Wednesday, September 24, 2014

FO: Cold Springs.

Whew, it's been a while. Two days after I got home from my trip, there was a big get-together at our place, and after that I just wanted to go to bed and sleep for a week. I couldn't even bring myself to get excited about my knitting. Yesterday, though, I finally finished and blocked the fingerless mitts I'd been knitting as a quick birthday present. (If anyone knows a better way to block fingerless mitts, please let me know!)

Started: September 9, 2014

Finished: September 23, 2014

Yarn/yardage used: Skaska Designs 50/50 Merino & Silk, about 240 yards (19 grams). I was using the partial cake left over from Hanami, and now have 39 grams left in the cake.

Needles: Size 2 DPNs. This was a mistake. The pattern calls for size 1s if working with laceweight, and despite my being a tight knitter, size 2s were simply too big.

The pattern is Hand Springs Fingerless Mitts by Micol Day, and I highly recommend it for a quick and easy knit. (I'm fairly certain that if it hadn't been for all the travel and subsequent burnout, I could have finished the pair in ten days or so.) The lace chart is intuitive and easy to memorize, and the pattern even includes a printable page with little circles next to each row that you can poke out with your needle tip to mark your progress. I'm rather surprised to see that this pattern has so few projects on Ravelry - it and Ice Queen are quickly becoming my go-to quick gift patterns.

Also, I came home to a lovely surprise - I won the birthday giveaway hosted by Marsha of One Geek to Craft Them All!

I'm especially in love with this journal; the leaves are handmade paper, and the folios are handsewn. The cover even has tiny mirror shards on it.

I have a habit of collecting lovely journals that I always feel a bit too intimidated to actually write in. I'd like to change that before the end of the year; I've been thinking a lot about creativity recently and realized that I never stopped being inspired to draw or write or express myself in creative ways, I just stopped doing them. I think it's probably about time to stop being afraid and just have fun doing the things again.

7 comments:

  1. Lovely mitts! I also don't know a better way of blocking mitts, I usually have some cardboard cut out that I wrap in tape. Not the prettiest solution, but I guess as long as it works it doesn't matter so much :)

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  2. Agreed, you should absolutely do them! I think the way you're blocking your mitts looks great, and they are gorgeous.

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  3. Those mitts are beautiful. I wish I knew another way to block, I usually pin the crap out of mine to a towel, so you way is much better. Glad you are getting back to the swing of things.

    She Knits in Pearls

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  4. Those mitts are stunning, you did a brilliant job with them.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  5. I think sometimes it is easy to feel really pressured by the need to be creative too, don't let that be your downfall! Lovely mitts!

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  6. Lovely mittens! And your way of blocking them looks very fancy; I usually just use a bunch of T-pins but I never manage to block anything nice and straight ;)
    Have you tried Soak yet? Do you like it?

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    1. I haven't used Soak specifically yet, though I've used other wool washes and love them. I've taken several whiffs of the scent (this one is "Celebration") and it does smell lovely.

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