You've missed a lot!

Where have you been? I've been very busy, and you haven't even been paying attention. tap.tap.tap.
Oh, I guess I have to actually take a few minutes to update my blog, if you are to know what I am doing. hmm. Quandary, isn't it.
Let's see. I went home to visit with my parents over Thanksgiving. It's always good to go home and remember where you came from, who loves you, what you like most in life, why you like it, and how much you'll miss it when you are gone. My brothers were entertaining as always. My Dad grumbled about all the work my Mom makes him do, and about how she "spends all his money". My Mom wanted to go shopping, a plan I didn't resist at all! We went to a bunch of cute little stores, not to any of those crazy Black Friday sales. Please. My Mom doesn't believe in getting up before 9am. (or going to sleep before 2, but that's another story entirely) Guess where the last place we went was?
A YARN store!
My mom got some yarn to make a multi-directional scarf, and I got some sock yarn, (duh) and a sock pattern booklet.
I've had some Jojoland Melody before, but not the superwash variety. I'm really looking forward to using it, but I fear it won't be for quite a while. I still have a lot of Christmas knitting to do.
Speaking of knitting, I finished my Snowdrift Mittens for my Grandma M! It only took forever.
I was originally making two pair of these. One for each Grandma. I've changed my mind. I'm going to find a different pattern for Grandma R. The pattern was fun, but I'm tired of looking at these!

Stats:
Pattern: Snowdrift by Patons, free from www.knitting-and.com
Yarn: Green - Tioga Three Ply Fingering Wool, Purple - Jaeger Alpaca Pure
Needles: KP circulars, size 1
Notes: This is very well written, and easy to understand - a feat that is hard to master sometimes in a vintage pattern. we just write our patterns differently now. I had no trouble with this one. The gloves fit nicely, but if you have larger hands, they are going to be very snug. For larger hands, I'd go up to a sport weight yarn, and a size 2 needle. Usually, I'd say just go up a needle size, but these aren't the most tightly knit mittens on size 1's, and I'd be afraid they would be too breezy on 2's. On a design note, I love the old school vintage quality of these gloves. You can tell they are a 50's pattern with out even seeing the original text. I know not everyone has my love of the old, but these are a real classic.

My knitting picked up speed this weekend, as I didn't have to go to NYC every other stinkin' day. Therefore, I also completed the edging for my sweater! I'm steaming it today, and sewing it on tonight! Pictures Tuesday! I don't care if it takes me all damn night, I'm finishing it! I'm also so close to finishing the SotS, it actually hurts. I would like to get it finished off, and blocked before Thursday. I know I can finish it, but I'm not sure about blocking. Cross your fingers.

So what is next on the needles? I have to start planning! When I finish the SotS and the sweater, I'll have gone from 4 WIP to 1! We can't have that! Like I said, I have a bunch of Christmas knitting I want to do, so that will be my main focus the next couple weeks. I want to do two bags - one for Mom, and one for Mom's friend Vangie. (Vangie is another knitter - she gave me yarn last year for Christmas.) I still have my Assistant Trevor to knit for...and I'm still not sure What I am making him. Grandma R needs a gift - most likely mittens. Lastly, Aunt Helen has to be knit for - I'm planning a shawl. If I can get moving on the Mystic Waters Shawl, it might be for Aunt Helen. Oh, and I forgot, my friend Corrine's socks! Her birthday is in December, and she asked if I would knit her a pair of socks. I am going to be a busy lady. What to prep first... opinions?

Fast Mittens

hmm. 'Fast Mittens' sounds like the name of a band. I bet they would be a "Maroon Five" wannabe band. I wouldn't listen to them, although, I would like their name. Anyone remember Savage Garden? That was a band with a bad name. No name could have described their sound worse than that name. Seriously. 'Wilting Poseys' would have been a better, and frankly, more accurate name.
Let's get back to the knitting, shall we? I can talk about this subject for, literally, hours.
The mittens I am knitting right now for my Grandma are working up really fast. (ahh. post title...)I finished the first one last night, and cast on for #2 right away.

I did leave the thumb off for now, mostly because I wanted this picture:

Hitch hiking mitten.
And because I want to knit the thumbs at the same time. I want to modify as I go, and I don't want to write it all down for thumb #2. I might not get to thumb #2 for three weeks, and by then, I'll never remember my mods.
I'd call it supreme laziness.

Holy Monday Batman!

I have a lot of Knitting content to throw your way today! I should save some, since I will have none tomorrow, but, what the heck. Let's have a GIANT post.

First up, some updates. SotS is going well, and I have completed clue #4. This was a fast clue, and an easy one. Easy to memorize, and fast to knit.

Mystic Waters Shawl is also completed for this week. Clue #1 was a lot of fun. I hope the trend continues!

I cast on for the Snowdrift Mittens for My Grandma. So far so good. These are my current take a long project, so I'm sure they will be slow going.

With the start of the new month in a few days, I have a few more things ready to go on the needles. My Colette Sweater for NaKniSweMo, and Corrine's socks for Socktopia. Corrine's Birthday is in November, so it is a good impetus to get them finished. I am all set to be a crazy busy chicky!

Finally, I have FO pictures for you! (I am appeasing the Yarn Overlords for my Cast-on-itis with my FO's!)

Pattern: Ladies Long Gloves from freevintageknitting.com
Yarn: Superyak from School Products, NYC
Needles: size 0 and 1 KP classic Circulars
Notes: The only changes I made to the pattern was to decrease needle sizes to fit my super tiny hands, and to kitchner the fingers closed. I have fingernails, and I hate when my gloves don't take that into account. Kitchnering seems to help the problem. I LOVE how long these gloves are. They are perfect for my 1960's winter coat. SO much so that I *almost* want it to get cold so I can wear them. Almost. (Not really. I like the moderate fall temperature.)

I like the faux cabling on this pattern. We all know how I dislike the cable monster, and avoid it when I can. At first I almost rejected this pattern out of hand because of the "cables", then I read it. No cables! Sweet! All cables should be faux. The yarn was great to work with - even with the machine oil in it. If you have never knitted with oiled yarn, you should know, it is a bit odd at first. Your hands stay nice and soft, but the yarn acts like it is made from linen. When you wash the oil out, the yarn is soft and fluffy. You should have seen the water - eww. It was grey from the oil.

umm. I think that's it! Later!