Moss Stitch Mitts

I used some yarn from The New Twist in Wichita and tried the Fingerless Moss Stitch Mitts from ravelry.com.  They seemed huge, so I knocked off a few stitches on the cast on.  That made a perfect size for a little girl I know.

Maurine

I found some wonderful yarn at The New Twist in Wichita's Delano District and thought it'd be great for some fingerless mitts. And I love this pattern -- Maurine -- that I found on Ravelry. Tho, I love the yarn colors,the busy look doesn't show the pattern as much as I'd like.

But I'll def use the yarn again and I'll for sure use the pattern -- maybe with a solid yarn.

Daisies and Zinnias

my pine cone flowers

I've been seeing so many creative flowers on Pinterest made out of pine cones. I finally decided to give it a try.  I picked some cones out of Mac's yard, got some super cheap paint from Hancock's going-out-of-business sale, and went for it.

First I baked them at 250 for 30 minutes to assure that I wasn't bringing in any bugs.  Then I used floral sheers to cut them in half.  That was the most time consuming part.

I brushed the paint on due to space issues.  Dunking or spraypainting would be great.

Right side up makes a daisy.  Upside down makes a zinnia.

found these cute little colanders at World Market for $1.99

I made a few extra which may become fridge magnets.

Trail Hands

I really love this pattern and think it's great for girls or guys!  They are nice and stretchy.  More to come!

Crystal's and Jerri's

Give Thanks

I love this simple pattern.  It has a cable look to it, but there is no cabling. I'll def be making some move of these.

This is some sparkly, worsted acrylic from Hancock's.  I sure hate that they are going out of business and folks are losing their jobs and that I scored big on yarn and buttons.  Prayers that they all find another job soon.

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.