I started my new mittens for the Warm Hands KAL. I am making a pair from a book I bought last year. It is called Magnificent Mittens . They are made from the tip down. This is a really great idea... You can try them on as you go along. If you have made socks from the toe up , it is the same technique. The thumb is also made separate. You insert it into the mitten when you are at a certain point. There are some wonderful mittens in this book. I am not a huge fan of the "Gauntlet" style cuffs. I am going to try some different cuffs on some of them. There are also some interesting edging you can do around the cuff. I would highly recommend this book to any mitten lover. Speaking of new mitten books. I remember that Robin Hansen was coming out with a new book. It is called "Favorite Mittens" . It is a updated collection of mittens from two of her older books. I have her "Fox,Geese and Fences" book. It was the first mitten book I purchased and one of my favorites. I am going to cast on another pair of socks too. I need to make a few more for Christmas presents. Last week, I made the "Lace Watch cap" from Hats On! By Charlene Schurch. I have made three hats form this book. It is another one of my favorite books. I would like to find a copy of her new sock book. I am a huge fan of her work. Well...That is all for today. I am making corned beef and cabbage for supper. I have to get peeling. Happy knitting everyone.
The sun has been shining for two days! I am planning on making the most of it today. I think I nice long walk is in order. The lake has dropped and we have reclaimed out dock. I filled all my bird feeders a few weeks ago. I must have had 20 goldfinches at the feeder this morning. I love watching the birds in the morning over coffee. I have been buying a special blend of seed from Wild Birds Unlimited. We have a store in Dover that opened last year. I am one of their best customers. I just love this store. They have every feeder you can imagine. In the spring , I had bought a hummingbird feeder and a Baltimore Oriole feeder. Anyways..... With this choice blend, I seem to be attracting many different birds. The woodpecker are thrilled with their suet cakes. I will try to get some good pictures to share. In knitting news.... I finished the pair of pink mittens. Last night I finished a pair of children socks with some Plymouth Sockotta. I will post some pictures later. "The Mitten Queen" aka Sandy is hosting a KAL for mittens. It is called "Warm Hands". Why don't you sign up and join in the fun. I have been flipping through my mitten books. I keep changing my mind about which mitten to knit. Hope the sun is shining in you neck of the woods. I am off to enjoy the day.
It has been raining for a week here in New Hampshire. I wish the sun would peek out just for a half hour to renew our spirit. I posted some pictures of the lake from last Sunday. We woke up at 7:00 a.m. and the neighbors sailboat was floating by our beach. The lake had risen two and a half feet. Bruce put on his waders and pulled the boat . Our ramp usually rest on the beach. The were boats loose all over the lake. I think all this rain has paid it's toll on the foliage this year. I was hoping for some gorgeous color around the lake. The leaves are rapidly falling and barely have any color.Oh well..... Some years we are not so lucky. Last year was just gorgeous and seemed to last a long time. We are very fortunate in our area to not have much flooding. The western part of the state has really been hit hard. Especially around the Alstead area. They are forecasting more rain. Hopefully there will be no more damage. On the knitting front..... I felted my "Canteen Bag" from Interweave Knits Fall issue. This was a fun pattern. I used Gjestal wool I had purchased last year from Elann. It felted beautifully for this bag. I remember I was not pleased when I had used it on some felted clogs. I made this for my eleven year old niece Hailey. She is just going to love the style. I really have a good jump on my Christmas knitting projects. I am still knitting mittens for our Hat and Mitten tree at work. My latest pair is from a pattern that does not have a picture with it. I have been knitting a few pattern from the Internet that do not have a photo. It is really a challenge to knit along blindly and see how it works out. These are called Mittens for Lise . I think they are interesting. It is a double basket weave pattern. It is sized for a women medium to large. What do you think? I am working on the left mitten now. I guess that is all for today. Have a great weekend everyone.
I wish you could feel these lovely mittens I have finished. They are incredibly soft and comfy. The pattern is from Dawn Brocco's "Love Collection". I bought it at Patternworks in Center Harbor several weeks ago. The yarn is Plymouth Alpaca Boucle. They have an X and O cable all around the cuff area.The mittens take three skeins of yarn. I love this yarn, it is easy to work with and does not split like some boucles. These are Christmas presents for my sister and a friend. I bought enough yarn to make a pair for myself. This yarn would make a wonderful scarf. There is a cabled scarf in the collection to match the mittens. I very rarely knit for myself. I have several things on my list I want to make for me. So...... I started the "rib and cable socks" from the Fall Interweave Knits. I love the looks of the cable and ribbing. I am using Mountain Colors "Bearfoot" in the shade Ruby River. I know I have mentioned before that "Bearfoot " is my favorite sock yarn. It is wonderful to knit with. I thought I better try the sock on before I turn the heel. Well, with all the cables it is too tight around my calf. Needless to say I was very disappointed. I decided into the frog pond it would go. Rippppppppppppppppp! As I was ripping out all the lovely cabling I stopped at the top ribbing. I really like the looks of the ribbing. It is Knit 4, purl2,knit2 purl 2. I decided to keep the ribbing and use it all the way down till I turn the heel. I will let you know how they turn out. I did finish the Canteen Bag. I just need to stitch it together before I felt it. This weekend is Deerfield Fair. I don't think we are going to make it this year. It is so crowded on the weekend. We usually try to go over on a Thursday or Friday. I would like to pick some apples. It is going to be gorgeous tomorrow. I may try to gather my sisters and head out to the orchard. I love this time of year. The trees are just starting to turn a bit. I am going to take plenty of pictures to share with you. Well, it is a beautiful day and I am going out to enjoy it. I want to collect some pinecones and acorns today. Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather.
