FO Friday: Pink Christmas Eve Mitts!

I've been meaning, for a WHILE, to update my Christmas Eve Cabled Mitts pattern...correct mistakes and also add newer pictures to it. After a few people on Ravelry told me that the pattern had a few mistakes in it, I thought I would finally get my butt in gear and get it done.

It's actually a very easy and pretty pattern, if I say so myself. LOL! I decided that, in order to make the pattern completely updated and perfect (I hope!), I should also knit the mitts again to make sure.

What do you think??

DETAILS:

Pattern: Christmas Eve Cabled Mitts by me!
Yarn: 1 skein Elsbeth Lavold Angora
Needle: Size 7 dpns, 2 24" circs or 40" circ for Magic Loop
Time: I finished mine in one weekend, working on them only now and then.
Size: Woman's medium

*Note: Heather of Sereknity dyed this angora for me in memory of my sweet angora bunny, Little Miss Tubbsie. I didn't know what I would knit with it until the other night, when I was looking for a yarn for this pattern and missing my bunny. I have one more skein of it that I may use to knit a scarf to match the mitts.

Here is a close up of the yarn and mitt:



They are supremely warm, soft and very elegant. The yarn puffs up a bit with a nice halo, but not so much that you're gagging from bunny fur. If you decide to knit a pair (which I hope you will), PLEASE knit up a swatch first so that you get the correct gauge. And also, if you plan to add even one extra row to make them longer, buy an extra skein of this yarn because I literally had 1 inch of yarn leftover from the skein when I was finished....and I used only 3 inch tails on each end of the mitt. Just in case ; )

If you'd like to download any of my patterns on Ravelry, please go here:

Designs by Gina House

or if you'd like to download them from here on my blog, please:

Look over to the right of this page, scroll down to Sleepy Eyes Patterns and you will see all of them right there. They're all pdfs except for one (for now!) and you just have to click on it and it should start to download immediately.

Oh, and for all of you out there who have been saying to me, "Where the heck is the Amanda Hat Gallery????

Look over to the right of this blog page, scroll down to Sleepy Eyes Gallery and you will see three links underneath. The top on is called, Amanda Hats. Click on that and it will show you all the hats I've uploaded so far. I have a bunch more and will be updating them very shortly. I love seeing all the pics! Keep those hats coming!!

Have a great weekend and my next blog will be all about HOOPS!

Scarlett Belle Sweater

Update on my life:

1. I had to take Tim to get xrays today for his ring finger...it's all swollen, purplish-blue and he couldn't move it...but luckily, it's not broken and he only has to keep it taped, elevated and iced for a few days. Whew!

2. Ben and Tim are both feeling better, recovering from their strep and are taking their meds with minimal whining...whew again!

3. Computer is back in business....keyboard was delivered and is working fine! Woo-hoo!

Things just might be looking up for the House Family!

Knitting!

On Saturday, at work, I was able to take a class with the very talented designer, Tonia Barry. She is teaching a class that teaches you how to design your own sweaters and adapt patterns you like to fit your body perfectly.

I picked out Elsbeth Lavold "Silky Wool" (a gorgeous dk yarn in a 65%wool/35%silk blend) in color #56. I asked Cyndi if she knew the colorway name and she said she wasn't sure....but offered the name of "Scarlett Belle". I liked it so much that I decided to give that name to my new sweater pattern that I'm designing.

Generally, it will be a comfortable cardigan (no buttons or zippers) with a shawl collar, belle sleeves, seed stitch edging (or maybe garter) and a pretty cable up each side. Here is a close up of the sketch....(pretending, of course, that my body looks as nice as this...ha!)



During the class, we took our measurements, filled out some mathematical equations (will be doing more in the next class) and made swatches using our chosen yarn and needles. Tonia is very patient, helpful and knowledgable and I'm looking forward to more classes. You should come to the store to see some of her beautiful designs...we have samples and patterns!

As you could see from the first pic of the post, I am about 10 or so inches into the sweater (top down) and I'm loving every minute of it. This yarn is incredible and very soft...I'm a little nervous about knitting this on size 4 needles (oh, yes!), but I hope to finish it before the winter is over...in 2010. LOL! No, hopefully, I should be done with it by January....or at least that's my deadline for myself.

What do you think of the design?

Before I go pick up the little guy from preschool, I wanted to share one more thing. About a week ago, I finished my last sock class and thought that the class handouts might be helpful to others who didn't have time to actually GO to a sock class. (Did that make sense?) Anyway, I edited the handouts a bit and make them into a pdf so that you can download them and have a "virtual" sock class at your own leisure at home. There's no substituting a real live teacher to help you, but this might be a first step toward taking a real class.

*Look to the right sidebar under SleepyEyes Patterns....it's called the "Plain Jane" Sock Class. It's free and fun...I hope!*

Or, if you're a tiny bit lazy like me, you can click HERE instead.

I'm also in the process of designing two other things:

1. ANOTHER sock pattern....I know, I know....but this one is cute and really fun to knit...and I just LOVE the Sereknity yarn I'm working with!! I'm almost done and I'm dying to get it "out there"!

2. A lace pattern....this one is 1/3 done but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to have it ready for when I hope to. I may just bring to Vermont with me and hope more rows get done while I'm sleeping.

Plus, I'm working on Tim's sweater, Ben's "Ice" mittens (see pic below), and the holiday stockings (which I think will be done for NEXT year!).....AHHHHH!!!! (Calgon, take me away!)



Oh, and an update on my Poseidon sock....this is as far as I've gotten so far. Not because it isn't wonderful to knit, which it is (and I LOVE the yarn, too)...but I'm putting all "extra" knitting things to the side and trying to work on things with deadlines...oh, I hate that word, don't you?



At least I feel like the tide is turning around here and I can take a breath and smile a little. How about YOU??? : ) Don't forget to KNIT THOSE MITTENS!!!!!