Fingerless Mitt Time

I made these while I watched Dexter Season 2 again (totally improved on a second viewing, btw), so I am calling them Rita Mitts after Dexter’s long-suffering girlfriend:

Rita Mitts - complete!

They turned out nice. I like the yarn. I like using the folded over cuff, they’re much stretchier than they would be with a cast on (like long tail or something) edge.

Now I’m working on some other ones that I’m calling Roadhouse Mitts (because I’m watching Supernatural Season 2) that are utilizing the bluebell stitch from Charlene Schurch’s Sensational Knitted Socks. The yarn is some weird stuff I got at the Webs booth at Stitches this year. I think it’s Kangaroo Dyer, but there was no colorway.  And it’s really hard to photograph.

Roadhouse Mitts

Actually Knitting

So, I am starting to ponder gift knitting for Christmas.  In all honesty, I don’t really think too hard about gift knitting until December 15th and it’s a mad dash of insanity to finish everything up before Christmas.  This dates back to 2005 when I was unemployed and had no money, but totally had a stash! So I sat around in my dark little apartment in San Antonio and knit like a fiend.

Right now I’m working on something else, something that is not for me (I know, right? I am a selfish knitter, yes I am).

Purple Lace Mitt

Just sort of messing around with a pattern.  I’m working on the second fingerless mitt and am about halfway up the cuff. It’s the second time I’m started it, because apparently I can’t count.  I thought that I had cast on 60 for the above mitt, but apparently not, it is actually 54 stitches around. 

The basic pattern is a picot cuff followed by a row of eyelets, then the lace pattern (I think) from the Go-With-The-Flow socks from the Interweave Favorite Socks book. I kind of made up the thumb gusset, but it turned out right, so that works. I have kind of short stubby hands (thanks, Germanic ancestors!) so the hand part of the mitt is a little long for myself. 

The yarn is Pagewood Farms sock yarn.  I don’t think it’s any special line from them; I bought it at TKGA (I think) a year or so ago (whenever TKGA blew through the Bay Area, since it’s different every year.  It was at the Oakland Marriott). There is a lot of it – I may be able to get another pair of mitts out of it for myself, since the yarn sure is lovely.

Purple Lace MittAnyway, it’s coming along nicely – only took a couple nights of television knitting to complete.  There may be something to this fingerless mitt business. 

Other Christmas projects I am contemplating include two pairs of mittens and that’s pretty much it! My friends don’t seem too overly interesting in handknits, so they will most likely not be getting anything in that regard.  I wish I had more crafty friends.  Or rather, ANY crafty friends, haha.

So in other news, it looks like my high school class is actually going to have a 10-yr reunion.  During its 11th year.  Well, that’ s nice I guess.  There are a few people I’d like to see with whom I lost touch after I was done at DVC and moved 2,000 miles away.  Back in those olden days not everyone was on the internets (I KNOW, right?) so it makes more sense that you’d lose contact with people.

I am really sleepy.  I basically am going to go home and eat dinner and watch What Not to Wear tonight.  I am definitely not up for any Friday night shenanigans.  Not that I ever am. 😛 

I am a capitalist

Big surprise: I BOUGHT YARN (post election pick-me-up):

MALABRIGO SOCK!!1 MALABRIGO SOCK!!1

Why yes, that is Malabrigo sock! And it is just as luscious and edible as you would think! It is awesome. The gray one on the right is actually a little more purple than my monitor shows.

With this purchase (from The Loopy Ewe), I finally joined the Loopy Groupies, as this was my sixth time buying from them. I got a tote bag, a very lovely sock pattern, and a skein of Araucania Ranco Multy (!). I knew you got the tote bag and I wasn’t really expecting anything else, so that was a nice surprise, especially since I love love love Araucania.

See? It’s so pretty!:

Araucania Ranco Multy

Anyway, last but not least, here is the yarn I have bought recently but didn’t show because… Well, I have a lot of yarn, and God knows I don’t need any more, and sometimes it seems all I do is BUY YARN and not do anything with it.

Recent Yarn mosaic

1. Mirasol Hacho, 2. Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn, 3. Perfect Day Sock Yarn, 4. Shibui Sock, 5. Scarlet Fleece Tubular x2, 6. Fleece Artist Trail

The thing is, I will shortly be ending my stay in Geezerville, and my income will be focused on paying a mortgage (!) so I guess I am kind of storing up for being poor again. Next year will definitely be year of the stash! I won’t have quite as money to spend willy nilly on the wants, since I’ll have to, like, buy groceries and pay for cable*.

I’m excited, though – the place I’m buying has enough room for a crafting/art studio.  I’m really looking forward to getting all my stuff out of storage and my big drawing pads and getting all my furniture back, and buying a washer and dryer (!)… In short I will finally have my own place!

Now I need to get back to writing on my Nanowrimo story – the election really stressed me out and now I’m behind. But! it’s still going strong – I wrote over 4,000 words yesterday, and plan to do the same today.

*not a want, that’s a need.