New Pattern available - Flower Mittens

Good morning!
If you're interested, the stranded Flower Mitten pattern is now available, listed in the "Request a free original pattern" section on the left side bar of this blog.

Slowness

I'm working on patterns - this is almost as addictive as the knitting part - but it's slow. I make it slow because I really dislike shoddy patterns, so I'm trying to write good ones with clear instructions and machine made charts and make them into PDFs. Anyway, slow and steady I guess.
Flower mittens should be up this week, then I'll put up the lined mittens next. Those should take very little time as there aren't any charts involved.

Mittens

I finished the flower mittens - I try to make sure I work them a little loose and then block them and put them in the dryer for 4 or 5 minutes on low. It makes the color work come together nicely.

And the lined mittens are coming along, this is my close up of picking up the scrap cast on stitches to start the opposite facing mitten.

Perhaps this is getting out of hand, but

What about using gemstones in beaded knitting?
The application would have to be right, and I think you'd want to use them very sparingly, but I got a comment that pointed me to these.
I've always liked sodalite.

Patterns widget

FYI - Googledocs wouldn't do what I wanted it to do (store my patterns and allow people who aren't me to get in) which I kind of expected, so I've put a new widget. Feel free to request patterns with my pre-fab email links. Right now, that would be all one of them.

Another mitten pattern idea

How about this for a pattern on the back of a pair of mittens?

I looked at this over a year ago - see, this is why I have this blog, so I don't lose things and sit here going "dagnabit, where was that cool dragon chart I found??" like the crazy-elderly-cat-lady my college roommates told me I'd turn out to be.

They also said I'd be chewing on a sock. And drooling, I think.
I miss those guys.

That dyed yarn, again

I haven't done this in a while, but I've been making mittens - with that dyed yarn. I have a basic template for a pattern and I throw together designs when I find something I like. I can post some on Ravelry, once that comes through. In the meantime, here are some pictures - here's my wrist-lined stranded mitten, and below is the inner mitten of a pair of lined mittens - silk and wool on the inside, wool on the outside. Labor intensive, but fun and REALLY WARM.

That dyed yarn

Eh, I'm not happy with my sweater idea - I'm not sure those colors would work. Or maybe not all together. I think I want them to be more intense. Something else maybe. Fech.
Maybe mittens . . . . sigh, things that match. Grrr.
Not socks tho' -- silk and wool is too fragile for that.
In good news, the stars is coming along nicely. I'm playing with using GoogleDocs for storage of my patterns. I've added a gadget, let me know if you try to get to something there and it fails.

Frost Flowers pattern is available

I'm going to post the PDF of this pattern, which includes both written instructions and charts on Ravelry, and here if I can figure out a good way to do so.
If you're interested, I can also email it to you directly.
Happy 2009 . . . . .

Those pictures

Okay, here's the linen stitch pullover. It feels nice on, but I need to wash it and see how it looks. Right now, I'm doubtful. I like the design idea, but maybe it needs a wool version. Sigh.

And here are the colors for Jack's Back and the picture from Fassett's book. Sorry it's sideways, I'm still at ends about loading things.

And finally, here's my bali quilt inspired idea. Keepsake Quilting no longer has a picture of this, but a few years back there was a design for a window pane quilt (wrong term?) with mullions all in black and the windows were assorted bali fabrics. I thought it would be great as a sweater in Koigu, but I've sort of balked at 14 per skein when I'd need so many. So last spring, the little one and I did some dying.

What do you think? Would it work?

Nuts

I actually have some pictures to share, but that software went away in the crash of 2008.
Perhaps tomorrow.
Linen stitch tunic is done, I'm working on the Stars Cardigan again and I have two pictures of soon to be projects . . . . A jack's back version and an interpretation of a quilt.
In other news - here's what we tried for dinner tonight Curry Chicken Coconut soup. My husband is awesome and always finds these great things to try - thanks, NYT; thanks, spouse! Next time, I'm going to skip the noodles. I want to like rice noodles, but they're chewy and nasty to me. Probably just my unsophisticated palette.

Blue moon

Checking blogs this morning - Anne is always working on this amazing, meticulous, beautiful things (and she takes great pictures of them - the envy!) - and maybe Sonic needs to be made from things from Blue Moon Fibers. Silkmo and Luscious Single Silk (not together) looks really nice. I've only seen Socks that Rock in person.

Another thing that's almost done

My frosty resolve has paid off! By that I mean, my resolve to not start anything new until I'm done with all but one project (spinning doesn't count, I'm on kitten-induced hiatus). I'm sewing up the tunic tonight, I'll have to get a picture tomorrow. I really love it so far, I just hope the Comfy holds up in the way. Hand washing cotton - what a waste of youth and beauty that is!

My posting lately has been spotty - mainly because our PC died over the holidays, so online time and picture loading is a bit messed up.

Ideas for 2009:
Redo Amy Rose as Sonic - this time in blues?
Do a peacock beaded shawl - this time use a medallion pattern from Knitted Counterpanes - something made of circles or near circles to get the eye effect of the peacock tail - teal yarn with blue, purple and gold beads. (Note to self, find a local bead shop that deals in size 6 seed beads.)
Do something with that Knitpicks Bare the small one and I dyed last spring break - those colors are lovely, so maybe something fun, like Fassett colored circles on a black background. Maybe fish instead of circles? Would anyone wear anything that whimsical/garish? What about making a big, flat shawl and backing it with fabric. A crazy motif might work better as a shawl. OR, maybe do some lined mittens, colorful silk and wool instead, heavier wool outside?

I keep flirting with starting an Etsy shop, but since I like to design as I go (to an almost pigheaded degree) the idea of creating an inventory intimidates me greatly. Though I did sell the Iron Matrix and a bunch of wristers. Maybe I could do beaded shawls on commission? Still scary. I don't like my patterns are good, or original, enough to sell.

High ho. Our new monitor will arrive tomorrow so I should be more regular in my posting.

Frost flowers is done!

Look! More of my really awful snaps!
This time I victimize Yarn or Death!

Happy New Year

I've done a lot of knitting -- both Frost Flowers and the Linen Stitch Tunic are nearly done -- but I don't have pictures of those. Soon, though.
What I do have pictures of is Tallulah Gorge which looks pretty any time of year. We usually hike down to the floor and cross the river to walk along the river, but it was closed this day because of the rain.
I really liked the pink and gray against the pine green and the contrast of the up of the deciduous trees and the down of the pines and the gray of the rocks behind. Sort of making me think about redoing a Fassett sweater. I'm not letting myself start anything new until I finish at least 2 of the things I have currently going on.


And finally, here are the little ones playing.