Happy New Year, Lonely Mittens

So before I recount the final irritation of the disappointing year that was 2010 (pictured above), let me recount a few victories accomplished in 2011:

• I ran a 5K in 30 degree weather on the first, and I did so after staying out until after 2am the night before.
• I also ran this morning, outside in 30 degree weather
• Walking home from my run this morning, I slid on an icy spot that I didn't notice, and despite some pretty amazing contortions to keep my balance, I did not fall and I do not feel injured.
• Today I booked a hotel in Paris for a trip later this month. I'm arriving a few days before the people I'm travelling with (we booked an apartment), and have been agonizing over where to stay because there are hundreds of options at many different price levels & no clear correspondence between price, # of stars, and user reviews.

So the final bit of insult associated with 2010 should fade quickly under the bright, shining hope that is 2011, but since it's knitting related I need to memorialize it here. Somewhere between errands on New Year's Eve, I lost one of the last complete pair of fingerless mitts that I've knit. So now I have three single fingerless mitts, shown above, that I keep in hopes that one day a lost mitten will show up. From left to right:

• Spincycle Mitts: I'm pretty sure I lost these at a Mariner's game. They were perfect for cold spring & fall games, and they got a ton of use before I lost one. I have enough yarn to make another mitt, and I bought another skein of this Spincycle yarn at the Urban Craft Uprising this year, but I'm worried that the new mitt will look too "new" with the fuzziness of the old mitt. A new pair doesn't take that long to knit though (I recently finished a pair that I gave as a Christmas gift), so I should just suck it up and knit between two and four more mitts.
• Endpaper Mitts: I don't remember getting a lot of use out of this pair, though according to this post, I did use them a lot and lost them in Arizona (they were probably in a coat I packed?) . I loved the squooshiness of the yarn, and the extra coverage of the long size, but the "seams" up the sides of the mitten and the thumb didn't turn out that well, so I have never considered knitting a new mate for this mitt.
• Stripey Mitts: This is the pair that was cruelly separated on New Year's Eve, and it's a harsh blow. They stretched out to become a little too big, and the worsted-weight yarn made them a little bulkier than they should be, but I will miss them. Hopefully, I can find my notes about the pattern (which I never got around to writing up), and make another pair. Maybe in a sport weight, or at least with sport-weight for the pull down ribbing.

If you see any of these, please let me know.

So that's my last sad story of 2010. Hopefully, 2011 will be all happy stories about knitting, such as the beret craze that is sweeping my knitting basket, and fantastic French purchases that I anticipate in the coming weeks. And probably, very probably a new pair of fingerless mitts, because I really, really need some.

Endpaper Mitts - Done and Done

I started these to combat a chilly office, and after today's sleet and rain I rushed home to finish the second mitt. I think they turned out very well, and I'm looking forward to wearing them tomorrow now that the cold is back. Can't knit at stoplights (or grip the steering wheel well) while wearing the Anemoi Mittens!

This shot shows my only (intentional) modification--regular cast on instead of tubular. I tried the tubular, but it was too difficult for me to pick up the stitches with the smooth black yarn. I have to admit that I didn't really try that hard--I was too eager to get to the colorwork. Sorry about the dog hair--as soon as I put the mitts on as a pair, I was attacked by ferocious miniature dachshunds.

Project Recap:
Yarn: GGH Merino Soft in black and royal blue (I don't know if the colors have real names). 1 ball of each, with plenty of leftovers--maybe enough for another mitt when I lose one of these!
Pattern: Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts
Time to knit: about two weeks
Needles: Size 1 knitpicks circular, Magic Loop style

Endpaper Mitts - Beautiful AND Delicious

Tastes Good!

The first Endpaper Mitt is done, and I like it a lot, although I'm not sure that I like it as much as Gretel. Yesterday, when I put it on after finishing, Frieda wanted to fight it in the same way that she fights with socks. It's adorable when puppies fight with socks, but it's slightly less charming in an adult dog who prefers that socks not walk around the house with my feet in them. I'll have to make sure that I don't leave the mitt(s) out anywhere. I'm still carrying around my Anemoi mittens with me everywhere I go, in case there's a sudden cold snap.

The mitt is quite snug on my big hands, it's just the angle of my wrist that makes it look baggy. The only thing that I don't think turned out well is the line of purl stitches that runs up the thumb gusset side. I'm not sure if I used a different "make one" technique than Eunny did, but I think it looks a little sloppy. I'll try to pay more attention to that on Mitt #2. I'm tempted to wear this mitt around solo, but I'm not quite sure that I can pull off that look. I used the same size needle for the ribbing and the colorwork, and the bottom ribbing is a little puffier than I'd expect, but fine.


Here's the inside of the mitt. None of the floats are very long, but I'm still a little afraid of snagging on them. The inside looks pretty good, though--probably better than any other colorwork I've knit.

Under normal lighting, there isn't quite as much contrast between the colors in the mitt as in the photos--the difference is a little subtler. Which brings me to a song lyric using the word subtler--can anyone guess which band is responsible?

He's neat and discreet, he couldn't be any subtler / This is the story of my Rock N Roll Butler

Post your guesses in the comments, or e-mail me offline.

Endpaper Mitt #1

I should probably be working on my Bohus Cuffs, but this week I started a pair of Endpaper Mitts:

Recently I've spent some time in the office on weekends, when the building isn't heated, and a pair of these would really take the chill off while still allowing me to work on the computer. Of course, it's starting to feel springlike here and I don't regularly go in on the weekend, so I'm probably about a month late in making these. The yarn is GGH Merino Soft, which I've been using a lot lately--the lining for the We Call Them Pirates hat and the Beaded Cuffs both use this yarn. I like that it is very springy, and produces a nice, smooth fabric. The needles are Knitpicks size US2 (or maybe they're a big size 1--they seem very loose in my needle gauge). I'm paying attention to yarn dominance on these mitts, and I think that it is paying off--the black stitches look nice and crisp. The cuff is going to be snug on my thick wrists, but they are supposed to be close-fitting.

I've joined a new knitting blog ring, welcome to anyone who lands here from as a result! I sometimes mix it up with other crafts (don't be alarmed), but lately it's been all knitting all the time.