A New Year ... and more knitting ahead of me in 2012.

Well I hope everyone had some nice memorable holiday cheer last year. A happy new year is ahead of us now along with ... yup, more knitting of course.  First I'll just give you the update on what I finished for Christmas gifts in 2011.  Of course I got a pair of fingerless mitts done for my DH. So he won't get cold hands while he reads the Kindle I got for him for his big Christmas gift this year. [he gave me a Touch Kindle so I could be read to with text-t0-speech while I knit.]

And I also completed the fingerless mitts for my dear daughter [DD] who knew they would be a little late getting to her. Oh ya, there's a story behind these

Hourglass Mitts by Anastasia Blaes.

I love the way they work so well being worn over a pair of leather gloves too. Keeps you hands extra worm on those very cold days.

But I did say there was a story behind them didn't I?  Okay, I'll admit to not always being the perfect knitting machine that I seem to be at times. Dare I say that I don't believe in being "perfect" anyway? Well the pattern for this traveling stitch design comes with a 60 row chart. That's sixty rows mind you. So I knit up the right hand without a hitch and was on my way to completing the left hand up to a few days before we were to go up to New Hampshire to see the kids for our Christmas get-together. I'm on row 59 late into the evenin' and I'm determined to get 'em done & have them on the blocking board before going to bed. They may still be damp when we leave for NH in a couple of days but that's okay, they can dry in their new home. All I have to do after this last row is the 4 garter stitch boarder and then the thumb ... the Thumb. There was NO HOLE for the thumb. I forgot to do the gusset and hold off the stitches for the thumb. Where was I suppose to do this? Well way back on row 17. That's right; row seventeen.

I've knit over 40 pairs of fingerless gloves and mittens in the past few years and never once did I forget to do the gusset for the thumb. Now someone made a very good suggestion of using EZ's afterthought thumb. BUT, I had already done the right hand correctly and the left had to match because it was a gift right. So yup, I frogged back to row 17.

It's all in the process isn't it? So I'm over it now. And I'll never forget the gusset again!

One last pair of fingerless mitts for a gift went to the munchkin, JD because she wondered where her's were. [inspite of the fact she was the only one who got a sweater] At least she loves my knitting right? Well she's only 5 1/2 and I needed to "size up her hands" I told her. So I had her measure her's with mine to give me an idea of how small to make her mitts.

And they seem to fit her perfectly.

So now I can knit for myself!  And with that in mind I went crazy casting on ...

but I also completed a couple of hats and a pair of mitts for myself by Christmas.

Urban Knitster Slouch Hat by Melissa Leapman. It's in her new book; Stashbuster Knits. A fantastic book by the way!

Autumn in Garrison by Kate Gagnon Osborn 

And a revised version of Susie's Reading Mitts.

I used  Aslan Trends Invernal in both of the last two knits. Lovely yarn to work with BTW.

And now I'm on to the many other projects that just suddenly jumped onto the needles before I knew it. OCKD or Startitis?

And next week I'll tell you about ....

So little time and so much knitting to do!

Christmas is around the corner ...

Believe it or not I've finished with the Christmas gift knitting, but I've been busy with knitting for myself as well of course and wrapping, mailing and giving out gifts in person. So until I get my completed knitting pictures are put together ... here's some pictures of one family gathering with some of the grandchildren two weekends ago.

JD wearing her sweater that Grammy knit.

And showing us their dance steps while dinner was cooking.

Fingerless gifts for most everybody this year while the youngest above got the sweater. Goodness, it barely fits! I knit for a size 8 yr old and she's only 5 1/2 yrs old. She wondered "Where's my mitts?" So of course I knit her a pair when I got home.

Three of the girls loved their mitts of course ...

So now it's a matter of waiting until Saint Nick is here.

But wait ... I also got a beautiful gift from my Georgia friend that I must show you.

Front and back ... just so cute and USEFUL!

And I love the card I received from family in Florida ...

Have a Merry Christmas, one and All!!

Don't Stop Now ...

Another Beanstalk Wristwarmers ...



and if you're not comfortable with DPN's and still want some fingerless mitts try this super easy pattern called  Irish Hiking Armwarmers ...



Hey I love knitting these so much I've already cast on for some more.



How many more can I get done before Christmas?

Warm Hands will give you a warm ...

heart and fingers. Really.

Honestly, unless it's way below zero when you have your hands covered in wool or alpaca the warmth will extend into your fingers. Even if they're not completely covered. Such as when you wear Fingerless Mitts, Wristwarmers, or Armwarmers  ... or whatever you might know them to be called. I for one; absolutely LOVE them! I wear them all through the Fall, Winter and Spring. And if it's cold inside they get slipped on rather than putting up the heat and burning the oil. Yup, warm hands will help to make me warm all over.

Completed more Chtistmas gifts ...



Beanstalks
by Jo Bangles
from Jo-Bangles Ravelry Downloads

And more than one pair of Manly Fingerless Mitts. Two in the pattern:

Men's Fingerless Mitts by Kathy North from Piece by Piece and  Intercostal Mitts by Joseph Reinert from Zephyr's Patterns. One for a 13 year old grandson and the other two for college age grandsons. Now I need to make a pair for the DH. He has his eye on some blue yarn. Navy blue.

And then there are a few that I'm still working on ...

I'm trying to use up the left-over also  for wristwarmers ...

and there's still time to knit a few Owly Bookmarks ...

Waste not want not, right?

I'm a Knitting Machine!

The on-going supply of fingerless mitts for Christmas gifts continue ...

Men's Fingerless Mitts

Christmas Reading Mitts

Only 4 more pair to go and I've just cast on today for the next pair. Another pair of Susie's Reading Mitts and then back to the Men's Fingerless Mitts. Two more grandsons to go and of course I still need to take inventory to see where I stand and if I've forgotten anyone.

Maybe I'll knit one more pair for myself too. Why not, huh?

Keeping my hands warm by ...

continuing to knit up fingerless gloves/mitts handwarmers.

Not for me but for Christmas gifts. But ... I do want a few for myself so bad. Yes, I'll get a pair in there once I've finest with the gift knitting.

And this was an interesting pattern to work on too. You can purchase it on Ravelry. They're called the  Chalice Cable Handwarmers.

As for today ... this very moment,  I'm preparing for another Crochet class at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn ... in case you'd like to join me the class is called "How to Handle the Hot Stuff" ... and here's a sample:

A great way to use up the left-over stash and make useful items and "hostess" or Holiday gifts. This one is the Hot Grip and is a free download pattern. We're covering a few things in the "hot stuff" category.  Tips and tricks demonstrations included.

 Have fun using up the scraps!!

I'm a Retro kind of gal ...

And my purchases might also tell you that I have only one other subject on my mind most of the time.

Here it is:

Can you tell what it is made from?

Knitting Needle Chocker/Necklace and Bracelets, as well as old buttons made into Charms can be found for sale at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in Salem, MA. (I was there yesterday to teach a class and could I seriously walk away without buying something like this?) 

But how cool is that necklace & button, huh?

Manly sized handwarmers completed.

Another Christmas gift finished and others are clicking away on the needles hopefully to be completed in time ... the Manly Handwarmers pattern from Hugs for Your Head

They are even large on my sweet husband but they were made for a son in law with very large hands. My DH kind of hinted that he'd like a pair also but I know he has a pair somewhere in his drawers. I'll have to look for 'em. Men can't seem to find anything right in front of their noses. But I love this pattern so much I think I'll make them also for my other son in law but with a regular knit2, purl 1 ribbing in either black or gray. And yes, I'll get around to making a pair the DH. Navy blue maybe.

Ya, navy blue for the ole sailor!

Clickity, click, click, click ...

It's been one of those kind of weeks.

Starting with the New England Nor'easter last Saturday I stayed at home with my knitting most of the time working on the Christmas gifts.

Completed;

Handwarmers fit for a young man.

And finally finished the sweater for the 5 year old granddaughter which I had started last JULY.

And yes I'm still knitting more gifts only cast on the needles this week ...
 (don't ask me about the others waiting around for me to finish, okay?)

A shawl and more fingerless (handwarmer) gloves/mitts...

Seems like it never ends doesn't it? ... clickity, click, click, click.