Camilla Mitts - Finished!

I had a marathon knitting session this weekend while i watched "24 Hour Panel People" on the internet.
I started watching at 12pm Saturday and went to bed at just gone 6am Sunday! I didn't knit continuously though cos i was chatting on the internet, making tea, eating etc... plus i didn't want to give myself an injury!
I made it as far as the thumb row on Saturday and decided that would be a good place to stop for the night so when i picked it up on Sunday i was on row 26 of 43 and i flew through that while watching tv in a comfy chair as opposed to an ergonomic office chair which is where i spent Saturday.

The mitts are lovely, the merino is warm and soft, i love the pattern and the colours BUT i do not like several things :o(
The fairisle section is too long, i could easily get rid of the first pattern repeat and replace it with ribbing.
I HATE the thumbs, the hole is too big, it's in the wrong place, it doesn't fit right and it's hard to pick up the stitches with the fairisle pattern.
72 stitches for the ribbing is way too much, i ended up decreasing the purl sections to one stitch all the way round and then increasing on the body back up to 72.

And finally, through nobody's fault but my own, the left mitt is considerably bigger than the right! I have the same problem with socks as well, it's just as well my left hand and foot are larger than the right ;o)

Quick knits

Set made for the gorgeous Jackson as part of Terri's Sock Swap parcel
Yarn used is Yarn Yard Hug in the Grubby Tiger colourway - i am finally "Paying it Forward"!

Set made for a friend's little girl who needs some warmth
Yarn used is Sirdar Click DK, it's actually more like a 4ply though and i knit it on the same size needles as the first set!
The hat is 14" across unstretched and the mittens are about 5¼" long including the rib.

The hats are one of Woolly Wormhead's patterns - Baby Tri-peak and the mittens are both made with Malin's fab pattern
I used 2.75mm needles for everything and my gauge came out at 7½ stitches per inch.

Just some random mitt photos :o)

cranford mitts - pretty pattern
Originally uploaded by franneyk

They are just so pretty, i feel i need to show them off ;o)

Mitt one - thumb gusset
Originally uploaded by franneyk

mitt one - finished
Originally uploaded by franneyk

nicer thumb gusset
Originally uploaded by franneyk

No pictures yet...

It's too dark for photos but the first mitt is now finished!

I made a slight modification to the contrasting garter stitch bit in the end and did it two rows of knit, one purl then two rows of knit, so although you still get the variegation it's not so IN YOUR FACE! :oD

Well, i like it anyway ::winks::

I'm going to knit the second mitt with dpns, i have a set of 2.25mm so hopefully they'll come out the same size :oD

Genteel Cranford Mitt pt.1

Genteel Cranford Mitt pt.1
Originally uploaded by franneyk

I had a change of heart about the colours i wanted to use for my first pair and settled on Genteel for the body and Sooty Cherries for the contrast.
I think they contrast a little too much for my taste, but i shall see how i feel about it when i get to the other end ;o)

I am really liking the merin-ohhhh though, it is so soft and warm, i keep pausing to try it on and then forget to take it off and start knitting again! ::lol::

yarn yard merino - genteel

yarn yard sooty cherry

I wish i could say i was enjoying knitting with my new HiyaHiya needles but unfortuntely i am not! I love the 50cm length but the actual needle is too short for my fat clumsy fingers :o(
I have struggled on regardless but i feel lie i could be knitting so much quicker if i wasn't using them! It's a shame because other than that they are perfect, the tip is nice and pointy and the cable is lovely and flexible. Still, you can't have everything and the merin-ohhh is more than making up for it :oD

merin-ohhhhhhhhh bugger!

I went a bit mad :oD
This is all Yarn Yard merin-oooooohhhhhhhh! in doses of 50g for Cranford Mitts and anything else it might want to become. I can see a hat in it's future too ;o)

I'm struggling to take nice photos at the moment, it was a lovely bright day today but the colours came out either too dark or too washed out so once i figure it out i'll take some better pics.

My first pair will be made with Mysteron and Spring Greens and they'll be cast on tonight with any luck... although there is a beaded necklace and bracelet set that i want to make that i got from Hobbycraft when i went with Mum last week. I'm thinking that that probably needs some nice bright daylight though as it looks quite fiddly.