Later Gator Mittens

Pattern: Later Gator Mitts by Laura Grutzeck

Source: Stitch 'N Bitch Nation

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red and Grass

Needles: US 5 dpns (cuff); US 7 dpns (body)

Started: August 3, 2009

Finished: October 6, 2009

Modifications: note! errata on the book's website corrects the number of rows in the straightaway of the red garter-stitch mouth pieces. 56 rows as listed in the book is ridiculous! Thank goodness I caught this after just one mouth was knit instead of later.

The two pieces on each mittens are tough to line up in order to sew them on correctly. Next time, I think some minor modifications of the mouth pieces (like not using garter stitch) would help them line up much better with the corresponding "body" pieces.

15mm was the perfect googly-eye size and the package of 12 eyes was only $2 at Hobby Lobby. I used dental floss to sew them on but green thread would blend in better. At least the dental floss will hold those eyes on through whatever battles they may face.

There are some really cute variations on this listed in Ravelry: dinosaurs, sharks; all manner of great puppet-animals. Even monkeys - my favorite!

Bulky Flip Top Mittens

Pattern: Bulky Flip Top Mitts (free)

Source: Life in Cleveland (blog)

Yarn: Noro Iro in super-rainbow!

Needles: US 7 dpns (cuff); US 8 dpns (body)

Started: September 5, 2009

Finished: September 26, 2009

Modifications: I used a bulkier yarn than recommended and changed my needle size to achieve the correct gauge. With mittens, where drape is useless, I pretty much figure the denser the better, and boy these puppies did not disappoint! They are thicker than a malamut's butt!

Striping self-striping yarn is always and interesting effect, and I thought (a) with such a small project, the colorway will barely get once through and the mittens won't match and (b) since I was cannibalizing a vest, I had a lot of shorter ends anyways, so why not use them in crazy stripes!

I'm very pleased with the end result, where the mittens still don't quite match, but they really go together. Love it!

Turn a Navy Square

Pattern: Turn a Square (Ravel it!/free)

Source: Brooklyn Tweed (blog) by Jared Flood

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Blue Ink (main) and CCs Dove Heather, Onyx Heather, Arctic Pool, and Cream

Needles: US 6 dpns (ribbed brim); US 8 dpns (body)

Started: August 29, 2009

Finished: August 31, 2009

Modifications: none. I'm not so sure about the sizing on this hat; my yarn was a bit thicker than the recommended Cascade 220, which made for a slightly bigger but denser hat than recommended. I also didn't use a self-striping yarn for the stripes, but instead created a colorway from related scraps that I had leftover from other Christmas projects.

Herringbone Mittens

Pattern: Herringbone Mittens with Poms (Ravel it!/free)

Source: Elliphantom Knits (blog)

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Dove Heather and Arctic Pool

Needles: US 4 dpns (cuff); US 7 dpns (body)

Started: August 24, 2009

Finished: August 29, 2009

Modifications: no poms :-(

Fountain Pen Shawl #2

Pattern: Fountain Pen Shawl (Ravel it!)
Source: Interweave Knits, Spring 2009
Yarn: J. Knits Lace-A-Licious! in Nebraska
Needles: US 3 24" circular
Started: May 31, 2009
Finished: August 17, 2009
Modifications: I only completed 9 of ten main-body repeats. This came out to about the same size as my first Fountain Pen shawl, despite having 2-3 more repeats, because of the different gauge. The previous shawl was a 2-ply on US size 6 needles, this was a 1-ply on 3s.

Chevalier Mittens

Pattern: Chevalier Mittens (Ravel it!/free)

Source: MadeByMyself (blog)

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Kettle Dyed in Grasshopper

Needles: US 5 dpns

Started: August 5, 2009

Finished: August 20, 2009

Modifications: eliminated optional repeat in the fingers section; decreased with simple paired decreases along the side, instead of the more complicated charted manner.