Fiber Arts Friday: Stripey Scarf

A few weeks ago Vivian over at Bits and Pieces gave away a scarf she made.  It was her "car project."  Only working on it while waiting or being a passenger.

I love the idea of a "car project" to make those few minutes here and there useful, but I'm rarely in my car anymore.... or on an airplane for that matter.  So I have a cubby with a go-bag for each in-progress-project and just grab which ever one suits my fancy when I think I may have some waiting or passenger time.

Anyway, I am the lucky recipient of Vivian's beautiful work.  It has made an appearance at a couple of Christmas parties already and will be keeping me warm while doing farm chores this winter.

She was also kind enough to send some of her yarn scraps.  I had told her I was wanting to make something of a yarn quilt, but didn't have enough yarn in similar weights.

But now I have a little more to work with.... it might be time to start putting a real project plan together.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday and I hope you're having a wonderful Holiday season.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Fingerless Mitts, part 4

Finished!

I'm challenged with the ladders... the space between needles.  I did a better job with the second mitt, which is not very apparent in the photo below.  :-/  I'm hoping they will improve a bit with a good soaking.

The second mitt is a little smaller than the first... so I can now see a reason for attempting two-at-a-time.  ;-)

These were my first pair of mittens.  They also had my first Russian Join.

The join is to the left of the thumb gusset... almost un-noticeable.  :-)

The alpaca+silk yarn is lovely and soft.  I think these will work perfectly for computer work when it gets cold again.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Fingerless Mitts, part 3

I've been pretty dedicated to this project for the last couple of weeks and certainly last week's cold was a good incentive for finishing.  Not quite there, but they are getting very close,

and there's a whole lot of winter still to come.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Fingerless Mitts, part 2

I was on the road last week.  It was supposed to be time off around Thanksgiving, but since my DayJob is in IT, I did have to spend some time working. :-/  In spite of that, I made a lot of progress on my Fingerless Mitts while we were out of town.

I like small projects for traveling.... they don't take up a whole lot of space or weight... and when you're like me and detest checking bags, less is more.  :-)

I'm feeling much better about the pattern, although I did forego the lace at the top.

Now to make a second one, more-or-less the same size.  ;-)

I hope you're staying warm on this Fiber Arts Friday!

Feeling Grateful

A few years ago, when we moved back to Colorado from New Mexico, I bought a big down coat.  I call it my "Saint Paul Parka."

I bought the coat because New Mexico has mild winters, I had lived there for a very long time and was suddenly commuting to the Twin Cities of Minnesota... specifically, Saint Paul.  I knew my winter coat, that had been perfectly fine for New Mexico, was not going to cut it in Minnesota.

What I didn't realize at the time is that Northern Colorado gets just as cold, only it's not for as long.  Of course the sun shines more here, but I digress.  ;-)

So when the weather is like it is right now, I am grateful for my Saint Paul Parka.

We went below freezing (+32F) yesterday afternoon and will stay there for the next week.

Fiber Arts Friday: Handmade Holiday, part 2

I suppose the good thing about not planning to make any gifts for Christmas that weren't already finished is that I have time when inspiration strikes.... and again.  ;-)

This project has the added benefit of using left-over yarn.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Fingerless Mitts

I'm having a bit of startitis these days, and with it getting cooler, I am reminded that I really want a pair of fingerless mitts.

Susie's Reading Mitts have been in my queue for a looong time.  So long in fact, there appears to be a new version of the pattern.

I had decided that I wanted to pair that pattern with this lovely, fine gauge suri alpaca that Hubba brought home from Japan a few years ago.

So while Susie's Reading Mitts calls for a thicker gauged yarn, I was feeling confident about my gauge-adjusting skills.  I just had to figure out the right sized needle for getting the fabric I was after.

I decided to check the label for recommended needle sizes and was quickly reminded that I do not read Japanese.  :-/

One of my Comadres found a US-to-Japanese Needle Size Translation Chart... and after a bit of swatching I settled on US0.

So now that I'm into the pattern, I'm having mixed feelings.  I love the fine, soft yarn.... with it being an alpaca blend, the mitts should be plenty warm, but the eyelet lace is nearly impossible to see and what will become a Picot edge is just not looking so hot.

This has me thinking that a different pattern might be a better choice for this yarn, but I have decided to finish at least one mitt before I make a final decision.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!