jillymitts completed

So here's the jillymitts I finished a while ago now. I have a friend's 30th coming up and I decided to make her something. As I don't know her real well and was unsure what to get her as a present I just decided to make her something by hand. A personal present that is useable is a good gift I think. So I decided to frog the shawl that wasn't working that I'd started to crochet with my plum purple 100% alpaca by Tailored Strands. It's fingering weight/4ply and I used my 3.75mm circs for the job. I planned to do simple fingerless mittens as they would be quickest to make meaning I should get them finished before the party. I decided to add a bit of interest with a touch of lace work. Just a few thoughtfully positioned holes I planned to work in. Since my friend is quite a bit smaller than me I made them tight on my hands and I'm hoping they'll fit her well. I let the ends curl at the edges of the ribbing sections. Even on the thumb. For the thumb I just held some stitches and picked them up later. It's on the gloves I started next that I tried a thumb gusset which I like as a better option. These mittens I find to be rather tight across the palm. But hopefully they'll fit my friend's hands fine. The only pity is that with the positioning of the lacework, though I like it, it doesn't really get shown off unless you hang your hands to stretch it out. Oh well. All in all I'm rather happy with them and I hope my friend loves them and finds them wonderfully useful.

rattlesnake beanie

Watch out! He's got the evil eye on. You can tell he's a hungry one. Oh no.... HE GOT ME! Ahhhh!

Yes yes. I had fun with this one. I was thrilled knitting every stitch and sewing on each decorative piece. Yes, and taking every photo. :) Such a laugh.

I bought thicker yarn so I could knit it quickly. I used Lang West in a perfect browny black. Just the right colour for a snake and a good boy colour. The charcoal yarn is left over from my wurm. I knit a black lip with it and then switched to the bigger needles and yarn. Instead of finishing off the top in a rounded beanie shape I just kept knitting in a smaller tube. Then switching back to the charcoal I did some knitting and purling rounds to make his rattle. I decided to stuff him lightly to give him shape and so crocheted a round circle which I attached on the inside to stop the stuffing coming out.

I then used felt to cut some fangs, wicked hunting eyes and the diamonds for his back. I think it all came together really well. My 8yo nephew has finally received it and sounds like he had just as much fun with it as I did. I doubt it will get a lot of use at the moment as he's in Australia where the heat is on. All the same, I think he did get the kick out of it that I believed he would. How could you not though? He he.

Happy 8th Birthday Ben!!

first thumb gusset

It's late here for me. I should be going to bed. I also have a finished project to show and tell.

But I can't resist. I'm a little thrilled.

The last mittens I knitted--the ones that are waiting for a post--got a bit tight across the palm at the thumb base. So when I got to that point with these ones I thought I'd do a bit of youtubeing. Found out about thumb gussets, got the general idea and gave it a go.

It worked. It fits much better. It looks good. I'm so happy with it. This project is my PIF project (Pay It Forward). Some facebook thing that if you joined in something would be handmade for you. Then you post it too and those who commented on yours, you made something handmade for them. That was back in January or something. Back before I left Australia. It was to be made this year. I just remembered last week I owe a friend a handmade. So I'm knitting away. And very pleased with this new skill I've learned.

My thoughtful boss brought me back some yarn from Ireland when she went there on the weekend. Carraig Donn 100% Merino Wool in Ecru (white). Think I'll be making some more mittens for me when these ones are done. Anyway, more about this later. I need to go to bed.

wokka wokka lunch

I've been a bit inspired by friends and pinterest. I premade a special lunch last Friday for a bit of fun. Left it waiting on the table for when I got the boy home from nursery. Let me show you what I did.

I took one ordinary marmite sandwich and cut it up in a funny way. And then with some bits of cheese and cucumber in the right place....voila!




One thrilled little boy who had fun eating a helicopter for lunch. (Wokka wokka is the sound they make apparently.) The boy is mad about helicopters.

simple knit necklace

Just a simple thing to knit while I'm doing other things. I've been planning on doing this ever since I bought the yarn in Ireland back in May. It's Donegal Aran Tweed from Studio Donegal. Probably not the best yarn for the project as it doesn't knit up smoothly. So my necklace is textured. This is just the beginning. I plan to make more that I can wear all at once or mix and match.

For this yellow one I just cast on 200sts on 4mm circulars, linked them into a loop, knit about 6 or 7 rounds and cast off. It rolls itself into a tubular shape. I think I'll make the next one, a grey one, a little shorter--for varied length.

In the meantime, I have a couple of projects with time limits. I have the Jillymitts to finish by early December and something handmade I promised to make a friend this year that I only just remembered about. Might make some more fingerless mittens. Then I might get back to things for me. :)

tongue surgery

I bought some shoes the other week. (I'm very sad that my other ones wore out so quickly. I really liked them but with winter ever so close here it just won't do to have shoes with holes in the heels.) The only thing I didn't like--call me superficial if you like--is the fat tongues. Oversized. Squishing the insides (my feet). So I planned some liposuction for them.
Ok, so I just opened them up, turned them inside out and cut away the excess. :)

Here's a comparison between the one that's been through surgery and the one in waiting. Much more reasonable.

Happy with the surgery, I stitched it back up and got to work on the other one. Then I carefully and diligently laced them up in a different way just for fun. In time they will compact a bit more but they are much more useable now. No more ghastly superfat tongues. :P

jillymitts

Happy Birthday to my little bro! Back home in Australia he's clocked up another year of life. He's a new age that I'll likely not see him in person for. You get that when adventuring on the other side of the world though.

Speaking of birthdays, I've been working on some presents. The rattlesnake beanie is one I'm making for my nephew. (Blogged about a few posts ago.) I'm also working on some Jillymitts. Named so for the receiver who will be making the 30 milestone next month. And I get to celebrate with her. ^^ So I decided to frog my lacy Elise Shawl (it wasn't working anyway) and use the lovely alpaca to provide some sweet warmth for my friend's hands.

I started out with a very basic idea. I want to get them done in time for her party. But of course I decided to add in a simple bit of fancy. So once I'd formed the idea in my head I did some scibbling on paper to work out the logistics of making it knitable.

All my planning and forethought paid off and I was able to produce what I'd envisioned. Yay! The thumb hole was a different matter but it's set now and waiting for me to finish off the finger end ribbing.
It's a bit tight on my hand but since my friend is quite a bit smaller than me I thought that was a wise idea. With an open end thumb and fingers (mitten style) they're more likely to fit ok. Since I'm not too far off finishing the first one after just a couple of weeks and I've kept a rough record of what I've done, I should be able to finish the second one by the end of the month. She shall get a completed present. Ah, I love a bit of homemade birthday goodness.