Whew! I did it!

I've never been so glad to see the end of November! When I started this NaBloPoMo madness, I was sure I would finish. (I'm way too stubborn to do otherwise...) I knew I would struggle for topics, and I knew there would be a junk post or two, just to keep it rolling.
I learned a few things. Not every post has to be worthy of carving in stone. It's okay not to have a picture. It's okay to just write about something that only I am likely to be interested in. And, it's way a lot easier to have something to write about BEFORE you sit down to the keyboard...
Will I keep posting every day? Not on your Nellie.
Will I post more often than I used to? A resounding yes to that one! (See lessons learned, above.) Part of the fun, of course, is that I've acquired a few readers - and that makes it look a lot less like I'm talking to myself. I love to see comments - let me repeat that - I LOVE to see comments! (Hint, hint...) Feedback is such a joy.

And because I am a masochist want to prove that Selbuvotter can't kick my ass and get away with it, I started another pair of gloves:


This time I'll actually follow the pattern (Annemor #10) - well, except for the part where I'm reversing the light/dark sequence. The background color is a pine green, the pattern color is "Green Tea Heather" - you know, Color D that I didn't care for.
Looks like chartreuse to me...

.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

Woohoo! November is almost over!!

I finished a hat for Jean on Thanksgiving Day. It isn't anything fancy, but it's wool and it's warm. I hope it keeps someone's ears from freezing this winter. The color in the pics is way off - it's really a navy blue.

I'm really happy with the star pattern made by the decreases.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature-Spun - Navy
Needles: Size 5 circular, then size 4 DPNs since I couldn't find any 5's. (I don't know if I don't own any or if I've lost them if I did...)
Pattern: My own.

The pattern was easy -
Cast on 100 stitches. Knit K2P2 ribbing till my brain begged for mercy, then one more inch just to prove I'm not a quitter. (Or about 9", whichever comes first)
Start decreasing: There are 25 K2 ribs. Every 5th one will be a "leg" of the star. (They can be marked, or just keep counting around until pattern is established.) Work ribbing up to 1 stitch short of the "leg", k2tog, k1. Continue around, working a k2tog at each "leg", absorbing a purl stitch from the p2's.
Work a round even, then another decrease round. When the stitch before the K2tog would be a K stitch in the rib pattern, purl it instead. (This keeps the "leg" rib edge crisp and differentiated from the ribs that are getting absorbed.)
Continue working, alternating decrease rounds and even rounds until 10 sts remain. Cut yarn and draw up stitches.
Done!


I'll be mailing this to Jean Monday!

Holy crap...

If I can keep my face off the keyboard long enough to type this post, I'll be lucky.
So. Tired.
Today was Black Friday. I work in retail. Even though we opened at 6am, there was a crowd already waiting for us in the parking lot this morning.
I worked from 6am till early senility.
Came home, made supper.

I think I have baked potato on my forehead. And I no longer care...

Giving Thanks

I started a long post listing all the things I'm thankful for, but it started getting messy and maudlin and gooey. So I chucked it.
Here's the short form -
My husband, daughters, family (mine, his, inlaws and outlaws), and friends (both real and imaginary).
Thanks for filling my life!

Speaking of filling, I'm full of turkey and pumpkin pie. I think I need a nap.
And, since I work in retail, I've got to get up early to face the ravening hordes tomorrow. Yay, Black Friday...

I hope your Thanksgiving was as good as mine!

Best wishes

Nothing new to report.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
With or without the cranberry sauce...

The Good News and the Bad News

First, the Good News - The World's Warmest Mittens are done! Done! Done!
I worked out what I did wrong on the thumbs and fixed it. The ends are woven in, and they're ready to present to WGS.
Here's a closeup of the herringbone pattern, wonky handspun alpaca and all:
Recap:
Pattern: Elliphantom's Herringbone Mittens
Yarn: My handspun alpaca. The fleeces came from WGS's own alpacas.
Needles: size 4 DPN
Modifications: I knit a K1P1 ribbing cuff to help the mittens stay on. And the biggest mod is that I thrummed the pattern to make the mittens extra warm. (Thrums were also alpaca.)

I am so so so happy with how these turned out!


And now for the bad news... Well, first, some more good news - I've got a thumb done on the Selbuvotter gloves! I haven't finished weaving in ends, but happy progress has been made. Here are a couple of photos I took while wearing the glove. I stupidly finished the right one first, so had to take the pictures left-handed. And blind, since I couldn't hold my hand in the light and still see through the viewfinder... I took about 20 pics before I got any I could use. Though I got some fabulous shots of my wrist and my fingertips...


So, flush with this victory, I sat down to work on Thumb 2. I was happily knitting away, chatting occasionally with Madman, who was working on his plans for remodeling the chicken coop.
That little voice in the back of my head (You know the one. It always means trouble...) started going "Psst. Psst..."
I knitted harder.
"Psst!"
Crap. I sighed, and looked. And sighed.
When I got up and got the camera, Madman knew something was up. He gave me an inquiring look.
"They got me again!" I said.
"Oh, no! What now?"
"Take a look at the base of the thumbs..."


"Oh no! Does that mean you have to knit another one?"
"Absolutely not. I'm just going to pretend I don't see it."

These gloves are kicking my ass.

My Roguish Madman

Madman took a nap. I ambushed him...Apparently he was cold, since he had the hood up.


I warned him the cables wouldn't show up very well...