From Both
It’s been a great year, but too short — where did 2008 go? The holidays have been crazy busy, but have afforded a bit of knitting time as well. Here are some updates…
From Sally
Susan has had a more productive holiday knitting season than I have. My ambitious plans to knit many many pairs of gloves were dashed when my de Quervain’s started to act up again. I think it was knitting a pair of gloves for my son out of some sock yarn that is 50% cotton and 50% wool. My hands have never liked knitting with cotton, which is why I rarely use cotton yarn. Knitting on tiny needles with a deadline was just.not.good. His were the only gloves I was able to finish before Christmas. I’m back to sleeping in my splints. The good news is that knitting with wool yarn doesn’t seem to be bothering me. To be on the safe side, though, I’m limiting the amount of time I spend knitting. I don’t want to have to give it up entirely for several months as I had to earlier this year.
As for the gloves I knit for my son — he likes them! He wanted something colorful and a bit wild. He picked the yarn out himself (from my vast stash). (I’m giving you multiple photos to make up for only having one project. Pathetic, n’est-ce pas?). Without further ado:
Is it just me or do his gloves look like they belong to a sock monkey? Susan says, yes!
Here’s one shot of the gloves I’m making for my daughter. I’m using Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Chocolate. It’s a deep, lovely brown but difficult to photograph. The pattern is Knotty Gloves by Julia Mueller. In a rare act of conformity, I only made one change to the pattern.
As written, when you get to the top of the hand you’re supposed to start with the index finger and then work your way to the little finger. Because the little finger typically sits slightly lower on the hand than the other fingers, I did the little finger first. Then I knit three plain rounds before doing the other fingers. I just find gloves fit better if I account for little finger’s position.
From Susan
I did some gift knitting and am happy to report modest success. Remember the Fetching Glovelets for lil daughter in school colors?
She LOVED them — I mean loved them big time! Woo Hoo! A home run with these. She said they are the best thing I ever made for her! And she wants a pair of Fetching Glovelets for her best friend. Feels pretty good. I also gave my SIL and niece a pair and they loved them, too.
Jena picked out yarn — cheap yarn from my stash, so I whipped up the pair for her little friend last evening (these are such a quick knit!):
Bernat Denim Style and US 7 needles
I made a pair of glovelets for my older daughter, also. Her reaction was difficult to gauge — I think she liked them (?). They are a hybrid of the Sweetheart Glovelets from The Rainey Sisters and the Plum Blossom Gloves from Joanna Ryan. They are knit from one skein of Misti Alpaca Worsted (!?!!) on size 2.25 mm needles. They are soft as butter.
Black is impossible to see!
Here are the original gloves, which I plan on making some time in the New Year:
Plum Blossom Gloves by Joanna Ryan
I also have been working on another “Ripple Me This” bag from Fall 2008 Knitters as a class sample. I love the colors for this bag. I used Ella Rae Toast and Ecru (2 skeins each). The yarn is that natural sheep color that reminds me of the sweaters from Peru.
I made the rippled handles this time and thought they turned out pretty cute:
Ella Rae felts with a boucle appearance which I find attractive. When this lil sucker dries, I’ll sew on the handles. I had absolutely no yarn leftover!
Another pic with handles!
PS from Susan — one of the most unusual gifts I received this year was a copy of the 1978 movie, Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis. Notable for the KNIT-tastic scene where she stabs Mike Myers with a knitting needle in the neck! My kind of heroine!
That’s it from us. We hope to get in a lot more knitting before the New Year!
And a special “hi” to Patsy! 
Wish me better luck with Number 3.
