Jan 28 2007
Just in Time
I finished a quick project just in time for my birthday:
These are the fingerless mitts from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Instead of the Noro Cash Iroha called for in the pattern, I used Cascade Lana D’Oro. The Alpaca content makes them super soft. I knit at a tighter gauge in order to shrink the mitts to fit my kid-sized hands. They’re a little shorter than I would ultimately like, but a perfect fit otherwise!
In the past, I always turned up my nose at fingerless mitts, thinking they were just a cop out for lazy knitters who didn’t want to fiddle around with knitting fingers. I just had NO idea how comfortable and practical they are. What a revelation! I’ve hardly taken them off since I cast off the last stitch. They’re wonderful.
Yesterday, a friend and I took a little drive down to Madrona to peruse the market. We both found some real treasures. Here’s my haul:
I had never had the pleasure of seeing Blue Moon yarn in person until yesterday. It is so soft, vibrant and luscious. I bought a lot of sock yarn and several patterns, including a fair isle kit. I’m really looking forward to trying that out again! The first pair of socks I ever made were fair isle socks for my mother. At the time, I didn’t realize that knitting multiple colors on double-pointed-needles was supposed to be difficult. I just did it. I’ve since psyched myself out of that easy confidence and haven’t tried anything like that again. It’s just silly. I’m going to sit down and do it. If it doesn’t turn out the way I like it, I’ll just rip and re-knit. No big deal, right?
I’m also ridiculously excited about the TOFUtsies sock yarn. The bright pinks and yellows just make me want to sing. They’re so springy looking. And how cool is it that the fiber is made out of crab and shrimp shells? What will they come up with next?
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the Sea Silk (the blue and brown yarn), but its softness and briney scent seduced me. There was no saying “no” to it.
Last, but not least, here’s a better photo of the recycled silk scarf I knit awhile ago. It turned out ok, but there are some extremely thin spots that look a little less than dandy to me. I’m still going to wear it proudly 
I love the photos, especially with you and your gloves - Happy Birthday, Amy! I wish I’d realized the Madrona Festival was so close, I would have driven down just to look around. Blue Moon and STR are two yarns I’ve been wanting to see up close and in person.
First of all… happy birthday.
Secondly, I just got some of the TOFUtsies sock yarn as well and my needles are itching to cast it on! Isn’t it neat stuff? I’m really eager to see how it knits up.
Happy Belated birthday Amy. The mitts look wonderful on you. Love that photo. I received a pair of those for my birthday and love mine too!
Happy belated birthday!
I haven’t yet jumped on the sock bandwagon, but I so envy you the Sea Silk! I’ve been coveting that for ages! I’ve heard such wonderful things about it. As far as I can tell, there’s no place for me to buy it locally, so I am safe from that splurge for now
Hope your birthday was full of joy! The mitts are fabulous and you look happy and peaceful.