New Favorite?

The project I was guilted into making

Everyone at knit night was making Ishbels. I was really not sure if this was a project that I would like or use or was my style. But everyone was making one... and everyone was gushing about them... and Malabrigo sock yarn is just. so. preeeeeeetty.

I caved. I caved like a fat kid in front of delicious delicious cupcakes. Not just delicious. Delicious delicious. And that's just what my Ishbel is.

Lacey goodness.

I still haven't exactly figured out what it goes well with, but I wear it anyway. I give the pattern a 5 out 5 on clarity. I'd say it's a great beginner's lace project. And it's just enough purling that I don't get sick of purling. I might make another one with the same yarn because I think I have enough leftover. For this project I bought blocking wires. I'm kind of excited about them.

Next month is the month of the Apres Surf Hoodie. I'm all geared. It's going to happen. I'm going to finish this thing. Or I'll just do as much as I can until the end of June when I call it quits. Sounds like a plan.

Smitten with Squirrel Mittens

Pattern Review: Squirrel Mittens using modifications by Hello Yarn

Look! Our armpits are stripey and fun! Don't you wish yours were like this?

After a frustrating few weeks of starting a sweater, deciding it was too bulky, finishing a hat, that turned out too big, I decided to go back to the squirrel mittens. Ah wee mittens. I started you back in April of '08. I put them down for a short hiatus back then and when I picked them up, oops my gauge was noticeably smaller. This made for a really wonky mitten. It was sad.

I put them away in frustration. Finally, I got the courage to rip them back down to the second braid and start over. Then I didn't like which hand I was holding the pink in, so I ripped them again. My mittens look different depending on which color is held in which hand. Fourth time's the charm??

SMOOCHES

The verdict? The final result is snuggable squirrel adorableness. The mechanics of the pattern I'm not such a big fan of. I don't like doing fair isle where there are more than four stitches between colors. It makes it harder to control the gauge, and things tend to get wonky. This wasn't such an issue on the snowflakes, but down at the squirrels, on each side by the trees, which were also by the ends of my needles, it was too easy for my yarn to get pulled too tight on one color versus the other. This results in a lot of pulling, and a smaller mitten in that area! Not good. I would recommend, if you use DPNs or magic loop, to put those trees in the middle of your needles, or at least a few stitches off the ends, to help prevent this from happening.

I also recommend not putting your thumb hole stitches on waste yarn and instead, at the time where you're about to take those stitches off the needle, knit them with some waste yarn. Then, put the waste yarn stitches back on your left-hand needle and continue knitting the pattern with your regular yarn. It really kept the fair isle under control and helped my side stitches from stretching out. When you're ready to do the thumb, just pick up your mitten stitches on either side and carefully remove the waste yarn stitches. Ta daa! Also, Definitely use smaller needles for the ribbing. I totally forgot to for the second mitten, but decided I couldn't handle any more ripping out.

These cuties are going to be going to be a birthday gift. They were a gift that was planned to be given last year, but let's not get too hung up in the logistics shall we? Life is too good.

And I pat my cheekses with lub

BONUS KITTY PICS!

Bear and Mew decided to make themselves disaster suits in case of... disaster... so that they wouldn't be neurotic about every sudden noise. Unfortunately, the material they chose for their plan ultimately backfired.

Who's laughing now vacuum?!