Alisha Mitts

Despite the time constraints I'm under (I have midterms next week, argh!) I finally found the time to publish my newest pattern - the Alisha Mitts!

You may remember that I made up this pattern for a co-worker who found a lonely, single fingerless mitt in our clinic waiting room. She wanted a similar mitt in a nicer color than flat beige, buttons and all. I was inspired this Spring to knit the samples up in colors based on Pantone color trends with contrasting buttons - Seattle Springs tend to be heavy on gray gloom and I wanted something that would pop against all the dreariness. Mission accomplished! They're knit in a variety of worsted weight yarns on the same US #7 needles. They're also very quick since I knit all three sample pair over the course of a weekend.

The pattern is free via Ravelry!

Bevy of Baby Sweaters

I don't know what the heck is going on with Seattle's water supply lately but it seems that everyone is having babies. There are three ladies that I work with who are due in May or June and a fourth just announced her Fall due date. I also have a classmate who's sister is having her first child anytime now and she very nicely asked if I would be able to knit a baby sweater if she paid for the supplies. Here goes.

 Sweater #1: Henry's Sweater by Jenna Swanson. US #5 & US #7 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Grass, Ice Cream, Lake, and Splash. I knit the smallest size with less than one skein of the main color and scraps of the other colors. After binding off the neckline I decided it was too small and unpicked it, ripped it back to 40 sts, and did the JSSBO with the yarnovers backward. The pattern neglects to say to do the yarnovers backward and if you do them the normal way it just makes the stitches look funky and loose.

 Sweater #2: Baby Kina by Muriela. US #6 needles. Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock (I believe they are now defunct) in Lavender. I knit the 6 month size and due to my own dang fault had to rip back the increase rows several times. I still neglected to put in a third buttonhole but I think it's pretty cute. A major plus is that this yarn sat and sat and sat in my stash until I found this project. I still have enough to knit a baby hat and maybe some booties.

Sweater #3: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith: US #6 & US #8 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Lake and Ice Cream. I'm pretty sure I knit the 6 month size on this one. The bulk of this was knit at my knitting group's annual retreat in Port Townsend. I cast on Saturday afternoon and had only the button bands to finish by the time we hit the ferry on the way back to Seattle Sunday afternoon. I had to use a leftover ball of the navy to finish up the last couple of rows on the button band or else I could have squeezed the sweater out of one skein of each color. 

So there you have it. Babies. Lots and lots of babies. This doesn't include the baby blanket I knit (and already gifted) to one of my co-workers. And I'll stick with bottled beverages or things that have been heated just to be sure - I'm leaving that water alone.

UW Clockwork

 Why, hello! Just when I thought I would never have time to post again I decided to update some pictures and here we are. I started this project way back in the Fall during my first quarter at UW. I was able to knit during one of my classes and this project lent itself very well to the classroom. It's also gotten the most wear out of my scarfy, cowly, neckwarming wardrobe - so much so that it's getting a little fuzzy halo. C'est la vie with merino singles.

Pattern: Clockwork by Stephen West
Yarn: Tosh merino light in Flashdance* and Steam Age

Needles: US #5 Addi Turbo Lace
Mods: None. Be prepared for garter boredom. I knit about 2/3 of this and set it down for several months until the need to finish something quickly drove me to pick it back up. A few days later it was complete.

*Just a note on this particular color. It has a tendency to run much more pink than my photo implies. My particular skein was very purple with tiny blips of pink/magenta. Pairing this color with Steam Age really brought out the purple and toned down the pink highlights.