Thanks to 1/4 of an inch I found this kneat-o site!

Let the giftmaking continue

It's that time of the year again. Let the holiday giftmaking commence. Now that I've gotten most of the baby gifts out of the way, I can turn all my attention to the holiday gifts.

I was flipping through some books at Barnes & Noble and came home with Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. I fell in love with the Jack in the Box Mittens pattern. Being an ex-smoker, I never ever was able to wear mittens. Now that I've quit, wearing mittens among other things, is something I couldn't wait to do.

But living in the city makes it very hard to not have your fingers at the ready. Whipping out your Metrocard, turning down the volume on your iPod to hear what the subway conductor is announcing, shoving your change into your wallet as quickly as possible before the fifty thousand grumpy people behind you at the coffee shop stampede you to place their order. And most importantly, being able to quickly whip out your knitting to get some rows done on the train.

So these mittens have some cabling which I love, and it has the most necessary flip top. I have found the most perfect gift for all my city-dwelling friends.





I used Malabrigo's worsted weight wool in "Paris Night" - isn't that the most perfect name for this color? Knitty City was well-stocked enough to have a ton of Malabrigo. One skein for one pair - perfect gift!

As Prepared As I'll Ever Be

Maybe I didn't think far enough ahead when I picked out this yarn for this sweater design. I think, that quite possibly, this sweater may be too warm to ever wear. As soon as I put my head through the split turtleneck, I could feel the cashmere start to envelop me, and I started to break out into a sweat. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't regret a single minute I spent hanging out with and knitting up this scrumptuous cashmere. I loved it. My fingers will never be the same. But, it is quite possible that this sweater stays on the dressform. No joke. It's beyond thermal.

But, I fell in love with this yarn while working at Knitty City. It took 14 balls of Jade Sapphire's 8-ply Cashmere to complete this sweater in size small. (Thank Gawd for the employee discount.) The color is Latte, and aside from my addiction to coffee, I simply love the warm peaches and beiges that come with this winter white yarn. I very highly recommend this yarn, not that I need to tell you, but seriously... think twice about making an entire sweater out of it.



It is a beautiful design from Vogue Knitting's Fall 2006 issue. This design belongs to one of the best spreads Vogue Knitting has ever compiled. I want to make every single sweater from this very sophisticated gray collection of designs. I've started with this design, and tried a different neutral.



I have to admit, the sweater is not the most flattering. It's a chunky cable design, and the pieces of the sweater were not shaped, so the shoulders/upper arm area ends up being very boxy. But let me assure you; once that thermostat hits 10 below, I'll be wearing it.

But, I won't look like the gorgeous model in the magazine, that's for sure. I'll be all sweaty.

Friendly Placemats

I had promised my mother-in-law new placemats for her Fire Island home. I promised her these placemats last summer. I'm a little embarrassed it has taken me this long.



I followed Amy Butler's In Stitches book and boy are they easy! It was perfect. I bought the fabric yesterday and finished 8 placemats today.

I skipped the part of inserting Timtex between the layers. I knew my mother-in-law would want to be able to fold them up and stuff them into drawers.

It worked out perfectly since I bought some heavy duty home decor weight fabric. (Heather Ross's line for Kokka Fabrics from The City Quilter to be exact.) I don't know if she'll find them too cute, but I adore this fabric. Foxes, bunnies and frogs dancing around. What could be sweeter than that?

I just love them, and I bought some extra fabric to play around with. I'm thinking... maybe... a cute tote for Farmers' Market groceries.

Shady's Seedy Scarf

My dearest friend, Shady (aka Shadyshadykins or Sir Shady or The Shade) just celebrated the big 3-3. We both take pride, not only in being practical Virgos, but in covering ourselves with neutrals thinking anything between dove grey and camel is too gauche. We take that same approach with our clothing.

So when I want to make him something, it's pretty easy to decide on colors. And while it may be miles of Boring to knit, I know he'll love the simple textured look of the seed stitch.