Kylebeg Mitts

free on Ravelry by Helen Kurtz. 

 Love, love, love this pattern. She created this pattern when she was staying at a cottage in Dublin.  So she named it after the cottage.  This pattern knits up so nicely and is a great cabling experience.

 And this is my fave thumb gusset of all the mitts I've done!  It finishes really well.  I'll def be making some more of these.

I used the malabrigo and totally love the softness!

I also made some out of Kathy Douthit's homespun yarn.

Such beautiful colors!  Reminds me of Noro except it feels soft on the skin.  Kathy is a Texarkana friend who works at The Yarn Garden. She's retired from Hospice of Texarkana and used to come to LEMS and do Good Grief Clubs with students when I was a counselor there. It's nice to use yarn that has a friend's story to go with it.

I had a little of Kathy's yarn left, so I made another pair and topped them off with some purple acrylic.

Haloarchaea Mitts

Haloarchaea

That word!  I had to google it.  Kinda thought it was some foreign land or historic site.  But, it's actually a bacteria that grows in the Great Salt Lake, geysers, and hot springs.  The author of this pattern is from Utah and her blog name is lakesaltknit.  The color of the yarn she used is a similar color to the haloarchaea.

mine after blocking

I had some Red Heart Unforgettable in a color that made me think of the ocean, so that's what I used.  I love the color and the feel of this yarn.  But, boy oh boy, is it hard to knit with!

these needles are the about the same size around as the toothpick on the right

I had to buy some size 1 dpn's for this project and I joked with the lady a the Yarn Garden that I could've used toothpicks.  As you can see in the above pic (no pun intended), I wasn't too far off.  She told me some of the knitters there recently went to Ireland and took part in some knitting classes.  The instructors there actually had them using toothpicks for some things such as holding needles, etc.

Not sure if it was the yarn or the pattern or both, but this was really hard to block.  And still the ruffle isn't as showy as I'd like.  I'll try it again one day with a more relaxed yarn.

Scrappy Mitts

This pattern is funky, easy, and a great stash buster!

Flyfishing Gloves

Fingerless gloves, that is. David found and bought this pattern off of Ravelry and asked me to knit them up for him.  It's my first time to do fingers other than thumbs as I usually do fingerless mitts.  It wasn't hard but it was a challenge.  Fingers are a bit tedious and the gaps in between were a struggle for me.  I'm not 100% happy with how they turned out, but I learned a lot and will try again on a second pair.

I did a lot of googling videos to see how to close up the gaps.  Then after he wore them once or twice, the ends of my weaving began poking through to the other side,

 So I googled remedies for that and didn't find a lot of help.  I took them into the Yarn Garden in Texarkana where I bought the yarn (Superwash Wool) for them. The lady working that day told me just to clip what's poking through.  I had been scared to do that for fear of creating a hole.  But she said as long as the ends are woven it shouldn't create a hole. Here's hoping!  There are so many ends that it would make a LOT of holes!

I got this in gray and an olive green

I must say I totally love the yarn.  It's 100% Superwash Wool by Cascade Yarns.  Feels great and is reqsonably priced.

Debbie helped me with my project

In Wichita I started the olive green pair for him.  Once I got to where I needed to close up gaps, I went in to get some help at the New Twist Yarn Shop in the Delano District.  Debbie gave me some great ideas and demonstrated how to close up those gaps nicely.  She also gave me some tips to keep the "noses" (those little pieces after I clip the tails) from poking through to the right side. She said to block and give the gloves a good stretching before I trim the tails.  Even wearing them a couple of times before snipping the tails should help.

they had about 10 or so "lunch bunch" gals rhere knitting together

I felt better about the gaps, but as you can see, weaving in the ends is still a challenge for me. Maybe those lumps will smooth out with wear. In the meantime,  I think I'll still with fingerless mitts!

Malabrigo Mitts

This was a quick knit and very comfy.

Free pattern off of Ravelry.com.

I wasn't too sure about this yarn because as I was unwinding it, it almost seemed felted.  But once it was knitted up, I LOVED it.  Sooooo soft!

Blanket Scarf

Another Pinterest idea!  A blanket scarf can be worn several ways and even used as a shawl.  Or a throw! And it's a brainless project that can be done while watching a movie. (and the threads can be used in a "birdnest helper")

I got 2 yards of flannel --- shirting flannel so that the print is the same on both sides.  Even it up with rotary or scissors and begin fringing the ends. Just use a stitch ripper and take one row of thread out at a time until the fringe is as long as you want. I also barely fringe the sides. I've seen a suggestion on Pinterest to use your sewing machine and stitch across where you want the fringe to stop.  I may try that, but for now, I'm doing what most of the patterns instruct and just fringing til I want to stop.

For a true blanket scarf, 2 yards works perfectly.  But this fabric can also be cut in half lengthwise for 2 long scarves that aren't as wide. I like that look also!

I think some Pleasant Grove peeps would like this one

More to come!

September 2016:  I gave my first blanket scarves to my Spearfish peeps: April, Ashley, Amy, and Jan.

April modeled hers for me, and hopefully I'll get pix from the other 3!

October 2016:  Brooke got one for her birthday.

Chloe, her sister, and her mom got matching ones in PG colors!

November 2016:  A few given for early Christmas this year!

Really Easy Wristers

Gina, Ranger Holly, and Shari

The pattern for these fingerless mitts was on a Red Heart yarn label. I gave them a try so I could knit our volunteer coordinator, Ranger Holly, a "good-bye" gift.  She's been so wonderful to us at South Llano River State Park and is an Oregon girl, fairly new to TX.  I thought she needed some burnt orange mitts as she get acclimated to TX.

I had enough to include earwarmers, too 

quick pattern, worked flat instead of in the round

without internet, I had to wing it on the stitching togeter
(next time I will use the mattress stitch)