The next winter will come around for sure ... hopefully not too soon

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Due to the cold snap in the middle of August I felt like knitting gloves for winter.

The pattern has been on my Ravelry queue for a long time. One of the reasons I hesitated to start this project was that there has been no gauge and I was afraid that they wouldn't fit. I had to make some adaptions to make them fit. You can find my gauge and the directions for my adaptions below, maybe this helps others who are hesitating for similar reasons.

My gauge for 10 x 10 cm is 14 stitches and 20 rows in stockinette stitch.

I started according to the pattern "Knubbelige Fäustlinge à la Ally McBeal" of Ehefrau. When I reached row 28 (according to the pattern in this row the decrease starts) I noticed that my fingers must be longer than the designers fingers.

That's why I decided to add an additional cable, in detail:

Pass row 28/29 cable (according to pattern)
Row 29 to 35 in pattern (without decrease)
Row 36 decrease (according to pattern row 29)
Row 37 decrease (according to pattern row 31)
Pass row 38/39 cable (and decrease in addition)
Overall I knitted 40 rows, broke yarn, draw through the 9 remaining stitches and pulled tight.

For the thumb I knitted 11 rows and one additional row with decrease according to the pattern.

The outcome is very warm and cuddly and if I weren't hoping for a warm autumn, it would be a shame that this pair of mittens has to wait for it's use for a long time :-)

Project details at a glance: 

Pattern: Fäustlinge à la Ally McBeal
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Ornella; color 019
Needles: 6 mm circular needles
Gauge: 10x10 cm = 14 stitches x 20 rows in stockinette stitch

Here you can find the mittens at ravelry.com

The "Debt Hat"

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In October 2012 I promised my brother to knit this hat for him. I bought the yarn and made the gauge but against all my good intentions I didn't knit it until now - that's why I gave it this name. Now, that I had time to knit again this nice hat was finished within two days :-)

The new technique I tried (successfully I think) in this project was to knit jogless strips. Thanks to the explanation and video on Alexis Winslows blog (KNIT darling) I am proud to present my first knit without jogs:

This is the finished hat:

Project details at a glance: 

Pattern: Strib Hat
Yarn: Lana Grossa Bingo; color 024, 120 & 136
Needles: 4,5 mm circular needles
Gauge: 2,5 cm (1 inch) = 5 stitches x 7 rows
Here you can find this hat at ravelry.com

Bride & Groom

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Today I present to you a small project I knitted as a wedding present: Bridal couple finger puppets.

Because only small amounts of yarn are needed this is an ideal project to use leftovers up. For the veil I used offcut of my own wedding dress. As I am very happily married I think this is a lucky omen :-)

Nevertheless my stitching skills could use some improvement, I think for the first attempt it's not that bad ;-)

Project details on a glance:

Pattern: Basic Finger Puppet
Yarn: Leftovers
Needles: 5 x 3mm double pointed needles
I skiped the gauge for this projekt

Here you can find the bridal couple on ravelry.com

I am back :-)

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The last two year I have been very busy with my studies, that's why I didn't have time to knit. This is also the reason why nothing happened here. Now I'm back to the needles :-)

My warm-up project was this lace cowl. The yarns are leftovers from the iPad cover I knitted some time ago. That is also the reason why I chose to knit the pattern in two colors - I simply didn't have enough of one color ;-)

I decided for knitted button holes and chose pearly buttons:

Not too bad for my first lace knitting, isn't it?

Project details on a glance:

Pattern: Gothic Lace Cowl
Yarn: Lana Grossa Bingo; color 124 & 208
Needles: 2 x 5 mm
Gauge: 10 cm = 18 stitches x 24 rows

Here you can find my cowl on ravelry.com

Something cosy for my iPad

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Last year I've really been good! Therefore I treated myself with an iPad 2 for Christmas. When I looked for something nice for the iPad to wear, I didn't find anything stunning so I decided to knit something myself.

During research I found the "iPad cover with magic apple" by Jacquie Howard and was enthused. The only variance I made was because of the gauge. I casted on  35 & 34 stitches instead of 39 & 38 stitches.

This project had some first times for me as well:

1. first time: Knitting circularly on two circular needles
Jacquie linked to a Video by Cat Bordhi in which the technique is really well demonstrated. I like Jacquies variance of the cast on and I think it just looks great.

2. first time: Shadow knitting
As I already mentioned I've been stunned by the pattern and was curious how the apple will appear. Like all kinds of magic it's the same here that once you know the trick it is easy.

3. first time: Crochet Cast On
For the opening on the back Jacquie used a variance of a buttonhole technique she wrote about on one of her previous postings. I haven't casted off like this before but especially the cast on method was new to me. I had a 3,5 mm and a 6 mm crochet hook at hand and decided for the 6 mm hook. The next time I would choose the smaller needle as the top of the opening got too loose.

I doesn't bother me that much, that I would undo the upper part, in this case the idleness wins (^_^;)
... and if I tug it into place it stays closed. Maybe I sew on a button or something similar ...

Project details on a glance:

Pattern: iPad Cover Knitting Pattern
Yarn: Lana Grossa Bingo; color 124 & 208
Needles: 2 x 5 mm circular needles
Gauge: 10 cm = 18 stitches

Here you can find my iPad cover on ravelry.com

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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The first time I saw Allison LoCicero's Entrelac Scarf I've been ravished.

And as the best mom of all (mine) wanted a colorful scarf for Christmas which she could wear with her brown winter coat, I just went off to buy the yarn "Noro Silk Garden". Normally I would think twice before I spend 10€/50g but it's Christmas and it's for my mom (^.^)

The yarn itself was something that one needs to get used to because thickness and strength are unsteady.

I was curious how the pattern would work and it's really that one square is knitted after another. In the beginning I knitted stitch by stitch according to the directions as I was not able to imagine how the pattern will occur. After the secound row of squares everything was clear and the project nearly finished on it's own.

Oh yeah, when I picked my lables I couldn't decide which of my two favorite ones to choose so I ordered both and this ist the second variant - which one do you like more? (the other one is on the  Monster Chunks)

Projectdetails at a glance:

Pattern: Entrelac Scarf
Yarn: NORO Silk Garden; color 341
Needles: 5 mm jacket needles
No gauge required

Here you can finde the scarf on ravelry.com

I wish you all
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
read you 2012 (*_*)

Giant Monster Chunks, yes we rattle!!!!

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What do little boys need who have everything?

MONSTER CHUNKS!
Any Monster Chunks?
No - GIANT Monster Chunks!
Is there anything they need to be able to?
Yes - RATTLE \(^_^)/ 

The best friends of my little boy are celebrating their first birthday this week. For their great day they get as presents (one more time *g*)...

... GIANT RATTLE MONSTER CHUNKS \(^_^)/

According to the designer Rebecca Danger the chunks love to dance and are the perfect pets. In additon I gave them a rattle, so they can scare "monsters-under-the-bed" away.

The chunk twins have to seperate but I hope this is not too much of a problem for them as they will be living with really nice little boys and you never know, maybe they will meet some day at the playground again!

The chunks are a great project to try different yarns and needles. I had a lot of fun making them and I'm sure they are not the last ones.

I was really happy that my lables arrived in time, so the chunks are my first "branded" projekt (^_^)

Here you can find the chunks on ravelry.com