One project goes fast

when you just knit the one thing instead of jumping from project to project. I'm trying to sort the WIP basket, get some order into what I'm knitting, and limit what I'm starting. That means today there is just the one project I've been working on, Bears Vikkel braid mitten. At times this mitten has been for me, and at times it has been for Bear. Now it is near completion, it is for Bear, and since I've told him it is his - well I guess these will stay his. I've frogged the sock that was too big, and all the yarn is now tidy in a little center pull ball again, books arrived, and a second installment of Vintage Purls sock club is testing my resolve to knit Toby the next sock.

But returning to talk about my mittens, the two outer mittens are done, cuff to finger tip, grafted together, with the thumb all knit and finished. I've got one more lining to knit, and then I'm all done, ready to block. Right now one is thicker, looks bigger and a slightly darker look than the other. There is a reason for that


I've lined one of the pair with a soft black yarn, something unnamed from my stash. It is a yarn I dyed using food dye last year, for use in my twinned mittens. I think the yarn originated from a mystery cone at the Milton Mill, but I'm not sure.I don't remember - I'm sure you all have yarn like that in your stashes don't you? The yarn is now dense black, and is about fingering weight. Adding the lining has added a bit of body and thickness to the mittens, and padded it out, the one here on the right is lined, the thinner looking one on left is about to be lined.


I simply picked up the same number of stitches inside the mitten using the same sized needles, with the mitten inside out, and knit a second mitten. I did add a few more stitches to the gusset increases, and worked a few more rounds - as the lining gauge worked up finer than the mitten gauge.

In the past I've knit lined mittens for Toby, and have secured the mitten lining into the tips of the finer and thumb sections. This time I've left the lining loose so the mitten lining can be pulled out to speed up drying time. I think Bear is old enough to poke the lining back into the mitten without twisting it don't you?

I've also got some new and some old books to distract me, Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen arrived, it is a compilation of the best from Fox & Geese & Fences, and Flying Geese and Partridge Feet. Now I have my own I don't need to covert or steal Kelly's. And I've been swoping for knitting books. Swoping is a no cash variation on shopping, where you swop not shop. I've swopped two skeins of Vintage Purls sock yarn for two books I wanted using the Book destash and ISO library forum on Ravelry. One was a skein that had not yet made it into my stash drawer or Rav list, the other was one I bought just to send on her request. The books I swopped for are two Cat Bordhi ones, I think of them as the Mobius books, but they are more rightly known as A Treasury of Magical Knitting, and a Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. Both are in lovely condition. One more book arrived in my mail box since the last post - Quilting: The Fabric of Every Day Life, by Marybeth C Stalp. Ok its not a knitting book, but it is a stashing book, for it examines the traditions and customs of quilters and their stashing habits. I thought it would be an interesting read.

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for 4 books that were sent from England, vintage books also organized as a swop on Ravelry, that were sent surface mail on the 1st of December and are still not here. I feel helpless and most days come home hoping that today they will be here. The sender has initiated the lost process, and as the recipient I have nothing to do, nothing. Those were books I was hoping to use in the knitting paper I've had accepted ... so I might have to beg, borrow or otherwise obtain access to local copies ...

and yes, Vintage Purls second sock club installment arrived, nearly a week ago, or longer, - Yum. This is the yarn, I've not really done it justice in this photo. The sock is a deep rich purple - but as with all of M's yarns - there are many other colours and shades hiding in there as well. The sock is Theodora, and it has been described as 'sexy' by at least one sock club recipient. I should knit Toby the next socks, he has none that fit, no wool socks and no hand knit socks, and winter looms .... but this yarn is yummy, and the sock is clever and pretty and yes ... sexy. And no - I'm not knitting it for Toby, he is far to young to make such a sexy sock for. And did you notice the teeny tiny little sock kit next to the skein? A mini key ring sock, toe up of course.

so .. of to pack up the second shipment of swop yarn and a little something extra ...
Stella