I've started knitting at work! Only before work and on lunch and breaks though. It's actually great, because I can knit up a thumb in a morning tea break. Thumbs are the perfect size. And it's so nice being able to sit in the sun and knit. We have the sunniest tea-room in the entire world. Knitting is also so restful. I think I will keep some wool and a set of dpn's here so I can have a work pair of mittens and a home pair. I'll save the fancy ones for work though, because there is better light.

I am also completely converted to knitting the thumbs before I start on the mitten proper. It's so nice to just have them out of the way, plus it's a really good way to test your gauge before you really get started.

Okay. Here's another one I really like. Posy, from Rowan 35. Knitted in 4 ply cotton.

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But then there's Rosa, from the same magazine, which I think is my ultimate favourite. Also in 4 ply cotton.



3 mm kneedles, and 28 stiches per 10cm. Maybe in 130 Ardour?

Now that I've knitted a couple of pairs of mittens, I'm hungering for a larger project. I like this cardigan from Rowan 32 called Georgie. Especially the tie at the neck. I'm really into things that I could wear with my beautiful cordoroy skirt at the moment.



I think I would try and buy Rowan soft to knit it. I like this colour... expresso. (389) I need to buy some 3.25 mm kneedles and practice knitting 28 stiches per 10cm.



I'm a big fan of Sarah Dallas's designs. I really want her vintage knit book.

I knitted another pair of mittens this weekend. I used 8 ply New Zealand Merino in cream, and this beautiful mohair that I like to call peacock, because it goes from purple to green and back again. They came up very fluffy. I tried corrugated ribbing for the wrists, and my sister (who I knitted the mittens for) likes it, but I feel a bit funny about it, because the fingertips of the mittens are so white, that I feel it should be reflected in the wrist. Also, when I bound it off, it became very tight, with no elasticity. I guess because you are using two colours it doesn't have as much stretch. SO I am going to propose that if I ever use corrugated ribbing again, I will bind it off in one colour, not two. Or jst do it looser. We'll see.

I didn't like knitting the merino up much, it kept twisting, and my stiches didn't seem to stay that regular. I hate to say it, but I much prefer using machine-washable treated wool for knitting mittens. Which I guess is practical in a way.

I went and bought some neutral balls at Spotlight yesterday afternoon, so that I have a good stach of background colours for mittens. I bought two in five ply, which I think is the optimum ply for making mittens that are 25 stickes across after decreasing the band. But the colour I really liked was grey, and they only had it in eight ply. I tried knitting a thumb in it last night, and it was far too large, but I think if I use my smaller dpn's and the navy mohair I've been saving, they will come out perfectly. I have been craving mittens for myself, after having made pairs for friends and siblings. And the weather is getting very cold. I also like the idea of knitting socks, because if I knit socks, I can wear them while I knit other things.

I actually finished, as in completed my first knitting project in a long while last night. Beautiful magenta and grey mittens in an estonian goats eye motif. The pattern was from Anna Zilborg's mitten book, but I used the beginner's mitten increasing, because I like the more rounded finish on the fingers. I was so happy I put them on and danced around doing a little mime dance. Now I need to begin another pair. I am buying wool after work.