James's blog

I think most of my posts include some form of the phrase "should update more often."  But honestly, between posting on Ravelry forums, and on my LJ, I don't really have a *need* for this vox blog anymore.  Except I've got photos here that are linked to from elsewhere.  Also, I don't know that many folks are reading this.  You have to be a member to comment, as I understand, which makes it not likely folks will leave comments.

So, for a long time (months) I was mostly knitting for charities.  Hats, mittens, for a varity of charities.  All good causes, but I rather burned myself out with it. So a month ago I decided to knit for myself only.

I swear I would post more often to this thing if I could ever remember my password - and if Vox would stop logging me out every 2 weeks.

Pinky Mittens - Modified Fingerless Mittens

Pinky mod

Size women's medium

Sock weight yarn

Needles size US 0-2

Cuff:

Cast on 52 sts

Work in K3, P1 ribbing for 4 inches or desired length for cuff.

Palm:

Rounds 1-8: Knit around

Mark beginning of round.

Thumb Gusset and hand:

Round 9, 11,13, 15,17,19, 21, 23: K1, Inc 1, Knit to within 2 sts of 

end of round. Inc 1, K1.

Rounds 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20: Knit around.

Round 22: knit until 4 sts of end of round. Place next 8 sts on waste 

yarn for thumb. Cast on 2 sts. (62 sts)

Rounds 23-31: Knit around.

Round 32: Knit, decreasing 3 sts placed randomly. (59 sts)

Round 33: Knit around.

Round 34: Knit around, decreasing 3 sts placed randomly. (56 sts)

Begin ribbing (K3, P1 or other ribbing).

Knit to desired length for *pinky finger.*

K24

Bind off 8 sts

K24

Next round: K24. Cast on 2 sts. K24, closing round with bound off sts 

left to make a hole for pinky finger.

Knit around, following ribbing pattern, to desired length for fingers.

Bind off.

Thumb:

Remove waste yarn, placing sts on needles.

Knit around for 8 rounds or desired length.

Bind off.

Weave in ends.

Repeat pattern for second mitten.  (*You may find that the pinky hole needs to be moved slightly to accommodate the other hand.  You can adjust the number of stitches knit before you bind off for the pinky, to move the hole forward or backward.)

So I did a clever thing and modified the fingerless mittens I was making to keep my fingers warm while not swallowing up my pinky.

come from primarily the fact that when I don't sign in for two weeks I get logged off and I can never remember my password, so I don't bother trying.  ;-)

I've finally signed on successfully and thought to tell my web browser to please remember it for me so perhaps I'll be around more. Perhaps not.  Time will tell!

Exactly what time will tell, Time's not saying. Ba dum bum!

Knitting proceeds apace. No recent quilting. Lots of thinky thoughts about charity knitting that I don't feel like spelling out yet. I suspect I have too many things I want to do, and no independent wealth to stay home and do them with. Alas.  Though if I were rich and able to stay home and knit, I'd just add more projects to do and still not be able to do them. 

Clearly I need more yarn and fabric to soothe my nerves. ;-)

I finished a quilt for a baby shower today. Go me!

Hawaii_baby

I also finished two sweatshirts, out of about a dozen I have to make. All I do is applique a quilt block onto the front and voila.  These two are done with blocks I had left over from the quilt I put together for my wife's birthday last summer.

Yellow_skull

Laughing_skull

So I've been working ym way through my stash, and adding to my stash, and listening to podcasts about stashes and I got to thinking - just how big is my stash, anyway? How does it compare to other people?

Sometimes size matters, people.

Anyhow, I made up a list of my yarn.  I have yarn for the following projects:

wool sweater (grey/olive)
suri throw (purple/lavender)
cotton blanket (various country)
cotton top (blues)
two pair slippers (felted)
double knitted hats (green&gold, red&white)
22 pairs socks
6 balls kitchen cotton (dishcloths)
2 balls wool (purple) (no project)
2 balls silky wool (purple) (no project)
bamboo top (greens)

I also have about ten skeins of yarn of various acrylics, in various amounts, for use in charity knitting.  So I have 17 projects or potential projects, plus yarn for 22 pairs of socks (or slightly more if the socks are small). 

That really doesn't seem like much.

...

I need to buy more yarn.

I cast on a sock a couple days ago; decided to make Jaywalkers.  The yarn is some I dyed myself - still trying to come up with a name for the colourway. The only thing that keeps coming to mind is "Rustoleum." ;-)

Rusted jaywalkers

I'm involved in a project that makes quilts for premature babies.  We've got a blog going with details and such at Quilter's Cauldron.  Basically, we're asking folks to make a 8" block in any pattern, in pastel colors. 

Feel free to spread the word!  We're just getting started with asking folks to help out (quilts have been going to the hospitals for two years now, 5 and 6 at a time.  We're just now trying to get more folks involved and send lots more!)