Category: knitting

  • a Hallowe’en treat!

    The Galileo Mittens pattern is finally ready for public consumption!

    Galileo mitttens

    Bring some celestial beauty into your life with these unique and fun mittens. The Galileo mittens are worked in a mirrored, non-repeating stranded colourwork pattern on the hand that is reminicient of Renaissance astronomy charts and inspired by the stars. Striped cuffs and thumbs, as well as a diamond palm pattern, provide a visual geometric contrast. A close fit keeps your hands toasty while you contemplate the heavens.

    Recommended for intermediate knitters.

    natalie models Galileo mittens

    Size
    Women’s M [L]
    Size L contains 5 extra rounds for additional length in the mitten hand.
    Size can be further altered by changing the gauge and needle size.
    For a larger mitten, use needles one size larger. For a smaller mitten, use needles one or two sizes smaller.

    Finished Measurements
    Palm Circumference: 8.25 inches around palm
    Length: 10 [10.5] inches from tip to end of cuff

    Materials
    Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (100% merino wool; 175 yd/50g)
    1 skein of each of two colours;
    or
    [MC]: 40 g/140 yards of equivalent fingering weight yarn
    [CC]: 30 g/105 yards of equivalent fingering weight yarn
    2.5 mm/US 1 double pointed needles, set of 4 or 5;
    or 32-inch or longer circular needle, or two circular neeedles
    2 stitch markers
    waste yarn
    tapestry needle

    Gauge
    32 stitches and 36 rounds = 10cm/4in square in two-colour stockinette stitch, chart pattern

    Important Sizing Note:
    The Galileo Mittens shown here were knit to fit very small hands and are shorter than this pattern will
    produce as written. The Chart as presented will result in a very slightly different pattern on the back of the hand, as several rounds were inserted before the decrease rounds at the top of the mitten (not shown). If your mittens look a bit different from the photo near the top of the hand, don’t worry! You’re still on the right track!

    How to Buy
    This 5-page PDF download contains written instructions and charts. File size: 1.4 MB Ravelry download. Payment is by Paypal balance or credit card (no Paypal or Ravelry membership needed).

  • first snow!

    It snowed a bit overnight! Not much, mind you – the road is just wet, but there’s about a cm or two on the rooftops and lawns. Snow is still falling, a little bit, with occasional bursts of wind carrying snow off the roof and making it look like it’s snowier than it is.

    Suddenly it feels like it’s really winter, even though it isn’t October NOVEMBER (yikes) yet! The snow should all melt today or tomorrow when it warms up a bit, and it’s supposed to be warmer for Hallowe’en, but somehow the first snow is just so potent in conjuring up real winter.

    So, cold-weather accessories are on and off the needles!

    handwarmers

    Some basic fingerless mitts, worked up in an Araucania yarn whose name escapes me at the moment. They’re too big for me, but that’s good – they’re a sample for the store and a basic pattern card for sale that I’ve worked up, and they’ll fit normal-sized medium/large hands!

    And in the ever popular Misti Alpaca Chunky, I knit up a nice long mistake rib scarf to show off the yarn – and to have something to show customers when they say “how much does one of these make?” (the scarf is 2 skeins, but 80″ long).

    sample mistake rib scarf

    Just off the needles and onto the blocking towels, a ruffled scarf out of oh-so-yummy Malabrigo worsted.

    malabrigo ruffle

    And these mittens that I’ve dubbed “Galileo Mittens” are done, worn, and the pattern is just being proofread. Soon, soon.

    Galileo mitttens

    Why does time move faster in the morning when you need to get ready for work? It’s a time warp!

  • rhinebeck spoils

    It’s late and I’m dying to go to bed, but I wanted to post all the yummy stuff I got at Rhinebeck! So it might have to be point form if I’m going to get through writing this…

    rhinebeck yarns

    L: Teal laceweight cashmere, over 1600 yards, from the Skaska booth. Mmm!
    C: Black fingering weight cashmere, 1200 yards (score!) from the Skaska booth as well. A woman at the booth was a little disappointed that Andrea and I bought up all the black cashmere!
    R: DK weight wool/silk from Brooks Farm, 1 skein. Probably destined for something like a swallowtail shawl for a gift.

    rhinebeck yarns II

    L: a sweater’s worth of pillowy, squishy natural coloured DK-weight merino from Greenwood Hill Farm (I think?). Sort of knits up tweedy – I totally got sucked in by the knitted up samples at the booth!
    C: three skeins of sock yarn from Sliver Moon Farm in a gorgeous plum. Seriously, the camera did not want to capture the true luminescence of this yarn.
    R: two skeins of yak down/cormo DK-weight yarn from Bijou Basin. This yarn is irregularly spun, cushy, and I love it! I’ve got 300 yards, and I’m thinking something with cables…

    fibres mosaic

    And finally, in spinning fibres (do you sense a colour theme here?) –

    L: batts from twitchystitches.com – crazy awesome teal/green/shiny goodness. About 180g.
    C: smokey grey corriedale mix from Spinner’s Hill – 5 oz.
    R: one lone braid of Ashland Bay merino in Cranberry – 4 oz.

    I also came home with a heck of a lot of raw milk cheese and a couple bars of soap, too! I actually had a bit of trouble shopping on the Saturday since it was so darn busy, I just wasn’t really able to concentrate properly! I more than made up for it on Sunday though :)

    In not-unrelated news, I have a pair of Fluevog Marians, red, in size 7.5 that I want to sell to a good home. After I twisted my ankle, it’s decided to be a bit…reconfigured. So they don’t fit quite right anymore! I’ve only worn them a few times (maybe 3 times) so they’re in like new condition. Yours for the same price I paid, $165 (USD or CDN is fine with me, despite the now rather significant difference!) and I’ll include the shipping. Email me if you’d like some new shoes!
    Taken!