Mitts for Julie

I decided to knit the Pomona Mitts from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, Fall 2013 for one of the ladies at day care.  The first mitt that I made was gigantic!  So now I'm on my third, and hopefully final one to give to this lady!  Needless to say, I think this is the first and last of this pattern that I plan to knit.

Up to the eyelet wedge for this pattern.  Its roughly 20% complete at this point.

Half complete, well, sans the thumbs, at this point.

65%-ish complete.  Just need to finish the eyelet wedge, final shaping, and a bind-off of the edge.

Now to bind off and graft this mitt... then I will be done with the pair!!!  #ItsAboutTime #Knitting

The mitt is done.  I'm not overly pleased with this pattern... something about that thumb...

The best part about this pattern: I have mastered the provisional cast-on method.  Wahoo!!!
Yarn used: Cascade 220

My next knitting project...

My to-do list of knitting:

1. Finish toe socks 
2. Finish thrummed mittens 
3. Knit a hat for someone at day care 
4. Finish that Entrelac scarf for my child 
5. Maybe a beaded ornament or two 
6. Finish another sock for my child (I've completed one already) 
7. Frog the Tutu I made for the toddler (really, the darn thing is way too short) 
8. A lightweight jacket for me
9. A heavyweight jacket for me 
10. Sweater for the hubs 
11. Vest for the hubs 
12. Finish knitting the C Man his blankie

 ...and somewhere in there, I need to slip in some gifts and actually focus on academics. So maybe this can be my knitter's almanac for 2014:

January 

• Finish toe socks 
• Finish R's socks 
• Finish the DH's mittens (oops... forgot about those!) 
• Knit a hat for someone at day care 
• Knit a Christmas gift (how bout a beaded ornament?) 
• Start & finish the back of a sweater for the hubs 

  February 

• Finish the Entrelac scarf for my child
• Knit one skein of Blankie for C
• Revamp that Tutu for R
• Start and finish the side of a sweater for the hubs
• Knit a Christmas gift (fingerless mitts???) 

March

• Knit one skein of Blanike for C (one left after this!!!)
• Start a lightweight jacket for me. Complete the back and sides. 
• Finish the arms of a sweater for the hubs, block
• Knit a pair of socks for me
• Knit a Christmas gift (hmmm... maybe a birthday gift) 

April

• Finish C's Blankie (yeah!!! 14 months in the making)
• Finish the lightweight jacket for me
• Start a heavyweight jacket for me. Complete back, sides, hood.
• Start a toddler sweater for C
• Christmas gift: A very warm hat 

May

• Finish heavyweight jacket for me
• Socks for C Socks for R Socks for the DH
• Christmas gift shawl

June

• Start the Circle of Life Shawl for me. Oh, I've frogged this project too many times :( 
• Christmas gift: a fun bag

July

• Chip at that Circle of Life Shawl. Knitting lace to be 6' across and on a size 3 needle is going to be time consuming.
• Christmas gift: the Fairfax Reticule from Jane Austen Knits, Fall 2013. Maybe I could make two of these...

August

Graduation month, yeah. I'll officially have the letters M-S-N after my name. 

• Complete the Circle of Life shawl. I better be binding if off this month!
• Christmas gift: how bout a cowl & mobius scarf.

September

• Christmas gift: mittens
• Christmas gift: cowl
• Christmas gift: socks for the wee ones

October

• Christmas gift: A knit dalek for each child
• Christmas gift: scarf for a dude 

November

Maybe I should learn how to Fair Isle Knit now, so I can make some hats from Fox and Geese and Fences. 

• Christmas gift: Hat with matching mittens
• Christmas gift: Knit wash cloths & matching towels 

December

Take a break :) Just kidding. Start on sweaters for 2015.

Now, if only I actually stick to this plan...

For the Diva

My eldest child is obsessed with the color purple. This years projects included a purple sweater and a rainbow entrelac scarf. I think I like the scarf a bit more. Knitting in entrelac is a lot of fun and it is super easy (it just looks challenging). Take a peek at my project on Ravelry...

The Microdude

I had some down time this summer, so I knit the micro dude a little sweater. He looks cute wearing it! So... For the main body and sleeves, I used Cascade Eco Wool. The copper and blue colored yarn used on the collar were in my stash from knitting a Very Warm Hat (an infamous EZ pattern) for the DH.

Its Christmas Knitting Time

Christmas knitting can be fun, unless you're a grad student who is extremely behind on everything! This year's knit gift was hats made from Schachenmayr's original Lumio. Why knit hats for people? Because the yarn is so bulky that all you need is a 40-inch size 15 circular and up to 2.5 hours of time. That's it. They were fun to make. Even my striped ones looked amazing. Running low on colors, then stripe! I omitted the pom-pom from the pattern and used the Kitchener stitch to bind off. I recommend 36 stitches for a child's hat and 40+ for an adult's hat (use your best judgement).