And now, with Warmness!

If I so desired this evening, I could go out to the store, buy some chocolaty mint candy, and eat it, all with out my hands being cold. "How?" you ask. Because I my official candy eating mitts!

Name: Andies Candies

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts, by Eunny Jang

Yarn: Filitura De Crossa Maxime (green), and Dalegarn Baby Ull (brown) - less than half a ball each

Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circulars in size 1

Notes: I love color work, I really do. I cast on for these babies because I didn't have a project OTN for SnB. I had them in Que for quite a while, and just decided to give them a go. It's weird to me that sometimes the odd "pick-up" project is a fun diversion, and other times (as this one was) it seems like a slog and half to get through. About half way through glove #2 I had totally lost the love. I loved the way they were turning out, I just wanted to move on. You know what I mean?

But, I had a lot of time to kill on the train yesterday, and I finished them! I had taken along a ball of sock yarn *just in case* I finished the mitts. I wanted sooooo bad to ignore the mitts and cast on the socks. I didn't. I kept at it, and finished. It feels so freeing! That said, they are quite lovely, and I am sure I will get some wear out of them this fall. (incidentally, I did cast on for the socks. I'm glad I brought the second project, or would have had nothing to work on during my return trip. Tragic, just thinking about it.)

I named these "Andies Candies" because that's what the colors look like to me all knitted up together. well, and I love Andies Candies. The mitts are not with out their mistakes, but blocking makes *almost* all sins disappear. Kinda like confession for hand knits. The one mistake that glares at me isn't even noticeable by most others. It didn't bother me enough to rip back, so it' all good. Had these been for a gift, i would have ripped back. Why am I willing to wear something imperfect? I should knit perfect things for me too!

All in all, this was a successfull project, albeit a tough go of it towards the end. It was a really nice stash buster too. Since I used left overs from sock projects, I feel like I somehow "cleaned".

You know, maybe they are magic?! I'll put them on tonight, and maybe the "clean feeling" will turn into a clean house! Magic fairy mitts. I can dream, can't I?

Beach knitting

I know it is not quite beach weather yet. One day, that almost makes it to 80f, does not equate beach going to normal people. I, on the other hand am not normal. So, I went to the beach. Let me back up.

On Saturday, I bit the bullet and decided to go and purchase a skein of yarn to finish my Hannah blanket. Turns out, Carol's store was having a sale. The yarn I needed was just about the only thing not on sale. I bought it anyway - and only it. (I'm saving myself for the CT Sheep and Wool next weekend.) The DH and I traveled to New London so he could get his geek on. Saturday was glorious out. We drove with the windows open, and with the air on when we had to roll them up. Soooo nice. On the way home, we decided we needed to go to the beach.

I keep my shovel in the car all winter. You never know when you'll need it. In the summer I keep the beach chairs in the car. Likewise, you never know when you night happen upon the beach. I might be the only person with this opion of beach chairs, but, as I said earlier, I'm not normal. Saturday was the official "switching of the trunk". Now, I'm not a total loon, I knew it would be a tad more "brisk" by the water. We wore long pants and flip flops.

It was nice to see we weren't the only people insane enough to go to the beach in April in Connecticut. Plenty of others were out in the sand. DH read, I knit away on the baby blanket. We sat until we started to freeze from the wind. If we would have worn sweaters, we could have toughed out a bit longer. As it was, we only lasted about an hour. You know it's cold when DH is too cold to continue. (I was using him as a windshield, so I could have lasted longer if I tried.) But, I can say we went, even if it was for a brief time.

After thawing out, I finished up the Hannah blanket. Pictures tomorrow, after I block it. It is really quite cute. I hope Mom likes it!

I also worked on this:

These are my version of the infamous Endpaper Mitts by Euny Jang. I think the colors look like Andies Candies. Every time I work on them I feel like eating chocolate mints. I might need to go to the store....

What's going on?

Why haven't I posted? Well, for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because I was on the couch for a few days dealing with more kidney crapola. Fun times! I'm all good now, back at work, and slacking off. (grin) Therefore, I have a big ole' post.

Sunday I cast on for a blanket. Yes, another doily blanket. I'm calling it "Hannah", after the baby set to receive it.

It is based on the "Cobweb Doily" from Gathering of Lace. I'm using Farmhouse Yarns Cotton Blossom in "Marigold". On Monday night I got the the edging and...promptly ran out of yarn. Sigh. The yarn was from one of the sales up at Farmhouse Yarns, and of course, were not marked skeins, so I had no idea of yardage. Just went blindly into the process, and now am paying the price. I'm so close to finished with it, yet so very far away. Hopefully, I can find some yarn to finish it up soon, you know, before the baby is walking.

On Tuesday I had my Kidney crapola, and was a leetle high on codeine. I knew from experience that I was going to need an easy project to work on. (Preferably one that I could fall asleep during and know right were I was when I woke up.) So, I used some random stash yarn and cast on a hat. I had no particular pattern in mind, but this is what came out:

I'm naming it "Melodies" because I watched Merry melodies and Loony Tunes cartoons all day long while napping, knitting, and recovering. This is one of those hats that you could knit in an evening if you wanted too. It took me all day. I knit a lot slower while altered.

Name: Melodies

Yarn: Farmhouse Single Ply Worsted in Turquoise

Needles: Knit Picks Interchangeable 10.5

Notes: umm. It's a basic hat. 68 stitches, k2p2 ribbing with a cable running up the ribbing in one spot. I decreased kinda randomly in an effort to keep the cable nice for as long as possible. It's really stretchy. I know this because it fits both me, with my itty bitty head, and DH with his ginormous tet. (the french for "head", yo.)

Thenyesterday I needed yet another project. I didn't really have a plan. SO, I organized my needles. Lalala. I decided in a random fit of "costumechickness" to cast on for the "Yarn Over Steek Vest" from Loop de Loop.

Yeah. I finished it. In one day. I even added length. Now, I did not sew up the shoulders or weave in the ends. I like to wash it before I do that. But, I could have. I had the time. Tomorrow there will be pictures of the finished product.

But, you know what that means. No project for SnB! Tonight! Crappers! I will weave in end and sew shoulders tonight. Then I'll..... cast on for Endpaper Mitts! Leftovers rock.

Don't you feel better now that you know what's going on?