Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Aran Island mittens x 2

Hey, thanks for your tips for travel knitting. I think I'll go with lace, since I knit my socks on 5 double point needles, I don't think that would be a good choice. I have several things in mind already. But here are some finished projects:

The first try to knit those mittens failed, due to me not being able to read through the instructions carefully. I used too thick yarn and too large needles. The second and third try turned out O.K. Still, these mittens are huge, even with the right needle size, and stretchy, and I LOVE them! The green ones, are for me, of course. The red ones are for Hannah.


green Aran Island mittens:

yarn: Debbie Bliss DK merino
needles: 3.25mm, DP
pattern: from the book "Folk Mittens" by Marcia Lewandowski
start-finish: Sept. 09 - 11
modifications. I did a (k3,p1) on the palm side, to hold it a little together. I also didn't like the reverse stockinette look of the thumb, so I made it just stockinette stitch and I like it very much. I LOVE the green color!
This pattern is easy to knit, and memorize, that's why I did a second pair right away, and would do another one, it's that much fun!
I made some minor mistakes, but nothing major.

My creation

red Aran Island mittens:
yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca light, color # 4281, 1 1/2 skeins, 50g = 14yds, 50% alpaca, 50% peruvian wool
needles: 3.25mm
pattern: same as above
start-finish: Sept. 23-26 (O.K. so I knit something else in between the two pairs)

You can clearly see, that the fuzzy alpaca yarn does not show the cables as crisp as the 100% merino yarn does. Still, I like the heathered look of the red, and they are so soft and warm.
I made the same mods as with the green ones, but fewer mistakes. And - I found a different way to make the bobbles, which I liked better, and they are rounder, but smaller.


This happens, when you have headphones on and ignore the asking stare of your puppy. Biko snuck up on the bed, which both of them are not allowed to do without permission (usually they walk up to the couch or bed, turn to look at whoever is in the room and wait for the word "up"). But she's so cute, so she's forgiven. That was before I turned on the heat. I think she was cold, since she was swimming for the last time this year. Now she's fine in her own bed, heat is on, but on low. Might turn it off again, since it's supposed to get warmer towards the weekend. We'll see.

26 comments:

Maggie said...

Those mittens are wonderful! And either you are knitting very fast or are hiding projects from us until they're done! :)

That is such a sweet photo of Biko sleeping! She looks unbelievably cozy.

Anonymous said...

Biko weiß ebeb wo es schön kuschelig ist! Ich könnte mich glatt daneben legen - so süß und gemütlich sieht das aus!

Liebe Monika - Deine Handschuhe sind superklasse und ich weiß noch nichtmal welche Farbe mir besser gefällt. Hannah wird sich sicher freuen.

LG Heike

Dreams of Yarn said...

wow the mitts are just gorgeous, you have such an eye for matching a pattern with an appropriate color

Päivi, Lankakomero said...

Your green mittens ARE beautiful! I really like them.

shannon said...

my favorite look from josie, when i'm in bed, is the chin on the bed with eyes being all she moves...that look of "please, may i?"

it's chilly here too, but yard work awaits so i don't think i will turn on the heat.

those mittens are gorgeous!

Rhonda said...

Your mittens are gorgeous. I might try knitting some this summer as it is usually too hot to knit anything big here over Christmas. I really like them.
My dogs, too, love to get on the forbidden bed - I think your puppy pillowcases confused Biko - he thinks it's a dog's bed!!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

Love the mitts! So fun to have matching mother/daughter gear for Winter!

Biko is precious all curled up like that. Makes we want to curl up with her and take a nap!

Anonymous said...

I saw the mittens on Ravelry and thought they were wonderful! I've been thinking about getting a heated bed for my furry babes but that might be a bit excessive. :-)

CelticCastOn said...

love those mitts, partial to the green ones :)
Poor Biko feeling the chill :) They are so cute you can't help but let them get away with stuff sometimes.

Cloudberry said...

Great mittens!
I really want to knit me a pair of these, but I guess I have to wait until I have some x-mas presents done ;)

Anonymous said...

Those are the exact same modifications I would make if I knit them again. I didn't like that reverse stockinette thumb at all - and I like your idea of the front ribbing. Beautiful mittens!!!
PS - they said it should be there by Wednesday

Tina said...

Oh these mittens are really nice, both pairs!
I definitely know this doggy-walk-to-the-couch-ask-for-permission look! Biko IS cute!

sgeddes said...

I lvoe the mittens! I've opromised that I'll knit myself a pair this year.

Angelika said...

You really crank out those mittens fast. I can imagine them being toasty. And you are right about the pup being cute like this. It's getting nippy here too, so I can just imagine your area.

Kelley said...

I love those mittens: the colors are gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Yes the mittens are fabulous, especially the green ones!! Biko is definitely cute!! Fancy ignoring them!! Harki and Peri are in bed right this very minut...

Susanne said...

Liebe Monika,
das Bild von Biko ist so friedlich und gemütlich, man möchte gleich auch ein Schläfchen machen.

Deine Handschuhe sind wunderschön!! Interessant ist wirklich, wie unterschiedlich die Handschuhe in den beiden Garnqualitäten wirken.

Übrigens noch zu Deinen Regia Softy Babysöckchen: die sind auch sehr niedlich. Das Garn habe ich in einem gebrochenen Weiß auch vor ein paar Monaten gekauft, um mir kuschelige Wintersocken zu machen. Ich hab sie aber noch nicht angefangen. Aber Du hast recht, das Garn ist ganz schön teuer.

Zu Deinen Urlaubsprojekten:
Ich glaube, es ist eine gute Wahl, ein Laceprojekt mit in den Urlaub zu nehmen. Mir persönlich gefallen immer solche Projekte, die nicht zu dick sind und nicht zuviel Platz wegnehmen. Außerdem sollte die Frage der Passform keine große Rolle spielen. Deshalb sind im Grunde immer Socken meine Favoriten, aber eben auch Schals, Mützen oder Handschuhe.
Und denk dran: Strickzeug kannst Du grundsätzlich nicht mit ins Handgepäck auf den Flug nehmen. Die Stricknadeln (auch solche aus Holz oder Bambus) können als Waffe gelten!!

Wann fährst Du genau in Urlaub?
Liebe Grüße
Susanne

Ann said...

The mittens look great & I love the cables. I don't knit mittens as the weather is not cold enough here to wear them - what a pity!

hakucho said...

Your mittens are gorgeous. I love the green ones. I'm very partial to greens as you probably know :)

I had to put my heat on too...my old bones just don't do well in the cold.

happy knitting :)

Anonymous said...

LIebe Moni,

die Handschuhe sind einfach traumhaft. Ich wünschte ich könnte das auch so toll. Wann machst Du das alles?

Ganz liebe GRüße
Petra

Gloria Patre said...

The mittens are gorgeous!! I lurv the green!! The colors are SO rich!! You're SO fast too!! Thanks also for the hat pattern links!!

Anonymous said...

The mittens are lovely. I like both pairs.

I love the picture of Biko on the bed.

Life's a Stitch said...

So sweet, what a good way to warm up your bed.

fleegle said...

Exquisite! You are incredibly talented!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful mittens!! I love the colors! I actually posted today. Check it out when you have time.
myknittingaddiction.blogspot.com

Kris B said...

Both mittens are gorgeous and when you put them together the colors remind me of Christmas red/green.

Aww, Biko is a cutie all snuggled up. I would have forgiving her to.