and you can see some of the longer alpaca fibers floating about.  Alpaca is three times warmer than wool, so this is a good yarn for those of you in colder parts of the country.

Bamboo Ewe: 55% bamboo, 45% wool. This one is noticeably softer than wool/alpaca blend, but still has a lot of wool in it, which is great for warmth and strength.

I decided to give the Bamboo Ewe a spin since I liked the color and the softness of it, and because San Antonio was at its coldest temps in 20 years and my studio has 4 big windows in it (brrrr).  I whipped up these fingerless mitts in an evening. The pattern is Hooked on Owls (here’s my project page), a 99 cent pattern on Ravelry–I ended up only using the owl cable part of the pattern, and recommend that you have some crochet experience if you want to tackle the rest of it as there a few glitchy areas. The yarn was soft and smooth, and fun to work with, but these will probably go into my gift pile because of my sensitivity to wool.

I love the button eyes. I searched through my stash to get that radiating effect.

I’m excited about (hopefully) being able to design with these yarns for future issues of Crochet Today. The yarn line also looks to have excellent pattern support for both knitters and crocheters- they sent me the cutest free pattern for a knit Cabled Chapeu, and a crocheted Taffy Pull Scarf. That’s the other thing I love about Coats, they have been such big supporters of crochet. I love that they are passionately commited to crochet!

If you’re interested in checking out the yarn, head over to Stitch Nation (and check out this cute video, too!). It should be available  in Joann’s stores in the near future.

Just a really quick note before I rush off to work at the yarn shop to let you know that some of my hats are available over at the Craft Hope etsy shop. All proceeds will benefit Doctors without Borders in Haiti, and shipping is included within the United States. Read more about Craft Hope here. I haven’t had time to change my etsy page, but for this weekend, $10 of any purchase over $20 will go to the Red Cross (you can even buy a copy of my book over there), and I’ll even throw a free little goodie in your package- something like  earrings, a brooch, or a hairclip (my choice).

The first thing I made was this red waffle-weave scarf for my dad. He requested a warm, red wool scarf–he lives in North Dakota, so you know he needs it. I’ve had the wool (Lana Grossa Bingo, if you’re interested) in my stash since my Adorn days. I actually made it into a baby blanket made up of circles for not-yet-born Tegue, but I didn’t like how it was coming together. So I went an unwound all. of. the. circles. This pattern eats yarn, and each circle’s worth of yarn only got me through a few rows of crocheting. So there was a lot of joining new strands and of weaving in to do– but I’m okay with that. I’m actually quite at peace with weaving in ends, it doesn’t frustrate me at all.  I just see it as another night, or car trip, of entertainment. And I’m not saying that to be smug either, I’m just saying, if you like colorwork projects….accept it. It’s part of the process. And it’s worth it. Plus, if you make a scarf like this, you’ll probably only have about 6 ends to weave in, not seventeen million. The pattern is just a basic stitch repeat, a free pattern from Lion Brand called the Thermal Scarf . I like it, it uses a lot of post stitches and it’s one of those projects you can do by feel when sitting in front of the TV. I’ve become increasingly fond of post stitches lately.

The other thing I recently made from my stash yarns is this beret-ish Foliage hat (it’s a free pattern on Knitty). I attempted this hat last year but got quite confused, and in looking at it again this year I realized that I was only confused because the written directions for the leaf lace were in front of the top of the hat instructions, and I didn’t see how they corresponded to the chart and… geez. I’m not sure how I left that stop me. If you can knit in the round, knit stitches together, pass stitches over knit stitches, and make yarn overs- you can make this hat! It takes some concentration (and there might have been some cussing and tears involved) but it is doable. This is the first draft, which I made for myself in Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton (left over from Tricia’s Mod Cross Pillow in Crochet Adorned).

Did I mention that I’m totally allergic (as in can’t breathe when I wear it?) to wool these days? I think it has to do with all of the other allergens in the Texas air clogging me up– in Montana Icould just b-r-e-a-t-h-e, so a tiny bother type allergy was not even noticeable. It’s quite sad and has made me really reconsider my yarn purchasing habits. I’ll miss you, wool!  But this cotton, and Misti Cotton, are about the only two cottons I’ve found that any where near as lofty and squishy as wool. I loved this color, and I followed the pattern for bulky yarn to make the hat. It came out too big (I switched to size 1 needles–ONES!–to knit the ribbing, as a fix), but I like it. I hate when hats pull on the bows of my glasses (this one doesn’t), and plus, “they” say berets are in fashion. I made a second draft of this hat in worsted weight, but it’s a gift so I’ll tell you about it later. If you’re new to lace knitting and want to give this a shot, I suggest you make the bulky version first. I really loved making it, and can totally see a 3rd version in my future.

But enought about me, what’s on your hooks and needles?

Chris, who said:

“Those slippers are so sweet! Kristin is one of my knitting heros. Her new book looks fantastic. I would love to see more patterns for boys. Currently knitting for friends with new babies, boys. Have been knitting from Itty Bitty Hats/Susan Anderson – love her work! I started crocheting first, because I thought knitting was too hard, “back in the day” —- now I do both and love all the new fibers!”

I’ve already emailed her for her address.

For some reason (that may begin with a p and end with rocrastination) I felt compelled to do an old-school style drawing instead of using the random number generator, so I printed out the comments on the reverse side of some scrap paper.  There were a lot of comments (77) to cut up and in retrospect, I probably should have gone to the kitchen for the bigger scissors.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment–I wish I had more books to give away! I was really taken by the thought all of you put into your comments (which is why I love to ask a question when I do a drawing), thank you! I have some new projects to try and I loved reading all of your stories.

If you didn’t win the book, I hope you’ll seek it out anyway. It is really not that hard to do Fairsisle knitting. In fact, as Kristin mentioned on her blog today, it’s easy, because for many of the projects, you work in the round and never have to purl a stitch. My gauge gets really wonky when I throw purls into the mix, so you know I love that! I hope you’ll adopt her “Farmgirls Just Do It” attitude and give it a try.

I’ll be back tomorrow (I hope) to show you some of my recent crochet and kniting projects. I seem to be making gifts now that it’s NOT the holiday season. It is much more lovely to make them because I want to and not because I feel like I have to. Oh yes.