Saturday, August 26, 2006

Such progress for a Saturday!!

Well -- a minivan full of debris and recyclables was taken to the 'dump' (compactor site) and were dumped or recycled, as appropriate. About 20 cardboard boxes were broken down for recycling in the mixed paper bin. Four "Tall Kitchen" bags of bottles and cans were sent to the glass/plastic recycling bin (I managed to survive the emptying of said bags without getting stung by the many, many, many - did I say MANY? - bees that swarm there in the summer heat!).

All the "Have they out grown this? I think this might need washing before I donate it"-type clothes have been washed and folded. Now, we need boys around to say "That's mine" or "I don't want that" or "That hasn't fit me since first grade!" The sorting to donate, therefore, must wait for another day because no boys were/are around for the sorting process today!

In between cleaning up boxes and washing/folding (mom did a LOT of this for me!), I was knitting to cool off ~~ though I don't know why I thought I could cool off while knitting Wool in the Woods "Southern Rose" (55% Merino/45% Wool) (pictures another day) or Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky (100% merino).

With the DB Merino, I am making a Black/Brown/Left/Right pair of mittens using the "Plaid Mitten" pattern I found at the blue blog.


I didn't have Rowan Plaid yarn in my stash. But, I did have Debbie Bliss Chunky Merino and the required US#10.5 dpns to attempt the pattern.

This has been a learning day. Before today

> I had never encountered M1R or M1L.
> I had never used dpns for anything except the end of a hat done on a circular needle.
> I had never put stitches on waste yarn to be picked up later (for the thumb!) (I still haven't picked it up.... but I will!)




I made some mistakes. I went in the front, not the back, of the M1L, so the tight stitch I was supposed to have is a lovely air hole for those hot hand days! :) (I decided I was not tinking it as I didn't discover it until I had knit almost two more inches. I chalked it up to a learning experience!)



Not bad for a day's work! :)

I call them Black/Brown/Left/Right because I plan to add an L and an R to the appropriate sides of the mittens in honor of my 'learning to drive' son that can't seem to remember his left from his right.

The mittens are ambidexterous and I plan to put the letters so that they are correct regardless of which mitten is placed on which hand. If I can find the right suede-type material, I plan to use it to embroider the letters - to add grip to the mittens, which would allow a person to wear them to drive and not slip-slide all over the steering wheel. The goal is to finish them and submit them to the "Bitchin' Mittens" contest being sponsored by Dave of Cabin Cove Mercantile!

I hadn't planned to enter the contest. Dave added my name after I made a few comments (even though I said I wasn't doing it when I made the comments!!). I told him I had never done mittens. He added me to the list anyway! I feel compelled inspired to submit something!

More pictures later - as progress is made.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

And aren't you glad now that you made them? They are really fun, and people are loving them...I really meant no harm. I just thought it would inspire you along to try making a pair of mittens. You did great!