Look What I Did This Weekend!

What a great weekend! Apart from being my birthday, the weather was fine and I broke a mile on my KnitMeter!

They’re done! And I’m mostly pleased.

Many thanks to Heather Desserud for the wonderful pattern. Considering that these are my first pair of Nordic Mittens and only my second stab (pun intended) at colorwork, that my brand-new yarn fantasies were brutally smashed and that they were knitted from left-overs, I am a little bit proud of them. I learned alot. 

I think it’s very important to use yarns of equal weight for a project like this; I had two that were similar but not exact. Both of my yarns, Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Rowan Creative Focus, had a little fuzz. Not ideal as the fuzz tends to detract from the color changes. Learning that sizing is achieved through gauge, not by adding stitches, has focused my attention on achieving correct gauge through tension and needle size. Tension is absolutely key and I have a long way to go in that regard. It’s really a goal now to execute some colorwork where all stitch faces are even without some being pulled backward due to the carried yarn. Can’t wait to knit another pair!

This fabulous room was the setting for my delicious birthday dinner prepared by my two favorite cooks, Carl and Tracey. Caprese salad followed by mouth-watering steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh asparagus and my absolute favorite Caesar salad were expertly served, and need I say, much wine was consumed. Thank you so much, guys!

The Stag Horn Snow Socks are nipping along smartly. I made a tiny change to the short-row technique when I turned the heel and I think it has made for a more attractive heel mitre. Thus far I have used about 180 yards and I’m pretty sure we’ll go the full 220 yard distance. I’d like a nice, deep 1×1 ribbing without any disruptions to the cable pattern. Great! Now Carl will have two complete, yet mismatched, toe-up socks.