'Knitting Fog..!' Early morning mist in fields surrounding our village

Monday, 2 February 2009

Barrels and Blizzards!

Yesterday I managed to knit up to the start of the top decrease section of the left mitten, after taking time off for a snooze. I literally fell asleep over my needles. I've done that before, maybe I need more iron in my diet, I'm always feeling tired these days; or maybe it is just this depressing winter weather.

Overnight someone painted the world outside white. The snowstorms from Russia have arrived, and apparently covered most of the UK in a blanket of white, creating chaos once more on our roads, at least it brightens up our normally dull, dark days. Jim went out and cleared a path to the outhouse, he was no sooner back in the kitchen than we had another snowfall that filled it in without trace!

During the night I had a wierd dream, we were in a flooded hall and sitting in a half barrel, suddenly we were swept away into town and I was frantically paddling with a shovel. I looked at Jim, he was wearing his dressing gown, then we were back in the hall about to be presented with something...and I was feeling very embarrassed....! Where do these crazy dreams come from? Maybe I had better lay off the Cranberry juice!

We were intending to take a trip into York today to B and Q, but I think I will just stay home by the fire and finish the Latvian mittens, Margaret will need them this week.

Saturday, 31 January 2009

Latvian Mittens


This is my first blog. Right now I am working on my third pair of Latvian Mittens. My first pair, knitted last year on 2mm circular needles, were a challenge as I had never done anything like them before, and with such fine wool and thin needles. But I loved it. I was following the Lizbeth Upitis KAL on the Schoolhouse Press website, along with a number of other Ravelry members.

If you haven't heard of www.Ravelry.com yet, and you are a keen knitter or crochet fanatic, pay a visit and join, it is a fantastic website.

The first pair I knitted for myself, the second pair for a friend in Minnesota and the third pair are for a friend in the next village. With temperatures of 50 below in Minnesota and snowstorms from Russia heading towards the UK I think the mittens will be a cosy blessing.

I used Debbie Bliss 4 ply Rialto in four colours for the first two pairs, green, eggshell blue, red and beige. The third pair I am knitting withDebbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, and they have five colours, plum, purple, pink, jade and yellow. As Baby Cashmerino is 5 ply the mittens are slightly larger, but just right for my friend.

The fringe on the bottom of the cuffs was also a challenge at first, but now I find it quite easy and have used the same method to create wigs for knitted dolls. The braid above the fringe is quite attractive and I have used that also when knitting Christmas stockings for my great grandchildren, Sophie and Joshua.

I have been knitting both right and left mittens in turn, and tnight finished the right one except for the thumb. The left one I had worked to just above the thumbhole, so tomorrow I will continue the palm and finish it, then work both thumbs.
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