Cables And Lace

Another great accessory for the cool spring days to come.

Pattern: Merletto Mitts (Ravelry link) beautifully designed by Jody (she is going to put the pattern up on her blog soon!)
Yarn: Tess Supersock and Baby (leftover from the Turret Socks)
Modifications: I made the hand 2 repeats longer and made the thumb a few rounds longer as well. I like my fingerless mitts long!

These were a quick, fun and functional knit! I wear my other pair almost every weekend at agility trials in the spring and fall. I figured it was time to add another pair to the rotation. It had to be machine washable (at the trials all sorts of doggie treats, hair and mud get stuck to them!) and I wanted something interesting. I was a bit leery of knitting them with sock yarn as I thought it would go pretty slow, but these were a quick knit. The pattern was intuitive and kept my interest. Believe it or not, there is still have yarn left! These skeins of Tess are huge! I did get some color bleed as I was knitting (blue finger syndrome) but I'm hoping a good soak with some vinegar will solve it.

All in all, great yarn, great pattern!

PS - I have a full, untouched skein of this same yarn (Tess Supersock) in the same color if anyone would like to trade (for the same yarn, different color, or a different yarn all together!). After doing the socks and these mitts, I'm a bit sick of looking at the same blue!

Quite a Show

Well, though Deuce didn't win best in show at Westminster (I honestly don't think any of them stood a chance against Uno the Beagle - he was in perfect form and so "on". It was his night!), she had an amazing few days. We are all super proud of her! She was the #2 Aussie last year, and the rate she's going this year, she may top that! Yay Deuce!

While all the dogs were strutting their stuff (I admit I did not watch the toy group. Most of those I don't really consider to be dogs, just ornaments!) I finished the first Mertello mitt.

I love the combination of the cables and the lace. Because the first mitt is finished, we all know what that means. Casting on for Sigrid #2! I can only leave a single sock mateless for so long.

If you are itching to make your sweetie something sweet for V Day tomorrow, check out these cupcakes. Interesting. Very interesting. Not sure I could eat them. Gross but neat at the same time.

We interrupt knitting for this special announcement!

Very exciting news! I just got the call that Ace's mom Deuce just won the breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! Australian Shepherds were on bright and early at 8am. If you remember, I made the trip down to New York last year, and she unfortunately didn't win. I guess motherhood and a little time off agreed with her! She not only beat the dog that won last year, but beat the #1 dog in the country! Be sure to watch tonight at 8pm on USA network and cheer her on! I know Ace will be very proud to see his mom on TV! You can catch all the results here

On to knitting progress. While not totally casting aside the second Sigrid sock, I had the itch to start something new. So, I picked something small and relatively fast that would use up some stash and provide me with a very useful product in the end.

They are the Merletto Mitts by the talented Jody. The yarn is about half of a skein of leftover Tess yarn from the Turret Socks. It's a beautiful pattern - a little lace and a little cable. Working up fast too - I did the entire hand yesterday afternoon! My plan, so as not to totally abandon the second sock, is to complete this first mitt, then go back to Sigrid. Keep everyone happy.

Use a little stash, get a little stash. Look what I got in the mail!

Fleece Artist Sea Wool in a beautiful Peridot colorway. I won a little contest given by Lis from One Planet Yarn. How cool is that! The yarn is super soft and has a great sheen to it. The color is amazing. Kind of a greenish gray color. It will make some amazing socks!

We got another blast of snow this weekend. Yesterday was on and off snowing all day. One minute it would be blue skies and sunny, the next a white out.

It was really pretty how it stuck to the trees though. Unfortunately, with the 45 mph winds last night, it's all blown off. The boys had a great time yesterday afternoon. Luckily the cold and snow don't bother them.

Otis

Tucker

The Boys in a rare moment of stillness yesterday