What a (g)Lovely Day

So this post was supposed to be about my test knitting experience. And it is something I intend to write about because, well, it's important to ME. And perhaps, whether you are a knitter or not, there is something you too can learn from it. But that last post had A LOT of words so I've decided to go a bit sideways for now and show you my current WiP.

I had no intention of deviating from my sweater knitting devotion so quickly, but an opportunity to join Laris Designs newest mitten pattern, Chimera, KAL (which included the pattern) came up and I listened! Frankly, I would have loved to knit these up in this season's neutral palette, but this is a stash busting only project. And hey, look what I found:

Malabrigo Worsted in Lettuce and Olive. I actually have two hanks of Lettuce and will be using the second for a coordinating hat (pattern TBD).

These mittens are just too cool, and with a few mods, like half fingers and flip tops, this double layer of Malabrigo cushiness will keep my hands super warm and cozy this winter. And here we are, a couple of days into the knitting...

But don't worry, stealth sweater knitting continues as does progress on my Wrap it Up.

Lovin' the Glove

I am a recovered sock addict. Fully recovered, thank you. So recovered, in fact, that I have a few single socks that are in desperate need of their mates. For now they remain alone. But what's a girl to do with the plethora of gorgeous sock yarns (many hand dyed) she's accumulated?

Well, first there is destashing. (And one of this long weekend's activities is to go through the stash, see what I'm ready to part with and put it up on my sale page over on Ravelry. Bookmark that page, peeps, there will some great stuff up there soon!) We've seen that sock yarn makes for some beautiful shawls as well (and I'll be showing off a few next time). And then there is the "new sock", gloves.

I have become completely smitten with them. I don't mean mittens, though they are lovely too. I mean honest to goodness, fingered gloves! And, in my opinion Julia Mueller of Laris Designs is the Cookie A of the glove world. Not only are her designs gorgeous but her architecture is ingenious as well. My first Laris Design gloves were my Lady Sunrise Gloves knit with Sundara's gorgeous Desert Sunrise Sock Yarn. (BTW, all you non-Ravelry people, the links to my actual project pages are now public! That Casey is a genius!)

The thumb is knit first, starting with the tip,

Next the the gusset and stitches are divided to make the band, then grafted together. Stitches are then picked up from the top of the band to make the hand and fingers,
and then from the bottom of the band to make the cuff,
An applied i-cord bind off finishes them off nicely. And the delicately shifting colors make my heart sing!

I'm currently working on Bobbie, a lovely linen stitch pattern made from Impulse of Delight's Mere Sock in Echinacea.

See those purl ridges at the base of the hand and right before the cuff splits? Those will have applied i-cord attached, as will the cuff edge. I haven't decided yet whether to use the same yarn or a contrasting solid. Thoughts? Bobbie is past the half way point. In fact I'm ready for the fingers on glove 2. And I'm already searching for the next pattern to knit. Oh, my hands are going to have a cozy winter. Can't wait!